The task list of a newly engaged bride can seem daunting. Your wedding is likely the most elaborate and expensive party you will ever throw, and you want it to be perfect. That’s why many couples are deciding to hire a professional wedding consultant.

Once considered a luxury reserved for the rich and famous, wedding consultants can actually be a smart move economically. They should be considered part of your budget, not an additional expense.

As with any other product or service, the cost of a wedding consultant varies depending on the level of service you require. Full-service coordination averages 10-20 percent of your total budget, while consultations and wedding day-only services are often offered at a flat fee or hourly rate.

The scope of a professional consultant’s involvement in your wedding is entirely up to you. If you’re not interested in having someone assist you from start to finish, you can still enjoy the benefits of a wedding consultant by selecting only the services you need.

Wedding consultants plan successful weddings for a living, so they will ensure that no detail is forgotten, while saving you time, money and stress in the process.

Today’s brides are much busier than ever before with demanding careers, children and continuing education. Planning a wedding is a time-consuming process; your time is valuable. A wedding consultant doesn’t control your plans but, instead, acts as a project manager. He or she keeps you organized and on schedule, making sure that all vendors are booked and decisions are made on time.

Determining a wedding budget should be one of the first things you do after getting engaged. Costs vary greatly depending on factors such as geographical location and the style of your wedding. A wedding consultant can help you decide which aspects of your wedding are most important to you and the overall look you are trying to achieve. Based on your priorities, he or she will determine a realistic idea of what things will cost, all while keeping within your total budget.

Referring qualified vendors is an important part of the consultant’s job. While recently married friends and family are a great resource, their budgets and styles may not match your own. A wedding consultant will sit down with you and find out exactly what you expect from your vendors, helping to weed out any companies that don’t match your criteria. Wedding consultants may also be able to negotiate a better price than you may obtain as a one-time customer. So, the cost-effectiveness of a wedding consultant is easily offset and realized many times over for resourceful, knowledgeable brides who plan them into the budget from the beginning.

In addition to saving time and money, perhaps one of the wedding consultant’s greatest benefits is reducing your stress. While weddings are a time of great joy, they are also the source of emotional tension. You are not only preparing for the biggest day of your life, you’re undergoing a life-changing process and starting a new family.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a neutral third party to listen to you let off steam about family disputes or simply to bounce ideas off of someone who is not emotionally tied to the wedding. Sophisticated wedding consultants have witnessed a lot of different situations and problems, and should have advice or a solution that you haven’t thought of.

You will generally spend an average of 12-15 months preparing for your wedding, but you only have one opportunity to make sure that everything runs smoothly. A wedding consultant knows how important this is and knows how to deal with the unexpected emergencies that may pop up.

Because you have planned ahead and realized the benefits of hiring a wedding consultant, you and your family will be free to enjoy your special day without having to worry about whether the flowers have arrived or the photographer knows where to go. Keeping everyone on track is stressful for the bride, groom and families, but is a normal day’s work for an experienced consultant.