Let’s face it and face it now. At times, you are going to find planning your wedding abroad a complete and utter nightmare! You’ll have countless conversations with yourself over whether or not you have made the right decision to wed away and will be sick and tired of the whole thing, but guess what – it will all pass, and even better? There is a practical way to deal with it if it gets too much.

Image via Elizabeth Anne Designs

At Fly Away Bride, we believe everyone can plan a wedding but some people can just do it better and easier than others. For these people, it’s their profession and they do it everyday of the week. Here are 5 reasons why you should hire a wedding planner.

1. Time

Planning a wedding, let alone a destination wedding is a time consuming task, and time is something that so many people are simply short of. Whether you are having a wedding abroad or one at home, it’s a wise idea to evaluate your current lifestyle. Have you hours in the evening to spare? What about the weekend? If not, can you alter your lifestyle to find these hours? A wedding planner will offer services that can greatly reduce the time and effort you have to put in. From drawing up a shortlist of venues that are in line with your vision to coordinating, even attending meetings on your behalf.

The other time factor to be considered is your timezone difference. How big is it? Planning a Rome wedding from San Francisco means you are trying to communicate with vendors who are 9 hours ahead of you. Their work day is over before you have even begun yours, slowing the planning process down. A local planner can do all the leg-work for you during the day and get faster results.

Lastly, hiring a wedding planner will mean that you will have more time to relax, chill out and explore your new surroundings with family and friends. When guests are travelling so far to be with you on your big day, it’s important that you get to spend quality time with them. Allowing a planner to draft up schedules that maximise your free time once you arrive, means you can enjoy your own wedding and have confidence that the day itself will run like clockwork.

Image via Desire, Design Delight

2. Language Barrier

You want to get married in France but your vocabulary is limited to “Oui” and “Baguette”. You have a few options here. Set Google Translate as your homepage, take a course or hire a local wedding planner. You will not appreciate the value of hiring a local planner until you have had too many awkward conversations with French speaking florists and no email responses from vendors who didn’t understand your inquiry in the first place.

Hiring a wedding planner that speaks your language means that you have a far better chance of ensuring your flower centrepieces are beautifully asymmetrical, your mother’s meal is gluten free and that your aunt’s room has air conditioning. This is because your wedding planner will be able to manage the relationship between your suppliers because they can translate your vision and communicate your specific requirements to them, and all on your behalf.

Image via Iowa State Daily

3. Legalities

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges a couple will face when planning their wedding abroad is understanding the legal obligations they are going to have to fulfill. Where it is possible for you to have a legal ceremony, the paperwork and timescales can be quite confusing and even though we have made an effort to educate you on the legalities of getting married in certain countries around Europe, a local wedding planner can actually walk you through the process, step by step. They will let you know exactly what documents you require and the dates you need them by. They will be able to communicate easily with the town halls and powers that be to book in your actual wedding day and work directly with you to make sure you know the process to follow in order to receive your marriage certificate after your wedding.

Image via Wedding Chicks

4. Local Vendor Knowledge

Most planners will offer separate services to their full wedding planning packages. Maybe you can’t find a venue that has enough bedrooms, or a baker that can make you a three tiered, red velvet cake. A local wedding planner will have a list of contacts and for a smaller fee than their full wedding package, will be able to send you on referrals. Of course, using a planner from start to finish will also offer you this luxury, saving you time, effort and worry. Reputable planners will only work with the best in the industry, suppliers that they can trust themselves. They should be able to give you plenty of vendor options so that you can choose a style that resonates with you. They will also be able to communicate more effectively with these suppliers once you have selected them.

Image via City Journal

5. Money Matters

Hiring a wedding planner, believe it or not, can actually save you money. Many planners have developed good relationships with suppliers and are comfortable negotiating rates with them.  A good wedding planner will also help you set and stick to your budget, finding you alternative solutions when and where necessary.

We will also be giving some tips on choosing a wedding planner in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that.