Why hire a Wedding Planner?
Have you been debating about hiring a wedding planner? Does your venue offer a wedding coordinator, and you’re not sure what the difference is?
Today, we will talk about some of the benefits of hiring a wedding planner, and what the difference is between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator.
Wedding Planner
Your wedding planner is your go-to for all your wedding related questions. They are your confidant, and your extra eyes and ears to help with the whole wedding planning process.
There are many moving parts in your wedding. Your Wedding Planner will help keep everything organized from all your vendor contracts to when payments are due for each vendor. The day of your wedding can seem stressful when you have personal items that need to be set up at your venue(s). You may think that you can assign someone in your family or bridal party to go ahead and set-up your pictures or guest book, etc. But why put the added stress on them when they should be with you enjoying the getting-ready process. Your Wedding Planner will make sure everything is set-up how you envision it, and ensure that nothing is missing. The last thing you want is a guest book with no pens for guests to sign. Don’t worry, your Wedding Planner has backup. The Wedding Planner will be the one to work with all your vendors and answer their questions. If your wedding planner can’t answer the question, then they will be the only one coming to you instead of having 6 different vendors coming to you with questions. Hiring a Wedding Planner is a great way to put your mind at ease, knowing your wedding is in good hands.
Wedding Planners normally have a few different packages that you can choose from based on your needs. Those include Full Wedding Coordination, Month-of Coordination, Partial Planning, and Consultation. I will go into more details about what you can expect from those packages later.
Venue Coordinator
Your venue may offer you a Venue Coordinator as part of your package. You may think ‘this is great, I don’t need to hire a wedding planner, let’s get going!’ The Venue Coordinator may be fantastic to work with and take some stress off your plate but they don’t take care of all the details.
For the Venue Coordinator, their main concern will be anything to do with the venue - getting the tables and chairs set-up, timing for when the food has to go out and be cleared, dance floor set-up, etc. They don’t concern themselves with everything that goes on before arriving at the venue - ensuring your make-up artists and hair stylists arrive on time and that everything is keeping to the timeline, that everyone is getting dressed and ready when they should be, that the flowers and centerpieces have arrived and are set-up where they should be, etc. This is your Wedding Planner. Your Venue Coordinator is there to make sure the rules of the venue are being followed and to make sure everything is set-up according to the floor plan. I have been privileged enough to work with some fantastic Venue Coordinators. If your venue has one, don’t hesitate to ask what their role will be the day-of your wedding; what their duties and responsibilities are. This will give you a better picture of what your Venue Coordinator can help you with on your wedding day.
Wedding Planner Packages
When researching for a Wedding Planner, you want to have some idea of what you are looking for as there can be a few different packages to choose from.
Full Wedding Coordination
The average wedding can take over 250+ hours to plan. Sounds like a lot right? Especially if you are both working full time jobs. Going with this package means that your Wedding Planner is with you from the moment you say “YES”. This package is great as your Wedding Planner will take a lot of the stress off your plate. They will help research and coordinate vendor meetings so that way you don’t feel so overwhelmed by all of the choices out there. There is the option to help with your budget management - making sure you are keeping track of what you are spending and where. For some couples, the most important aspect of the wedding might be the food, music, or the décor. It is important to have an idea of what is most important to you so that your Wedding Planner can advise you on how to set-up your wedding budget. Many planners that offer Full Wedding Coordination will offer tools to help you keep track of your RSVPs and create your floor plan(s) for the day. These are just a few examples of what the Full Wedding Coordination package can look like.
Month/Day-of Coordination
You have all your vendors booked and ready to go, you are feeling great and organized, but now question who will be in charge of managing all these vendors. You don’t want to have 10 different vendors calling you or coming up to you the day of your wedding asking you all these questions. This is where a Month/Day-of Planner comes in to play. For this package, your planner will start to work with you 4-8 weeks out depending on the package. You will have to provide them with all your vendor details so that they have them for their files and can introduce themselves to your vendors. I will always let my couples know that if there are vendor questions day-of that I can’t answer, I will be the only one coming to you, the couple, not the other 10 or so vendors you have on your team. Your Wedding Planner will help you create a very detailed timeline for the day - including when all your vendors are due to arrive and set-up, when speeches are scheduled, and when your first dance is. There is still so much more your Wedding Planner can do for you.
Partial Coordination
This package takes a bit from both the Full Wedding Coordination and Month/Day-of packages. This is great for the couple who just might want help finding the bigger vendors - like your venue, DJ, and/or photographer. This package will normally include helping to find around 4 vendors, including the vendor research, plus everything from the Month/Day-of package.
Consultation
You may just be looking for help finding the odd vendor or just want to check that you have everything on track, but don’t necessarily need help on the wedding day. This is where the Consultation option comes in handy.
There are so many options to choose from. When looking for a Wedding Planner, you want someone that understands your needs and that you feel comfortable with. You will be working pretty closely with this person, so make sure they are the right fit for you and your partner.
Have questions? Book your free consultation today and let us know how we can help you plan the wedding of your dreams!