How to Choose a Wedding Planner
Hiring a wedding planner is an optional extra for many people, with most couples opting to plan their own wedding. This is partly down to a misunderstanding of what a wedding planner does and their role in wedding preparations. Many venues include a “wedding planner” in their wedding packages but most of the time this is just a member of staff who deals with on-the-day arrangements. They would not provide the same service that a wedding planner would. The term “wedding planner” could have multiple meanings. In this hack, we will advise on 4 different types of wedding planners and their responsibilities in making your wedding dreams a reality. Starting with……
The Wedding Planner
The standard Wedding Planner will take care of all your wedding planning woes, from start to finish. A wedding planner should be a specialist in event management and well experienced in creating and running events. They will meet with you for an initial consultation to discuss your wedding specifications, then they will go away and make it happen. They will arrange wedding vendors, attend venue/vendor meetings, liaise with vendors etc. A proper wedding planner will remove the majority of your wedding planning duties, leaving you to look forward to your wedding and just enjoy all the nice bits. Like choosing decor on Pinterest! The wedding planner will normally be in attendance on your wedding day to liaise with vendors as they arrive. This will help you to relax on your wedding morning as you will probably be feeling nervous enough as it is!
The Wedding Coordinator
A Wedding Coordinator is often less experienced than a wedding planner and may not hold an event management qualification. They would still cover many of the responsibilities of a regular wedding planner but would leave many other aspects of the planning to you, such as liaising with vendors and attending meetings. A wedding co-ordinator would normally be present on your wedding day to organise vendors and decorations etc in the same way that a fully fledged wedding planner would be.
The Wedding Director
A Wedding Director is a service often offered by wedding planners. A wedding director would provide a “day-of” service. A wedding director carries out most of their work in the few months prior to the wedding. Their services would include: finalising all vendor arrangements, visiting venues and planning layout, providing a day-of timeline for all parties, management of the wedding day activities. A wedding director service is normally a cheaper service due to the shorter length of service provided.
The Wedding Designer
This is a very different role to the other 3 as it solely caters to the visuals of the wedding and would not normally include the administrative duties carried out by a wedding planner. A wedding designer is an experienced creative professional who is able to combine various elements of design including decoration, flowers, table settings etc. to build a cohesive “look” for your wedding. These professionals can elevate your wedding vision beyond what you had imagined yourself.
When hiring a wedding planner, make sure to get a breakdown of everything they provide in their service. Many people call themselves wedding planners but only cover a fraction of the responsibilities that a qualified wedding planner would cover. To ensure you receive a high quality of service, consider using a verified wedding planner directory such as UKAWP This helps you to avoid hiring an inexperienced planner who could muck up your whole wedding.
If a planner isn’t in the budget, learn how to be your own wedding planner