What Does a Wedding Planner/Coordinator Do? Part 2 - Day of Coordination

When I first meet with a bride, I ask her to tell me what she is looking for in a planner/coordinator. Many brides already have a vision of what they want for their wedding and have already begun the planning process. They just need some guidance and someone to pull it all together. A lot of these brides are looking for a “Day of Coordinator” which is an oxymoron if I ever heard one. While many of us have “Day of Packages”, there is truly no such thing as only a day of coordinator, unless you are wanting someone to come in and do nothing but line up your bridal party and send them down the aisle. I would not be doing my job if I showed up on the day of a wedding and acted like I knew what was going on. I need to do my homework for every wedding, no matter how big or how small.

For Brides that purchase my “Day of” package the work begins at least 30 days out. I like to have a power meeting at the 30 day mark and sit down with all the decision makers. That means, the Bride, Groom, Mother of the Bride and anyone else that will be making decisions on how the big day comes together. We go over timelines, the processional, the vendors, what is expected from each vendor plus a lot more in depth information such as what the tables will look like, what are the special concerns, what is most important to the Bride or how they would like tough situations handled. At this point, I hope my bride has enough confidence in me as the expert to allow me to make suggestions on etiquette and procedural matters that may have been overlooked. Once we complete this meeting, my work really kicks in. I start contacting all the vendors and letting them know I am on board and ask them to keep me posted with their progress. We go over each vendor’s responsibilities for the big day so there are no misunderstandings. A first draft of a timeline is usually sent to the bride based upon the initial input from the vendors and our planning meeting. It is very rare for a timeline to make it the first go around. There are usually 5 to 6 drafts before it is in final form. By the time the big day arrives, it is not uncommon to have already put in over 20 hours of time for a “Day of Package.” On the day of the wedding we usually are on site about 3 hours before the ceremony to coordinate all the vendors' deliveries and set up.  We remain onsite throught the entire event to assist with any mishaps and to make sure the timeline is adhered to.  Once the party is over, we are gathering up the Bride's personal belongings, loading their gifts and collecting any rental items that need to be returned.  So the next time you are shopping for a planner/coordinator and ask for their “Day of Package”. Make sure you are not just getting someone to show up and direct your wedding ceremony then leave. There is a HUGE difference!

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.

Brides Against Breast Cancer

"Photography Courtesy of Kathryn Brown Photography"

Last January I received a phone call from a sister wedding planner asking me if I would be willing to help coordinate the Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Tour in Jacksonville. Little did I know then, but I was embarking on an adventure that would impact my life. Over the past six months, we have searched for a venue, begged for donations, spoke at rallies, posted flyers, posted on Facebook and Twitter daily, answered emails, scoured the city for free advertising and asked for volunteers to pull the Gown Tour together for the weekend of July 23-25, 2010. On Friday morning the 23rd, it all came to realty when I met Allison Caudle and Barbara Raskin with Making Memories at the Channel 4 News Station. I watched as our models displayed a sample of dresses and listened to Allison explain the purpose of the gown sale. Allison explained that she was the one that actually got to grant the wishes and this organization had not turned any down so far. She went on to explain that the Making Memories Foundation has an extremely high grossing percentage that actually makes it to the “wish” fund. Most of their work is done by volunteers and the overhead is kept to a minimum amount. A little unknown fact about these dresses is that they are not all used. Many of the gowns are couture that have been donated by the designer or manufacturer and still have the original price tags on them. I knew the profits from the gowns went to Stage IV breast cancer patients, but I did not realize the impact this charity had on individuals.

"Photography Courtesy of Kathryn Brown Photography"



As the morning progressed we met up with the owner of a local gown shop (Park Avenue Bridal Mandarin) who donated 30 brand new gowns to the cause. Then shortly before noon volunteers started arriving and the truck pulled in with THE DRESSES. Immediately the “crew” (again, all volunteers) from South Carolina started unloading the truck and to my amazement ran the operation like a fine tuned instrument. It was obvious they had done this many times before. Within no time the empty ballroom, donated by our co-host, the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, transformed into a bridal gown shop complete with veils, tiaras and shoes. All we needed now were the brides.

