What Do Wedding Planners Do?
(Why Hiring A Wedding Planner Could Save On Your Budget And Stress Levels Overall)
Featuring Perfect Day Event Planning
There are so many misconceptions about wedding planners, as well as lack of knowledge in certain areas; and the longer I shoot weddings, the more I see the amazing VALUE of working with a planner (or at the very least, a coordinator) for your wedding day.
Recently, I sat down with Amy Kinsman, owner and executive planner of Perfect Day Event Planning based in Milwaukee Wisconsin, and I learned so much about the role and value of planners that I can’t wait to share with you!
*Note: I won’t be sharing everything in quotes for the purpose of shortening this blog post, but will summarize the thoughts she shared and include quotes when needed.
Tell us who you are, your role at PDEP, and share something you enjoy doing outside of work just for fun!
Amy is the owner and executive planner and she started her planning business in 2017. Since then, she’s grown to expand her team and together they offer both planning and coordinating services in the Milwaukee area.
When Amy isn’t busy working her business, she enjoys taking trips down to Gulf Shores with her husband and going out salt fishing. They recently bought a Ford Transit and converted it into a camper van as they plan to enjoy more travel in the future.
And how did you get into the business of wedding planning?
When Amy’s friend opened a wedding venue, she stepped in to help her friend with management help here-and-there. Eventually, she had a bride come along who needed day-of-coordination help. Amy, of course, couldn’t let the bride go without help so she researched a ton and leaned on her HR background and experience organizing fundraisers for her kids’ school. And you know what? She LOVED it. “It was so challenging and so fast-paced, but that’s how I like to be!” A new hobby began for Amy, and she continued coordinating until she got to the point of offering wedding planning services as well.
Okay, so let’s hear the big question: What exactly does a wedding planner do?
Amy broke this down for us so well!
So wedding planners typically offer two services: planning and coordinating. When coordinating, they will come alongside a bride who’s already planning her own wedding and learn their entire vision: decor, style, vendors, and more. This process typically starts around 30 days prior to the event. They will run the rehearsal and are present for the entire wedding day, from getting ready to clean-up at the end of the night. They truly are so much help in keeping the flow of the day and taking tasks off the plates of friends and family!
Now, a lot of my brides tell me that their venue already comes with a coordinator. Is there a difference between a venue coordinator and hiring an outside coordinator?
According to Amy, venue coordinators are very important but in order for them to do their job effectively they have to make sure the VENUE is taken care of. They handle things like: ceremony set-up, bathroom maintenance, clean up from spills, room flips, and managing their own staff. Oftentimes, they don’t put out personal items and decor, set out wedding favors, or take on tasks that don’t apply to the venue itself. A good coordinator who’s hired outside of the venue will truly make sure you’re entire day is taken care of and often will go above and beyond if something goes wrong to make sure everyone has a smooth experience!For those reasons, it is good to always ask your venue coordinator what tasks they are in charge of, in case you are hoping that they will take on more. Asking family members or the wedding party to take on those extra tasks can take away from the bonding time and memories that occur during the wedding day, and so having a coordinator who knows every little detail and is responsible for the flow of the day can make a world of difference in truly being present! (And here at KGP, we’re all about that).
Now onto the planning aspect… tell us more about what that looks like!
Amy shared that having someone plan your wedding or assist in planning your wedding is perfect for the bride who feels overwhelmed, doesn’t have the time (due to work schedules, school, etc.), or just wants to take it off of their plate. When you meet with a planner, they first are going to discuss your vision for the wedding, your specific style, how big of a wedding you want, and your budget. From there, the two big pieces you’ll start to nail down are your venue and budget.
Some people don’t even know what their budget is or what things might cost. There’s also a misconception that hiring a planner could take away too much from their budget, but in the end planners can help save a lot of money (and time especially). They really do take into consideration what your budget is and can help you to think creatively about ways to cut costs!Speaking of saving time. The average time for planning a wedding on your own is 150-200 hours. Yikes. Amy’s average is between 50-75 hours. Not only is she saving brides time in planning their wedding, but she’s taking so much work off of their plates! She helps brides to also stay focused and on track when it gets close to the end and there are lots of little details that creep up. Most of all, her aim is to be extremely efficient with time so that they can look back on their experience and say, “wow, that was the best investment I made was hiring a planner.”
In your opinion, why would someone *for sure* want to hire a planner for their wedding?
Wedding planning services are definitely a luxury item, and not everyone can make room for it in their budget. With that said, Amy doesn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to her packages, in order to meet you where you’re at. If someone wants to be more hands-on with their own wedding but just needs a little hand-holding throughout the process, they can still hire out portions of their day. Or on the flip side if they want to hand everything off in order to avoid the stress of it all, that’s always an option as well.
Tell us about a favorite wedding of yours that you were in charge of and why.
Amy shared that the most memorable wedding was also connected to a tragedy, unfortunately. The client’s step-mom hired her for the wedding, but about 2 weeks in she was in a horrific accident and passed away. It took some time, but the bride eventually decided to carry-on with wedding plans and continued with Amy’s services. This bride was also a resident in the medical field and her fiance was a fellow, so they didn’t have much time to dedicate to wedding planning.
However, when the couple walked in and saw everything taken care of, the look on the bride’s face made it seem like 100 lb. had just come off of her shoulders. The whole day was so special, as all of their family was there, some of whom hadn’t seen each other since the tragedy of her mom. Amy could see that the bride was enjoying the day with her new husband and her family and it was so beautiful.
Amy mentioned that a close second place to this wedding, however, was one that we collaborated on last year. The couple was so amazing and gracious. And in particular, the venue space was so rewarding to transform (from ski lodge to wedding glam – see a gallery from this wedding HERE!).“That’s why I like full-service planning” Amy says, because she knows all the details inside and out and if anything goes wrong it’s on her and she’s more in control of it.
What does Perfect Day bring to the table that sets you apart, in your opinion? Or what do you specialize in?
Amy has acquired an amazing group of young women to join her team. They bring so much creativity and energy. Of course, their team prides themselves on their attentiveness to detail. And most of all they want to make sure they connect with they couples on a personal level. Perfect Day strives to draw out things in their couples so that they’re able to incorporate lots of personal touches on the wedding day in order to tell the story of the couple.
For example, she recently was able to coordinate bringing in a bride’s favorite food (Fazoli’s breadsticks) as their late-night snack, even though the venue does in-house catering.
Finally, what’s one piece of advice you have for upcoming brides?
Be present on your wedding day. Let your wedding planner or coordinator take the details. Enjoy the process and your family and friends. This is the one day allll your family (hopefully) will be together in the same room to celebrate you. And chances are it might be the only time.Also! Never leave your groom unattended. (And not for the reasons you might have been told). If you divide and conquer, you won’t have the same shared memories of your wedding day. (On a personal note, your photographer will capture those moments that you miss, but to have those shared memories together is irreplaceable!)
THANK YOU, Amy, for giving us more insight into the value and role of wedding planners! Have more questions on this topic? Amy would love to connect with you! You can reach her at: amy.perfectday@gmail.com
