It’s time again for the next post in our current blog series: “So You Think You Don’t Need A Wedding Planner?”  We are onto our fourth installment – and hope you read, love and share!

Reason #4: The Strategic Bride says: “I don’t want to pay extra for anything I’ve already paid for.” or “My venue already has an event coordinator.”

ashley-jeff

Who she is: She had her charts, spreadsheets, and wedding binder ready to go the day after she got engaged. She has a collection of wedding boards on Pinterest – each one dedicated to a specific area of her vision for her wedding, and another specific one that is chock full of general wedding planning tip & tricks.  She probably works in accounting, a scientific field or something along those lines. She likes rules, processes, certainty, specificity and knowing exactly how things are going to go.  She’s not really a go-with-the-flow type bride. She isn’t afraid to spend money – but does it carefully – and only on the things that are important to her. She expects a lot of her vendors, and has worked hard to find the great ones.

Here’s what I have to say to her: We so get you. Your natural inclinations match ours! We like to know what is going to happen, too – we actually LOOOVE to know what is going to happen. So we have plans and charts and forms to help us figure that all out.  You probably ask some really great questions when you are with your vendors. The idea that our intelligence is evidenced more by our questions than by our answers comes from Voltaire. We love that – and we love brides who come in with lists of questions, go to their venue walk throughs seeking answers and who are always thinking and analyzing how to maximize the potential that awaits them on their wedding day.  As you make your lists and ask your questions, don’t forget to ask yourself questions as well! What would have to happen to make it so you can experience your wedding day with no regrets? What do you consider “success” for your wedding planning process?

About our services for her: Throughout the planning process, you will speak to many different vendors. Then once you make your selections, you will speak to your chosen vendors even more!  You will likely become fairly close to the representatives at your venue(s). Speed dial, anyone? You will exchange countless emails, many of which will include a sentence along these lines, “My fiance/Mother/Maid of Honor and I were talking and we thought of one more question we had for you. Seriously, though, this is really it. I mean it, I know I said the last five questions were the last ones, but this is definitely for real the last one…”

Many venues who host lots of weddings each season (banquet halls, country clubs, hotels, etc.) have a staff member whom they designate the “Wedding Coordinator,” or “Event Coordinator.”  Those folks are often truly wonderful and very dedicated to their jobs.  Let’s be clear though, their job is not to coordinate your wedding. Here’s why they are not enough:

  • They coordinate things on behalf of the venue, not directly on behalf of the bride and groom. This means their focus is on things like food & beverage service, staffing & guest flow – which are some important aspects of your reception, but not all of your reception.
  • They work with many couples each weekend, each month and each year. It can be easy for them to accidentally confuse your preferences with that of another couple with similar wishes as yours.
  • Because their work is venue-specific, it can be easy to fall into the “this is the way we do it here” trap. This can make it difficult for you to suggest other ways of doing things if they are confident they know the “best” way to do it at their venue.
  • They work on their employer’s schedule, not yours. I have worked with venue coordinators who leave the event at 9pm. Nothing wrong with that, as that is when they are likely scheduled to leave – however if that’s not when your wedding is scheduled to end, then who is going to know what you need after that?
  • Many times at many venues these folks go above and beyond for clients they have gotten to know and care about. That’s awesome. We’ve worked at and been guests at weddings where this happens. On the flipside, we’ve also been part of weddings where it didn’t and things fell apart when the person who was supposed to be the venue’s event coordinator left the building.

The difference in working with us is clear: We are focused on YOU and because of that we care about everything from the food service to the timing to the favor table and those candles that just burned out and need replacing…there’s nothing that is not on our list of responsibilities.  There’s nothing that we don’t care about when it comes to making your day as best as it possibly can be. That level of care is what sets us apart. That’s what will make your wedding special. That’s what you need. That’s what you deserve.

You can read the previous post in this series here.

You can skip to the next post in this series here.

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