Most women dream of their Big Day, but perhaps only a handful envisage a wedding reception that starts with a Russian themed drinks reception, moves onto lunch served and serenaded by opera-singing waiters, an afternoon circus workshop with plate spinning, clowns and face painting, and ends with Moroccan afternoon tea, served in a room with ornate decorations and low seating.

Still, that was the challenge that Kelly Chandler, founder of Wimbledon-based Bespoke Wedding Company, faced only recently. "It involved a lot of drapes over lights and a lot of imagination," she laughs. "Wedding planners can do anything from a simple thing, such as colouring of flowers to match the theme, to a full-scale transformation. It is our job to say what is possible."

But it is not for the wedding planner to question the couple’s choices. If the groom wants to abseil down the church tower ahead of the service then the planner needs to find a vicar that will permit the stunt. When the bride wanted to release pink butterflies, Vickie Graham, founder of Forget Me Knot Weddings, found a supplier.

But there is often a large difference between what the happy couple would like for their Big Day, and what their finances will allow. And the wedding planner has to make that clear.

"I really get the couple to think hard about their priorities for the day," explains Graham. "If their priority is gathering family and friends together then food is important. If their priority is photographs, then the venue is important. If guests are coming from a long way away, then hotel accommodation is vital.

"It is our job to say what is possible."

"We do act as diplomats. Couples can have too many ideas and we need to tease out the great ones so that they don’t waste money and time on things that are unnecessary."

Julia Ascott from Bath Wedding Planner adds: "I have to sometimes tactfully point out to a bride and groom that what they want is not necessarily possible with their budget. For example, black weddings are extremely fashionable at the moment but black flowers are very expensive. Anything that is not traditional is expensive."

Anything that has a wedding tag, such as venues or invitations, also has a premium price. However, experienced and well-connected wedding planners should also have a network of contacts and suppliers and the ability to negotiate savings.

"A lot of venues offer wedding planners preferential rates and many wedding planners, including myself, will pass these onto the clients," explains Ascott. These savings can often more than cover the cost of a wedding planner’s services.

While the fees charged do differ from planner to planner, Graham, who also co-founded the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners, says that the standard rate is usually between 10% and 15% of the overall budget for a full wedding/civil partnership planning service.

However, some planners, such as Zoe Lingard at Essex-based Weddings by Zoe Lingard, also offer a range of services, such as wedding day management to ensure the event flows, which have fixed charges. For example, Lingard offers a six-week rescue remedy, where she will come in six weeks before the wedding to examine the plan, highlight any problems and propose solutions, devise a wedding day schedule and handle all of the remaining wedding-related administration.

"I can save a couple both time and stress."

"Weddings can be stressful for everybody involved," explains Lingard. "An engagement should be a happy time before starting married life, but it can end up becoming a really stressed period. I can save a couple both time and stress."

She adds: "There are so many reasons why a wedding planner makes sense. The bride and groom will be handling a large guest list, the average is 100 people, and a large budget probably for the first time. They may not know how to effectively spend it. A classic mistake is forgetting to budget for the church bells. It is an additional fee as the church has to get the bell ringers to attend and to practice beforehand, which can be anything from £100 upwards. Problems can also arise when parents get involved. The bride and groom may not be particularly bothered about wedding cars, but the parents usually are."

The biggest motivation for couples employing wedding planners is time. Lingard describes her typical client as "somebody who works in Canary Wharf" while Ascott often works for clients who want to get married in her locality but live in London.

The biggest misconception, possibly fuelled by Hollywood images of wedding planners, is that they take over the whole organisation and ignore the wishes of the couple. "I never choose anything," says Lingard. "It is my job to source options and put them forward to the client." Ascott agrees: "Most brides want to have a complete say about their wedding. But they don’t have the experience of organising such an event. There are lots of details that need to be thought about. We offer extra help and peace of mind."

By Helen Dunne