All They Want for Christmas, is a Worry-Free Wedding

I spent few hours talking on phone with a bride-to-be friend of mine. Just like every bride out there, on top of her already exhausting schedule, she is overwhelmed with all the plannings she will have to do these few months before her wedding.

She raised two points that all of us can relate to:

1) Where can I find an All-Inclusive vendor?
Taiwan is one of the leading countries in the wedding field. You can easily find one of these All-Inclusive vendors that provides a variety of services at one stop:

- Ceremony/Banquet Host
- Bridal Secretary
- Makeup Artist/Hairstylist
- Floral
- Decor
- Photography/Videography
- Wedding Planner/Coordinator
- Invitations/Favors
- Catering
- Ceremony/Banquet Venue
- On-Set Technician
- Formal Wear rental

Unfortunately, there is only a few one-stop vendors in Vancouver. Furthermore, these local vendors do not provide as much services as in Taiwan. Nonetheless, this will very likely be changed and improved as it is the current phenomenon that most brides simply do not have extra time to plan for their weddings.

2) What if I do not like one of their services?
The problem with an All-Inclusive Vendor, is that you cannot pick and choose your preferred styles. You might like the works of the photographer and florist of this vendor, but you totally hate the portfolio of their makeup artist. Usually this type of vendor only has one or two professionals for each of the services. Depending on the package you choose, you might not have the option to find professionals outside of this vendor.

This issue perhaps could be resolved if you find a well-organized and thoughtful professional wedding planner/coordinator. As I have encountered numerous wedding planners, I understand that they are not all the same.

There are planners out there who only provide a checklist (which you could easily Google yourself) and last-minute confirmation (which could be done with a free wedding website).

On the other hand, there are also planners who are willing to go through the extra mile just to help you ease your mind. They spend time to communicate with you to find out your needs and preferences, they research and filter out vendors that do not fit your dream wedding, they negotiate with your favourite vendors on your behave, they prepare the extras just-in-case, and they stay throughout your wedding day to make sure everything will go smoothly.

Although I am a wedding photographer, I am often being asked by my clients to recommend them a great wedding planner. I have once met a wedding planner/coordinator couple who did almost all that for their clients, but they are not in the country this year.

This Christmas, I pray that I will be able to encounter more planners/coordinators as professional and thoughtful as the pair I met. It is my hope that my clients will be able to be relaxed in order to enjoy the process of their wedding planning.

Merry Christmas
and I wish you all a Memorable Worry-Free Wedding Planning Experience :)