What emotions did you experience during the wedding planning process and the day of your wedding?

Firstly, let me say that I am not a creative person. My husband has more of the creative eye. So, I knew the wedding planning process would be very stressful. The only aspect of my wedding that I was certain of was the colors I wanted and the theme.  We had consulted a couple other planners and were not satisfied. Fortunately, after an initial consult with one of the planners at Panera, I saw one of my patients who recommended Nishaka. I am so glad she did!! I contacted Nishaka and she immediately responded. We sat up a consultation date and the rest is history.  During the wedding planning process, I felt excited and relieved. We had a planner who was very punctual and professional and that was important to us. We worked great as a team to ensure we stayed close to our budget and our vision.

I was very nervous the day of until I walked down the aisle; I felt a sense of security and peace as I saw my groom awaiting me at the altar. It was a magical day and it was everything I had envisioned it to be.  All of our family and friends are still talking about how beautiful everything was. We have a fun love and that’s what we wanted displayed on our day and it was!

How did having a wedding planner impact your wedding?

Without a planner, I believe I would not have had such a sense of peace on the wedding day. Our planner helped us stay organized and helped coordinate everything. She also helped us meet great vendors that made our day a success as well.  It was a major stress reliever to not have to search for vendors, set up many consultations and to try to vet them blindly.  Nishaka knew who all the good vendors in the area were and made the necessary connections for us.

We feel that we likely could have done it on our own but as two busy people, we never would have been organized and sure of our decisions made.  Nishaka took much of the anxiety as she handled all the little details that we likely would have missed or never known to do.  Lastly she kept us on schedule with payments to all vendors.  Weddings are expensive and it would have been horrible going into our big day knowing that we still owed someone.

What advice would you offer Brides debating whether to hire a wedding planner?

I believe having a planner is an investment.  For me, it was an investment to my mental being. Planning a wedding should be an exciting and fun time, not one where you are stressed.  Personally, I saved so much time and was less stressed by having a planner.  I was able to still be productive in my career and not be a “bridezilla”.  This was important to me. The wedding planning process was more fun and exciting because of our planner.  My husband and I built a wonderful rapport with Nishaka.  She got us and our vision and became a trusted friend throughout the process.  Although our family and friends only interacted with Nishaka briefly, they still comment on her professionalism, attention to detail and pleasant demeanor.  She was stern when she needed to be with guests or vendors and allowed us to be carefree on the wedding day which made for an amazing experience.