Behind The Scenes – A Day in the Life of a Wedding Planner
As a wedding planner, I often feel like I’m this pretend creature made of invisible magic who does so many things, but people aren’t quite sure what those things are. Until they become my client. Wedding planners are some of the hardest working people on the planet. Part project manager, part communication specialist, part designer, part damage control, part weather predictor, part therapist. When you really break it down, there’s not much I don’t do.
Every client needs to feel like they’re your number one priority. In fact, my approach is that each of my clients feel they are my only client. It can never get lost on me that no matter how many weddings I’ve produced in my career, every wedding I plan is literally the most important day in someone else’s life. So there isn’t a day where I take the role I play lightly.
No pressure.
My agency is a full-service planning and production company specializing in luxury events and weddings. 10% of what I do is actually on your wedding day, 90% of producing a flawless wedding is the time, energy and sweat that happens before the wedding day. Shocking, right? That’s why I don’t offer day of only coordination services. That 90% before the wedding day sets the tone for a successful event and optimal guest experience.
Just like no wedding is the same, no day in the life of a wedding planner is the same. And depending on if it is a wedding day vs an office day vs a meeting day, each day looks completely different. Plus, our weddings are so personalized here that no two are ever even close the same, so although the process and responsibilities can overlap, how we curate, what needs to be done, the team we hire, and the execution will always look very different.
Because most people don’t know what we do, or understand the value of a wedding planner, I will never send a prospective client a quote without a real time conversation. And I mean, never. I like to explain our company - who we are, what we do, why we do it, and the role we play from first phone call to last speech. I am all about the connection and the reality is, paperwork cannot do our role justice. Our business hours are around the clock sometimes. Days, evenings, weekends, holidays. We work when we need to, to accommodate our own families and the schedules of our clients and the other vendors. My clients book me a minimum of one year in advance, usually it’s more. We spend a lot of time together!
What we do:
Hosting the initial consultation and follow-up appointments
Ironing out the budget
Creating the event concept/experience
Developing the guest list
Mapping out save the dates and invitations
Curating the décor and design concept, floor plans, set up etc.
Vendor pairings, hosting meetings/appointments with multiple potential suppliers, and then securing vendors and suppliers through contract negotiations
Site tours: venues, florists, photo locations, menu tastings, accommodations etc.
Developing the culinary experience (food and beverage)
Sourcing; buying items, placing rentals orders
Correspondence, responding to emails, voicemails, texts, calls, calls, calls
Determining the various timelines needed for production (six months out, three months out, one month out, one week out, and then the mothership - the day-of run of show from wake up call to bedtime)
Planning emergency backup plans for a variety of possible scenarios (transportation, weather, missing items, family dynamics, etc.)
Connecting all of the vendors to the master plan
Day of execution
Invoicing, payments, accounting
Post event feedback and any outstanding items
… just to name a few
There is no such thing as wedding day for a wedding planner. When I call “show time”, we are in wedding week. There are so many moving parts in the days leading up to the wedding and that very much involves, me! I am your bestie… daily calls, texts, errands, pick ups, drop offs, last minute changes, rehearsals, pre-event family gatherings, hotel check ins, reservations. I run on adrenaline all week long, and do you want to know something? It’s the best.
On the wedding day, I am usually awake by 5:30am with a coffee in hand (wayyyy before my kids wake up). I need that peace and quiet time, and I like to review all of the paperwork for the day one last time. My kids know that when mommy goes to work, it’s a long day so we say goodnight to each other in the morning when the sitter comes. They love my job :)
My first stop of the day is to go visit my couple in their various locations. I will run any last errands on my way to see them (like a cake pick up or what not). I send my assistant to the venue and they do a sweep of the space for cleanliness and monitor the status of the set up and greet vendors on their arrival. We support every aspect of the programming and timelines throughout the day, we support the team of vendors in making sure everyone has what they need, and we work extremely closely with the venue. Whether you’re doing a first look or saving that special moment for the ceremony, I am there. We execute the entire program, kind of like a puppet master – sometimes it’s like we’re not even there in the eyes of the couple and their special guests. It’s actually a bit of a pet peeve of mine when I see wedding vendors all over the floor and in the shot lines. Our team is super behind the scenes, discrete, and just the right amount of available that anyone could come to us at any point with a question or concern. It’s my own personal version of choreography. My day doesn’t usually end until about 10pm or 11pm and although I go home totally exhausted, it takes me an hour or two to wind down.
The biggest misconception about wedding planning is that the job is shiny and glamorous. Sure, optically, it is our job to make it appear that way, but behind the scenes, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ask any wedding vendor! We are constantly bending and stretching and working through things. No matter how well you plan a wedding, if you don’t anticipate everything in advance, you will surely be disappointed. You can’t flinch in the land of events, expect change - expect the unexpected. Wedding planners work hard, and the job is demanding both physically and emotionally. I am often cleaning, wiping plates, putting out fires, steaming linens - every good wedding planner is getting their hands dirty in order to execute everything and bring that vision to life for real.
Calm, cool, collected. That’s me. One time someone reached over for my arm in the middle of a crisis and checked for a pulse because they could not understand why I wasn’t freaking out. I am the calm one, always and no matter what all the way through. The things I have seen, guided people through, I am your bestie right by your side pulling everything together.
Why I love my job? I get to participate in some of the happiest moments of people’s lives. And joyfully create. It is so special, so intimate, so personal. And I just feel so lucky that I get to become an extension of you and your family. To me, there is no job in the world more rewarding!
-D and Co. team