Hello lovely wedded-couples-to-be!
It’s me again, Sarah with All in the Details
(www.detailsindy.com, Social Media- @detailsindy).

It’s time for another installment of planning tips!

Remember, to check out the exclusive DISCOUNT for Brittany Erwin’s followers at the end.

Missed the previous tips?

 So far we’ve included some insider tips on selecting a venue and your bridal party. You can check them out by clicking above.

Part 3: With Pinterest, family, friends and your venue, you have planning covered.….but do you really?

(There aren’t any insider tips listed below because this article is basically one big tip)

There are many decisions to make when it comes to planning your special day. You might be struggling with prioritizing whether certain features are a necessity or merely a luxury. If so, I'm guessing that one of those considerations is whether a wedding planner is truly a necessity. 

I get it. I've been a bride myself. I'll be the first to admit that I felt the same way about my own wedding. Especially being in the industry, I thought it would be only logical for me to do all of the planning and coordination. I was wrong. 

While I had every detail in order, I was missing out on quite a lot. I missed out on laughing with my bridesmaids as we assembled items because I was in too much of a hurry to get things done. Instead of having a nice conversation with my relatives on the phone about my upcoming nuptials, I was making hurried phone calls to get rsvps recorded. In order to create positive memories during this special time, I knew I needed to make a change. 

In the end, I hired a day-of coordinator and both my husband and I agree it was one of, if not the most, important investment we made for our wedding day. Entrusting someone to take care of pop-up issues, (Reference: bus driver hitting a statue), set-up and teardown, event flow, as well as vendor communication, among other things, was truly a blessing. While I was more than capable of planning my own day, making this investment granted me the opportunity to truly enjoy my wedding day with not only my new husband, but with the family and friends that had traveled far and wide to be there and celebrate with us.

This isn't about me though, this is about YOU. I want YOU to have that same relief and joy that I was able to experience. That is why I continue loving what I do and why I encourage you to utilize a planner, be it day-of or full service, for your special day.

Now, before you go ahead and think this is a self-publicity email for me, it’s not. Notice I didn’t say above that I want you to utilize All in the Details (as much as I would love that), but rather, I encourage you to use any planner. This is one of the most important days of your life and I want you to enjoy it (be that with us behind the wheel or someone else)!

Are on-site venue coordinators enough?

If your venue has an on-site coordinator, that’s wonderful! It seems you have chosen, or are thinking about, a venue that is truly client driven. Good job!

 But wait…..

I've been an on-site venue coordinator myself, so I know what this position entails. In general, their job is to make sure the venue meets the level of excellence that you were promised. Sometimes, if you do not have a wedding planner, the on-site event coordinator will also run your rehearsal and your ceremony as well as arrange the arrival and setup of your vendors.

You’re probably saying to yourself that you’re covered. Not so fast!

PLENTY of items are left to be covered. Onsite event coordinators are wonderful and I highly applaud any facility that offers this perk as well as the coordinators themselves. I do, however, have a few questions for you:

 Who will be picking up your gifts at the end of the night?

 Who will make sure that Aunt Ellen gets her nut free meal?

What if your college friend bought a plus one on their own; who alters the seat assignments and notifies the caterers?

What happens when something is going on with the venue and your onsite coordinator becomes temporarily unavailable?

Who gets all your décor to and from the venue and sets it up exactly to fit your vision?

Who creates a custom timeline not venue-centered for all vendors, as well as friends and family?

Who will stuff your invitations and keep track of your rsvps as well as hotel reservations?

Who keeps you and all vendors in sync with the timeline throughout the night?

Who will be there for you from start to finish? (Venue coordinators tend to leave mid-event and there is also a high turnover rate. Also, the person on your wedding day is often not the person you had been working with at the venue previously due to this).

Who is giving you their personal cell phone number and is there for you at all hours of the day for questions or a shoulder to cry on?

Most importantly, who has established a long professional relationship with you to know exactly how you envision your special day and will serve as your advocate to all other vendors so as to ensure that vision becomes a reality?

(That’s just the tip of the iceberg…)

Everyone should enjoy the day, including your friends and family

It’s incredibly thoughtful when a lot of friends and family will offer to assist with your wedding, but do you really want to them running around and focusing on responsibilities when they could be enjoying themselves and celebrating WITH you?

No one wants to tear down at the end of the night. I’ve seen many wonderful friends not end up completing their tasks because they are to worn out or busy celebrating and that’s not their fault. This is a celebration of your love. Let your friends and family share in the celebration, regardless of how wonderful their intentions may be.

To hire a planner or to not hire a planner, that is the question

I cannot recommend hiring someone outside of a venue to serve as your point person strongly enough. That said, it’s important to find a vendor that fits your vision and personality. I always recommend looking at the Knot to start your planner research.

A combination of a venue coordinator and a wedding planner is a winning one!

Take the weight off of you, your friends and your family and just enjoy the day knowing someone has you taken care of from start to finish and hire a planner. It’s what we, and all, planners are there for; for YOU!

Want more insider planning tips?
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All in the Details (www.detailsindy.com, Social Media- @detailsindy).

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