The Difference Between Event Planners & Event Designers

Mar 2nd

by: Carly

Within each category of event professionals, there are always a number of subcategories just to make planning more confusing because many professionals realize they have a specific strength that fits more accurately into a niche market. One such area: event planners and event designers. Both professionals are very different even though they sound similar, and today we’re going to dive into the similarities, differences, and why you should consider hiring both. Let’s get started!

A little background:

Event planners love logistics. Most planners have a complete roster of vendors they’re able to recommend on the spot whether you’re searching for a creative lighting crew, the best band in the area, or a photographer who will capture your day with a keen editorial eye. No matter the length of service contracted, your planner will always be on hand for your wedding day. Your planner will create a timeline, act as a liaison between you and your vendors, and make sure your event goes off without a hitch (or at least not one that you notice!). We seriously cannot stress the need for a planner enough!

Like their name suggests, event designers or event stylists thrive on design and décor. Some adore this profession simply because it’s highly creative. Others become event designers because they are also florists, set designers, or interior designers, and their skill set is highly transferrable to event design. These professionals all have a host of things in common, but the two most important points are: 1) Event designers have the very unique ability to completely transform a space and 2) Event designers are typically not planners.

There are also quite a few professionals who are event planners and designers. You’ll notice they state they do both very clearly on their website. The bonus for you is you’re able to work with one professional who has a keen eye for design and style, a roster of vendors for you to turn to, and the ability to know everything about your wedding day from your color palette to your family dynamics. While an event planner may also be a designer, they are likely planners first and place a lot of emphasis on their clients’ overall experience with their brand (read: every detail is perfectly planned). These pros also have a team in place to help them to bring your wedding vision to life on your wedding day in the event that you or your groom need assistance during set-up. Event planners and designers represent the best of both worlds!

The similarities:

Planners and designers want you to love every element of your wedding day and will do whatever they can to make sure you do.
Designers and planners dedicate themselves to creating a wedding filled with details that personalize your wedding and tell your unique story.
Both have a host of vendors they will recommend at a moment’s notice for you to call upon in order to have stellar team all around.
Each will be on site – likely at your ceremony location and reception site – throughout the day.
Designers and planners are both highly creative.

The differences:

Event Planners:

These pros are focused on your wedding day’s logistics.
From timelines to family relationships, event planners know every last detail about your wedding. But, they may not have designed the visual display.
Your planner will orchestrate your rehearsal the night before and will be on hand from the moment vendors begin setting up until the final vendor breaks down at the end of your reception on your wedding day.
You have the option of working with your planner for a varied amount of time (think: entire engagement or just the month leading up to your wedding day).

Event Designers:

Event designers are focused on creating stunning visual displays at your wedding.
Your designer will likely only know you, your fiancé, and your closest family members who may have influenced your design decisions.
These pros will personally source the best linens, flowers, and details (think: escort cards, table numbers, signage, cake toppers, etc) for your wedding in order to bring your design to life. Sometimes that means creating the details by hand! From your wedding colors to your theme, designers also create a cohesive brand for your soiree.
Your event designer’s prime purpose is to transform your space. While many stylists will create contracts that allow them to collaborate with your photographer to style your event details for photos later in the day, most designers will leave once set up is complete and will return at the end of the night to pick up their materials. Your designer is not an event planner.
Because your designer is creating a personal brand for your wedding day, the option to work with her for the month leading up to your wedding likely won’t exist. And it shouldn’t! Plan to work with your designer for at least 6 months – 1 year at least.

Images via Ashton Events

Consider hiring either an event planner and an event designer, or a pro who does both.

Simply put, wedding planners and designers excel in different areas but both serve an equally important purpose. Your planner will create an event that flows effortlessly, while your designer will create a stunning display of aesthetic details that neither you nor your guests will forget.

And both planners and designers have the unique ability to cohesively collaborate with each other throughout your wedding planning process. Your planner can fill your designer in on your catering details and location requirements, while your designer can help your planner style and schedule your wedding perfectly leading up to and on the day of your event.

A planner who is also a designer will have the unique ability to fill the role of both professionals with the help of an assistant or two. The major benefit is you’re able to work with one professional who will truly know your likes, dislikes, and greatest wishes for your wedding day by heart. They’re pros at sourcing the best details, designing florals, creating event timelines, and styling each element to perfection. I cannot recommend planners who are also designers highly enough!

Are you working with an event planner, event designer, or a pro who does both? Let us know what you love about each in the comments! And planners and designers, we’d love to hear from you too- please share your own thoughts, similarities, and differences in the comments!

