In the movies wedding planning sure looks glamorous! We won't lie there are some pretty great perks to being a wedding planner like being able to witness so many beautiful wedding days, surrounded by lovely florals and decor. With that being said, the point we want to hit home is that no one vendor is solely capable of executing the logistics of a wedding day. We are absolutely a team and we rely on other professionals to be experts at their craft. We are sharing a handy guide on venue and vendor selection, so make sure to grab your free PDF.
Today we met with wedding vendors who each blew us away with their incredible passion for their profession and for serving couples. A florist who can take a few inspiration photos and pull pieces that took the design to the next level and made the bride so excited about her upcoming wedding she was instantly glowing. Later in the afternoon we met with a DJ who gave great advice about the floor plan and had excellent song recommendations to help the couple capture the energy and essence of their relationship into their reception. While every wedding is unique, there are common practices for weddings and large events that are important to not only keep the event running smooth but to also enhance the couple's experience with their guests.
Wedding budgets can be tricky and understandably it is tempting to want to start cutting costs or to reach out to friends and family who have various connections or interests in related fields. Personally, if I could give one piece of advice to couples it would be to hire professionals across the board. While aunt Linda bakes excellent cakes for birthdays and family reunions, taking on your wedding cake is another ball game!
So what goes on behind the scenes amongst vendors? How do they communicate and who gets to decide what is happening when? Well first off, you are the client and can decide when you want to cut the cake! Aside from those details, the main goal is to make the most of your day (it goes by so fast!) Our preference is to help couple's curate their vendor team based on budget and style preferences but often for event management and partial planning packages the majority of the vendors have already been selected.
When we communicate with your vendors we start to gather details like how many hours of service they are providing, when they will set-up/break-down and any needs they have from us. From a wedding planner standpoint, I like to start with the photographer's timeline first based on the hours of coverage and where the bride will be getting ready. Then if the photographer's assistant or (second shooter) is able to capture the groom and groomsmen portraits we build that in as well. Once we have designated the coverage and ensured that you will get everything that you need covered such as getting ready shots, first look photos, all the way through bouquet & garter if you are opting for those.
For the most part we very rarely have major changes to make on the timeline, but once the timeline has been reviewed by the couple, photo & video team, hair and make-up, caterer and florist we can pass it along to the remaining vendors. Now, if couples are using a family member or friend I will also call them and go over the timeline to ensure they understand the expectations. By not voicing your specific needs to your friend or family member even if they are gifting their services, it can easily lead to miscommunication or disappointment if outcome wasn't what you expected.
Every couple's priorities are different as far as where they want to allocate their budget. For example, If creating an incredible dining experience for your guests is the top of your list you should start with a full service catering who can staff and execute the event to your standard and discuss venue options that are suitable for this experience.
Make sure to download our free vendor and venue selection guide, this handy PDF is a great starting point.
~ Happy Planning~
