You Need a Wedding Planner (Even If You Think You Don’t)

When you’re newly engaged, it’s easy to think a wedding planner is an “extra.” Something meant for huge, over-the-top weddings or couples who don’t want to be involved in the process. But after documenting over a hundred weddings, I can tell you this with confidence:

A wedding planner is one of the best investments you can make for your wedding day AND your peace of mind.

Here’s why you need a wedding planner:

1. They Protect Your Wedding Day Experience

Your wedding day should feel like being present, not putting out fires. A planner is the person making sure the timeline stays on track, vendors are where they need to be, and unexpected hiccups are handled quietly in the background.

When something goes wrong (and something almost always does), the couple shouldn’t be the ones solving it. A planner absorbs the stress so you don’t have to.

2. Your Friends & Family Get to Be Guests

Without a planner, someone always ends up “in charge.” It’s usually a mom, sister, or best friend who spends the day answering questions, checking the clock, and managing logistics.

A planner allows your people to show up fully to laugh, cry, dance, and celebrate with you instead of working your own wedding.

3. Timelines Are Everything (Especially for Photos)

As a photographer, I can’t stress this enough: a well-built timeline changes everything.

Planners understand how long things actually take like getting into the dress, moving between locations, family photos, flipping a ceremony space. When the timeline is realistic, the day feels relaxed and joyful. When it isn’t, everything snowballs and can feel rushed.

A planner ensures your day flows naturally, giving you more time for the moments you’ll remember most and most importantly so you have a good experience.

4. They Think of the Things You Didn’t Know to Ask

You don’t know what you don’t know and that’s okay!

Planners anticipate the details couples often miss:

• Where will bouquets go during dinner?

• Who cues the ceremony music?

• What happens if it rains?

• When do candles get lit?

• How does the room flip between ceremony and reception?

These details matter, and planners live in them every day.

5. Vendor Communication Is Seamless

Your planner becomes the main point of contact for your vendor team, which creates clarity and trust across the board. When vendors can communicate easily with one another, the entire day runs smoother.

From a photographer’s perspective, weddings with planners are calmer, more efficient, and more enjoyable for everyone involved.

6. They Help You Make Decisions With Confidence

Wedding planning comes with a million choices. A planner helps you filter through the noise, stay within your budget, and make decisions that align with what actually matters to you.

Instead of second-guessing everything, you’ll feel supported and sure of your choices.

7. You’ll Feel the Difference on Your Wedding Day

The couples who have planners are present. They laugh more. They breathe easier. They soak it all in.

They aren’t checking the time. They aren’t answering texts. They aren’t wondering what’s next.

A wedding planner doesn’t take control away, they give you freedom. Freedom to be present, to feel deeply, and to experience your day the way it was meant to be lived.

Your wedding day is not the time to “just wing it.” It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and you Should enjoy every part of it including the planning process.

And from someone who’s seen it all from behind the lens: you’ll never regret having one.