What does a wedding planner actually do?
What a great question - What does a wedding planner (or coordinator) actually do?
For you, for the vendor team, or anyone?? Let’s break it down.
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 time and energy to plan can be challenging, even with a helpful family member or friend. But what happens when a family member’s opinions become too much or the wedding weekend arrives and they just want sit back to enjoy the fun? (Which they totally should - imho!!) This is where a wedding planner or coordinator can step in and alleviate the stress, guide you through the decision-making process, and ensure that you and your loved ones are totally immersed and enjoying the day. Not “working”!
The BW Studio definition: Wedding Planners are industry experts who can offer invaluable resources to create a personalized, beautiful, and seamless event while respecting your budget and time.
A planner allows you, and anyone else involved in the planning process, the chance to focus on the overall details and what most consider the “fun” parts of the planning process (menu tasting, design, shoe shopping, etc.) while they handle the logistics and back and forth details with all of many the vendors involved. We call it, “Protecting the Client’s Peace” and it’s literally one of BW Studio’s core business practices and company values.
Many planning companies, like ours BW Studio + Events, offer a variety of packages ranging from Day-Of Coordination (we call it Event Management) all the way through Full Planning. And if other companies are like us, a lot of things in between those two points. Even though these packages may vary between planning companies, at the core of every service is ensuring the wedding day runs smoothly and the process is FUN. Sounds simple, right? The reality is your planner will spend anywhere from 30-40 hours on an Event Management package and 150+ hours for a Full-Service Planning package on top of an average of 12+ hours straight on your wedding day! Needless to say, we love what we do, and we kind of have to.
Let’s briefly break down the high-level difference between an Event Management Package and a Full-Service Planning Package, and what a planner might be responsible for in each of these offerings:
Event Management:
Event Management Packages are for the couples that say, we just need a “day of coordinator” or a “month of coordinator” to pull it all together. Essentially, you’ve planned your wedding day or event, and we are there to cross the t’s dot the i’s and make sure everything is coordinated to your specifications. We are going to “manage” your event. Not plan it for you.
Here are some of BW Studio’s top services inside of this package, even though we do SO much more:
Kick Off Meeting - Our first meeting so we know where you’re at in the process and what you have to do next to stay on track. We also introduce you to all of our digital planning tools you’ll use while we wait for the Logistics Phase to start.
Timeline Meeting - The official start of the Logistics Phase! It’s about three months before the big day, where we will sit down and discuss all of your vendor contracts and map out a wedding weekend timeline that is our draft we share/coordinate with vendors!
Décor Meeting - About a month before the wedding we sit down and produce a full dossier of all your décor and details so we know where everything goes, how you want it to look, and who’s taking it home at the end of the night.
Week-Of Check In - This is our final check in to confirm the timeline, floor plan, décor list, and any little details that may have changed in the final push to the wedding day finish line.
Wedding Day - We are onsite the wedding day directing vendors and the wedding party - ensuring the timeline is being followed, everyone has what they need, and the day runs smoothly! Stress-free and relaxed is our #1 Goal.
Full- Service Planning:
Full Service Planning Packages are for couples that require a hands on approach to their planning process. They want guidance from the very beginning - venue selection, vendor sourcing, design and detailing, the full soup to nuts planning process!!
BW Studio crafts a custom proposal for every Partial and Full Planning couple, but here are some of our key services:
We begin by establishing a vision for the day and setting a realistic budget.
Then, we connect you with professional vendors that can bring your vision to life - reviewing all of the contracts, confirming if they are in budget, and maintaining our design intent.
The team constantly communicates all details and logistics with your vendor team throughout the entire planning process!
Guide you during the planning, providing etiquette guidance on aspects such as invitations, family situations, and wedding day flow
Create a comprehensive wedding weekend timeline to share with vendors as well as you and your wedding party
And of course, we are onsite on the entire wedding day directing vendors and ensuring the timeline is being followed and the day runs smoothly!
But like, what else???
While planning packages offer many essential services, there are countless other tasks that your planner can do to ensure a stress-free and enjoyable experience for you and your loved ones. Some of these unknown behind the scenes services are:
Sews on a groom’s button moments before ceremony time
Fashions a bustle out of safety pins and thread underneath your dress when yours breaks
Wipes down your ceremony chairs after unexpected rain shower
Carries your lipstick in our pocket so you have it when you need it
Makes sure you get appetizers, dinner, and your favorite beverage in hand all night!!
Magically gets all your personal items packed up and where they need to go post-event
Makes sure there is a plate and forks by your cake before you cut it so that your ceremonial slice has a place to go
Makes sure that champagne toast is actually poured by the caterer before the DJ announces it’s time for toasts
Calls 911 discreetly when one of your guests has a medical emergency
Makes sure you have your room key/phone/wallets at the end of the night before you leave
Stops drunk guests or unplanned guests from getting on the mic to give a toast or speech
Calls Uber for intoxicated guests
Makes sure you have chairs with arms (and your guests actually use them) if you are doing the Hora!!
And yes, we have done ALL of these (and more) on wedding days!
So, who are we?? Really.
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 that they have your best interests at heart.
If you’re pumped up, (which I hope you are)…
Here are some next steps to take your planning to the next level:
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