"Photography Courtesy of Kathryn Brown Photography"


Our VIP Night began with registration and a very unique raffle. The brides and their guests were able to purchase raffle tickets for $10.00. The catch being they were given as many tickets as they could wrap around their breasts for the $10.00. Everyone was getting into the spirit of the measuring and having fun. We had approximately 53 people show up for our first VIP Night in Jacksonville with 18 of those being brides. The Hyatt treated us all to a signature “pink” cocktail and hors d’oeuvres while our other co-host, David Hanscom with Y? Entertainment kept the crowd entertained with door prizes and raffle drawings. The brides gathered around to receive excellent advice from our professional volunteers who served as an Expert Panel. Then it was time to unveil the dresses!

"Photography Courtesy of Kathryn Brown Photography"



As we moved into the ballroom, the ooohs and ahhhhs were heard everywhere. It was so exciting seeing these girls trying on dresses and coming out to show their mothers and bridesmaids. Our local professional volunteers got in to the spirit by providing free make-up and hair advice. Some even gave complete make-overs. The photographers added to the fun by setting up a dummy runway and taking pictures of the brides in their dream dresses. In addition to the make-up, hair and photos, we had several local florists donate exquisite bouquets for the brides to sample with their dresses. We closed our VIP Night selling 9 dresses and making just over $6,900.00

"Photography Courtesy of Mel Roby Photography"



Throughout the rest of the weekend, we shared stories with many brides coming in to either donate a dress or buy a dress and telling us of someone in their family who was stricken by this awful disease. It was a very touching and rewarding time for all us. I urge each and every one of you that has not had the opportunity to work at one of the BABC gown sales to volunteer! It is an amazing experience that you will treasure. It touches the heart and soul of so many people, in the giving of the dresses, the buying of the dresses and the wishes that are granted by the Foundation. All in all, we feel our gown sale was a success. I had set a personal goal of $15,000.00. At 6:30 p.m. on Sunday evening, we sold our 21st gown and made just over $17,510.00. This event has brought many of us in the wedding industry closer together and we are already working on another sale for next year. Please keep posted for an update on our progress and the date of the next sale.

"Photography Courtesy of Kathryn Brown Photography"



A special shout out and thank you to these Professional Volunteers who helped make this weekend a success:

Alina Castillo - alinacastillo@mac.com
Bethany Walter - www.madyjoe.com
Casey Powell - www.caseydoeshair.com
Cheryl Raby - www.avowtwokeep.com
Chris Kennelly - www.kenneticproductions.com
Christy Whitehead - www.christywhiteheadphotography.com
Dan Harris - www.danharrisphotoart.com
David Hanscom - www.youreventanswer.com - Y? Entertainment – Co-Host
David Weast - weastd@live.com
Elizabeth Cohn - www.jacksonville.hyatt.com -
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront - Co-Host
Hope Dempsey - www.d-vinecuisine.com
Jason Christley - www.kategardinerphoto.com
Judy Brown-Scott - www.judys-cakes.com
Kate Gardiner - www.kategardinerphoto.com
Kathryn Brown - www.kathrynbrownphotography.com
Kimtasha Armstrong - www.kimtasha.com
Lauren Atwaters - www.ten23designs.com
Linda Gail Rowe - lindarowe@marykay.com
Lisa Burnett - www.elegantweddingsbylisa.com
Lori Robinson - www.caydenlanephotography.com
Mel Roby - www.melrobyphotography.com
Paulina Perez - www.paulinaperez.com
Shawnee Doster - www.Shawnee.AllAboutHoneymoons.com
Sonia Garza - soniagarza1225@yahoo.com
Tania Phillips - www.clearskiesphotography.com
Tanya Hendricks - www.southerncharmevents.org - Southern Charm Events – Co-Host
Wanda Hanscom www.youreventanswer.com - Y? Entertainment – Co-Host

"Photography Courtesy of Kathryn Brown Photography"


Our lovely bouquets were provided by:

A Fantasy in Flowers | www.fantasynflowers.com | 904-268-7022
Blossoms and Accents, Inc. | www.blossomsandaccents.com | 904-993-7677
Rose of Sharon | www.roseofsharonflorist.net | 904-737-8655
Kelley's Bloom Room | www.kelleysbloomroom.com |904-387-4474
From the Heart Flowers & Gifts | www.fromtheheartflowersandgifts.com|904-531-9450