What Does A Wedding Planner Do

Wedding planning can be tough; there's absolutely no denying it. Even if you know exactly how you want your big day to pan out, there will be bumps in the road and a few uncomfortable decisions to make. You're likely already juggling work, family, friends, and just general life, so throwing planning a wedding into the mix can sometimes feel like A LOT. So why not enlist some help from a professional wedding planner to take some of that stress away? But do you really need one? Will your wedding budget allow it? And what do wedding planners actually do? There's a lot to cover here, so let's discuss!

First of all, what's the difference between a wedding planner and a

wedding coordinator?

Although the terms wedding planner and coordinator are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a distinction. While a wedding coordinator's responsibilities are concentrated on the day logistics and support and are often employed by the venue itself, a planner is a freelance wedding vendor and handles the entire event.

Therefore, while wedding coordinators may just handle aspects of the wedding, last-minute logistics and details relating to the venue, wedding planners give comprehensive coverage and support of the whole planning process, from sourcing suppliers to budgeting and managing your RSVPs.

So that's all great, but before you commit, can your wedding budget

allow for a wedding planner?

A full-service wedding planner will no doubt make the whole process far more smooth and allow you more space to enjoy the wedding planning journey. However, they do come with a price tag, so ensure you've budgeted for their services before you commit.

A little biased we may be, but it is true: Say I do not only offer you a range of beautiful website templates to choose from but a whole host of super handy features to help ease the wedding planning process. There's a free wedding checklist to help you stay on track, a seating planner tool, not forgetting the guest list, and an RSVP manager tool that you will be SO grateful for! So, if you're on a tight budget, it's fair to say that our platform can be seen as your very own digital wedding planner!

If you're still deciding whether you need to hire an actual person to help you with your wedding planning, let's get back to business and discover how they can help...

Wedding planner duties

Make sure you shop around and find a wedding planner that's right for you. You're going to be working pretty closely with this person for a good few months, and they'll be handling all of the important and intimate details of one of the biggest days of your life, so it's important that you click from the off! Have a few discovery calls with a range of planners and see which one you feel most comfortable with. It's also really important to read the contract and package details closely so you're clear on their outlined duties. Every planner will have differing offerings, so it's essential to know what your particular planner will and won't do while you're in the process. Don't forget to read reviews and have a little stalk of their social media; you could even meet up with them for a coffee/glass of wine to make sure you're definitely on the same wavelength. They're an integral part of your wedding day, after all, and are an important investment, so you need to make sure you've found "the (other) one"!

1. Help you create a vision

When a couple hears the term "wedding planner," they will more than likely imagine the planning and organisation side of things. More than that, though, the majority of full-service wedding planners also offer design services to assist couples in choosing colour schemes, designing floor plans, picking out furniture, rentals, and lighting, and creating a cohesive overall look for the whole event. Your wedding planner can also easily put you in touch with a wedding designer/stylist who provides these services if they aren't offered by them.

2. Assist you in finding your dream wedding venue

A wedding planner can assist you in finding the ideal venue for your special day, as your chosen venue will determine the overall tone of your event. Following an initial consultation, they will compile a shortlist of potential locations after taking your wedding's size, theme, and budget into consideration. To assist you in being able to narrow down your ideal venue, they might even escort you to your viewings of local wedding ceremony and reception venues to help you find the PERFECT one and ask all the important questions!

3. They will connect you with the best wedding vendors

So, the venue and wedding date have been set; well done! Now it's time for the fun bit; curating your wedding dream team! Your wedding planner will call on all their contacts in the industry and narrow it down to the best of the best, shortlisting a range of the best suppliers that suit your vibe perfectly, have availability, and are within your budget, including caterers, flowers, photographers, bands, DJs, and more. They will be able to pinpoint which vendors will work best for your event, saving you hours of agonising research time on hundreds of different options.

Your wedding planner will also be able to help with the slightly tedious but oh-so-essential task of reading and vetting vendor contracts to ensure you're all singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak. They have the knowledge and experience to voice any confusion or discrepancies that you might not pick up.

4. Help manage wedding finances

In addition to helping develop and oversee your wedding budget, a wedding planner can manage your budget by reminding you when deposits and other payments are due, ensuring that no important date is missed, as well as keeping you on track with your total spend.

5. Assist with wedding invitation management

Your wedding planner will handle everything there is to organise around wedding invitations, from helping you choose the perfect (and reputable) supplier to finalising designs to collecting addresses, shipping, and keeping track of RSVPs so you can enjoy the more fun side of wedding planning. Bingo!

However, if you're choosing to go digital with your invites, they will also help with your wedding website and e-vites to accompany, making sure you include all the important details and nothing is missed.

6. Help with the seating chart

So your RSVPs have started coming in thick and fast - exciting times! That means you will soon need to make your seating chart and provide your venue, caterer, rental company, and others with a final headcount. In addition to helping with the labour-intensive task of working out your seating plan and generating escort and place cards, your wedding planner can guarantee that you have an exact floor plan of your reception venue, ensuring no one gets missed and the space gets utilised to the best of its ability.

7. Serve as an on-location contact for destination weddings

Lucky you if you've chosen to have a destination wedding! This is where a local wedding planner comes in very handy, especially if you're not able to get to the venue as often as you would if the venue was close(ish) to home. Your wedding planner will act as your point of contact and serve as your eyes and ears on the ground. They'll be able to put you in touch with suppliers, guide you through local customs, help with accommodation and guest travel, and SO much more.

8. Assist with wedding weekend events

Multi-day weddings or wedding weekends are now hugely popular, and we can totally see the attraction! So if you're hosting a welcome party, rehearsal dinner, after-wedding brunch, and the big day itself, your wedding planner will be able to assist with everything around these events. However, make sure you've communicated all your planned events early on so they are aware of your expectations from them and the other way around.

9. Serve as a spokesperson or point of contact on the day

Think of your wedding planner as your pre-wedding representative, responding to enquiries and managing demands from suppliers, relatives, the wedding party, and visitors. Should an urgent query arise, direct it to your wedding coordinator rather than yourself. In the days and hours leading up to your wedding, the last thing you want is to answer a tonne of mundane questions about deliveries, electricity, and parking. This is YOUR time when you should be getting pampered and popping a bottle with your wedding party!

10. Coordinate all details with vendors and manage the wedding day

logistics

Serving as your vendors' point of contact, your wedding planner will make sure they have all the information they require to complete their tasks and collaborate as a cohesive team. Of course, you'll have to respond to certain questions, but your planner will arrange them for you so you don't feel overburdened. Yes, your wedding day will be busy, but your wedding planner will manage everything. Your planner will be the point of contact for everything related to managing setup and delivery, overseeing suppliers, handling emergencies, and relieving anxiety so you can relax and enjoy the day in its entirety!