Wedding Tips and Tricks featuring Wedding Planners
Welcome to your tips and tricks with some of my favorite wedding and event planners around Massachusetts! I’m going to ask them a series of questions and provide you with their answers. I’ll also provide my reasoning for asking the questions, as it relates to photography!
I had the pleasure of interviewing the following ladies for this series. To get to know them more and to see their beautiful design work, please see their information at the bottom of the blog!
Ashley- Perfectly Peters Planning
Kelly- Kelly Elizabeth Events
Maria- Majestic Event Planning
1. What’s the one thing couples should look for or ask when choosing a wedding planner for their wedding day?
Maureen Russell Photography: As with any of your vendors, you need to feel comfortable with the planner you are going to work with. They, like the photographer, will be with you so much of the day! Connect with them and make sure they listen and hear your vision. That vision unfolding on the big day, is what we as photographers are going to be capturing. When you look back at those images, we all want you to say that was absolutely what we envisioned!
Ashley: To be honest, sometimes I don’t think it is one thing but one feeling. I tell everyone who inquires about our services that with any vendor, but especially a coordination, they need to feel extremely comfortable with that person. Just because someone has good reviews, doesn’t mean that they will be a right fit for you. I have heard so many couples say they hired vendors because people recommended that person but will share that they thought the vendor seemed to be unprofessional, rude, etc. if you do not love a vendor – do not hire that person. For me, I always try and connect with my couples on a deeper level. I have been doing weddings for a few years now and I have made so many friends through those who hire me. I have gone out to dinner with couples after their wedding day, I have become Facebook friends with almost all of my couples, and my hairdresser is also one of my brides that I met! I truly think you have to go off your gut feeling about the professionals you are hiring!
Kelly: Feeling comfortable and like you can open up to someone is very important! This person is going to be with you through the whole process which inevitably is going to include some personal and intimate moments. Take advantage of that initial consultation before booking to make sure they are a fit for your personalities. In hand with this, it’s great to ask them about their work style and how they communicate. If you are not great working online and prefer in-person and phone meetings, make sure this is something they can accommodate! Many Wedding Planners have specific processes for how they use tracking documents and check-in meetings, so make sure it works for your lifestyle as well.
Maria: Couples should look for compatibility with their planner because they will be working with them very closely for a long time.
2. What’s the biggest advantage to hiring a professional rather than having a friend or family help coordinate the day?
Maureen Russell Photography: I cannot stress enough the value of hiring a wedding planner. The wedding day has so many pieces unfolding, so having someone who is familiar with timelines and working with other wedding vendors is so important. They can handle the stress and your guests can be guests!! A wedding planner will work with the photography to make sure you have time for all your images. They can go between the officiant, DJ, venue etc, to work on the timeline needed for all aspects of the photography portions of your day. If something happens on the day, a wedding planner can solve without you even knowing about it! You don’t need a friend or family member coming to you with concerns on the Big Day, while you’re trying to enjoy the moments!
Ashley: The biggest advantage of hiring a professional is that your friends and family will have time to focus on the more important things on your wedding day. Your friends and family should not have to be stressed about setting up a venue or making sure vendors arrive at the right time! Let someone take all of that stress off of your hands!
Kelly: One of our top priorities when coordinating a Wedding is that all guests get to be just that – GUESTS! A lot of time, energy and money goes into planning a Wedding. Couples spend endless hours thinking about what will ensure a wonderful, fun and memorable evening for their friends and family. No one should have to lose out on the opportunity to be a guest at your Wedding and enjoy every moment and detail that has been carefully thought out. A professional Wedding Planner or Coordinator will be that person so that not only will any family member or friend not have to fill that void, but also is knowledgeable and experienced to execute efficiently and put out any fires without stress.
Maria: The couple gets to enjoy their day with their loved ones knowing everything will be done according to their expectations. Having a friend or family member can puts a lot of pressure on that individual and the couple, especially since sometimes things don’t come out as expected. Also the friend or family member won’t be able to enjoy the day if they are busy working.
3. What if the venue has a coordinator? What do you offer that is different from their coordinator?
Maureen Russell Photography: In the photography world we work with the venue coordinators and wedding planners and both at the same time! The venue coordinator is amazing at just that- the venue! They provide photographers with the where, when and how we can perform our photography around the venue. A planner is going work with a photographer on literally everything else! From making sure bridal parties are where they are supposed to be and when, to where the florals are for formal portraits, to making sure the cake is cut before the photographer leaves for the night, etc., etc.
Ashley: Some venues have amazing coordinators and couples do not end up needing additional assistance. However, there are hundreds of venues whose venue coordinator is only concerned about .. the venue. And that is their job. Sometimes couples assume a venue coordinator is going to do every little thing and that’s truly not the case. When meeting with a venue, couples should ask what the venue coordinator does. Does that person assist with rehearsal? Does the venue coordinator do complete set up? Do they do complete breakdown? Will they create a timeline for you?
