Planner's Perspective: Full vs. Partial Service

In this episode of Beyond Vows & Veils, host Brittany delves into the vital role of wedding planners and the various levels of services they offer to couples embarking on their journey to 'I do.' Join Brittany as she uncovers why hiring a wedding planner isn't just a luxury, but a necessity for crafting your dream wedding experience.

From dissecting the nuances between complete wedding planning, partial service, and the seemingly antiquated concept of day-of coordination, Brittany reveals why the modern wedding planning landscape demands a comprehensive approach. Forget the misconception that planners merely swoop in on the big day; Brittany passionately advocates for their involvement from the first consultation to the final send-off.

Through insightful anecdotes and industry expertise, Brittany sheds light on the invaluable services complete planners provide. From meticulously managing budgets and curating the perfect vendor lineup to orchestrating seamless timelines and negotiating contracts, discover why entrusting these experts ensures a stress-free journey to the altar.

But it's not just about the logistics – Brittany underscores the significance of communication, vendor coordination, and a meticulous eye for detail in orchestrating a flawless event. Whether you're envisioning an intimate affair or a grand celebration, learn why the right wedding planner is your ultimate ally in bringing your vision to life.

Tune in to Beyond Vows & Veils for an illuminating exploration into the world of wedding planning, and unlock the secrets to a truly unforgettable wedding experience. After all, with the right planner by your side, your happily ever after begins long before you say "I do."

For more Beyond Vows & Veils or Eventrics Indian Weddings, follow along at:

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ABOUT EVENTRICS INDIAN WEDDINGS

Eventrics Indian Weddings is an award-winning team of experienced wedding planning and management experts, specializing in large-scale Indian Weddings & Fusion Weddings in Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, and destinations worldwide.

The Eventrics Indian Weddings team offers complete and partial planning services with a personal and hands-on approach. We believe each couple deserves a fully invested wedding planner to be engaged throughout the entire process to ensure no detail is missed or overlooked!

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:08 Importance of Hiring a Wedding Planner
• 9:23 Key Services Provided by Complete Service Planners
• 13:46 Contract Negotiation and Venue Curation
• 23:34 On-Site Management
• 29:10 Shot List Creation and On-Site Stationary
• 35:02 Importance of On-Site Delivery
• 36:39 Conclusion

Transcript

Brittany (00:01.166)
Hey everyone, thank you so much again for joining another episode of Beyond Vows and Veils where we are supporting you in your wedding planning journey.

Today I wanna talk about the importance of hiring a wedding planner and understanding the difference levels of services that they offer. I get this question all the time in terms of what are the different ranges of services that you offer? What are the differences between the two? So we're gonna try to high level go through what that is to best support you when you are trying to make your decision for what level of service is gonna be best for you and the family. So ultimately, there are a complete wedding planner,

or complete service, if you will. Some people refer to it as different, but usually a common terminology is complete wedding planning. The secondary level in my office is called partial. Partial service is definitely something that we'll dive into and what the differences are, but just trying to give you some terminologies. And then a lot of times the terminology of date of coordinator is thrown around.

And I don't know what it is about this particular calendar year, but I feel like I'm getting a lot of inquiries where people are like, I need a day of coordinator. Just to share in the industry, planners don't really like the terminology day of coordinator, at least I don't, simply because...

Nobody can just show up the day of your event and hope for the best that this event is gonna be flawless and be all the things that you want it to be and more. There's a lot of time and energy and preparation that goes into ensuring that this event goes off without a hitch. And ultimately any seasoned wedding professional can say that day of coordination is sort of an old outdated terminology and really should go bye if we can help it

Brittany (01:50.58)
the conversation to be, are we looking for someone that's going to be all in, and that's an active participant in all the months leading to the event date from start to finish, or are we looking for someone that's going to come in approximately halfway, maybe two-thirds of the way into your planning journey that's going to help supply all of the final vendor communications and wrap up and what have you. So to give some context, you know, some planners only offer complete level service. They actually don't edit that service just because their hands

are usually in everything anyway. So even if you already have a venue contracted, a lot of times those planners are having to review your existing contract to make sure that it's actually sound in order for us to proceed forward with other hires. So the example I give all the time is if you've signed with a venue and we have three hours of access time to set up this space and now we're looking at decorators to hire, one of the first questions that they're going to ask you is what

you a beautiful, elaborate display, but your designer is sort of pigeonholed into only having three hours of setup, that's either gonna come with a very large increased labor bill, or quite frankly, an edit to the existing design that can even be done in that period of time. So all those things are important and relative, and that's why I mentioned some planners don't do a hybrid of their services, because they're gonna have to make corrections to your contracts, even if you've signed them, to be honest,

