Planning for the big day

By CAROLINE WOON

ANY BRIDES-TO-BE who want to limit the number of headaches are discovering that the best route to their wedding day includes turning to the pros.

Whether it means choosing an ideal venue, tracking down an experienced caterer or giving a florist the green light on centerpieces, a professional wedding consultant can remove the stress and uncertainty from any wedding day equation.

“The biggest advantage of hiring a coordinator is they’ll handle all of the time-consuming details, share their expertise and allow you to actually enjoy the big day,” said Angela M. Boyd, a professional bridal consultant and owner of Beautiful Creations in Rancho Cucamonga.

“Nowadays, women who are getting married work or go to school, and they don’t have the time to search and run background checks on every vendor.”

Another advantage to hiring a trusted advisor is the bride-to-be doesn’t need to worry about ironing out all of the logistical kinks.

“A wedding planner is able to create a timeline for keeping the couple on task to avoid doing things at the last minute,” said Michael Brummer, owner M

of Events by Michael in Loma Linda. “He or she can also assist the bride and groom in generating a budget, determining and itemizing what they can spend more on and what they need to spend less on.”

However, according to Monica Brown, certified wedding consultant and co-owner of Here’s To You Event Coordination and Design in Rancho Cucamonga, first-timers should always proceed with caution when shopping for a qualified consultant.

“It’s important to be comfortable with the person, to trust them and know that they’re experienced and reliable,” she said. “Pay close attention to how punctual they are, hammer them with questions to see if they’re good under pressure because their stress will translate into yours. And lastly, choose someone who’s a good listener, whose goal is to enhance your vision without turning it into what they think it should be.”

Most companies offer consultation packages customized to fit the bride’s individual needs. Depending on how far along she is in the process, those companies will charge a flat rate, hourly fee or a set percentage of the total cost for services rendered.

Possibilities range from onsite day-of event coordination, which generally starts at $1,000, to comprehensive full-service options that include site selection, food and cake tastings, bridal gown shopping and vendor management for a standard 15 percent fee.

“We prefer to base the full-service pricing on a specific percentage so that someone who’s working with a smaller budget won’t get hit as hard,” Boyd said. “We’ll only charge for a portion of the vendors we referred and pass our discounts onto the customer to ensure they’re getting the best they can get for their money.”

Although pulling off the big day without a hitch constitutes a victory that’s as sweet as wedding cake, spouses-to-be should never lose sight of what matters most.

“Stay focused on what this day is really about — your relationship,” Brown said. “Know that sometimes things won’t be absolutely perfect, but you can’t allow yourself to get lost in it. Many brides can’t even remember what happened on their wedding day because they were so busy worrying about what might go wrong.” Brummer agreed.

“As in life, not everything in a wedding happens as planned,” he said. “But the most important thing to remember is that you fell in love with someone special and your wedding should affirm and celebrate that love.”