It’s a simple enough question; what does a Wedding Planner do?  And I should be able to answer it easily as I’ve been asked it a lot during my 10+ year career as a Wedding Planner and Mentor to students taking wedding planner courses.  But I don’t always find it an easy question to answer simply.

My high-level definition to the question is:

“A Wedding Planner is an advocate for their couple and the person who helps to bring their wedding day vision to life – not just how the wedding looks but also how it feels for the couple and their guests too.  A Wedding Planner does the heavy lifting of organising the wedding and ensuring everyone is where they should be and that everything is in place, looking just the way it should.  It’s an important role because when it’s done well the couple can focus on each other, their guests, and this important step in their lives together.”

But what does the role actually involve?

If you’ve come here seeking clarity about the role of Wedding Planner, I know my explanation above isn’t enough.  You want to know what they do, to achieve those outcomes.  And I am going to answer that question.  But first, I want you to know that most Wedding Planners tailor their services to suit the types of couples they want to work with and even individual couples.  You will see this reflected in the variety of package inclusions offered by Wedding Planners. 

Some Homework for Aspiring Wedding Planners

After you’ve finished reading this blog post, do some research into Wedding Planners in your area and review their packages to see what they include in the different tiers of their services.  This will help to broaden your perspective on what a Wedding Planner does even more.

But for now, lets take a close look at the types of things most Wedding Planners do for their clients:

• Help the couple determine their vision and priorities for their wedding day
• Create a checklist to keep the couple on track with what they need to do during the planning process
• Create a Wedding Budget for the couple and help them to manage it
• Source and recommend Venues and Vendors for the couple to choose from
• Attend appointments with the couple and sometimes on behalf of the couple.
• Review paperwork and contracts.
• Manage the couple’s RSVP’s and compile the final guest list with dietary requirements
• Style the couple’s wedding or work with the couple’s chosen Stylist to ensure everything comes together in the way the couple expects it to.
• Oversee set up and pack down by other Vendors.
• Manage the timeline on the wedding day
• Troubleshoot on the wedding day and be the primary point of contact for Vendors and the Wedding Party
  

Traits of a Good Wedding Planner

Along with gaining knowledge of how to do these things, there are certain traits of a good Wedding Planner that you should work on developing.  But to get started as a Wedding Planner you just need to be someone who enjoys working with people, can organise themselves well and has a reasonably good eye for detail.  Being a good negotiator and problem solver is also beneficial – although these are skills you can learn too.  And I find that people from all walks of life make good Wedding Planners and often don’t realise that the skills and knowledge they already have can be applied to Wedding Planning as well.  To help you determine if this is a career you could be successful at, I’m offering an obligation free chat with me to talk about becoming a Wedding Planner.

Become a Wedding Planner & Designer

If you’ve been dreaming of becoming a Wedding Planner & Designer but don’t know where to start – let’s talk. I’ve helped 1000’s of people just like you make their dream a reality. This is a 100% obligation free opportunity to get my advice on how to become a Wedding Planner & Designer. What have you got to lose?  Book a call today.

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