After the exciting marriage proposal, a thousand thoughts arrive: location, dress, florist, budget, etc etc etc... Where to begin???... The risk is to get caught up in anxieties and worries and not succeed to live these beautiful moments with the serenity they deserve.
Then you start surfing the web looking for "something" that can help you and more often than not, in the results of your searches, you come across Wedding Planner sites.
You go into it, read here and there and think: “This could be what I need!”…
but a question is buzzing in your head: who exactly is the Wedding Planner and what does she do?
Don't worry, most of the couples I have had the pleasure of meeting and accompanying to their fateful wedding have asked me the same question!
And so, I'll try to clarify...
Let's start with the ABC...
The literal translation, from English to Italian, tells us that:
WEDDING = MARRIAGE
PLANNER = PLANNER
and therefore, by the transitive property 😊:
WEDDING PLANNER = WEDDING PLANNER
At this point you will think: "ok... clear, but... concretely, what does she do?"
So let's go into detail.
The Wedding Planner (I hope you don't mind but, looking at me, I will speak in the feminine! 😊) is an expert professional in the "wedding" sector and everything that revolves around it who, thanks to her knowledge, experience and creativity, is able to help you realize your dream.
How?
Through its services, its consultancy and by proposing original solutions that only you will evaluate, from time to time, calmly and serenely, remaining free to enjoy the months that separate you from the big day.
To simplify everything we could schematize it as follows…
The Wedding Planner :
listens to you (always and anyway!);
projects (together with you and for you!);
plans (in the short and long term);
organizes (resolves problems and unexpected events);
offers advice (to help you but not replace you);
coordinates (giving you serenity and carefreeness).
SHE LISTENS TO YOU
The Wedding Planner must first of all know how to listen to you from the beginning to the end of the process, understand what you want, what you dream of, understand your needs and empathize with you (and I assure you that not everyone has this "gift").
He will take you by the hand and accompany you, step by step, until the big day.
You will be able to unravel all your doubts without any fear of asking "silly" questions. LISTEN TO ME! I'm telling you this because it often happens to me that spouses are afraid to ask for fear of making a fool of themselves. What I always tell them is that no question is stupid : if you have a doubt or something that "torments" you or things aren't clear to you, you absolutely MUST ask!
It would be stupid not to! It's right that everything is always clear and clear, why carry around unresolved questions? So ask, ask and ask again until you have put the missing piece in place!
In addition to these "emotional" aspects , in order to help you in the right way, the Wedding Planner will also have to keep in mind the practical side: the budget!
You cannot start an organization process without first having built a well-detailed budget, also because, based on your possibilities and knowing what your desires are, he will be able to offer you different solutions.
Once the budget has been arranged, he will keep it monitored in a punctual and constant manner, ensuring that any possible increase in spending is, first of all, shared with you and then well recalibrated on the other items, in order to keep the total unchanged .
SHE PROJECTS
Once you have listened to your ideas, your desires and identified your tastes, you will begin, together, to plan your wedding: from the type of location to the various setups; from music to the photographer, from the choice of a possible "theme" or "color" to the study of the most appropriate Wedding Design, and so on.
Every aspect of the wedding, every little detail , even what you never imagined would be useful, will be evaluated, discussed and planned together but absolutely chosen by you!
A small clarification regarding Wedding Design: not all Wedding Planners are also Wedding Designers .
The Wedding Designer is a creative professional who takes care of the aesthetic aspect of the wedding, giving shape and color to your ideas: from the decorations to the setting up of the location, through the graphics of the invitations, the planning and creation of the entire wedding Stationery (Tableau, menu, table sign, etc), etc.
But don't worry, in the event that the Wedding Planner does not also take care of this aspect, she will delegate it to her trusted Wedding Designer .
SHE PLANS
Once the design phase is finished, the planning phase begins.
Each activity will be included in a shared calendar, with precise deadlines and will be constantly monitored and updated .
As already mentioned, a planning of the indicated budget will also be carried out, reporting each cost item (location, catering, fittings, music and entertainment, etc.), assigning it a specific priority (based on your needs) and inserting the deadlines of the various payments requested by the suppliers who will be selected.
Planning future activities , from short-term to long-term ones, drawing up a timeline with the times and deadlines of each organizational phase is essential to optimize the preparation of the wedding, guaranteeing the best result in terms of costs and benefits of the final result.
SHE ORGANIZES
Organization is the operational phase of planning .
Starting from the planned activities, we begin to implement all the operations necessary to achieve the final goal: turning your dream into reality!
This phase includes :
supplier research and selection. Starting from a list of trusted companies and professionals, a shortlist of "candidates" (usually 3 per category) best suited to your needs will be selected and proposed. In this way, by presenting already "filtered" solutions, you will avoid wasting time, risks and unpleasant situations. Your task? Simply choose according to your preferences! Isn't it wonderful? 😊
request quotes. Always guaranteeing assistance in negotiations and price negotiation;
examination, evaluation and control of the various contracts. Thanks to her experience, before signing them, the Wedding Planner will help you verify the correctness of all contracts and agree with the supplier, if any clauses that are important to you are missing. Not bad right? 😊
agenda planning with all the various appointments (dress fittings, menu fittings, etc);
organization of inspections necessary for the planning of the event and the planning of the work of each chosen supplier;
reporting deadlines ;
and much more! ... you can't even imagine!