How To Find Out Wedding Vendor Pricing

Category: WEDDING PLANNING 11 Comments

Feb 28th

by: Lauren

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Hi friends! Over the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about things that you need to know when you’re newly engaged- like setting a budget, choosing your wedding date, and finding wedding vendors. (If you missed any of these, hop on over to our recent wedding planning posts to catch up.) Today we’re moving on to expectations and vendor pricing… more specifically, how to find out wedding vendor pricing.

When I was planning my wedding, I had no idea what to expect for wedding vendor pricing. I had never planned a wedding before, I was the first person out of all my friends to get married, and I couldn’t find anything that told me what things should actually cost for a wedding. I know some of you are either newly engaged or are starting to plan right about now, and you are BOUND to be in the same situation I was in. Because let’s face it- you’ve never planned a wedding before, right? But the catch is, that one of the very first things you want to know is what to expect things to cost, right?

Which leads me to today’s topic of how you can find out vendor pricing?

It’s so funny to me, because in 2008 (when I was planning), email wasn’t quite the sole means of communication for people like it is today. I mean, the iPhone wasn’t even in existence yet! <gasp> (Funny, yet kind of sad, right?!) What’s even funnier is that the other day, I had the realization that I was *afraid* to inquire with wedding vendors.

So there I was, completely clueless about weddings and what things were supposed to cost, and yet I wasn’t able to find out anything because I was afraid to inquire. I suppose part of my thinking was that if I couldn’t find pricing on their website, I wouldn’t be able to afford them. Which is totally NOT TRUE! I’m pretty sure that if I had just sucked it up and called or emailed people, I would’ve probably had a much better wedding. Clearly, information wasn’t quite as readily available then as it now.

I wasn’t able to find out anything because I was afraid to inquire.

Luckily, we now live in a world FULL of information and communication. Just about every vendor will have a contact form that’s easy to fill out and submit. Some vendors have their pricing on their websites. Some don’t. [And that really doesn’t mean anything either which way- trust me, it’s a big huge, ongoing debate in the wedding industry.]

But no matter what method you use to find out pricing, it’s SO EASY to do- all you have to do is ASK! I mean really- with all of the methods of communication that we have at our fingertips now, you have NO excuse! ;)

So if you’re looking for information from vendors on their pricing, here is what I recommend doing:

1. Make a list

Make a list of your potential vendors. These are vendors that you have already researched. You’ve already stalked their website, read their about pages, and fallen in love with their work. [If they have their pricing on their site, you can stop here if you’re just concerned about pricing. If you want more INFO from them beyond just pricing, like if they’re available for your date, continue.] For these vendors, there is definitely some potential of you booking them, and therefore, they are your potential vendors.

2. Email or Inquire

Email or inquire with each of these vendors, making sure to include: when you are getting married, where you are getting married, and that you are interested in learning more about their services/product.

3. Share

TELL them if you are solely looking for pricing information and researching your options! They’re going to be okay with it- but you also want to be sure to respond to them- no matter what. Whether you want to schedule a consult or not, please please please let them know where you stand and that you received their email! Don’t ghost them! As a wedding professional, there’s nothing worse than getting excited about a potential couple and then never hearing from them. Trust me- I know.

[Extra tip: a great way to get an accurate representation of pricing is to ask vendors what their couples spend with them on AVERAGE. Not their starting amounts. This will give you a good enough idea of their pricing.]

SHAMELESS PLUG: All of the vendors in The V List have been extensively vetted and verified by me, and they are all the absolute BEST!

4. Be nice

BE NICE and remember that wedding professionals are people too! Goodness gracious, I can’t tell you how many rude emails I used to get from couples. It’s so weird- when you’re planning your wedding, it’s easy to think of wedding vendors differently. I don’t know what it is, but hey, I did it too! It’s really helpful to remember that yes, wedding professionals do what they do because they love it and enjoy it, but it’s also their livelihoods. So before you judge or question pricing, remember that tidbit, and maybe even put yourself in their shoes- how would you like it if someone told you that they thought you should make less money? I’m sure none of you would do any of that, but I’m just saying… it’s always nice to have the reminder, right? :)

Pricing will vary for every single type of wedding vendor,

depending on several unique factors.

Please do know that YES, pricing varies for every single TYPE of vendor, and then it varies even more depending on options, what you get, level of experience, etc. So no matter what, it’s impossible to compare “apples to oranges”– because an apple is certainly not the same as an orange.

While you might not be able to compare each and every vendor against one another, you can certainly educate yourself on their pricing– even if you’re not quite ready to book yet. Because an informed decision is far better than… an uninformed decision.

