Here is your planner/coordinator team at work. Don’t be fooled: Sometimes we’re working hardest when we are standing still! Photo courtesy of Godzroqk Designs.
So, you are getting married, and you’ve never done this before. You don’t know: Who is in charge of running things on the day of your wedding? Is it the venue manager? The caterer? Your planner or coordinator?
The answer is: Yes!
Now, I’m not going to promise that my experience will predict what every other wedding team will do; different people work different ways. But here is how I see it:
The venue manager is there to protect the interests of the location. Whether it’s a historic mansion or a downtown loft, they want to have someone there to make sure the physical location (and its reputation!) remain intact. They are also invaluable as a source of information on how the space works best–and where to find things. They are your first Very Important Team Member (VITM).
The caterer is not just in charge of food. The caterer is also in charge of the staff that makes 90% of your event happen. They set up chairs for the ceremony (unless the venue does that), take them down, move them to the reception location, set up and set the tables, set up and stock the bar, serve, tend bar, and clean up at the end of the night. So, if something needs to happen in any of these areas, your caterer is in the picture. Your Caterer is #2 on the list of VITMs.
Finally, you have your planner or coordinator. They work exclusively for you, representing your interests, in so far as you have communicated them to her. Ideally, your planner, caterer, and venue manager all work together as a team.
The one person who should have the most information, though, is your planner–who also has the scoop on your florist, DJ, officiant, photographer, bus company, hair and make-up people, and all the other professionals you have hired.
The way I like to work is to gather all the information possible from all of your vendors, and then share it with each of them. That helps to keep everyone on the same page. It means I can answer questions from each vendor about what all the other vendors are doing, and I can coordinate among them for maximum efficiency.
If the bus is running late getting the guests to the ceremony, I can alert the caterer that we are running behind. When the videographer needs to get a sound feed from the DJ, I make sure they are working together. And a thousand other little things that make the day flow.
What this means for you when you are planning your wedding is that you should always keep your planner or coordinator in the loop. You will probably never see 90% of the work I do for your wedding because it mainly takes place under the radar. But the more you tell me about what you want and what you have planned, the better I can make it all happen.
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