What does a wedding planner actually do?

what does a wedding planner do

Your dream wedding most likely has a lot of moving pieces, from the centerpieces to the food selection to even choosing a venue. A wedding planner is the glue that holds everything together. A professional wedding coordinator can be the make or break in having an amazing wedding day. 

But the full scope of their duties goes beyond the day-of coordination, and you might not even realize it. Outside of their expert skills of wedding planning guidance, advice, organization, and connections, they can handle everything, and we mean everything, where you may be lost or need an extra hand.

So what does a wedding planner do? Here is a list of the many important duties that wedding planners carry on to make your wedding an easygoing breeze and keep you from worrying on your big day.

What does a wedding planner do?

An event planner, or wedding planner, does a lot more than just keeping the wedding running smoothly on your wedding day. They have an impact on all parts of the wedding. Check out the list of responsibilities below.

Developing the design

When thinking of a wedding coordinator or wedding planner, many couples immediately think about the planning and logistics part. That is not all full-service wedding planners do, however. Many wedding planner duties include developing the design of the wedding, like helping couples create floor plans, selecting color palettes, choosing décor, selecting rentals and lighting, and curating the overall aesthetic of the big day. 

Some wedding planners do not offer these services because they specialize in the more logistical and coordination side. Still, if this is the case, they can easily connect you with a wedding designer or decorator with the right designer agenda for you.

Wedding decorators are responsible for making everything look and feel pretty on your wedding day. They usually start working a couple months prior to your wedding with you to help bring your vision to life, figure out how to implement that vision, and create examples of potential designs so you can truly get a feel for what it is you like. 

It is so important to hire a professional who can represent what your aesthetic is and develop what you are hoping for. A wedding decorator, or wedding planner that handles design, should be able to produce a unique design just for you.

Manage wedding finances

Something that many forget wedding planners are in charge of is the finances. If you are wondering what does a wedding planner do, a lot of their time is dedicated to developing and overseeing the budget for your wedding. 

This can be done through estimates and pricing, but wedding planners can also help keep an eye on when different payments and deposits are due, so you do not ever miss a deadline. This is super helpful when you are overwhelmed with various aspects of the wedding.

Initiate family mediation

Weddings are often a time that can cause heightened emotions within the family dynamics. It is often the wedding planner’s responsibility to help find compromises between the wedding parties and hold essential conversations to remedy conflict. 

Often it is a simple clarification that helps get everyone on the same page, but this isn’t something that comes to mind right away when thinking, “what does a wedding planner do?”

Schedule wedding meetings

Going back to the operational side of things, wedding planners need to be extremely organized and always be two steps ahead of the game. They will help take on the task of scheduling all of the necessary meetings like vendor discussions, seeing the different venues, cake tastings, or even wedding dress shopping.

Tech expertise

Wedding planners can actually help you with some tech help, like setting up your wedding website or registry. Normally, this is a pretty seamless process, but your event planner can make sure it is perfect with all the correct information for your guests.

Along with this, during the actual wedding day, your wedding planner can be the one to help ensure all technology equipment is running properly like microphones, speakers, lights, you name it. You won’t have to stress about running around checking all the equipment, which will take a significant weight off your shoulders.

Offer input on fashion

If you need an extra pair of eyes to lend their expert advice, wedding planners can help provide input on deciding fashion choices for groomsmen, bridesmaids, family members, or others within your wedding party. 

They can also provide an objective opinion on your weddings suit, dress, or accessories. They can offer professional guidance throughout the entire process.

Wedding invitations

Everyone loves sending out invitations, right? Wrong! This is one of the most menial tasks in the wedding planning process that most couples dread. Luckily, you don’t have to twist the arms of your family members or bridesmaids to help you send off all your invitations. 

Your wedding planner can take care of all the time-consuming details so you can just relax and enjoy the process and phase of your engagement.

It can also be extremely stressful managing the RSVPs for couples, but with a professional wedding planner, you won’t have to worry about the headache of keeping this on your to-do list.

Vetting wedding vendors

Wedding planners will know the right people in the industry that can provide you with the proper service. Everyone from a bridal consultant to a florist to the right caterer, your wedding planner will be able to tell you exactly who is right for you to work with on your big day. 

Any potential hires can be vetted by your wedding coordinator to ensure that they are reputable in the industry.

Etiquette advice

Something on a wedding coordinator’s checklist is etiquette advice. You might not think about this when thinking about “what does a wedding planner do,” but they can really help with all the little details and how to deal with those awkward situations. 

Anything from seating chart dilemmas to awkward plus one invites or even wedding stationery wording, they can help you deal with the minor problems the right way.

Help with styling

Since your wedding planner really knows your wedding aesthetic like the back of their hand, they will be able to work closely with your wedding photographer and videographer to make sure they capture the vision you are looking for. 

They can provide guidance on how to initially communicate to your photographer and videographer about what kind of pictures and videos you want and help you choose who to go with based on their aesthetic.

During the wedding, your wedding planner will ensure that the photographer and videographer is present at all events, help style any accessories, and even make sure that there aren’t random pieces of hair sticking out that can ruin the pictures.

Plan the guest experience

Arranging your guest’s schedule is a lot more complicated than it seems. You are kind of responsible for the well being and travel of a multitude of people, and it is very tough to be worrying about that on your big day. Your wedding planner is going to ensure that your guests know and remember where to go and at what time.

A part of wedding planner responsibilities includes coordinating details for guests like transportation on the day of the wedding, any welcome bags that might be added, and even hotel room blocks while you focus on getting married and having fun!

Along with this, wedding planners can help with difficult guests. The last thing that you want on your special day is to deal with a pesky guest who might have had a few too many and is causing a major disruptive scene. A truly great wedding planner will be able to help guide this guest out of the spotlight without the bride and groom even noticing.

Stay on top of it

Wedding planners are responsible for making sure that no moment is missed during the wedding. They can help coordinate wedding staff to be set at the right time for cake cutting, pictures, and the first dance.

Anything from the wedding cake cutting to your guest speeches, wedding planners will help make sure that your family and loved ones are present for everything.

The perfect wedding planner

Now you know the answer to the question “what does a wedding planner do?” from all the different duties they hold. A great wedding planner is capable of much more than just handling operations. They are your advisor, your confidant, and even your friend. They are the ones to take your wedding from good to amazing!

No Comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.