What Does a Wedding Planner Do?
As a wedding planner, one question I often hear is, "What does a wedding planner do, and how can they help me?"
Planning a wedding can be an exciting journey, but as you start thinking about all the details, decisions, and research involved, it can quickly become overwhelming. With a full-time job or other commitments, finding the time and energy to plan can be challenging, even with a helpful family member.
But what happens when a family member’s opinions become too much, or the wedding weekend arrives and they want to enjoy the fun? This is where a wedding planner steps in to alleviate stress, guide you through decision-making, and ensure you and your loved ones fully enjoy the day.
Wedding planners are industry experts who offer invaluable resources to create a personalized, beautiful, and seamless wedding while respecting your budget. A planner allows you and anyone else involved in the planning process to focus on the overall details and the "fun" parts of planning (like menu tasting and design) while handling the logistics and vendor coordination.
Many wedding planning companies, like Diane Davidson Weddings, offer various packages ranging from Wedding Management (aka Day-Of or Month-Of Coordination) to Full Planning. These packages may vary between companies, but at the core, they ensure the wedding day runs smoothly. Sounds simple, right?
In reality, your planner will spend anywhere from 30-40 hours on an event management package and 150+ hours on a full-service package—and around 13 hours straight on your wedding day alone!
Let’s briefly break down the high-level difference between a Wedding Management package and a Full-Service Package, and what a wedding planner might be responsible for in each of these offerings:
Wedding Management (aka Day-Of or Month-Of Coordination)
Most companies start working with you around 6-8 weeks prior to your wedding. At Diane Davidson Weddings, our Wedding Management package includes regular touchpoints starting 12 months prior to your wedding.
We create a wedding day timeline to share with vendors, you, your wedding party, and your parents.
We assist in communicating final details and logistics with the vendor team you’ve selected.
We are onsite on the wedding day, directing vendors and ensuring the timeline is followed, and the day runs smoothly.
Full Planning
We are with you from the beginning, sometimes even before you’ve selected a date and location, until after your wedding day.
We help you establish a vision and realistic budget.
We connect you with professional wedding vendors to bring your vision to life.
We communicate all details and logistics with vendors throughout the entire planning process.
We guide you during the planning, providing etiquette advice on invitations, family situations, and wedding day flow.
We create a comprehensive wedding weekend timeline to share with your wedding vendors, you, your wedding party, and your parents.
We are onsite on the wedding day, directing vendors and ensuring the timeline is followed, and the day runs smoothly.
Wedding planning packages offer a long list of services to make the process stress-free and enjoyable for you and your family.
However, there are countless other tasks your planner does to make your wedding day seamless, such as:
Wiping down ceremony chairs after an unexpected rain shower.
Giving you and your partner (and wedding party) breath mints and tissues before walking down the aisle.
Ensuring drinks are waiting for you and your wedding party at the head table after your grand entrance.
Making sure you get to eat appetizers, dinner, and have your favorite beverage in hand all night.
Cleaning up broken glass and mopping the floor after a guest spills their drink.
Keeping the bathroom tidy and restocking toilet paper and paper towels when running low.
Magically getting all your personal items packed up and where they need to go post-wedding.
Ensuring your family and vendors are ready to go, so they don’t miss key moments like your grand entrance or first dance.
Driving to the grocery store to pick up more lemons, limes, and ice for the bartenders.
Placing umbrellas behind the altar for the wedding party if it looks like it might rain.
Ultimately, a wedding planner is an essential investment that brings expertise, experience, and peace of mind to your special day. Trust your planner and know they have your best interests at heart.
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