Click here to find out what a wedding costs when you use professionals…

Here’s the big thing to remember. If you’re just looking for information, then you need to convey that when contacting wedding vendors. TELL them that you’re looking into your options. Don’t be shady about it or beat around the bush. Just TELL them… but don’t forget to also get back to them!

Finding out vendor pricing really isn’t a big deal… pricing and information being shared are two things that make the world go ’round! :)

So, how are you approaching finding out vendor pricing? Are you intimidated like I was? Or do you find it easy to get information?

And vendors, if you have any tips for couples looking for information, please feel free to add them in the comments! :)

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2012 and and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

A Glamorous White Orlando Wedding

Category: MEMBER FEATURES, REAL WEDDINGS 0 Comments

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Feb 27th

by: Lauren

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If you’re going for that “WOW” glam look, we have the most stunningly glamorous Orlando wedding for you! Planned by ELD’s V List Member Plan It Event Design & Management, Jeiran & Ryan’s luxe wedding is absolutely what dreams are made of. Jeiran’s Galia Lahav gown is out of this world stunning, with billowy sleeves and a frothy tulle train that is sure to make a fashion lover swoon. They kept the gorgeous coming with their scenic waterside ceremony, complete with lush round floral arch from Raining Roses Productions. The cake by Isleworth Country Club featured dozens of sugar flowers and butterflies, which hold special meaning to the bride. Keep scrolling for all the luxe goodness captured by Victoria Angela!

Vendors who made it all happen…

Venue, Catering & Cake: Isleworth Country Club // Coordination: Plan It Event Design & Management // Photography: Victoria Angela // Videography: Luxecine // Floral: Raining Roses Productions // Rentals (Chairs & Chargers): A Chair Affair // DJ & Lighting: Fyerfly Productions // Linens: Over the Top // Beauty: Makeover Station // Paper Goods: Dogwood Blossom Stationery // Ceremony Musician: Jolie Crapo // Bride’s Dress: Galia Lahav // Bridesmaids Dresses: Kleinfeld NY // Officiant: A Beautiful Ceremony

Exclusive ELD Vendors

Like the post above? Here are the Every Last Detail vendors that participated making this post beautiful! Featured vendors are hand picked and approved by Lauren. Get more information by clicking on them below:

A Glamorous White Orlando Wedding
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7 Things Wedding Planners Do (That Brides/Moms/Aunts/Friends Can’t)

Category: WEDDING PLANNING 22 Comments

Feb 21st

by: Lauren

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It’s no secret that I think that every couple deserves to have a wedding planner- because everyone deserves to have a wonderful, stress free wedding planning process. But I know there are many brides out there who insist that their mom/friend/cousin/aunt- or even themselves- can handle things. Sure, of course they can- but there are also things that a wedding planner can do that your mom/aunt/friend can’t do.

These things can range from having relationships with the vendors you’re working with, to “putting out fires” in the months, weeks, or days leading up to your wedding. And chances are good that your mom/aunt/friend – even if they say they’re going to take care of everything for you- are going to want to enjoy your wedding at some point.

Or what if your mom/friend/cousin/aunt isn’t exactly going along with what you want for your wedding? Who’s going to get them in line?

And at the reception, when someone drops a drink on the dance floor- who’s going to clean up that broken glass?

Or make sure that all of your gifts and extra details get sent home?

There are so many situations that can occur that a wedding planner would be much better suited to handle. So here are a few of those things that wedding planners do, and I’ve asked some of our V List planners to add their insight as well:

1. Offer insight, suggestions, and advice based on their expertise.

Wedding planners are wedding planners because they plan weddings- lots of them. They know weddings, the industry, what they’re doing, and the industry norms. Why go blindly into something that you’ve never done before (planning a wedding) when you can have someone by your side who has tons of experience? I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big fan of walking into a circumstance that I’ve never been in before- and that is entirely what planning a wedding is!

2. Provide access to the relationships that they have in the wedding industry.

Yourself, your mom, your cousin- chances are that they don’t already have relationships developed within the industry (unless they already work in the industry, and then, you’re in luck!). Having a planner means that they can help you in choosing your vendors, and the relationships that they have will most certainly help. Because really and truly, sometimes there are things that you can’t determine via a website or simple consultation. Not to mention that having a planner can certainly be a “plus” when you’re inquiring with vendors. ;)

3. Mediation.

Wedding planners tend to be excellent mediators. Example: Maybe your mom wants you to have fake flowers because she thinks that they’re cheaper, but you can’t even fathom having fake flowers. A wedding planer can step in and provide logical reasons to explain to your mom why fake flowers aren’t the way to go. Sometimes it takes someone who *isn’t* emotionally involved in the wedding planning to make sense of things. Now think about if you didn’t have someone to step in and explain logically- you would have fake flowers on your wedding day. (PS- I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to explain this to moms and some brides too!)

