Have you been thinking about a career as a Wedding Planner – but you’re not actually sure what one does?

That’s ok. I get this question often.

And it’s understandable because a Wedding Planner completes a lot of different tasks when working with their clients. But it is possible to group those tasks under ‘wedding planning’ sub-headings. And that’s what I’ve done for you here with this Wedding Planner Job Description; starting with a simple explanation of what a Wedding Planner does.

My Wedding Planner Job Description

A Wedding Planner is someone who helps to alleviate the work of planning a wedding.  They share their knowledge, expertise and networks with a couple to help elevate the experience for them and ensure that every detail is covered and that the couple can actually enjoy their wedding day. 

A good Wedding Planner becomes a couple’s advocate, trusted advisor, even counsellor. 

Planning a wedding doesn’t have to be stressful, but without a Wedding Planner by their side, it can become something that takes over a couple’s lives and causes them anxiety and stress. At the very least it’s time consuming and the sheer number of decisions that have to be made in the process of planning a wedding, can make it overwhelming.  

Now let’s break that definition down with an overview of what a Wedding Planner does when planning a wedding for their clients.

Identify & Execute the Wedding Day Vision

A Wedding Planner can help a couple to identify what’s important and what’s not when considering their wedding day along with clarifying what they want their day to look and feel like. define their wedding day vision and priorities.  At the I Do Crew and the Wedding School we call this the Wedding Day Vision. This part of the process is where you help a couple to infuse their wedding with their personality and it’s what enables you to plan and design a wedding day that is uniquely them.

(For myself, this is one of my favourite parts of the process – it’s where everything grows from!).

Manage the Budget

A Wedding Planner can help a couple to determine their budget and allocate it in line with their wedding day vision and priorities.  A Wedding Planner can also help a couple to stay on track with their budget, by tracking spending.  Some Wedding Planners also remind couples of when payments are due.  Students of Wedding Planner School have access to a comprehensive Spreadsheet which helps them with this part of Wedding Planning. You can also use online wedding planning programs like Aisle Planner.

(Tip:  We do not recommend paying for services or products on behalf of your couple – this is not expected).

Research

A Wedding Planner helps a couple to source a venue and vendors for their wedding.  An important part of this is research – finding the right venue and vendors to recommend so the couple can make final choices.  The vision and priorities a couple has for their wedding day and their budget is important information for you to have prior to commencing your research.

Design & Styling

Most Wedding Planners help their couples to design a look and feel for their day. This process includes gathering inspiration from the couple and then bringing it to life by sourcing Design Vendors. On the day a Wedding Planner will oversee it all coming together and complete many of the finishing touches; styling the tables and pace-settings for example.

Logistics

Logistics is where all the details that have been planned come together.  This process starts weeks, even months out from the wedding day and involves confirming details with the venue and vendors, creating floor plans, styling plans and timelines. Every part of the day from bumping in to bumping out must be accounted for and scheduled.  Your attention to detail during this part of the process will help with the seamless execution of the wedding day.

Bump-in is where all vendors arrive on the day (or even the day before) to set up and deliver their service.  Bump-in generally happens in the hours after the Reception ends or the next day and is the reverse of bumping in.  

Wedding Day

As the Wedding Planner you will be there on wedding day to guide proceedings, trouble-shoot and be the primary point of contact for all vendors and the couple themselves.  On wedding day the couple will want to focus on each other and their guests which means they will be relying on you to oversee the execution of all of the details of their day.  

This high level overview is designed to help you gain a better understanding of the main things you will be responsible for as a Wedding Planner. In Wedding Planner School we go into much more detail about how to plan a wedding by sharing my own tried and tested Framework for Planning Weddings and all of the Workflows I use to ensure I never miss a single task whether I’m planning one wedding or many at the same time.

Learn more about Wedding Planner School so you can start planning weddings professionally in as little as 60 days.