What Does a Wedding Planner Do—And Do I Need One?
Your idea of what a wedding planner is might come from classic romantic comedies like Father of the Bride. In Father of the Bride, the exuberant wedding planner (played by Martin Short) plans a wedding far outside the father of the bride’s budget. He renovates the home’s landscaping and even hires swans to walk around the yard.
Fortunately, real wedding planners aren’t like Martin Short’s character. Your wedding involves a great deal of preparation, and wedding planners are there to help everything come together smoothly. Here’s what a wedding planner can do for you.
Set Up a Budget
When you first meet with your new wedding planner, he or she will help you set up a realistic budget for your wedding. He or she can advise you on what different services cost so you can decide on a budget that’s realistic for the wedding you want.
Help You Find the Right Venue
You want to find the perfect place to hold your rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony, and reception. The venue should match the look, feel, and style you want for your wedding, especially if you have a specific theme in mind.
Your wedding planner knows about different venue options and has likely worked with the various managers. He or she pays attention to your vision, recommends potential venues, and helps you choose the right one.
Coordinate with Vendors
You probably don’t have time to talk with dozens of photographers and caterers until you find the right one. Your wedding planner has worked with many different vendors in the past, from florists to bands to lighting specialists to videographers to DJs. He or she will know who can give you the best services for the best value.
Once you and your wedding planner choose the right vendors, your wedding planner can continue to communicate with them. He or she will pass along the wedding details and make sure vendors provide the right services at the right time.
Create a Wedding Plan
Your wedding day involves hundreds of little details. When will you eat dinner? How will you get the guests from place to place? Where will the guests place the gifts?
Your wedding planner can create a written plan of the wedding schedule and how everything will work. He or she can pass on this plan to vendors and people in the wedding party.
Manage the Wedding Rehearsal
It can be difficult to make sure the wedding rehearsal is efficient and productive. As a bride, you’ll be stressed about your wedding day—you shouldn’t have to feel responsible to run the rehearsal.
That’s why your wedding planner is there. He or she can coordinate the rehearsal and make sure the wedding party knows what to expect for the big day.
Manage Wedding-Day Details
The wedding day is the busiest day for your wedding planner. And that’s as it should be, since you should be able to enjoy the day without worrying about all the details.
Having experienced many weddings before, your wedding planner knows how to run things smoothly and efficiently. He or she makes sure that things go according to your wedding plan and timeline. He or she also coordinates with vendors, who will be arriving throughout the day. Finally, he or she makes sure guests know where to go and what to do at various parts of the day.
You shouldn’t have to worry about all the little details of your wedding day. If you want to reduce stress to you and your family, hire a wedding planner. A wedding planner can make your dream wedding come to life.
McHale’s Events and Catering offers complimentary wedding planning services when you book one of our venues. Call us today!
