Using outside planner?

[DisneyNurse16]

Hello all! I still have a bit of time before we get to actually start officially planning our DFTW, but I thought I'd ask a question that I haven't been able to find on any previous threads:

Has anyone ever used an outside, local to where they live, wedding planner in addition to the one provided by Disney? My thinking is that if I did use a local wedding planner here in Texas, they could help me make informed decisions face-to-face. They would know what to look for on BEOs and how to understand contracts, and since I'll be in my last semester of my BSN they will really be a key go between for my Disney planner and myself. I won't have the time to pour into the planning. If I use a local vendor. We could plan the entire thing and hand it off to the Disney planner to implement. Seems like a good idea?

I haven't read any horror stories about the Disney planners, but I do realize that a lot of important final decisions are made in the last six months of planning. This will coincide with my hardest semester of school. Also, I'm wary of letting control go so far away from me haha!

Has anyone ever used an outside wedding planner to help plan their DFTW? If so, was the added expense worth it? Do you feel it was unnecessary?? I really value all of your opinions! Thank you!

 

[lurkyloo]

I think it would be an unnecessary layer of complication between you and your Disney planner. The whole reason Disney gives you a wedding planner is to do all that stuff you've described. There really are not a lot of hard decisions you have to make as the bride—it's all just colors and flowers and fun stuff. And while it's good to read your entire contract and BEO, they are not so complicated that you'd need somebody else to do it for you.

Frankly, from what I've seen over the last 8 years, it's not the Disney part of wedding planning that stresses brides out. It's the messy family stuff, the late nights cramming on craft projects, the drama over bridesmaids.... You can control a lot of that by streamlining your side of planning (skip welcome bags and cut back on the DIY projects, have just a few or no bridesmaids, engage the free services of one of the numerous Disney-focused travel agents and have all your guests direct their WDW questions to him/her, etc.).

I think if you do your research now using this board, the various private boards, the Facebook groups, and all the other resources out there, you will know exactly what you want when those last 6 months roll around. The DFTW part will be easy!

 

[rrali33tt]

I think it would be an unnecessary layer of complication between you and your Disney planner. The whole reason Disney gives you a wedding planner is to do all that stuff you've described. There really are not a lot of hard decisions you have to make as the bride—it's all just colors and flowers and fun stuff. And while it's good to read your entire contract and BEO, they are not so complicated that you'd need somebody else to do it for you.

Frankly, from what I've seen over the last 8 years, it's not the Disney part of wedding planning that stresses brides out. It's the messy family stuff, the late nights cramming on craft projects, the drama over bridesmaids.... You can control a lot of that by streamlining your side of planning (skip welcome bags and cut back on the DIY projects, have just a few or no bridesmaids, engage the free services of one of the numerous Disney-focused travel agents and have all your guests direct their WDW questions to him/her, etc.).

I think if you do your research now using this board, the various private boards, the Facebook groups, and all the other resources out there, you will know exactly what you want when those last 6 months roll around. The DFTW part will be easy!

I completely agree with the above.

I am a psycho planner so I have every detail of my wedding mapped out myself without the aid of a planner. I get more stressed with family and BM drama. There is hardly any actual wedding planning drama (if any at all). You really only have a few times per year you need to commit the time to get it all done (so pencil in a few days thats all). Once you make the decisions thats it.

 

[DisneyNurse16]

Thanks ladies! I like the idea of using a travel agent, and I'm glad I was just being over reacting! The added cost of a second wedding planner would have been a little much. Hopefully I'll be starting a PJ in July, if you know what I mean!!! Until then, I'll be lurking and reading TRs and PJs to help with my pre-planning and obsessing!