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Exactly what does a Wedding Consultant do?
by Lori Patterson - A Memorable Affair, Event Coordination
Look in the phone book under "Wedding Consultants & Planning" and you will find everything from cruise lines to florists to bridal salons and even photographers.
Call any vendor in the wedding industry and each one will tell you they have a bridal consultant on staff.
What they don't tell you is that their "bridal consultant" is just that, "their" bridal consultant, for their specific company, not someone to assist the bride with her entire wedding, but rather to assist the bride with selecting her flowers, her dress or her photography package, which ever industry professional you happen to be speaking with. Oh, they will refer the bride to other vendors, even give them a list to call. But that is pretty much the extent of the "consulting" they do.
There doesn't seem to be a clear definition of what a wedding consultant/planner really does. What the job really consists of. So, I got together with a few of my associate professional wedding consultants and we came up with a "job description" to clarify what it is that we actually do for the engaged couples and their families.
Our first duty/responsibility is to the bride and groom. The services and benefits we offer them are:
- Determine and maintain the parameters of your overall wedding budget
- Setting and attending appointments with your potential vendors, such as:
a) Ceremony and Reception Sites
b) Caterer (If necessary)
c) Bridal Salon for dress selections
d) Florist, Decor or Production Company
e) Entertainment (Band or DJ) for your reception
f) Musicians for your Ceremony
g) Photographer
h) Videographer
i) Baker
j) Officiant
k) Calligrapher
l) Transportation
- Provide professional advice and experience throughout your wedding planning process
- Review all of your vendor contracts for completeness or omissions
- Provide constant communication with you and all of your selected vendors (be your liaison)
- Assist you with your selection of Invitations, Favors and Accessories
- Assist you with your Save the Date cards/letters
- Assist you with organizing your rehearsal dinner
- Assist you with you and your guests Accommodations
- Assist you with your Seating Arrangements, Floor Plan, and Place Cards
- Handle your shipping and receiving when you need to send items for the wedding
- Create a detailed timeline of your wedding day so that all parties know what and when things are going to take place
- Orchestrate and direct your rehearsal
- Be on hand to orchestrate and direct the entire day of your wedding - from before the guests arrive to after they leave
a) arranging your place cards and favors
b) working side by side with the officiant, the caterer and other vendors
c) overseeing that everything you have envisioned is taking place, without burdening your family and friends
- Creating a contingency plan in case of rain (Very important in South Florida)
We are also there to:
- be an efficiency expert and organizer, advising what to do when your plans seem overwhelming
- help you understand costs and services and professional lingo
- work side by side with the other vendors to ensure the day flows smoothly
- be an advocate who works on your behalf to get you the best services, quality, and prices
- oversee all the work done by all the vendors you hire, whether my recommendation or not
- anticipate problems before they arise and solve them, most times without the bride and groom even knowing about them
- handle last minute details or errands that need to be taken care of
- prepare schedules and itineraries for the vendors
- be an extra set of hands that can handle all the details for you
- be a mediator to run interference with vendors and family members
- diplomatically explain to a difficult relative or guest why toddlers have not been invited
- be an independent third party who is a detached problem solver and not embroiled in family situations or emotional decisions
Though this list is, in no way, completely inclusive, it does give a very good description of the tasks we take care of as professional wedding consultants when hired by the bride, groom and/or their family.
This is the most important day of your life. Don't risk it to chance. Let a professional help you with all or part of your day.
Professional wedding consultants are here to help relieve the stress, anxiety and confusion that wedding planning creates for you.
Lori Patterson - A Memorable Affair, Event Coordination |
