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Wedding planning sounds kind of like a fantasy job, right? Many people think wedding planners only look through pretty flowers and fabrics! We’re all lucky that beautiful pieces get to come together, but it takes a lot of hard work to get there.
There are 3 hidden wedding planning tasks that planners take away from our couples.
- Research and source all vendors, items, and elements to your day
- Review legally-binding vendor contracts
- Manage all vendors, family, and guests on the wedding day
During the entire planning process, we are repeating these wedding planning tasks to take the pressure off of you.
Photograph by: Joshua Corey Photo
Wedding Vendor Research and Sourcing
In the wedding industry, planners have to know a lot of people and companies. It’s a lot of networking! Everyday it feels like there’s a new trend popping up and new wedding vendors, we stay on top of it. Sourcing vendors doesn’t stop with knowing what companies exist– there’s an entire process!
There are many late nights looking at social media, wedding forums, and asking for recommendations.
Wedding planning tasks start with a list of who would work well for your wedding. It means spending time reviewing packages to check if they line up with your priorities. (One thing I have all my couples do is go through my free Wedding Cost Estimator to create your list of priorities!)
If you are looking for a specific look and budget, it takes time to get it right.
I’ve had couples planning their own wedding get very confused with what a vendor offers. This step can increase their wedding planning tasks. From the research, it can mean wedding education and learning vocabulary.
Most of my couples don’t have time to check off their wedding planning tasks and learn a whole industry!
(This is why my Partial Planning package is my most popular– I’m always here to explain and review!)
Wedding planners also know the quality of service and personality of the vendors! After we review the package offers, price, and contracts, we still have work to do. Our goal is to mesh everyone together to create harmony.
A good planner will have a recommended vendor list ready as a starting place. I love to sit down with the couple, talk wedding priorities, and curate names for us to view.
Checking off vendor sourcing is the first part of wedding planning tasks!
Reviewing Wedding Vendor Contracts
With time and a little determination, anyone can learn to read through legal contracts. Even if you are not an expert, I always suggest my couples read the contracts that they sign before committing to a wedding vendor. However, this can be an overwhelming undertaking.
After you finally find the wedding vendor you love, map out the pricing and packages, and request the contract, you still have work to do. It can take quite a few lines on your checklist to add these wedding planning tasks. And how do you know that these are normal requests from a wedding vendor?
Once you have hired a wedding planner, part of their wedding planning tasks become reviewing all of the legal contracts. They know exactly what is standard and protections that need to be added.
I’ve seen countless posts and heard from couples who did not get what they paid for due to not having a contract with the correct details. They’ve paid hundreds and thousands of dollars to hire a business, but due to missing lines, they weren’t able to get what they were promised.
Although every contract is different, wedding planners have read countless contracts to know how to protect you and your money.
Wedding Planners Manage Everyone
Whether your guest count is 50 or 250, the wedding day comes with a lot of questions. Counting the number of questions that a wedding planner answers on a wedding day is a hard task to accomplish. (I’d say nearly impossible!)
Almost every sentence that I hear is a question on the wedding day. Without a wedding planner who will answer these questions? You!
- “Would you like the water glasses pre-filled?”
- “Would you like the salad pre-set?”
- “Does the flower girl have a basket with flowers?”
- “Where are the rings for the ceremony?”
- “Do you have a vegetarian meal for this guest?”
- “Where are the restrooms?”
- “Is there an accessible ramp for my grandmother?”
- “How would you like this cake to be cut?”
- “When is the send-off car arriving?”
Of course, these questions are just a few of the possibilities!
Family dynamics also come into play, and with family comes a lot of personality. Have you been to a family reunion or a family holiday? A wedding is a big family reunion with more celebration!
Even the best of families have a few people that need to be handled with care. Weddings are a time where two families are joining together, and wedding planners expertly handle all dynamics including family members who do not get along, divorced parents, and the wild uncle. This service alone can make a big difference to your day-of wedding planning tasks.
Wedding planners are also the ones in charge of handling dietary restrictions, medical emergencies, and possible security elements.
As the couple, you want to ensure you are enjoying the moment. The wedding planner will make sure your cousin with the gluten allergy gets the right meal.
Photograph by: SWAK Photography
Enjoying Your Wedding Day
By managing all of these hidden wedding planning tasks, wedding planners can make a big difference to an event. With my Month-of-Coordination services, I start giving my couples a break starting at 60 days from the event with a full takeover at 30 days!
You’ll be able to truly relax during the last month, and…
You will still get the entire experience of planning your wedding, but none of the unwanted wedding planning tasks that come the day of the event! (Like all those questions I mentioned!)
If you’re interested in learning more about even more involved packages, head HERE. No matter what level of planning you desire, we’ll work together along the way to protect your time while you make this exciting life transition!
Later this month I’m dropping 5 MORE hidden wedding planning tasks, and I’ll be sending them first to everyone on my newsletter.
If you haven’t subscribed, it’s the easiest way to get free wedding planning tips coming into your inbox every week. See you back here next week!
