Congratulations! You are engaged and you are in the beginning stages of planning your the best day of your life. The day you have thought about and dreamed is coming soon! You have been dreaming about this since you were a little girl wearing pigtails. But planning is hard, so you start to wonder what exactly a wedding planner does? Are they worth the investment? Or, perhaps you are starting to feel the stress of planning. You start to ask yourself whether hiring a planner might just be the key to your sanity. Here is some info about wedding planners:
To describe a wedding planner, it would be way too easy to say, “they do anything and everything” or “they are worth every penny”. But let me try to be more specific on how wedding planners can save you money and time. All this while making your day stress free and seamless. First, let’s figure out the difference between wedding planning and wedding coordination.
The Difference – Wedding Planner Vs. Wedding Coordinator?
You may be wondering about the difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator. There is a difference between the two.
Your wedding planner is there for you for the entire planning process, from helping you with your wedding budget to working with you on picking vendors and day of issues.They ensure the planning process does not get derailed by life, ensure you have the tools to stay organized and be your advocate along with a host of other supporting roles. During the day of your wedding, your planner can help with set up and decor (as planned), then will transition into the “coordinator” role. A wedding coordinator is responsible for helping you facilitate wedding details that you have planned and focus on managing your vendors and the day-of logistics to perfectly execute your wedding day.
Let Your Wedding Planner Get To Know You
Your planner will immediately seek to get to know you, get to know you and your fiance as a couple, take into account your ideas, offer any needed ad hoc services and work to make your day beautiful. Because no two couples – or weddings for that matter – are the same, planners usually have several packages to choose from. Some couples want to take a hands off approach and others want to be frequently updated, make decisions and basically stay aware of the status of their special day.
Trends, Styles and Designs
Planners are aware of all the fun trends, classic styles, or romantic flowy designs. You may have your own ideas about style or you may want your planner to help you come up with the design. That is what they are there for! Having a planner to narrow down your ideas and give you direction can be immensely helpful.
Vendors, Sourcing and Negotiating
Each wedding planner has their own list of trusted vendors. They can pull from this list and recommend the vendors that they think would work best for your special day, taking into account style, design and budget. They will be able to recommend the ones they think will work best for you. This is a huge time-saving task! Most planners also try to negotiate on your behalf to guarantee the best price and ensure they are working to your budget. Once you’ve chosen your venue and vendors, a planner can set all the contracts in place for you and put together a payment schedule. They will prompt you when each deposit is due to ensure you don’t miss any and, again, to ensure you don’t go over your budget.
Wedding Day Schedule
As your wedding day nears, your planner will prepare a timeline which includes input from your vendors. Your timeline will show you, your wedding party, your family, and your vendors exactly where everyone needs to be and at what time. This is truly helpful to ensure all of the wonderful parts of your day will happen! In the weeks and days leading up to your wedding, your planner will be busy confirming all of your vendors. Planners ensure that everyone knows what time they are scheduled for and what services they have been booked to provide.
Managing the Day
Once all of the design and organizing is done, your planner is there to ensure the day goes smoothly and stress free for you. Most planners work quietly but are always right there when they are needed. On your special day, the planner will ensure everyone is on schedule. The planner will confer with caterers in case timing needs to be adjusted, talk to the photographer if there is a change in the timeline, and ensure the DJ is set up and ready before guests enter the dance floor. Planners also deal with tiny details like the dimmer switch for lighting, a sewing kit for a button, or the detail box with the rings!
But I Already Have a Venue Coordinator?
Often, couples ask why they would want a planner if the venue has a coordinator. Actually, the two things are very different. The venue coordinator is there to ensure the venue is providing you with what your contracted services entail, whether that be setting the floor plan or prepping and maintaining the facility. The planner is there to represent you and your fiancé. Although the venue coordinator will always work hard to ensure the day is as smooth as planned, a full planner is the only one who can ensure your day is completely smooth and stress free, already knowing each detail of the day.
Reach Out
So hopefully this clarifies exactly what it is planners. If you would like a free consultation with a planner, I recommend KM Coordination click here. She approaches the day with grace, and attention to the finer details. If you are looking for a photographer, click here.
