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Wedding Professionals in Ventura and Santa Barbara: Wedding / Bridal Consultants.

Bridal Consultants. Wedding dress fitting. I had photographed quite a few weddings long before it became apparent to me just what an ordeal planning an event like a wedding was. Prior to this epiphany I saw wedding coordinators and bridal consultants as just another obstacle to my art. Honestly... They really got on my nerves. My feeling was: Who sent for this control freak? Well I've come to see that a control freak is exactly what is called for in planning and coordinating something as important and complex as a wedding.... Now pay attention here this is important: I'm not saying go out and find a control freak to run your wedding, I'm saying find an Advocate and Assistant and one that is capable of representing and assisting you in the aspects of planning and coordinating the wedding of your dreams.

I have also come to see that by actually paying a professional Bridal Consultant will save you a whole lot of time and even some money in the long run. Someone who knows the ins and outs of weddings from objective research and experience can be crucial in helping you to navigate and avoid the many pitfalls and landmines out there in the world of event planning.

What to look for when Hiring a Wedding Consultant: Again experience counts. After planning and coordinating weddings for many years you kind of can't not know the drill, but like I've seen many times longevity isn't everything, one of the very best bridal consultants / wedding coordinators I ever worked with was on her very first professional assignment and what she lacked in hands on experience she more made up for in sheer passion.

Here are some tips to finding the right Bridal Consultant / Wedding Coordinator for your wedding:

Are they listening to you or are they handling you? Again this is your wedding and what I believe you need is an Advocate not a Control Freak. It takes a flexible and perceptive person to understand your wants and needs and then translate that into the reality of the event.

Can you relate to them and do they make you feel comfortable? Personality is key, this person will be an integral part of setting up and carrying off what should be one of the greatest events to take place in your life. Their job is to relieve you of the stress by taking on the problems and solving them so you can focus on what is important here: You are Getting Married. "This is the person who has your back and is there to shield you from the nerve racking details." says Jennifer of Jennifer's Weddings Wedding Coordinator in Ventura, California.

Are they organized and can they clearly answer your questions? One of the most important qualities a consultant / planner of any sort needs is an ability to communicate logically and effectively. Every "behind the scenes wedding disaster" I have ever witnessed would have been averted if there was someone there to assure that everyone was on the same page. This is the core of what it is all about... Some aspects of making a wedding run smoothly is like herding cats... It take a special kind of person to pull it off.

Are they connected? Do they know the other wedding professionals in the area and do they have a working knowledge of what those vendors offer for what kind of fees and can they easily answer questions about these other professions such as: what to expect from a DJ, Caterer, photographer etc? A big part of being a Bridal Consultant is negotiating with these other professionals on your behalf and getting the "biggest bang for your wedding budget buck" It is important for them to know where to push and where to bend with who and how.

Wedding Coordinators usually charge a percentage of 10% to 15% of a total wedding budget for complete service. Some Bridal Consultants / Wedding Consultants will work with you for a fee for as little or as much assisting wanted in planning, hiring vendors etc.

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Weddings and Engagement photography in Ventura County, without travel expenses including the cities of Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Port Hueneme and Oxnard, Ojai, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Fillmore and Santa Paula, and Camarillo, California. Weddings in Santa Barbara: Isla Vista, Goleta, Montecito and Carpinteria. In Los Angeles County: Westlake Village, Santa Monica, Malibu, Calabasas and Agoura Hills. Also available for destination weddings.

* Many local wedding professionals provided information for this article. Please see: Wedding Resources