Planning a wedding can be an exhilarating yet overwhelming experience, filled with countless decisions and details to manage. This is where a wedding planner comes in—a professional who can transform your vision into reality while alleviating much of the stress that comes with organizing such a significant event. However, there is a little bit of confusion floating around as to the tasks a wedding planner is expected to perform and which ones they are not. This can leave couples feeling a little discouraged, which we never want to see happen.

In this post, we'll explore eight essential things you should know about your wedding planner from the very first day, from their expertise to how important it is to effectively communicate your desires. Whether you're just beginning your planning or are deep in the process, these insights will help you build a strong partnership with your planner and ensure your big day goes off without a hitch. When you know upfront what to expect, the whole process becomes so much more enjoyable for everyone.

1. We Can Reduce Your Stress...But, Only If You'll Allow Us To.

Part of our job as your planner is to make sure you stress less during the planning process, while at the same time, helping you enjoy the experience in itself.

We're actually pretty good at this, so make sure you're keeping your planner up to date on any stressful situations that arise so that we can help lighten that load.

Fight the temptation to do it all yourself and choose to let go. You'll be so glad you did.

2. We Are Working Hard For You, Even When You Don't Hear From Us In A While.

There is a common misconception that once wedding planners are hired they must keep constant contact with their clients. While we are more than happy to stay in contact frequently, time invested in each of our clients can vary depending on the package purchased. For instance, we book most of our weddings between 1-2 years in advance. If we were hired for Day of Management and the wedding is a year or more away, there really is no need to get down to the nitty gritty right away. A lot can change in one year, so we give our couples space while planning their wedding and all we really need is updates. However, 1-3 months before the wedding we kick in to overdrive and at that point it's probably best to pin us to the top of your text thread lol.

3. Despite What Many Think, We Are Not Responsible For The Services Given By Your Vendors

The role we play as your planner helps to ensure that your wedding day goes by as seamless as possible and that your vendors have all the tools they need to provide you the services they've promised you. However, sometimes despite our best efforts some rogue vendors will go by the beat of their own drum and this is never the planners fault. We are there to coordinate and assist but if that assistance is not accepted or received, there is little we can do at that point. We always recommend keeping close contact with your vendors even though you hired a planner. Sometimes vendors disclose pertinent information to the couple and not the planner so it's best for all parties to work together closely.

4. We Are Great At Multi-Tasking

All throughout the planning process much of our time goes into researching destinations, negotiating prices, sending/receiving emails, and making calls to the venue and vendors, fine tuning all the details so that we, as a team can provide you exceptional services. This takes time, dedication, and great multi-tasking skills. Don't be afraid to "burden" your planner with extra details about your wedding day. It's a service that you payed for and we do it gladly. Failing to share certain details with your planner can potentially cause miscommunication and confusion on the day of.

Even if you only hired your planner for Day of Management, it's still a service that they provide. You should never feel that you don't have the help you need with the planner that you hired to make this process easier.

5. We Are There To Serve You, Not Be Your Servants.

Wedding planners can perform pretty much any task you can think of, but when it comes to tasks that gravitate outside our job description, please do not expect your planner to accommodate. Please be respectful as well. Do not be rude. Your planner is there to make sure your timeline is adhered to, to take care of logistics, make sure you, your vendors and your guests want for nothing and to make sure everything is tidy when the party is over. We are not there to pick up Aunt Betty from the airport (unless this added service was included in the package), dry clean your table cloths after the reception, babysit drunk uncle Sal, or keep an eye on the bartender so that they aren't serving alcohol to minors. (It does happen, believe it or not). Your planners proposal/quote/contract should outline the services they provide, the services they provide for an additional fee, and what they do not provide.

6. Wedding Planners Are Human Too.

Although we are super amazing at what we do, at the end of the day we are only human like you. We make mistakes, we get tired, we need to eat, and most importantly, we have feelings. We feel honored with each wedding we are blessed to be a part of, so we put a lot of behind the scene hours in perfecting every detail for you. If something is not the way you were expecting, please do not become angry, make a scene or even worse, not say anything at all until after the wedding day is behind you. Bring your thoughts and concerns to us right away. A good planner will welcome this conversation and be so glad to help make it better. 9/10 we can tend to any issue that arises on the spot. When our clients are happy so are we.

7. We Are Not Superhuman...Ok, Maybe We Are Sometimes.

I can't count the number of times I've personally turned last minute hiccups into lasting memories for my couples. That being said, almost 100% of weddings have some type of blunder/set back/hiccup. The best way to get through this is to remain calm, come to us, and trust us to do all we can to remedy the situation. Always keep in mind though that even though we are really quick on our feet to resolve issues we are not superhuman.

8. If We Seem Nowhere In Sight On The Wedding Day, Do Not Panic. I Guarantee, We Are Somewhere Running Around Making Sure Everything Is Perfect For You.

Your wedding planner is the go to person for EVERY individual at your wedding. Think about that for a second. Vendors, venue staff, guests and most importantly the couple look to us for answers and assistance. Being in several places at one time is tricky, even for us. This is why many planners will bring an assistant or two, depending on the guest size. Try to remember that if you can't see us right away, its most likely because we are in the kitchen talking to the chef, making sure grandma Helen's food is correct because of her severe allergies, or we're chasing down the hotel manager because the bride forgot her great great grandmothers cake knife, that has been passed down through the generations, up in her bridal suite and they are about to cut the cake soon, or we are outside in the parking lot because someone is blocking the way for the horse and carriage that the bride and groom will be using to ride away into their new lives together. (All of which have actually happened) Or, we might just be resting our feet for 5 minutes. Our feet get sore too.

In Conclusion, most wedding planners should treat the wedding they are working on as if it were their own. If that's true, then I've literally been married over a hundred times. We give it 110% every time. We are hyper focused where it counts, patient, even when we are being attacked, respectful to every person involved, and most importantly, there for you, the couple every step of the way. We take pride in what we do, and we show up on the wedding day with the knowledge that the day ahead is a once in a lifetime occasion. That alone is enough for us to bend over backwards, go the extra mile, and aim to exceed our clients expectations. More times than not we are successful with this, but 100% of those times it's because the couple worked closely with us, letting go of unrealistic expectations and learned to take joy in the process.