What Does a “Full-Service” Wedding Planner Do?
Picture this (or maybe you don’t even have to!) You just got engaged. You’re excited and ready to start planning! You’ve already decided that you need a planner’s help and expertise. A quick Google search results in a bunch of buzz-words that you’ve never heard, let alone considered: “Day-Of Coordination”, “Month-Of Coordination”, “Full-Service Planning”, “Full-Service Planning, Design and Production”. What does all this mean and what exactly does it mean for your wedding planning process?
Event Management (often referred to as Day-Of or Month-Of Coordination)
Though you see these two terms everywhere, we are true believers that there is really no such thing as day-of coordination. Very few, if any coordinators, simply pick up the logistics on the actual day of the wedding and go from there. There likely is at least one meeting prior to the event and a decent amount of communication. And beyond that, they’re not really coordinating or planning the details at all. In this type of service, you as the couple getting married, have already coordinated the details and you’re handing them over to a third-party to oversee and execute.
Event managers are solely in charge of handling all the logistics on your wedding day or weekend. Other than that, you are leading the way in the planning process. You create your own budget, research, select, and hire your own vendors, create your wedding design, create your timeline, etc. and pass your hard work off to your event manager to put into action the day-of.
Want to learn more about our take on “Day-Of Coordination”? Is it enough for you? Check out this previous post.
Full-Service Planning
If you’ve decided that you want help throughout the entire planning process from engagement to wedding day, then hiring a full-service planner is likely a good place for you to start! A full-service planner will spearhead research and guide you in the vendor selection process, draw upon their industry expertise to make recommendations with regard to etiquette, timeline development, guest communication, etc., develop a comprehensive budget and and timeline for you, as well as many other logistical steps in the wedding planning process from beginning to end.
They will also handle all the day-of execution including, but certainly not limited to, communicating with vendors, setting tables, ensuring everything is running on-time and that all the plans you’ve made with them over the last months are executed.
Full-Service Planning, Design and Production
If your two primary goals in the wedding planning process are 1.) to be as relaxed as possible and enjoy the process and 2.) to create a truly cohesive wedding weekend experience that wows guests from beginning to end, then a full-service planning, design and production firm, such as our own, could be the most ideal fit for you.
The chief different between our approach and that of most full-service planners, is that we devote equal time, attention, and expertise to aesthetics as we do to the logistics surrounding your wedding. We handle all planning logistics just as any full-service planner should (custom budget development/stewardship, venue/vendor research and selection guidance, timeline development, contract review, thorough vendor communication on your behalf, and much more), and onsite event management. But our expertise and our contributions don’t stop there. Our team also creates a comprehensive design plan and then executes that plan with our in-house design capabilities which enable us to produce custom stationery, invitations, gifting and a full-suite of paper elements for each client, as well as fresh, original floral design. Above and beyond a planning services that integrates event design, our team will actually produce and install design elements that are integral to the overall event.
This unique approach ensures that the way your guests experience your wedding celebration is highly personal, entirely original, and fully cohesive from their very first impression, to their last. From the welcome gift they receive when they check-in to their room to the thank you note they receive in the mail from you a month or two later, and all of the many touch-points they experience while in your presence at your wedding.
What about Partial Planning?
Yes, it’s a service many planners offer. We don’t. And here’s why: to be able to serve our clients at the level we’re known for, and the level they expect, we need to be fully involved in the project from the ground up. It’s incredibly difficult to inherit a partially planned event, or sit on the sidelines hoping decisions are made correctly and plans are advancing correctly, knowing that we’ll still bear the responsibility for bringing it all to beautiful and seamless fruition.
Photography by Heather Beerman
Whether you’re considering Rebecca Rose Events for your wedding or any other firm, be sure to give careful consideration to the level of support you really need, how high your expectations will be, and whether or not you’re willing to task yourself with the bulk of the work for something so incredibly important… or be willing to trust seasoned professionals to deliver an experience you can really treasure. Expertise and experience are invaluable in this context.
