I’ve noticed a few things about weddings and engaged couples over the years, and there’s one thing that has remained pretty steady the whole time: the fact that there are way too many misconceptions about wedding planners and what they do! And if you know me at all, you know that I just can’t stand by and let misconceptions keep going. So allow me to share a few things to know about wedding planners…
1. Wedding planners… plan weddings.
But they also are there to answer your questions about your wedding (consulting) and to be the point of contact for vendors so you’re not inundated with emails and phone calls all the time. They coordinate timelines, vendor meetings, vendor confirmations, setup of the wedding, and the whole wedding day. On the day of the wedding, they make decisions so you don’t have to, and they handle all of the stress that comes along with a wedding day (providing you allow them to) so that you can just sit back and relax. And so, the title of “wedding planner” definitely encompasses a wedding consultant and wedding coordinator, so it’s best to just use the term wedding planner. :)
Read more about this: WHAT A WEDDING PLANNER REALLY DOES
2. Wedding planners are an investment for your wedding, not an expense.
He or she will save you money- whether it’s directly or indirectly, saving money will happen. From finding you the perfect vendor within your price range or preventing you from buying things that you don’t need, you’ll definitely have made an investment when you work with a wedding planner. You can thank me later. ;)
Via ELD V List planner Amanda Day Rose, Images by Amanda Castle
3. When you have a wedding planner, you have to let go a little- but JUST a little.
Sometimes brides have a little bit of trouble letting go of things. I definitely did. But when you have a wedding planner, in order for them to do their job well, they need you to let go. Turn things over to them. If you hire them mid-planning, fill them in on everything (seriously- EVERYTHING!), inform your vendors that you have hired a planner, and then it’s smooth sailing. Oh, and for the love of all things good, please don’t leave your planner out of communications with other vendors! (This is all assuming that you hire a planner for full service. If only hiring for partial or month-of, then this might be dependent upon the planner.)
Read more about this: A WEDDING PLANNER DOES NOT PLAN YOUR WEDDING… YOU DO!
4. A wedding planner can’t read your mind (although he or she would love to)!
And this is why you need to tell your wedding planner any and every thought that you have about your wedding (okay, maybe not EVERY thought, but most of them). Because the majority of the time, a wedding planner will have an answer for you. So no need to waste your precious time worrying about anything having to do with your wedding if you have a planner- just ask!
Read more about this: THE BIGGEST WEDDING PLANNING MISTAKE YOU CAN MAKE… AND HOW TO AVOID IT!
5. Day-of wedding coordination is never and should never be just the day of the wedding.
It’s impossible for a wedding planner to do his or her job by just walking in the day of or the day before a wedding. There are too many things that have to be done before that. Which is why you won’t see the term “day-of coordination” here on ELD- because it doesn’t exist. :) Month-of coordination is more like it, because that’s an ample amount of time for a planner to be able to do his or her job well for coordinating your wedding day. And as of more recently, the term “event management” has come to light, to indicate that the wedding planner is, in fact, MANAGING the details of your wedding day.
Read more about this: DAY-OF WEDDING COORDINATORS DON’T EXIST!
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, there are just some things that a wedding planner can’t deal with for you. Making final or financial decisions, family members, the weather, and assigning seats are some of the things that just really have to be handled by you. And believe me- wedding planners SO wish they could do all this for you. But unless they know you and your family really well and have a special deal with the man upstairs to control the weather, these things cannot be fully handled by a planner. However, a planner can and will do anything and everything that he or she can do to help you with the things that they can’t take off your plate.
Of course, this is in no way everything you should know about wedding planners, but it’s at least a little insight. I know I could have definitely used it when I was thinking about a wedding planner, and I hope it will help you!
(PS- if you have any questions, please comment below and ask!)
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2011 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Lauren
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Good advice! Especially about the Day of planners…make sure they’re putting in their time before the big day!
Couldn’t agree more!
Such a great post!!! Wedding Planners are an investment and not an expense. I wish more people would realize that!
Great piece! Everything you said is right on. We are day-of coordinators primarily but of course come prepared on the wedding day based on prior meetings and emails with our couple.
Hello everyone! i’m Michael the owner of nova 535 unique event space in downtown st. Pete and It’s my first time here. great blog !! I couldn’t agree more with Thursday”s topic about brides needing a wedding planner. weddings are complex events that require many separate people, groups and items to come together in harmony for a wonderful experience for hundreds of people simultaneously to enjoy. so ladies please please please do yourself, your guests and your nerves a favor and hire a professional, highly recommended planner. (Not aunt Lucy.) good luck to us all!
You of course hit the nail of the head. And big Thank You for including the information about day of coordinating! Our industry SHOULD eliminate that as a term and service.
Fantastic post!! It is all so true. Great job Lauren!
Thank you for this great article, your blog is SO supportive of the wedding planner community-keep up the great work!
We are in LOVE with this! We also are considering eliminating the ‘Day Of’ Term from our Services! It definitely suggests less work and effort than what we truly put into the coordination efforts. Month Of is a term we are currently entertaining, but we would certainly like suggestions from our peers!
Great advice. I love working on weddings where there is a planner as it makes my day so much easier, the couple is always more relaxed (and a relaxed couple = great photos!) and everything runs more smoothly. I am sharing this with my couples and my networks.
Thank you for this, I love the advice you give regarding wedding planners. The day-of service are completely spot on, I am renaming that package next year when I relaunch my new site. I also love the advice about wedding planners can’t really handle issues such as family or assigned seating…so true!
Whoops I’m a vendor not a bride. Former bride ha!
THIS! So spot on, Lauren! Thank you for always educating on our behalf!
Hi, my name is Donna. I am 19 years old. I just got engaged on Saturday November 8, 2014. My fiance and I do not have a set date yet (I am still in shock) and I was wondering where and how do I begin to look for a wedding planner if everything is all new to me?
By the way, I’m scrambling for paper to write all your advice down! It’s so helpful, Thank you!
thank you Lauren for not letting misconceptions keep going. This is very well written. As a Wedding Planner & Event Designer the public needs to be educated and articles such as yours will only help.
Now to Donna Garcia (a bride), first of all Congrats to you and your fiancé. Depending on where you live look for a certification body for your wedding planner, for example The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada where planners must adhere to a code of ethics. We are made to take an examination and have to pass the exam. We are always keeping up on the trends in the business. I am WPIC certified. Prices vary on planners but it is worth it to relieve yourself of the stress of the day. The old adage goes, you only get what you pay for.
Great Blog content. Def. agree with the elimination of “Day of”
Well said Lauren! Often I read your posts and think you typed all the thoughts in my head, which feels wonderful to read! Well done! Keep it up!
We at Bash Booths could not agree more!! We absolutely LOVE the team of Wedding Planners that we work with. Their behind the scenes hard work and care, we think, often goes unnoticed. Thanks to all the Wedding Planners who are committed to delivering the perfect day for their Bride and Grooms and thank you Lauren for this wonderful article that helps to spread just a little light on all they do!
Good advise!
Thank You For Sharing This Article. Especially about the Day of planners. make sure they’re putting in their time before the big day!
The ideas written here are agreeable. When you have a wedding planner, programs during the wedding will be stress free.