After, “Will you marry me?” the next big questions are: Should you hire a wedding planner or take it on yourself? What should I consider before hiring a wedding planner?

The answer will vary from couple to couple, and only you can decide if working with a wedding planner is right for you, but here are the three key things that should factor into your decision.

Time

Ask yourself: Do you have time to do all the planning you’ll need yourself, or are you already behind schedule? A wedding planner is especially helpful if you’re having a short engagement, since you’re already starting with less time to begin with. Another consideration: Do you and your partner both work full-time jobs with little flexibility? If so, making time to meet vendors when they’re available might prove tricky. Finally, what kind of help can you count on from your friends and family? And more importantly, how much time do you feel comfortable asking them to spend helping you plan?

Budget

Hiring a wedding planner will of course add another line item to your overall budget, but in some cases, you have to spend money to save money. Your wedding planner will be able to use their expertise and vendor relationships to help you keep your costs down, and they’ll also keep you from making any common, costly mistakes. For some of the benefits of a wedding planner at a lower cost, consider hiring a day-of coordinator. Despite what the name might have you believe, a day-of coordinator actually helps you plan for as many as six weeks prior to your wedding in addition to being on call to help troubleshoot any issues the day of your wedding. You’ll still be working directly with your other vendors and selecting them ahead of time, but if you think the little details are what will really stress you out, a day-of coordinator can strike a happy medium between hiring a planner and going without.

Interest

Not everyone thinks wedding planning is fun and exciting, and it can still be very stressful for those who do. If you’re simply uninterested in the planning process, hiring a wedding planner could easily be worth the cost. If you a) don’t have a vision for what you want your day to look like, b) don’t know how to make that vision happen or c) simply don’t want to spend your precious time juggling vendors, seriously consider hiring a wedding planner.

Whatever you decide, working with Firespring for your wedding printing and signage is another way to make the process a little less stressful—set up an appointment and see how we can help.