- A Full Service Wedding Planner A full service wedding planner's role is to be your advocate every step of the way throughout your planning process. Typically, a full service planner is hired immediately after an engagement and is responsible for things like helping to find the perfect ceremony and reception space. From overseeing the logistics of your wedding, selecting vendors that fit in with your budget and style, and assisting with areas involving etiquette, tablescapes and a day of timeline, a wedding planner can be a key player in making your wedding day truly come together. On the big day, s/he will be responsible for managing all involved vendors, handling final payments and gratuities on your behalf, making sure the day flows according to plan and fixing any problem should they arise. By the time your big day arrives, the person you have hired will know you, your fiancĂŠ, your family and ultimately your big day, in every form and capacity possible. A full service wedding planner should provide you with a service that feels like it was undeniably the most valuable investment you made wedding-wise. And in my personal opinion, if you really find the perfect fit in a wedding planner, they will become a friend in your and your spouse's life, long after your wedding has come and gone.
- A Day of Wedding Coordinator -
Brides who took that leap of faith by hiring a planner, a vendor who isn't going to provide a tangible product, but instead an experience that is truly unparalleled. I get to send off into the night very tired newly married couples, who are so completely high on happiness that their big day was everything and more. I get to essentially make dreams come true. And I'll be the first to confess that those 18-hour days are so worth it. If you're still confused at what a wedding planner or coordinator or designer or stylist (remember, I used the word ambiguous above) may do, here's a brief breakdown of various industry duties. One confession I'm not afraid to admit is that we wedding planners sure do have one vast array of titles and names for what we do! www.heygorgeousevents.com
Rhi xoxo
A DOC (as they are traditionally called in short form) is a wedding planner hired by a bride and groom partially through their wedding planning process. Couples looking for a DOC are typically a few months out from their big day, and are starting to feel like an extra set of hands will be helpful in those last few critical planning stages. Day of Coordinators typically start their communication with their clients anywhere from eight to three weeks prior to the wedding day, and will get caught up to speed on everything that has already been planned and vendors who have been secured. Your DOC will create a timeline for your wedding day, manage the logistics of the day and handle 'day of' issues, much like what a full service wedding planner would do. They may offer limited services to DOC clients in comparison to the services offered in their full service packages. For obvious reasons, day of services are significantly less money than full service wedding planning packages.
- A Wedding Stylist or Designer Some full service wedding planners will include styling services in their packages (as I do), but a wedding stylist is responsible for focusing on the aesthetics of your big day. Tablescapes and linens, bouquets and centerpieces, photo backdrops, clever favors, ceremony programs, room arrangements and floor plans, dÊcor and lighting – all of these things are details that make up the look and vibe of your wedding and are components that a stylist will help you to perfect. A really amazing stylist will be able to guide you into making decisions so the above-mentioned areas all fit cohesively together. Some select vendors will offer styling services without being bundled together with coordination services (i.e. they will make your wedding look a specific way but they won't be at the church to make sure your flower girl gets down the aisle on time) but most group styling services into their full service planning and coordination packages so as to provide an inclusive experience.