The Difference Between Wedding Planners, Architects, and Directors
The wedding planner is the type of person most of us think of when we hear about a professional event planner. This is the person who coordinates every single detail of a wedding from beginning to end. They will handle the big stuff like negotiating vendor contracts and creating a design scheme, as well as all the small details like shopping for bridesmaid jewelry and calligraphy for placecards. The full service wedding planner may also go by the job descriptions wedding coordinator or wedding producer. Expect this type of planner to put about 80 – 250 hours into the wedding.
A full time wedding planner is best for couples who do not have time to plan their own wedding, either due to busy careers or a short lead time. They are also useful for brides who are not detail oriented, or those planning complicated weddings (such as an affair for 300 guests in Tuscany). They are very beneficial for anyone having their wedding in a blank canvas type of venue like a loft or a tent in their backyard. Hire a full time coordinator if you want someone you can rely on to handle everything wedding related from the very beginning until the last guest has left at the end of your reception.
A newer version of wedding planner is the wedding designer, stylist, or architect. This person does not oversee every single detail of your event, but rather focuses on the decor and theme. Expect a stylist to put up to 40 hours into your event. They will design a concept and color palette for your wedding, create the centerpiece designs, hire the lighting specialists, and track down unique props. On the morning of the wedding, the designer will supervise the vendors to make sure that the design is executed perfectly. A stylist is great if you have a vision of an amazing reception, but do not know how to put it all together. They are also fantastic if you know you want your wedding to look special and unique, but lack ideas on decor.
The day of wedding planner (who may also be known as a day of wedding coordinator or a wedding director) actually starts a little bit before the big day. The day of planner will touch base with the vendors you have already hired, and also go over details with you to make sure nothing has been forgotten. The primary job of a wedding director is to orchestrate the actual wedding day. He or she will organize the rehearsal the day before, and then supervise vendors and the wedding party on the day of the event. The average wedding director puts at least 25 hours of work into each event. They are ideal for the couple who does not need or cannot afford a full time coordinator, but wants to be able to relax on their wedding day, knowing that they are in good hands.
Filed under Bridesmaid Jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: Bridesmaid Jewelry, wedding architects, wedding coordinators, wedding designers, wedding planners, wedding stylists | Comment (0)Wedding Planners’ Tricks of the Trade
Not every bride will hire a professional to organize her wedding, but that does not mean that you cannot benefit from their know-how. Over the years, a good wedding coordinator learns all sorts of nifty tricks that make weddings more beautiful, better run, and more cost effective. These are some of the tricks of the trade that wedding planners use.
Reuse Ceremony Decorations. Why pay for everything twice when you can reuse much of your ceremony decorations for the reception? While your guests are enjoying a fabulous cocktail hour, the vendors can move the ceremony chairs, altar flowers, and any other decorations you had into the reception space. Think about how much money you can save by not paying for duplicate chair rentals and floral displays!
Variety is the Spice of Life. If there is one thing that every planner strives to do it is to create a wedding that is unique, not cookie-cutter. A simple way to do this on your own is to break up the sameness of repeated elements with some variations. Rather than having the same centerpiece design repeated for a dozen tables, pick three centerpiece designs with similar flowers, but of varying heights. The same goes for your bridesmaids. Pick complementary dresses and sets of bridesmaid jewelry in several styles instead of having all the girls match exactly.
Great Food is a Must. Wedding planners have attended enough receptions to know that if the food is not delicious, the guests will be grumbling. Even worse than lackluster meals are weddings that do not have enough food. There is nothing worse than having the food at the cocktail hour run out before the end of the event! Scrimp in other areas of the wedding as needed, but keep your guests happy with food that is tasty and plentiful.
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