Invisible Things I Do

There is a lot of misconception in the world about what wedding planners and coordinators do.  I think part of the reason people just don’t know what I do is that I try very hard to stay under the radar.  If I can solve a problem without anyone knowing about it, I am thrilled.  And sometimes I can make things just a little bit better, so I do that invisibly, too.  But that means that few people understand the value of hiring me.  So, in the interests of tooting my own horn for a few minutes, here are a few things I have done (invisibly, of course!) at weddings just this year so far.

I located a lighter to be used in the wedding ceremony when the couple had not arranged for one.

I worked with the musician on how the music would work for the wedding processional, since the couple had not communicated their wishes to either of us.

After the caterers had set up the reception hall, I counted all the place settings and found the table with an error–and got it fixed before guests had to discover it.

Later, I got a place setting added to a table for an unexpected guest.  I even made it happen before the guests arrived at their tables.

Those two things were possible because I had spent a good bit of time before the wedding re-ordering the table lists so that they would be useful for those purposes.

I located the photographers before toasts started, as they thought they had time to take a break right then.

I asked the caterer to reduce the noise they were making during the very quiet song for the couple’s first dance.

At the end of the night, I went around and took down all the directional signs that had been put up for the arriving guests.

I alerted the bus and limo companies to the presence of a street fair near the ceremony venue and gave them directions on where they could wait for their passengers.

I got the temperature of the reception room adjusted when it became clear that the guests were very uncomfortable.

I gave a DJ all of the information he needed about the reception that somehow had not filtered to him from the company hired by the couple.

I packed up desserts for the bride and groom at the end of the reception and gave them to the maid of honor to be taken with them when they left.  It was clear to me that they had not had a chance to eat dessert, and they had been excited about it.

I found the correct table for guests when we discovered that the seating chart had an error.

For a reception in a tent in a park, I managed to get the generator started (after 3 or 4 calls to the rental company).

I also arranged for another delivery of ice when the bartenders let me know that we had nearly run out halfway through cocktail hour.

I coached a talented but very green DJ in the art of making wedding reception announcements.

The short version is this:  I made sure that all elements were in place for the ceremony; did everything necessary to ensure that the guests were happy; and did what was needed to make sure the couple was happy, as well.  And sometimes I wonder why I never sit down when I’m working at a wedding!