9 Things Your Wedding Planner Wish You Knew
I read Wedding Planner discussions in several networking groups that I am in. Most of them are topics about funny things that took place behind the scenes we all can relate to. Other topics are cringe worthy due to flowers not arriving on time or uninvited guests showing up.
The one thing I take away from all of this is that there is still a big disconnect with what a Wedding Planner sees as a good wedding and what the couple sees. We as planners can’t hold clients to the fire if they don’t know what they simply don’t know. Yes couples see dozens of weddings a week, but that tells them nothing about how those couples got to that point.
Here are some key topics that you should know when it comes to your wedding day in order to have the best experience ever.
My Favorite Wedding Planner Tips
#1 — Choose Your Key Players Carefully
When selecting people to participate in your wedding, select people who will have your back no matter how stressful things become. These are members of your bridal party, vendors, planner, and family. Your wedding day is going to be busy and nerve wreaking. You want people in your corner that will alleviate stress and handle any fires. Have a serious talk with them and let them know your expectations upfront. If they can handle it then add them to your team. Don’t be afraid to let them go either.
#2 — Fall In Love With The Planning Process
Wedding Planning is not a difficult thing when you have great people with you and you put positive vibes in the atmosphere. Yes there will be difficult moments, but that should never make you hate wedding planning.
For example: Would you rather have an over the phone boring conversation our would you like for every meeting to become an experience where it feels as if you are connecting with friends vs someone’s title? I strive to do this with all of my couples simply because planning can be stressful. There is no better way to calm the stress levels than by adding adventure to the experience. Cake and food tasting is a great example of this. Don’t just discuss invitations over the phone, meet at a studio and let clients touch and feel.
Wedding Vendors are people who love what they do and it shows in their work. Hangout with them and develop a comfortable connection with everyone that is involved.
#3 — Don’t Over Do Your Wedding
This is probably a hard thing for a few couples to grasp with their Wedding Planner especially DIY Brides. Going above and beyond your means for your wedding simply to gain likes on Instagram or have the best wedding out of your friends isn’t worth it. When you compare your wedding to a celebrity wedding it’s very easy to bust past your wedding budget suffering the consequences when your credit card has declined and you haven’t paid for the wedding cake.
Furthermore, you as the couple should ensure that your wedding day is free from decision making. The best way to have this success is by giving yourselves ample time to plan your wedding. Only hectic weddings are those with last minute decisions and limited planning time.
Hire the right people to do everything you need so that you don’t have to . The less running around you have to do on wedding day means more time spent with family and your bridal party before the wedding.
(Note: I’ve put together a bonus resource that allows you to get answers to your most important wedding questions at the end of this post.)
#4 — Listen To Your Pros
Often times couples may second guest the advice of a Wedding Planner or a vendor. With all the years of experience that we come with, our goal is not to ruin your wedding by giving you bad advice. Wedding Pros will guide you every step of the way and want you to trust they have your best interest in mind. Many couples make emotional or last minute decisions and that can lead you into trouble. Use your Wedding Pros as advisors and listen to their advice.
#5 — Master Your Timeline
Let’s be honest, things go wrong everyday of our lives so that wont change on your wedding day. Your timeline is a critical part of your experience and it’s important that you do not rush through it. With your timeline consider traffic, getting a pimple the night before, and a vendor showing up late. Buffer in a few extra minutes to allow your planner to mitigate these issues.
For Example: The more guests you have means more time being allotted for those guests to arrive, find their seats, be served food, and other activities.
If you find yourself having extra time, use that to take more photos, eat, and meditate.
#6 — No I can’t Create Miracles On The Day Of
As a Wedding Planner my job is to provide for the things that were planned. Yes minor additions can be met, but adding 15 people to your guests count hours before your wedding is a problem. Changing centerpieces from roses to gardenias requires magic even I couldn’t conjure up. Large last minute changes aren’t as simple as they seem. To add 15 people to your guest count means I have to add centerpieces, linen, chairs, tables, food, and much more. This tends to all come at a much higher cost if those materials are even available.
#7 — Don’t Hassle Your Photographer
Your Photographer is there to capture the best you possible. He/She is there to take images of moments you never knew were there, but will remember for a lifetime. What you don’t want to do is hassle your photographer to give you every single photo they took. If you’ve ever taken a selfie in your life you know that the first one isn’t always the best one captured. Allow your Photographer to give you the best images possible. Allow them to capture candid images full of emotion that often times you don’t notice because you’re busy getting married.
Give your Photographer plenty of time to capture your first kiss, you alone with your mate during cocktail hour, staring at each other during your first dance. This is your time for some extreme PDA.
For those couples who may not know this, not all Wedding Photographers include Photoshop into their services. Editing of lighting is probably what all of them will offer. Magazine editorial edits of them taking out someone from an image or making you slimmer is not a part of their services.
#8 — Figure Out How You Want to Close Your Wedding
I urge all couples to be the first people to leave their wedding. This allows your guests to send you off with a BANG. Carefully consider this before your wedding and let your guests know how you plan to do it. Do you have sparklers or you are releasing lanterns? Having enough people at the end of the night makes your wedding look well attended from start to finish.
#9 — Remember Why You Are Getting Married And Prepare For It
You might scratch your head on this one yes I know. Often times couples really forget the reason they are getting married is because they love each other. They get so wrapped up in the planning stage and making everything pretty that they remove their partner from the equation.
If you have an argument over linen color, the linen is really not the issue. Marriage counseling is really an important factor to consider after you have celebrated your engagement. There is no rush to get married so it’s truly important to understand what is to come. Counseling is a positive experience and helps to build a more stable marriage.
CONCLUSION
No matter what your wedding plans are, we encourage you to simply have fun. Think about the million reasons to get married and how being married will feel after the wedding. The wedding is only one day, but your marriage is a lifetime so enjoy ever step in your journey.
Bonus: If we missed something that you need answers to, here’s your chance to ask your burning questions. Click Here.
Still need more help? Here’s 10 Things You Should Know About Wedding Catering. I’ll even throw in a Wedding Guide. One person reading this will get the chance to talk with me directly about their needs.
Story via Andrew Roby Events.
