Happy New Year Boss Bride! If you’re planning to get married in Houston, you’ll need a wedding planner. We’re kicking this month off with tips to get your 2021 Wedding Planning off to a great start. Today let’s talk about how to choose the best Wedding Planner in Houston for you.

Things you should consider when researching the best Wedding Planner in Houston for you. 

1. Years in service. If you already know that you want an experienced planner who is going to come to the table with guidance and 5, 10, or 15+years of experience, then you can expect to pay for those years of experience. And while they may be able to complete tasks or provide you a shortlist of vendors a lot quicker than a planner starting out- it’s because of all the years of knowledge, networking, and hands-on experience that afford them that opportunity. So you’ll be planning like a boss in half the time….just expect to pay a little more.
2. Total Number of touchpoints. If you believe you will need more hand-holding for your wedding and more in-person or virtual meetings then you can expect to pay more for additional meetings with your planner. For Day/Month of Planning in Houston, you can expect 1-2meetings with your planner. If you desire additional meetings, the price is likely to be higher. 
3. Working alone or with a team. I realized after my first year of planning that even if a bride did not request an additional planner….I needed someone to be with me at the event anyway so it became an automatic inclusion in my offerings to provide a lead planner and an associate planner in every package. For planners that work alone, as your guest count increases, they will still need to bring on additional staff to handle the volume of service required on your wedding day- so guest counts higher than the 100-150 range can expect to pay an additional fee for planning services. 
4. How many hours you need planning services. While brides may think they only need a planner for 6-8hrs…by the time you factor in the time for the meetings leading up to the wedding, the 3+hours it will take to build your timeline and room layout, your wedding rehearsal and set up and breakdown, we are well-passed 8hrs of planning service. So unlike a DJ who you may only need for 5hrs the day of your wedding, the time needed from a planner, even for Day/Month-of is impacted by the tasks a planner will complete prior to the day-of and if they only charged for the 8hrs on the wedding day, it would not account for the total spent on your wedding which could range from 20-100hrs depending on the service collection you choose.

There are a lot more factors to consider when researching the best wedding planner for your Houston Wedding, such as personality match, service offerings, and energy. If they have really good vibes during your consultation it’s a great look behind the scenes at what it would be like to trust them with your wedding plans. 

Here are some additional factors to consider when choosing a wedding planner. Do your homework and consider at least 3 options. Never compare based on price alone because there are always subtle differences between planners that can help you make the best decision for your wedding and price isn’t always the best gauge. You can find out more about why SwaLaRue could be your ideal wedding planner here. Let me know if you have any questions, I’m here to help!