Kelly: We love working with venue coordinators and 50% of the time, our clients have one of these when they book with us. Venue coordinators are wonderful because they know the ins and outs of the space and can make precise logistical recommendations and decisions on site that are best for the flow of your Wedding. With this being said, they are focused on the logistical operations of your Wedding and aren’t always there for you during the planning process to help you with vendor searches, invitations, design, personal touches and additional plans. Once we get on-site, we divide and conquer with venue coordinators to let them handle the setup and we handle you and your bridal party. There is a lot happening on your Wedding day and wrangling bridal party, parents, grandparents for hair and makeup, transportation, photography, etc – is not easy task! A separate coordinator will focus completely on you and your timeline. As a bonus, we can be your eyes and ears throughout the venue to ensure everything you planned for is coming to life with your personal touch.
Maria: We create timelines, we contact all their vendors prior to the wedding and remain in contact with them thought out the day. Create and go over all sorts of checklists. Go over all final details with the couple, coordinate who will be receiving all returned personal decorations and gifts at the end of the event such as toasting glasses, cake topper, cake knife and server and much more.
4. How should a couple decide if they need full planning, ‘month of’ or ‘day of‘ coordination?
Maureen Russell Photography: It’s awesome that you have these options with planners! This allows for flexibility and sanity (ha) for your wedding day! It’s also great depending on what your budget allows for. Just remember to put your photographer and planner in touch, so they can game plan together!
Ashley: Couples should be open and honest about their needs with coordinators that they are considering hiring. The coordinator should be able to guide the couple in the right direction!
Kelly: Well – couples can first take our quiz! We have developed a great survey that helps couples determine what level of service they may need. There are a lot of factors to consider including what type of venue you are looking for, how much time you have to dedicate to the planning process, budget, and honestly at a baseline – do you want to plan it all!
Maria: Day of Coordination is for those couples who have done most of the planning, yet would like help to finalize all the details for the “day of”.
Partial Planning is for those couples who need extra guidance and help to tie up all of the loose ends. Whether it is due to being overwhelmed, lacking time or just in need of professional guidance, this package helps to perfect their special day.
Full Planning is for those couples who would love to enjoy their engagement stress free or don’t have the time to plan their big day. We will plan everything according to the couple’s expectations.
Depending where they are in their planning process, this will give them an idea as to where they fall into.
5. What is your process once a couple has provided you with their ideas?
Maureen Russell Photography: It’s so great to get to know and work with planners so that I can see what their process is too! That way I know when they might want to start working on the timeline for photography or be able to see your vision board so I can start to game plan on where you might want to take your formal portraits on the big day!
Ashley: Once a couple provides me with their ideas, I explain things that we can do for them that may not be the typical tasks. I go through examples from other weddings on how we have assisted on wedding days .. we have stories for days! We had a summer wedding where I had to send an assistant out after cocktail hour to purchase 600 lbs of ice .. yes, 600 lbs .. because the bartenders did not come prepared. We have had to unclog toilets when no one at the venue was available to do that. We have had multiple weddings where we have had to entertain children to help eliminate stress from a couple or those in a bridal party, etc. I want my couples to feel comfortable with me! After giving them this information and hearing their details, I send over a contract for them to review and then if they decide to move forward, we go from there!
Kelly: Starting the journey with a new client is always so exciting! Once everything is finalized, we schedule our kick-off meeting where we sit down, go through everything they have done so far and have a true brainstorming session. We love getting to know the couple as a couple AND individually. This is really important because Weddings should reflect the personality of both partners. We then take everything we learned from our meeting and put together a master plan. For our methodology, this includes a planning timeline, budget, and vision board. These tools are constantly updated in the planning process and become our maps in putting together their Wedding.
Maria: We offer day of coordination, partial planning and full planning. I talk to the couple, I ask them questions to figure out which package fits them better. Once we have the package, then we do research if needed, match them with the specific thing mentioned, make lists and get it done.
6. How do you decide on which vendors to have your couples to reach out to?
Maureen Russell Photography: I ask this question because just like when I meet my couples, I want to make sure I really connect with them. So it’s really important to me that wedding planners also try to match the couple with vendors that understand their vision and those they get along with! Not ever vendor is a perfect match for the couple and that’s ok! When we planned our wedding, there were a bunch of recommended vendors and they all were excellent at their profession. We made the decision based on who we felt a connection with.
Ashley: I love meeting new vendors at weddings which is one of the best parts of owning my own company and not working for a specific venue. I get to see different venues and meet vendors from everywhere! I am always looking for personable and professional vendors. It sounds simple, but you would be amazed at how many vendors do not have both of those qualities!
Kelly: An important piece of our methodology is customization and this carries into matching vendors with our clients. We have an awesome roster of vendors that we know and have worked with to recommend to our clients, but we always start the process from scratch to ensure it’s matching the preferences and budget of our clients. If none of our existing vendor connections are a match, we will start looking for outside recommendations and always put them through a vetting process to make sure they are a reliable and trustworthy vendor for our clients.
Maria: I have a preferred vendor list which I provide to all my clients. These vendors are the ones I have worked with in the past, I trust them and I know their work ethic. I also research additional vendors in order to make recommendations to best fit my client’s needs.
