Nashville weddings

Not Convinced You Need an Planner? Simply Stunning Events Shares 4 Tasks Best Handled by a Pro

Monday, December 12, 2011

We have said it once, we've said it a hundred times: a planner is essential to having a truly successful and stress-free wedding. But in today's world of DIY, it is sometimes hard to see why they are such a key piece. You're a creative bride - you can choose your colors and design a centerpiece that you found on Pinterest. But wait.... who will call your cake artist when they don't deliver the cake on time and your reception is just hours away? You, the creative bride, are busy taking photos with your wedding party. So maybe you are one of the lucky few, and your wedding is problem free, but someone still needs to make sure the bridal party walks down the aisle ahead of you in time to the music.

Still not convinced? Or maybe, you're just thinking a day-of-coordinator will fulfill your needs (and maybe they will!). To understand the value of hiring a wedding planner, read through the tasks that Kristin, lead wedding planner/owner of Simply Stunning Events, has outlined for engaged couples.

Photo by Jen & Chris Creed Photographers

When it comes to planning your wedding, many people may tell you that hiring a wedding planner is well worth it - as having one can save you time, stress, money, and your sanity. Often though, it can be difficult to see exactly what value a good planner can bring as much of what a wedding planner does is behind the scenes. Wedding planners are most known for the obvious tasks of referring the best wedding vendors for your style and budget, helping to create a room layout for your reception space, and answering a myriad of questions you may have throughout the planning process, such as when to send out your save-the-dates or how many invitations you actually need to order.

It’s the little things that happen behind the scenes on the wedding day that typically make a good wedding planner worth their weight in gold. Here are four often-overlooked aspects of the wedding day that wedding planners can handle for you.

Photo by Chris & Adrienne Scott Photographers

The Timeline

Weeks before you finally put on that gorgeous dress and walk down the aisle to your groom, you’ll need to start developing a plan and a schedule for your wedding day. After all, many, many people are involved in pulling everything together and it must be timed just right so that the ceremony musicians play the right song as your mother is seated and the food is the right temperature when it is served.

Wedding planners don’t just create an overview of your wedding day; they are experienced in creating highly detailed production schedules that take all sorts of crazy minute details into account. They will have the foresight to be sure the linens are on the tables before the florist arrives with the centerpieces, or that the photographer has enough time built in to get all the group shots they need. Or the planner is there to ensure that the band is not trying to load in all their gear at the same time as the catering company, when there is only one loading dock at the venue.

Since wedding planners have witnessed so many events, they know precisely how long things will take and can make suggestions as to how to keep a good flow to the day.

Photos by Kristyn Hogan

The Flow

Speaking of flow, a good event has just the right mix of action and time for guests to relax and enjoy themselves. Wedding planners can help with scheduling the activities of the reception in a way that keeps people entertained and excited for what’s to come, but also doesn’t make your guests feel like there is so much going on that they don’t have a chance to eat, mingle, and dance.

On the actual wedding day, sometimes the timing can get a little off (photos run longer than expected or guests take a while to find their seats) and a wedding planner will work with the timeline on the fly and be sure that all the other vendors are kept up to speed on any changes. Planners often work very closely with your DJ, bandleader, or whomever is MC’ing your event, to be sure that everyone knows when the key activities such as the first dance or the cake cutting are happening. If you’ve ever been to a wedding where things appear to run seamlessly and effortlessly, chances are there is a wedding planner behind the scenes coordinating each activity, handling the flow of the event, and adjusting the schedule as needed.

Photos by Kristyn Hogan

Transportation & Guests

Another area that planners can be a great help on wedding day is managing the various forms of transportation and vehicles for both the wedding party and the guests. Often at weddings we plan, there are a couple of limousines or shuttles for the bridal party as well as larger guest shuttles that facilitate in getting the guests to the ceremony, then to the reception, and back again at the end of the night.

It is very helpful to have someone oversee this process and be sure that shuttles arrive/leave on time, and continue to run loops back to the guest’s hotels as needed. Especially when an event is occurring downtown, the shuttles can’t always park exactly where you need them to be, and often someone needs to be in charge of calling them when they are needed.

Photo by The Collection

The Set-Up Details

Lastly, it is the responsibility of wedding planners to handle all those tiny set-up details that tend to fall into the miscellaneous category.

Did you know that florists are not responsible for pinning boutonnieres and corsages? Or that caterers often do not place the table numbers or menu cards out? Don’t leave those tasks to a relative or close friend, as typically these sorts of tasks need to be handled while other very important things are happening such as your family portraits or the actual wedding ceremony.

Most wedding planners will take all your wedding “stuff” off your hands in the days or weeks before the big day (escort cards, toasting flutes, ceremony programs, favors, etc.) and make sure that they all get to where the need to go and that they are set up properly. They will also be sure that each table has the correct number of place settings, the napkins are folded the way you’d like them, the cake knife is on the cake table, and much more.

Photo by McCoy Made

When making such a huge investment of time and money for your wedding, it truly is invaluable to hire someone to pull it all together and the right planner will do that and so much more, so that you can relax on your wedding day and just take it all in!

Photos by Kristyn Hogan

Thanks Kristin for all the info! If you are interested in contacting Simply Stunning Events for more information or to hire for your planning needs, visit their website.

About the Author:

Megan

I’m new to the wedding industry. Before getting engaged I literally avoided any websites for weddings only because I knew, once I delved in, I would become obsessed…. And it’s true. Once I got engaged, I did become obsessed and luckily, about that time, I started working in the wedding industry. So my interest increased on two levels. Now I am a newlywed and still enjoying the industry. I love writing, social media and connecting to people; happily, I get to do all of this with ABG.

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send   Posted on December 12, 2011 | Filed under: Advice & Planning, Wedding Planners & Coordinators,