Who Runs the Show?

Posted by David Clift | Posted in Fashion Wedding Tips | Posted on 24-07-2011

There are so many aspects of a wedding day that need to be planned, some of which brides will take on themselves. They may print their own programs, make their own favors, put together playlists for an iPod for music accompaniment. More often, to ensure each aspect is done properly and most efficiently couples will hire professionals such as florists, musicians, caterers, invitation and graphic artists, photographers, videographers, etc It is my belief that if you want something done right, you will save yourself a tremendous amount of money and headache by hiring a professional to provide the services needed on your wedding day. So lets assume that for whatever reason , you have decided to hire a professional to handle every aspect of your wedding day. So that means that on the day of your wedding, everything that happens is influenced or produced by a hired professional. How, then, do you determine who is running the show? How can you rest assured that each professional will step into their role and that all the necessary roles of the day will be filled? Who is responsible for what?

One excellent step you can take to ease your mind and ensure the day runs smoothly is to hire the boss. Just as you would hire a general contractor to build a house, you can hire a general contractor for your wedding day a wedding planner/coordinator. A good wedding coordinator can help to orchestrate the flow of your wedding day, catalyzing communication amongst your hired professionals and ensuring your vision is flawlessly executed. Not every bride chooses to retain the services of a wedding coordinator though. So in the case where a coordinator is not present, who does what?

Overly simplified roles might sound like this: A florist will decorate your day. A photographer/videographer will capture your day. A band or DJ will accompany your day. A Matre D will direct and feed your guests. Fortunately, each of these professional services have become much more than just this. For example, DJs dont simply accompany all the moments of your day they often are the ones who create moments on your day. Photographers dont always just capture the moments of the day they often are the one responsible for gathering the right people and setting up the moments to capture. Matre Ds dont just guide your guests from one room to another their roles include coordinating a large staff, guiding guests through their facility, overseeing the preparation and serving of meals, and much more. How will all of these people show up on the day of your wedding, perform all their functions without interfering with the roles of others and still collectively produce the wedding of your dreams?

The first suggestion I have is to hire reputable professionals. Do some research. Ask around about the professionals your are considering. Look online to see what kind of experiences others have had. Furthermore, look at the professionals web presence on sites like facebook or wedding wire. Good interaction with other professionals and communication with clients can say a lot about how a wedding pro interacts on the day of your wedding. Strongly consider the resources provided by the pros you have already put your faith in, such as your venue. Every wedding professional has suggestions of other services they recommend. There is a high likelihood they recommend these services because they work well together.

When you are interviewing and visiting wedding professionals, listen for things they may say that relate to their role and responsibilities. Dont be afraid to ask them questions about the topic. Ask them how they work with others and if they have any advice about hiring other professionals that they will be working closely with. For example, a photographer and videographer spend a lot of time doing similar work throughout a wedding day. Ask photographers if they have any advise about hiring a videographer. Likewise, ask videographers if they have any advise about hiring photographers or DJs.

So you have hired reputable professionals now what? Follow their lead. Ask if there is anything you should be doing to prepare for the big day. Ask what you should be thinking about and welcome their guidance. Unless you are the type who doesnt really care about details or the end result, I suggest leaning toward professionals who encourage communication and welcome planning sessions prior to the wedding day. Keep track of the things that are discussed that relate to the timing of the day and the logistics of everything. This way, if your photographer is planning to take you out for a special sunset shot, your entertainment can better plan their roles and responsibilities. My advice is that all planning sessions happen at least two months prior to the wedding day, leaving ample time to consider undecided choices and allow for any planning issues to be worked out. Meeting with your venue or your DJ the week of your wedding should be the last thing on your mind! Get things settled and decided early! The week of your wedding should be clear of decisions it should be left for interaction with friend and family, for the enjoyment of the celebration!

So the answer the question, Who Runs the Show?, is not as clear and concise as you might wish. Everyone of your hired professionals has a very important job to do, and they all need to work together to create an unforgettable wedding celebration. It is my belief that true professionals dont need to Run the Show, but they need to work in conjunction with others to ensure that you are getting exactly what you want. They need to respect the roles that each professional fulfills and the duties for which they have been hired. To ensure that you get what you want, you will need to communicate with everyone about the important aspects and goals of the day. You must take the responsibility to pass along information amongst your professionals or at least narrow the margin of error by choosing reputable professionals that work well together. As I mentioned, a good wedding/event coordinator can also be very helpful. Doing a little homework and asking a lot of questions will give you a lot of direction. Choose the right professionals and follow their lead. Advance preparation and plenty of communication will provide you and your professionals with what they need make your wedding day a success!

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