Why should I hire a wedding planner? How to avoid wedding day mishaps
The floral arrangements are the wrong colour. The limo arrives 20 minutes late and it starts down pouring just before your ceremony. These cringe-worthy mishaps can definitely put a damper on your special day. So how can you avoid these anxiety-provoking situations that sometimes arise? Hire a wedding planner or day-of-wedding coordinator so you can sit back and fully enjoy your wedding day! Your wedding planner is your independent advocate for you. They will liaise with the venue and venue coordinator (if applicable) to make sure all of your needs are met, not just assist with what is convenient for the venue. They will also manage all of the other aspects of your day.
Over the last few years, I have had the fortune of working with some really amazing planners. Full coordination can involve assisting you with budgets, vendors, décor, seating charts and so on. Or maybe you already have a good handle on that and just need some help on the big day. This is where a Day of Coordinator is great. Let’s face it, something always goes wrong. Sometimes it’s a missing boutonnière and sometimes it’s more major like having to move your ceremony site last minute due to rain. Whatever the problem, big or small, dealing with it takes you away from friends and family. These mishaps also take your nearest and dearest away from you and change their experience of the day. A good coordinator will take care of these things right away leaving you to enjoy, potentially not even knowing anything happened.
From my point of view as a photographer, here are two of the many benefits of hiring a wedding coordinator:
You avoid enlisting your wedding party as your staff! Yes your Maid of Honour may have excellent organizational skills but this does not mean she should be your day-of-wedding coordinator. I have seen couples that rely on their family and friends (or even THEMSELVES) to help execute their day-of plans. From a photography point of view this is challenging because there is always someone missing when you want them for a picture. This strains your, often already tight, schedule. When you are trying to act as your day of coordinator you will have to be on your phone and trust me, the stress will show in your face. You are not truly present and able to enjoy the day.
You allow your photographer to focus more creatively and less administratively. Leading up to your wedding day, I like to be involved when you are making your schedule, with or without a wedding coordinator. I like to make sure that we have enough time in each part of the day so it runs smoothly. However, once the day begins I take off my administrative hat. As your photographer, I want to be there to catch the hundreds of honest and sincere moments that express the uniqueness of your wedding. Having a coordinator there makes my life a little easier because I can completely concentrate 100% on capturing all of the feelings and emotions of your day. And as mentioned above, all the right people will be present with stress-free faces.
Planning a wedding may at times feel like a daunting task. From my experience, hiring a professional coordinator can ease many of these stresses and can often save money in the process. Planners, or day-of-coordinators have excellent resources, budgeting skills and are exceptionally organized in producing the perfect wedding. This means that you can take part in your wedding and be at ease to create beautiful memories that I can capture.
Pictured here is Barb of French Kiss Events showing these fine folks the ropes at a rehearsal.
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