A Week In The Life Of A Wedding Planner
Tea time!
Monday:
On Sunday, I was hired for a baby shower that’s happening in a couple of weeks. Style: Tea Party. Guests: 35. What did they have so far? The Grandma-to-be’s house to host it in, and RSVPs. That’s it. First things first, write the checklist: Catering, flowers, rentals. When you don’t have a lot of time to plan, a big worry is vendor availability. So, instead of trying to find an event caterer in June, I focused on local restaurants and gourmet grocery stores that I knew delivered. Called a couple of places, and chose Bristol Farms. Scones, sandwiches, fruit and cheese platters, plus displays, plates and utensils came to $400. Which in Wedding World for 100 guests would be about $1200. Not bad. I already had an appointment with a florist on Thursday with one of my brides, so I called to piggyback a consult for this gig on top of that. Then I made an appointment with a rental company for Friday. More on both of those later.
Tuesday:
In the meantime, I’m planning a bridal shower and a bachelorette party for another bride. That’s next weekend, and we’re in the final stage, tracking down all the people who haven’t bothered to RSVP yet! Important, since the bridesmaids are splitting the costs. I sent out e-vites (piing this time) a few weeks ago, and on Tuesday, I emailed the non-responders a reminder. Wish me luck! This was an unusual situation – the bridal shower and bachelorette had to be on the same day. That’s a long day. What it also means is that all guests were invited to both, but some will only be able to make it to one or another. Bride and Bridesmaid expectations have been managed accordingly. Manage yours, too.
Another bride needs to do a walk-through of her venue. I emailed and called the venue manager to try set something up. I will have to email and call again before I reach him. Rinse, repeat. Everyone’s busy, and I usually give it until the third non-response before I get worried/annoyed.
Wednesday:
When your venue is a private home, bringing everything in includes staff. People to serve, to clean up, to make the drinks, and in this case, park the cars. Grand-mommy hosts parties regularly, and gave me the name of the staffing agency she likes. And the name of the mobile ice cream sundae outfit she loves. Ice cream sundaes! I call and book both of them. I scheduled them to arrive an hour before the shower starts, based on how long set-up is going to take. Make sure you ask your vendors about that, too. Don’t try and guess how long it’s going to take. Ask.
I dropped into Starbucks for a break and a chai latte. Directly in front of me, a woman says the word “wedding” to her friend and gets my undivided attention. She’s getting married in a restaurant and isn’t having a DJ or a planner. Who’s going to get all the guests from the cocktail hour to the reception? When is she going to be able to greet everyone? When should she have her first dance and play the video they put together. I break a solid Starbucks rule and interrupt her conversation. I know. I told her ask the restaurant manager if he or his staff can guide guests to their seats. And, maybe combine the first dance and the video, and do both before dinner is served? And, finally, ask the manager if she and her fiance can have their meals waiting for them when they sit down. Once they’re finished, they can go and greet their guests. But eat first. You know how I roll.
Thursday:
But, what does it REALLY look like?
Flowers. One of the reasons I picked this florist is that she owns a flower shop. As in, people walk in from the street and buy arrangements from her. So, she always has a big supply of flowers and vases on hand, and she’s pretty flexible as far as pricing. Good for the baby shower, because even though I want to go simple, I also waned to see what’s possible in the “simple” category. Good for my bride, because she could see the stuff she’d found on the internet, live. Manzanita branches with orchids hanging from them? Check. Small wood boxes filled with pink roses? Check. If you’re looking for quick, simple, or specific, try a flower shop.
Friday:
Rentals today. Get recommendations from your venue manager or one of your other vendors if you’re not sure where to go. This rental company is closest to the house and to me - it’s really important to get a look at everything you’re renting! For instance, the bridal shower needs pink table linens, but they can’t be faded, or the wrong shade of pink! There are different table choices, different bar choices, different chair choices. Oh, and delivery! Sometimes it’s cheaper if they can drop off the day before or pick up the next day, rather than doing that all on the same day. Think about it, if that’s an option.
So, are any of you dealing with these choices, or trying to figure out how to find and book other vendors? Any questions about what I’ve got going on this week? Let me me know in the comments!
See you at the end of the aisle,
