Today I want to share 6 things that new wedding planners don’t think about when you’re a new planner. These are things that I didn’t think about in the beginning so I hope this helps you to cover your bases before your first wedding.
Things New Wedding Planners Don’t Think About Before Their First Wedding
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Who’s going to cut the wedding cake and groom’s cake?
This is something that you may never ever think about until you are at your first wedding reception and it’s time for the cake to be cut and served. Ummm…you ask the caterer if they cut the cake and they tell you they can, but a cake cutting fee had not been added to the clients contract and they would have to pay for the additional service.
So you do exactly what I did…you cut the cake yourself because you don’t want to tell the client they have to now pay $100, or whatever the cake cutting fee is, when they thought they had everything already paid for upfront. Don’t let this happen. Make sure you or your client has added the cake cutting service to their catering quote.
Yes, for the first several years I still cut wedding cakes for my clients. I felt like I should save them from having to pay a fee, but soon learned this was not beneficial. As the planner, I needed to be doing other things and standing at the cake table the entire evening was not it. You live and you learn. 🙂
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Suggesting the client provide lunch for the wedding party on the wedding day.
Again, in the beginning I did not think about what the wedding party would be eating while they were getting ready for the wedding. Most of the time the bride and bridesmaids have to start the day very early in order to get everyone’s hair and makeup done on time. You don’t want bridesmaids leaving the salon or venue to run grab lunch. Make sure the client is providing breakfast, brunch, and/or lunch, or make sure a friend or family member is providing that for everyone.
Most clients have lunch, or snacks, at least at the venue for the groom and groomsmen as well. A lot of times they don’t have to arrive until after lunch so they should have eaten by then, but it’s still a good idea to provide a sandwich tray or snacks at least for them. And something to drink. I always suggest bottled water instead of sodas since sodas can stain and we don’t need anyone walking around with a drink stain on their suit.
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Read the venue’s contract to find out what they do and don’t allow for the grand departure.
It’s up to you as the planner to read your clients contracts because more than likely they have not read them front to back. Some venues won’t allow certain things such as sparklers or confetti. You don’t want to find out on the wedding day that sparklers aren’t allowed and that’s what your client has purchased for the grand exit.
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Collecting vendor payments at rehearsal for any vendors that need to be paid on the wedding day.
Even if you’re not handling full service wedding planning for a particular client you still need to make sure they have paid all of their vendors before the wedding day and find out which vendors need to be paid on the day of. For any vendors that need to be paid on the wedding day (which is usually just the musicians and band or DJ), make sure you collect those payments from the couple at rehearsal that way you are not having to worry them about it on the wedding day.
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Vendor meals for the band
Most bands require a meal an hour before they start performing at the reception. It’s up to you as the planner to read over the bands rider to find out what all they require, including how many band and crew members need a meal, meal requirements (some require a hot meal), drink requirements, etc.
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Making sure the bride has added a bustle to her dress
Every single time I ask a bride if her dress has a bustle they look at me with a blank stare. Hey, I had no clue what a bustle was when I got married and it wasn’t until I became a planner that I even learned what a bustle was. A bustle has to be added to the dress by a seamstress and allows the train to be bustled up for the reception so it’s not dragging the ground. If a dress is not bustled the train will get stepped on all night and it’s just no fun for the bride wearing the dress. You want your couples as comfortable as possible so make sure brides have a bustle added to their dress.
Some brides think the little ribbon that’s underneath the train that attaches it to the hanger is the bustle and it’s not. I’ve seen brides put that ribbon around their wrist instead of having a bustle and it’s just not a pretty look. When they do this the black that will evidently get on the bottom of their dress shows and who wants their dress strapped to their wrist all night anyway?!
xo, Terrica
