Five Egyptian Wedding Planners Share Their Answers to the Most Asked Questions by Brides

Wedding planners in Egypt, and everywhere else in the world, work hardly on the most important day of any couple's life; the wedding day! But what does a wedding planner really do? How far can they go with their services for you? When is a good time to start looking for the one? And can you plan your wedding with your dream wedding planner on a budget? All these questions go through the mind of every engaged couple planning for their wedding, so we picked five of the best Egyptian wedding planners to answer all of your questions!

1. Farida Attout of Bordure Events

What does a wedding planner exactly do?

A wedding planner basically creates dreams by embracing the couple’s style and vision, as well as orchestrating the wedding from start to finish. At Bordure, it is our mission to help a bride enjoy the most important day of her life. Our services include planning and event management, where we are always available to help identify a bride’s thoughts and bring it to reality.

Can a couple plan their dream wedding on a budget?

The cost is always an interesting topic of discussion! Yes, a couple can plan their dream wedding on a budget only if they prioritize. Our first tip is to be selective with your guest list. It’s a no-brainer, the lower the guest count, the lower the cost of your wedding. Another way to keep the budget on track, is to focus on what you want, not what others expect, keeping in mind what a wedding is really all about. At the end of the day, weddings should be about couples doing it for the right reason, and not for the show.

What is the perfect time to start planning a wedding; when is too early and when is too late?

The perfect time to start planning for a wedding is at least six months before. Most venues get booked out a year in advance in Egypt, and so do photographers, entertainers and even florists. Therefore, giving yourself ample time in advance gives you a lot more choices when choosing your vendors and venue.

What does a wedding planner exactly do?

The term "wedding planner" confuses a lot of clients, it differs according to the services provided by each one. The wedding planner is hired for either full service or day of coordination, while a "wedding decorator" will only take care of the decorations and styling the wedding.

Full service planning will be taking care of everything that has to do with planning the wedding, such as managing budgets, vendors, venues, caterers, entertainment, plus making sure everything is organised as planned on the day of the wedding.

Day of coordination involves taking care of all the logistics of the wedding on the day of the wedding itself. I always ask the couples when they visit for consultation if they need help in planning the wedding, decorating and styling the wedding, or day of coordination , just to clarify the services offered and understand their needs.

Can a couple plan their dream wedding on a budget?

Yes and no! It depends on their dream and their budget as well. It’s very hard to have expensive flowers, special cuisine, specific entertainment and invite a big number of guests with a limited budget, all at once. But my advice for couples who want to stick to their budget, is to prioritize and to be flexible with all the options available. Pick three of the most important items or vendors you want to have in the wedding, then sort that out within the wedding budget you have.

What is the perfect time to start planning a wedding; when is too early and when is too late?

I would say about a year to six months before the wedding would be ideal. The earlier the couple starts planning, the more they ensure booking the date with all the vendors they want. They also have enough time to select between suppliers, decide on the decorations, find or design the dress and tuxedo, without the rush and stress. 

Surprisingly, I have met and worked on weddings with couples wanting to plan their wedding a month or even two weeks before the wedding date! But depending on their luck, they might have limited options of vendors according to their availability on the date. That’s the challenge in planning closer to the wedding day. 

3. Habiba Amer of Pastel Events Egypt

Briefly explain, what does a wedding planner exactly do?

A wedding planner becomes the couple's best friend, as it's a journey that we go through together to get the best out of it, from the set up to the hairdresser. Our goal is to help the bride and groom have the best wedding experience possible.

The services that a wedding planner usually offers range between venue selection, special themes for every couple, hair and makeup, a list of photographers, set up and floor plan, DJ selection and entertainment and even catering.

Can a couple plan their dream wedding on a budget

Yes sure, every wedding is customized on each couple's budget.

What is the perfect time to start planning a wedding; when is too early and when is too late?

It's better to start planning two to three months before your wedding. 

Briefly explain, what does a wedding planner exactly do?

A wedding planner for a couple getting married should represent a magician who would make their dreams come true, so basically she should assist and coordinate almost everything, set up, catering, reservations, decorations, photography, videography, entertainment, hair, and makeup.

It mostly depends on the couple, either they want to handle each aspect on its own or they want their wedding planner to handle everything.

We like to help out the couple in everything, starting from recommending hair dressers, and makeup artists to food tasting, picking songs for the playlist. However, we are specialized in decorating the ballroom, setting up the tables, handling the logistics of the whole process. We also have a point of view regarding these steps of picking and choosing, we see that it is very important for couples to be involved in each step together this creates a strong bond between the couple and it gives them a sense of ownership that they get to decide every little matter together in their special events. 

Can a couple plan their dream wedding on a budget?

If a couple has a certain budget, which is not always the case, as most couples do not know the range of prices for each item in their wedding. So it’s always hard to determine the budget ahead. However, they only have to set their priorities right as they can do a lot of things on budget, as long as they are focused on what they really want, and they don’t get carried away with other tempting options.

What is the perfect time to start planning a wedding; when is too early and when is too late?

Planning a wedding will take longer if the couple is planning to have a certain tailored theme, as they might want to import or manufacture certain items. When it comes to centerpieces, tables, chairs, napkin holders, bridal entrance stage or ball room entrance, the decision making process might a little bit longer than they think. Moreover, if the number of guests is large, the coordination and special setups will take a longer time, so the wedding would be convenient for the guest numbers, to let everyone can enjoy the night.

The perfect time to start planning your wedding would be an average of five to eight months prior to the date. Finally, regarding the planning phase to conclude, realistically speaking, we’ve had brides that realize they don’t have anything planned for their wedding just three weeks or a month before, and still we managed to make them happy and satisfied with their choices for the theme and items. 

5. Sara Fahmy and Donia El Naggar of White Bliss Events

Briefly explain, what does a wedding planner exactly do?

Wedding planners' main role is to help the bride and groom enjoy preparing their wedding and handling everything, starting from the venue to the program of the wedding and the entertainment part.

In White Bliss, we try to create captivating and unforgettable weddings, working with our clients to understand their dreams for the celebration, adding our own design flair. We know how to create memorable experiences and work tirelessly to ensure every detail is carefully considered and flawlessly executed, and we try hard to take the bride's stress away and make sure those big plans and intimate details turn out just right the way she wants it to be! Besides, we're lucky to call our brides our sisters and friends, throughout the planning process we do become close.

Can a couple plan their dream wedding on a budget?

Every bride and groom have a certain budget, and our aim is to always work on what they need with their budget to make them relaxed and satisfied as long as it's still maintaining a good quality, elegance and turn the event to be the most memorable experience for them and their guests.

What is the perfect time to start planning a wedding; when is too early and when is too late?

Concerning the time, we always say the sooner the better to plan for the wedding. Once they are set on a date, they should start planning. Starting early gives them the chance to take the best of everything ahead and makes them more relaxed. Minimum time to plan for a tailored wedding from scratch is almost 45 days before the wedding.