Thursday, November 12, 2009

What does a "Day Of" do- UPDATE

We received such an amazing response from the last post that I wanted to share comments and feedback with all the readers.

"Wedding planning is a difficult task for everyone. Unless you have done it before, you don't know all the answers. But, you can find them! By far the most important thing to remember about wedding planning is that it should be enjoyable."
http://www.funfilms.in/event-management/wedding-organiser.html
Posted by Fun Films
"Dear Brandi
I loved you list and I have to agree there is no real job description for a wedding planner it is amazing exactly what you managed to get involved in at the most unlikely time. But all things considered I would not want to do anything else I think it would just be boring!"

Toni x
Posted by Toni Davey  "One of the main things a wedding planner can do on the day of the wedding is watch the bride's back and make sure the ebb and flow of the day is in harmony and the vendors are doing their job. Particularly making sure that photographer and videographer do not miss anything meaningful http://www.yourpartyexpert.com"
Posted by Brian Lawrence "Hi Brandi! I just recently planned and attended my wedding! We were married October 24th. As a planner I found from my experiences that it's easier than you may think. Just ask the questions, even if they are hard and you will at least be aware of what you are going to run into. We were both very happy with the outcome of our wedding, but noticed a couple of areas that could have been organized a little more.

1. Running through introductions with the DJ- I had sent a list of names and how we new the participant- but pronunciations are also important to your wedding party, so if you can take a couple of minutes to discuss how to pronounce the name it's easy and quick, but also important to those involved.
2. Create a lineup for the night and hand it out at the rehearsal. Those involved will understand what comes where and roughly at what time. Don't be too detailed, it may be overwhelming for the wedding party, but it also helps establish some union in what is being accomplished through out the weekend
3. Establish ques for the music during the ceremony- this will help transition from one song to the next. We did this and it went very nicely.
Anyway, hope this is informational."

Posted by Alisa Buseth
Brandi,
"As a wedding videographer, I have seen first hand the value in a good wedding planner and the hassles of a bad wedding planner. It takes a lot of work to handle all of the details of a wedding - from giving input to the venue to the scheduling of the limo to whisk the couple away to the honeymoon destination. Anyone thinking that the wedding planner is a waste of money hasn't grasped all of the details the planner does in the course of their work.
A good/great wedding planner can take so much of the stress and strain off the bride/groom and family as well. In a recent wedding shoot, the mother of the bride let a "friend" act as the WP and there was chaos and confusion during the rehearsal to the reception.
So, if anyone doubts the value of a good/great WP, just ask anyone who has tried to pull it off themselves and you will se the pain in their eyes."

David
Posted by David Whisel

"From spilled wine on wedding dresses to lipsticks dropped, I found my "wedding bag" a blessing so many times. From smelling salts, instant camara, threads, needles, florist tape for extra corsages etc....we really have to pull off some miracles at a moments notice. Judith Moore, WeddingLinks.com."

Posted by Judith Rivers-Moore  "I have been a wedding photographer for 21 years. From my experience this is what I strongly suggest:
Make sure to ride the hair and makeup people. They almost always cause the bride to be late. I would instruct the bride to add a bare minimum of one extra hour of time for hair and makeup. In other words if she wants to be done with hair and makeup by 3:00, tell the salon that they must be finished by 2:00 at the latest. That way she'll probably be on time!"

Lawrence
Ambassador Video and Photography
http://www.videoandphotography.com
Posted by Lawrence Maskin
Now, those are just a few of the responses I've received and I just posted the information a few days ago.  If this feedback keeps up, I'm going to post an update on the update with more feedback.  I love getting so many different views on the concept of Day Of and even Wedding Planners! 

3 comments:

  1. I think one of the best things a wedding planner can do on the day of the wedding is to have the bride stop and look around and see what her reception looks like. Brides are so busy and preoccupied on their day that they rarely actually see their wedding.
    Nanci Hough
    McKinley Grand Hotel
    Canton, Ohio

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nanci,
    That is a great comment! I always try to pull my Bride aside and show her around, or better yet, not let her see the room until she is announced in, and then she gets to be surprised like everyone else. Very thoughtful comment! Thanks!

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  3. Weddings by That Special Touch Events tstevents@yahoo.comNovember 15, 2009 at 11:22 AM

    Nanci & Brandi,

    I totally agree with your comments about letting the couple see their reception before anyone comes in. I always ask the Bride & Groomif they want to see the room before the guests so that they can see all of our hard work come to life. I recently coordinated a wedding where we brought the Bride's parents in to see the reception area (they were paying for the entire event) and they immediately started crying. When the Bride saw it, she collapsed into my arms with tears and appreciation. On days like that,I am reminded why I love being a Wedding Coordinator.

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