A wedding planner offers a wide range of wedding planner services to help you create the wedding you’ve envisioned. From recommending trusted vendors and managing timelines to keeping everything organized, a planner can take much of the stress out of the planning process.
While wedding planner services cover many aspects of planning your celebration, there are still some responsibilities that fall outside a wedding planner’s job. Understanding these wedding planner duties (and their limits) helps set realistic expectations for everyone involved.
- A wedding planner can help you screen and hire local vendors that are the right fit for you and your wedding style.
- Your wedding planner can help you locate and source accessories and decorative items to express that style.
- A wedding planner can see that everything goes as planned, from your walk down the aisle to your big getaway at the end of your reception so you can relax and enjoy your wedding day.
- Your wedding planner can help you save money and stretch your wedding budget. (Who wouldn’t like that?)
Even with all of those services, there are some decisions only the two of you can make. A wedding planner can guide you, offer advice, and help you weigh your options, but these important choices are ultimately yours.
Here are 6 areas that your wedding planner cannot do for you which really should be taken care of by you and your partner:
6 Wedding Planner Services You Shouldn’t Expect
1. Create Your Seating Chart
We can’t determine who sits where. We can suggest and assist with your seating chart, but only you know the complex family relationships and arrangements that govern who sits where and why. She can offer ideas, facilitate compromises, but in the end it is your decision.
2. Set Your Budget
We can’t create or change your budget. Only you know your personal financial situation and how much you want to and can afford to spend on your wedding. Be honest with your planner and let him/her help you have the fabulous wedding within those budget guidelines.
3. Choose Your Wedding Party
We can’t select the members of your wedding party. Only you know who matters enough in your life to be selected to be a member of your wedding party. No one else can make that decision for you. We can offer opinions, but in the end it’s your call.
4. Pick Your Ceremony & Reception Music
We can’t select your ceremony or reception music. Only you and your groom can make the final call. We can offer a wide variety of options that fit within your wedding vision, and can suggest DJs, bands, string quartets, and vocalists that will fit your budget. However, the final choice is yours.
5. Write Your Vows
We can’t write your wedding vows. Yes, we can offer suggestions, help you think through options, and suggest resources, but your wedding vows are a highly personal statement of your and your partner’s feelings, and what you mean to each other.
and
6. Write Your Thank You Notes
YOU MUST WRITE YOUR OWN THANK YOU NOTES! This task belongs to you and your new husband/wife, no one else. No exceptions!
A wedding planner’s job is to guide you, solve problems, and keep your plans on track—not make your personal decisions for you.
The best wedding planner services combine expert advice with your vision. When you make the decisions that only you can make, your planner can handle the logistics and help bring those decisions to life, allowing you to enjoy the planning process and your wedding day with far less stress.
Do you need some help with your wedding plans? Let me know. You can leave a comment below, or contact me by phone/text at 937-581-3647 or email me at [email protected].
Photo Credit: Ioulia Bolchakova / 123RF
Hearts, Joy, Love!
Jean
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6 Things Your Wedding Planner Cannot Do For You”