What does a Wedding Planner/Coordinator Do? (Part I)

I have been asked the question many times, what exactly do you do. So I decided to try to explain to the many of you who are confused about what a wedding planner/coordinator does. I plan on covering this over several different blog posts and thought I would start with a general over view of just what we do.

Let me first begin with a short definition I found a couple of years ago that for me sums it right up. The African Wedding Guide says: "...the role of the wedding consultant is that of a

• facilitator,
• mediator,
• money manager,
• artisan and
• constructor of dreams."

In addition to these things, if you've ever been a involved with a wedding, you also know the kind of stress involved with planning a wedding. Add to the above description,

• therapist,

• sounding board and
• even punching bag, figuratively of course,
when frazzled nerves come into play.

I think the most important thing I do is relieve stress. Brides need to understand, a Wedding planner does not come in and take over your wedding nor does a wedding planner have to cost a lot of money. Most wedding planners are very reasonably priced and are well worth their weight in gold. Think of it as a type of insurance for your wedding day.

Another one of the most important things a wedding planner/coordinator does is negotiate and just what the title says coordinate. There are many times when contracts are either misunderstood or a situation is unclear. The wedding planner is usually the one the vendors and the clients come to for clarification. On the day of the wedding the planner is the one person that is the “leader of the orchestra” so to speak. Think of all the workers coming and going with no one person there to orchestrate and direct. What kind of chaos would there be? What happens if the flowers are not there on time, what happens if the cake is not delivered at all? This is not the time for the mother of the bride or any family member to have to try to organize all the vendors and make sure all the things are in place for such a momentous event.

The wedding planner/coordinator is trained to stay calm and take these situations in stride. We all should have a backup plan and know exactly how to execute it if need be. No wedding is perfect and there are always little snafus that happen. Having a wedding planner/coordinator there makes these snafus go away and most of the time the guests and Bride and Groom never know they even happened.

There is a lot of work and money that go into the planning of a wedding. You want professional vendors so why not leave the most stressful time to a professional trained to handle it and enjoy your day.