eople know what a wedding planner is but not everyone understands what they do. Well not really. We all know they are there to help the bride. But how do they help exactly, what is their role in wedding planning?

Planners are usually hired right after the couple become engaged or soon thereafter. Many of them plan the whole event, leaving the bride to deal with other matters, such as enjoying being engaged or avoiding being stressed for months on end in order to have the perfect wedding.

A good planner will handle all the details for you, finding all your vendors and get the best contracts that they can. An expierenced wedding planner will know the best vendors to hire, the best places to have a wedding ceremony or reception as well as the places that you should avoid. Even though hiring a wedding planner is an added expense they do add a lot of options to planning your wedding.

Why Would You Hire a Wedding Planner

The number one reason to hire a wedding planner is probably the amount of time you can save. When beides choose to plan their own wedding it can realistically take hundreds of hours to find and research local wedding vendors. With a wedding planner you can relax more than most upcoming brides as you are paying someone else to do all the research and handle all the vendors. Another reason to consider hiring a wedding planner is that they can get you betteer rates with wedding vendors. Sometimes wedding vendors, such as reception halls or bakers, may charge a wedding planner less than the general public because they want to create repeat business.

One of the nice things about having a wedding planner is that you have someone to worry about all the details. You also have a professional, unbiased opionion at your disposal. Finally, if you are planning to have a destination wedding, a wedding planner is almost a must as it is far more difficult to plan an out of town wedding than it does when you can go to every site and meet every wedding vendor in person.

Why You Would Avoid a Wedding Planner

The number one reason to avoid hiring a wedding planner is the price of having one. Fees vary of course, some planners charge flat fees which are usually in the $2-5,000 range while many charge a percentage of the cost of the wedding, usually 10-15%. Another reason you may not want a wedding planner is because you do not want to allow someone else plan your wedding, it is after all a day you have been dreaming about for your entire life and it should be perfect. You may have a wedding planner which does not see your vision or share your ideas on what your wedding should be like. A lot of brides want to be in complete control of their wedding, and using someone to help plan it makes them feel as if someone else is calling all the shots.

Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options and yet are still before the mountain – large, unconquerable, and impregnable? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you’re hammering against a steel mountain. The pressure of having to solve such a problem may be overwhelming.

But rejoice! There might be some hope yet!

With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different light. And that light might just be the end of the tunnel that leads to possible solutions.

First of all, in the light of creative problem-solving, you must be open-minded to the fact that there may be more than just one solution to the problem. And, you must be open to the fact that there may be solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable.

Now, with this optimistic mindset, we can try to be a little bit more creative in solving our problems.

Number one; maybe the reason we cannot solve our problems is that we have not really taken a hard look at what the problem is. Here, trying to understanding the problem and having a concrete understanding of its workings is integral solving the problem. If you know how it works, what the problem is, then you have a better foundation towards solving the problem.

Not trying to make the simple statement of what problem is. Try to identify the participating entities and what their relationships with one another are. Take note of the things you stand to gain any stand to lose from the current problem. Now you have a simple statement of what the problem is.

Number two; try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have the words of problem. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions. You have to identify which assumptions are valid, in which assumptions need to be addressed.

Number three; try to solve the problem by parts. Solve it going from general view towards the more detailed parts of the problem. This is called the top-down approach. Write down the question, and then come up with a one-sentence solution to that from them. The solution should be a general statement of what will solve the problem. From here you can develop the solution further, and increase its complexity little by little.

Number four; although it helps to have critical thinking aboard as you solve a problem, you must also keep a creative, analytical voice at the back of your head. When someone comes up with a prospective solution, tried to think how you could make that solution work. Try to be creative. At the same time, look for chinks in the armor of that solution.

Number five; it pays to remember that there may be more than just one solution being developed at one time. Try to keep track of all the solutions and their developments. Remember, there may be more than just one solution to the problem.

Number six; remember that old adage,” two heads are better than one.” That one is truer than it sounds. Always be open to new ideas. You can only benefit from listening to all the ideas each person has. This is especially true when the person you’re talking to has had experience solving problems similar to yours.

You don’t have to be a gung-ho, solo hero to solve the problem. If you can organize collective thought on the subject, it would be much better.

Number seven; be patient. As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. Remember that no one was able to create an invention the first time around.

Creative thinking exercises can also help you in your quest be a more creative problems solver.