By: Caroline Betancourt, BA, WPICC of En Pointe Weddings & Events
At the beginning of your engagement when you’re starting to plan your wedding, chances are the thought of hiring a wedding planner has probably crossed your mind. In this post, we will go into detail about what exactly a wedding planner does as well as what are the benefits of hiring one. We will also discuss two completely different services that many wedding planners offer: full wedding planning vs. wedding day management.
I want to start this article off by getting a huge misconception about wedding planners out of the way.
A WEDDING PLANNER DOES NOT PLAN YOUR WEDDING, YOU DO!
Now, this may seem confusing because our job title literally has the term plan in it. So how is it that we don’t plan your wedding? Well, it’s very simple. Having a wedding planner isn’t about having someone to make all your decisions. Instead, it’s about having someone that will guide you through the wedding planning process. All of the decisions will be made by you, so there’s no need to worry about whether or not you’ll be able to plan your wedding yourself. A wedding planner’s job is to help plan your wedding alongside you.
SO WHAT EXACTLY DOES A WEDDING PLANNER DO?
Well as someone who plans weddings for a living, I can tell you that a wedding planner does a lot. So too quickly summarize, a wedding planner will recommend vendors to you, let you know when to do what, help you stick to your budget, tell you what to avoid, suggest things you may have forgotten… as well as be there on the day to make sure everything runs on schedule and meets your expectations. It all depends on the services you’ve hired them for, full wedding planning vs. wedding day management. So let me get into what both of those entails.
FULL WEDDING PLANNING
Full wedding planning is guidance in all aspects of the wedding planning process from start to finish. Your planner will assist you in finding the right venue, recommend vendors, help you develop a budget as well as design a wedding style/ theme. They will manage all the vendors you choose to hire and will work as your liaison when communicating between you and your vendors.
Even though your planner may provide you with suggestions and recommendations, you can still do your own research. The decision of where to have your wedding and whom you hire are yours. You will get to visit the venues your planner suggests, as well as meet with the vendors they recommend. It’s the knowledge, guidance and connections that your wedding planner has that will make all the difference from planning your wedding yourself.
Your planner will also provide you with services associated with wedding day management, which I will go into more detail about in the next section. There are so many factors that go into planning a wedding. These are just a few of the things a wedding planner can do for you if you decide to hire them for their full wedding planning service.
WEDDING DAY MANAGEMENT
Wedding day management, also known as a day/ month of coordination, is perfect for couples who have planned everything themselves but would like for a professional to come in and take the stress off of them the last few weeks leading up to their wedding. This service usually begins 4-6 weeks before your big day and will include reviewing all of the details you’ve already made to ensure your day is flawlessly executed. A wedding day coordinator will not assist you in any part of the planning process.
Once your coordinator’s work commences, they will introduce themselves to all your vendors and act as your liaison when communicating with them. They will confirm all the details for your wedding with your venue and vendors and create a wedding day timeline, which will notify each vendor of their start time or when items need to be delivered, set up and torn down. Your planner will have this timeline with them at all times on the day of your wedding to make sure everything runs smoothly and according to plan.
The title of a wedding day coordinator can be a little deceiving because many couples assume you are just hiring them for the day. But in reality, a lot of work happens before the actual wedding date. A wedding planner, just like any other professional, prepares by doing work beforehand, so that they can ensure that the wedding you’ve worked so hard to plan will be as perfect as you imagined.
BENEFITS OF HIRING A WEDDING PLANNER
Chances are that you’ve attended a wedding but have never actually planned one yourself. So, it’s ok to not know where to start. Seeking out help from someone who has been there and knows the ins and outs of planning a wedding will be super beneficial to you. In the long run, it will not only save you time but a lot of stress as well.
Whether you hire a planner to assist with planning your wedding from A to Z or just to manage the last bit of the process, they will be there on your wedding day to take responsibility for everything you’ve planned. You won’t have to worry about the wedding cake being delivered on time or setting out favours on the guest tables, this is the job of your planner. All that is required of you on your wedding day is to sit back, relax and enjoy.
Your wedding planner will become your best friend and by the end of the process, you will be grateful to have had them by your side. If you are located in Toronto and are looking for a professional and experienced wedding planner who offers either full planning or wedding day management, feel free to send us a hello. We’d love to chat with you about your upcoming wedding!
Caroline is the founder and lead planner of En Pointe Weddings & Events. Before entering into a career as an event planner, she was a professional ballerina for nine years in both the United States and Europe. Having had a career in the performing arts, she learned to leave no detail unnoticed, to let the creative juices flow, to always remain calm under pressure and that no matter what, the show must go on. Upon finishing her dancing career, having always had a passion for design, florals, and all things wedding, she decided to take these valuable skills and transfer them into her event planning business.
En Pointe Weddings & Events is based out of Toronto but also services weddings and events in her hometown of Miami, FL. Caroline has a Wedding Coordinator certification through WPIC as well as a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnati. Her company name is a tribute to her dancing career and as her motto, she will always be ‘En Pointe’ from start to finish when planning any type of event.
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