In short, there is no doubt that by relying on the Wedding Planner and her "problem solving" ability, you will gain in time, "health" and money! avoiding a thousand phone calls (most of the time irritating), problems, unforeseen events and having the certainty that everything will proceed well and within stable times. Does this seem like little to you? 😊
SHE OFFERS CONSULTANCY
Consultancy will be transversal to all the phases of the process that will lead to the realization of your wedding: a true constant throughout the entire process.
From the moment you sit in front of your Wedding Planner to tell her how you imagine your wedding, her consultancy activity will begin... "guiding you" and "advising" you as best as possible in all the choices you will have to make and "tailoring" every single detail to your needs , your every emotion, every single desire to tailor-make a unique and unforgettable wedding: YOURS!
It will help you identify the right professionals you need.
Even if you have already chosen the location or other suppliers, they will be ready to take charge of the situation by managing every relationship between them and you, negotiating prices, establishing the timing of the event and defining every little detail , to ensure that everything runs smoothly. perfection.
We have already explained how, even in the previous phases, during planning and organisation, the Wedding Planner offers her assistance.
But the actual consultancy takes shape from the moment we begin to evaluate the estimates of the relevant suppliers to be selected and, subsequently, their contracts .
In this phase, prices will not simply be compared, but all the elements that determine them will be considered and evaluated .
Every estimate and every contract must be read with due attention, understanding well what it includes and what it excludes and any clauses; paying attention to the hours of use of the service (for example: for the locations, for the waiters, for the open bars, etc.); or again, carefully studying any critical points, to initiate improvement negotiations.
Obviously, the consultancy also includes:
indications on wedding etiquette ;
indications on the correct arrangement of tables in the room ;
personalization of the event through design and details ;
etc etc etc
Thanks to the constant monitoring of the Wedding Planner, all your possible doubts or uncertainties will vanish and you will not have to be afraid of having left something out, or of having missed "pieces" along the way.
The best thing is that you will be put in the position of only having to choose between different solutions, keeping in mind all the possible pros and cons of each choice.
SHE COORDINATES
Wedding coordination is the final stage of all wedding planning and organization.
It's the moment when "we go on stage". All the "actors" called to participate must be perfectly ready and aligned.
Everything must be absolutely perfect and reflect your desires, down to the smallest detail.
Everything that has been decided, chosen and imagined will take shape.
The Wedding Planner has the task of managing the entire day, coordinating all the suppliers so that everything goes smoothly.
He will then plan a schedule that will be shared in advance, not only with the spouses, but also with all the partners who will be involved during the day.
Among the tasks of the Wedding Planner during the "wedding day" we include:
if the Wedding Planner is also a Wedding Designer: she will first have to organize herself to bring all the materials created , together with the arrangements defined in the location, such as in the Church or in the Municipality; position them where established, set up and create the various personalized settings where required (such as, for example, the corner of the sweets and the wedding favors or the photobooth, the floral decorations for the cake, etc.), taking care of every single detail. Personally, as I also personally deal with the wedding design, and knowing that it is not easy to manage everything else as well as having to follow this part too, I organize myself in time, always arriving significantly before the other suppliers, so as to be able to follow them as best as possible their arrival;
verify that all suppliers are present at the scheduled time and, if not, contact them immediately to ensure that they are arriving and that they are operational for the scheduled times;
once the suppliers have arrived, follow their work to ensure that everything is done exactly as requested and, therefore, supervise the positioning and construction of their setups;
manage any unforeseen events and last minute inconveniences . Trust me, they always happen!!! but the Wedding Planner , thanks to her fabulous problem solving skills, will sort everything out in no time, without you noticing anything!);
check the layout of the tables in the reception area;
check the seats , making sure they coincide with the layout shown in the Tableau de Mariage;
coordinate the various moments and phases of the day , from the preparation of the bride and groom to the most spectacular moment of cutting the cake and then following with the party, up to the closing;
at the closing, when all the guests and the newlyweds have left, supervise the dismantling phase of the various suppliers and, in turn, dismantle the areas that were taken care of;
check that everything is in order before leaving the location .
In conclusion, organizing a wedding is not as simple as it might seem : success depends on a whole series of details that only a "trained eye" can miss.
Think of a classical music concert: the melody that arises from the sound of the different elements involves us and excites us if there is a director capable of coordinating all the musicians, indicating the right times and the inputs of the various instruments.
If you want your wedding to "play" a perfect and unforgettable melody, without being exhausted and always in a hurry, because there are too many things to follow and the time available is always too little, or, without having enjoyed the fun part or, again, without the worry of not being able to respect your budget, then I can help you make that melody perfect and unforgettable but, above all, an expression of yourself, of your being, of your feelings and your desires.
I hope I have clarified a little more about who the Wedding Planner is and what she does. Do you have a clearer idea?
I hope so!
But, if you need further clarification or have other questions to ask me, don't hesitate to contact me!