Image by Hunter Ryan Photo

4. Handle behind-the-scenes issues in the days leading up to and on the day of the wedding.

If you’ve read my posts before, you know that I don’t sugar coat this stuff. Things DO go wrong in the days leading up to and one the day of the wedding. It could be that the linens are wrong, the guest counts are off, or a vendor is late. Regardless, you already have enough on your plate before and on the day of your wedding- you don’t need more to stress you out. Which is why a planner can handle these things, and sometimes you don’t even have to know! Sometimes the things that happen are just part of life and they can’t be helped- human error, traffic, weather- but a planner can deal with the issues so you don’t have to know about it and be stressed out by it!

“The planner can quickly jump in and help save the day because of their relationships with the vendors. (This also helps with negotiating contracts as well.) I just had a situation where the venue manager and the bride ordered the wrong number of tablecloths for the reception and because of my relationships with other vendors, I was able to quickly call another vendor and get what we needed.” – Kelly of Just Save The Date

5. A wedding planner is there to WORK for YOU.

A planner is at your wedding to WORK, not to enjoy it and mix and mingle with friends and family. You and your mom/aunt/friend deserve to be able to enjoy your wedding day, right? You don’t want those close to you to look back on their wedding day and have regrets. I’ve heard so many stories from brides who didn’t have planners, saying that they spent their whole wedding dealing with issues and didn’t even get to enjoy the night. That just breaks my heart.

“Sure the bride’s sister/mother/aunt probably could (painfully) handle everything, but they will not be able to enjoy the wedding day. Those special people in a bride’s life should be able to come and host, mix, mingle, dance & enjoy themselves. The bride will be happier if she can look over and see how stress-free and happy her mom is during the wedding. It’s time to enjoy the day with family and friends, not running around making sure the seating arrangements are correct.” – Avis of Carillon Weddings

6. Making sure the wedding gets setup correctly- without having to worry about hair, makeup, photos, etc.

As someone who has “helped” at a friend’s wedding, let me tell you- it’s not very fun to be on your feet for a few hours before a wedding, setting up and sweating, and then have to put on a fancy dress and look presentable. Not fun at all. In addition to that, it’s also incredibly difficult for a wedding day to go smoothly when people are running around everywhere doing things. You can’t find the best man/maid of honor/mom/groom/whoever, people are late getting their hair and makeup done, and most importantly, they’re not spending any time with YOU, the bride. It really does make a difference.

Image via Kindred Weddings & Events

7. Timing and logistics of the day’s events.

This planner describes it perfectly…

“The timing and logistics of communicating with vendors, especially as the ceremony and reception are going on. At the ceremony, I will have everyone lined up ready to walk down the aisle (MOB, best friends who are bridesmaids, and the bride herself), then I have to run all the way across the courtyard and/or signal to my assistant to cue the musicians to change the song for the family processional, bridesmaids processional and brides entrance. I am also the one that asks the guest to please rise right before the bride walks down the aisle, and none of this can be done by people closest to the bride because they are usually IN the wedding! Timing and logistics are everything, and brides have to have someone not involved in the wedding processional itself be in charge of managing the timeline in order for this to run smoothly.

The same goes for the reception. I tell all my clients I live by the “five minute rule.” In advance of the bride and groom’s entrance, I let the band/DJ know they have five minutes until they will need to announce the bride and groom, so that they can wrap up the song they are playing as guests are settling into the reception space. I then run over to the photographer and videographer and let them know, “Hey, five minutes until the announcement and first dance!” so they can get their lighting and equipment set up and ready to go at the dance floor in advance of the entrance. I also let Father of the Bride and Mother of the Groom know too that their dances are up right after the bride and groom’s first dance, and have FOB and MOG placed close to the dance floor to ensure an easy transition into those dances. All of that takes about five minutes to communicate to the vendors, and then it is time to cue the band and go back to the bride and groom and give them the signal to make their grand entrance. NONE of this can be done by anyone who is hosting the party or participating as a bridal party member, because logistically those important people are all entertaining guests, saying hello, and taking in the moments of the day with the bride and groom and don’t need to be bothered with managing the timing of everything.” – Valerie of Sapphire Events New Orleans

So with all that said, let me just say that it’s definitely possible for your mom/friend/cousin/aunt to help you plan your wedding- I just recommend that it be alongside a wedding planner. You can thank me later. ;)