7. What’s your biggest tip when starting to plan a wedding?
Maureen Russell Photography: My biggest tip is budget and choose what’s most important (TO YOU) on that budget! If the venue is most important, know your numbers and what you’ll have to put towards other vendors. If photography is most important, make that higher on your budgeted list. When I say ‘to you’- I mean this is your day! You’ll be the ones looking back on the images and passing those images down to your family. Love what you look back on…
Ashley: My biggest tip is PLAN THE WEDDING YOU WANT! So often couples try to make everyone else happy. I often have to remind couples that it is THEIR wedding day and they deserve to have the wedding of their dreams .. not someone else’s.
Kelly: Focus in on the 3 most important pieces to you! This will help direct your budget, guest list, look and feel, venue and everything! For example, if people having a delicious meal is the most important thing to you, you can ensure you are looking at venues with top food options and that your budget allocates for a catering option that fits this.
Maria: Get organized, create a budget and hire a planner.
8. Are there any ”don’t do it!” tips that you suggest to couples leading up to the wedding day?
Maureen Russell Photography: This is mainly coming from my own personal experience from our wedding. First, make sure your DIY projects will actually work for the whole night. For example, our floating candles did not stay lit due to the bowls I used and tables being bumped everywhere. I would hire a professional if I did it again! Second, don’t leave details to the last minute- even something as ‘easy’ as the baskets for the bathrooms. Instead of spending time with my family who was in town, I was running around stores trying to put these together. Looking back, I should have had it all done weeks before and organized.
Ashley: Honestly, same as above. DO NOT plan a wedding to satisfy friends and family. Another thing I always suggest to couples is to not go out of their budget if possible. It is not worth being in debt for years and years if that is something that can be avoided!
Kelly: We’ve seen many brides up late the night before their Wedding because they waited until the night before or week of to finish details. Whether assembling favors, writing out escort cards, writing cards to their loved ones. We understand sometimes there is the mindset of “well, names and counts are going to change” – but think about doing anything you can as soon as you can! Changing a few names or making a couple extra will take a lot less time than the whole project.
Maria: Don’t start a new diet or new workouts, don’t experiment with new skin products and don’t make any drastic hair changes.
9. Is there one thing that you can suggest to couple’s to make sure the day goes as smoothly as possible- besides hiring a planner 😉 ?
Maureen Russell Photography: Looking back at our own wedding, there were bumps in the road- like the rain during our beach ceremony! But because we planned our wedding for us and what we wanted those little things honestly didn’t bother us. We wanted the party with friends and family – that’s exactly what we got – with some fun stories along the way!
Ashley: HA, I always suggest that the night before no one goes too crazy drinking or stays up all night!
Kelly: Delegate, delegate! Do not try to do everything yourself. You are going to be pulled in a million directions with so many thoughts and emotions going through your mind. Small tasks like ordering coffee for the bridesmaids, updating escort cards, packing your bag – delegate to a friend or family member. So many people are going to be there wanting to help you, and while you may feel like you can do it all, don’t put that pressure on yourself! This will allow you to relax, focus on the moments and take them all in.
Maria: Don’t stress the little things, be realistic and expect bumps in the road. If something is not as exactly as you expected just work with it.
10. Last, what is the most versatile tool a photographer can keep in their bag, so we can help if needed during the day?
Maureen Russell Photography: As with the other blogs this is so important to know, especially from the wedding planner, because they have SEEN IT ALL! My wedding day kit is growing here as we go through these blogs! But I love that Ashley mentions flexibility, because this really is the one thing outside of the bag that a photographer needs most. As much as we love our timelines, you have to be able to adjust and work with the planner.
Ashley: To keep in their physical bag, I guess Tylenol or Advil is always a great thing to have! But not a physical thing .. would be flexibility! We love a photographer who is flexible with their own agenda when needed and can get creative with getting the best wedding day photos!
Kelly: This is a great question! The most used tool in our bag honestly is that – our bag! Holding things for couples, bridal party members, family etc. is one of the most common requests. Phones, bags, shoes etc. Extra space or pockets is always helpful if we aren’t there to hold a phone, lipstick etc for a couple!
Maria: All types of batteries.
Thank you so much to the wedding and event planners that joined in on the conversation! These are such great tips from each of them! If you’re looking for a planner to help make sure your Big Day goes perfectly then check out these wonderful ladies; their information is below!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s series. Head back to the blog to check out some more tips and tricks for your wedding day!
Ashley- Perfectly Peters Planning
Website: www.perfectlypetersplanning.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/PerfectlyPeters/
Instagram Page: www.instagram.com/perfectlypetersplanning/
Kelly- Kelly Elizabeth Events
Website: www.kellyelizabeth.events
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/kellyelizabethevents/
Instagram Page: www.instagram.com/kellyelizabethevents/
Maria- Majestic Event Planning
Website: www.majesticeventplanningma.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/majesticeventplanning
Instagram Page: www.instagram.com/majesticeventplanning