The engagement period will probably be the most gloriously tranquil time of a couple’s wedding process. You both soon will be faced with decisions, compromises, and debates — some simple, some funny, some tough, but all important.

While it’s important to bask in all the happiness, there are also a few tasks that should be handled pretty quickly. The couple need to set the budget and a timetable for planning the wedding, buy the rings, and announce the engagement.

For those folks that have more budget to play around with, some decide to add a consultant into their budget. This is definitely the way to go if you both don’t have time to plan the wedding or you know you both will argue over every minute detail. Keep in mind that you can opt to choose a wedding consultant that works by the hour. This allows you both to do most of the planning but provides an outsider’s perspective for some of the more difficult decisions.

Please use the following guide to find and record all the details of your consultant before hiring them. >> Click here for the PDF file

Using an hourly consultant

Consultants who work by the hour are an excellent choice if you want to plan everything yourself but wouldn’t mind a little objective feedback once in a while.  For instance, when he wants beef and you want chicken, a consultant might lend some insight into the most popular entree selection, the pros and cons of offering multiple entree choices, and which selection will help you stay on budget.  You might also want to hire a consultant on an hourly basis so you can use his/her list of vendor recommendations, such as florist, reception halls, musicians, and so on.  Then you can do the actual calling, interviewing, and hiring!

Source: http://www.howstuffworks.com