just their wheelhouse, right? They do it every single day. They've been doing it for multiple years. And so of course they're gonna have a little bit more background and knowledge in terms of the things to take into consideration when you're booking with your venue or your vendors. So backing up a little bit, I'll kind of talk about high level and then I'll go down to the other services that are also potentially available for some professionals in the area. So a wedding planner is someone who is going to be working with you actively

alongside for all the months leading to the event date. So it's very important that your personalities resonate, that they're planning style, meaning how do they organize their files? How often are you meeting? Do they double book weekends? How many events do they take on a year? All those things should obviously be asked upfront to make sure that they're the right fit for you. You can check out some of the previous episodes that we've posted that kind of navigate through those conversations a little bit better. So today we're just gonna stay focused on that.

Brittany (04:19.96)
actual services that they offer. So a complete level service planner, in my opinion, should definitely be engaged and informed when it comes to your finances for the event. It's very difficult as a planner to plan an event with obviously not knowing anything about your budget. So some couples may come to you and say, or come to our office and say, this is the cap. This is really where I need to be price point.

wise. And then other couples really would like to see everything sort of on paper before they make that final decision. And again, in some previous podcasts, we go into specifics of budget planning and what's all involved with that. But in my opinion, usually a complete level service planner is definitely going to be involved in a financial conversation with you because they can't ultimately onboard you to even find the venue and vendors that would be an appropriate fit if they have

Brittany (05:19.76)
your wedding. So before you kind of tell me, well, Brittany, I've never planned a wedding before. I have no idea what the heck I should even be budgeting for this event. That's something that the complete level service planner should also be supporting you on is figuring that out, right? So having those conversations with you, everybody's different in how they price point, whether that be ranges or exact estimates. But for our office, we do give exact estimates or very close to in terms of almost like pre-planning your wedding financially

presenting it to you and getting your stamp of approval before we proceed forward. Because ultimately that's gonna cause a lot less strain and headache when we start that planning journey together because I'm gonna be specifically tailoring my recommendations based on obviously the other elements like date availability and guest count, but primarily obviously your budget. And I just think that that's supportive for anybody. The second layer to the budget element with a complete service planner

tracking your deposits and also alerting you when payments are due. You're hiring you know between I don't know let's just say 8 to 10 to 12 plus vendors to produce this beautiful weekend for you and so it can be a lot to manage in terms of payments and you know what deposits have been made so that's usually something a full service planner would also get involved with and support you with.

Once the budget conversations are in a good spot, traditionally that planner then will move you into whatever their platform or system is in terms of the project collaboration, right? So in all the months leading to the event date, there has to be some sort of organizational tool or, you know, system, if you will, to ensure that you're on track with your to-dos that you're assigned from

Brittany (07:16.684)
they are on, excuse me, what the planner is responsible for or what they're going to be working on in that particular month. So

Planning a wedding appropriately is like building a house. You have to have the foundation work done first properly Before you start adding in all of the details like you know The design and the photographer all of its relative and it always goes back to budget So ultimately having some sort of a system in place on "Hey budgets great now that we've greenlighted that what is the plan for all the months leading to our event date? What specifically can I expect to be doing in the months of April,

May, June, what are the things that I need to be working on?" And also communicating with your planner. If you're working with a complete service planner, quite frankly, they should be tailoring the timeframes according to also your work schedule and availability. Not every single couple or family is going to have a massive amount of time to dedicate to their planning, and that's quite frankly why they would hire a planner. So understanding the restrictions surrounding if there's certain months or certain timeframes

not going to be available pre-communicating that to your professional so that they can make sure that they're either front-ending tasks or they're doing things that they can do to best navigate how they're going to selectively get certain tasks done in certain timeframes. Okay. The third component, there's many components, so the third component I'll say from our conversation here today is timeline development. So any wedding planner knows that the timeline is a blueprint.

Brittany (08:55.104)
living breathing guide, right? Because when you're on site for the event, things happen, but ultimately it's always something you can refer back to make sure that you're on track, we're on target with timeframes, everything's sort of been checked off and delivered. So your wedding planner should absolutely be supporting you with a tailored timeline that is specific to your event, obviously, and also goes into all the details pertaining to communicating with all of your vendors that you'll hire later on.

what their arrival times are, what their responsibilities are, and what have you, okay? Just to share, and I'm gonna try to toggle in between, a partial planner or a lesser service offering, timeline should always be included, right? You cannot host an event without having a timeline. So it's very important. And I think it's also important that your planner curate that timeline so that you're not essentially

page packet on the day of the event because that's not supportive for anybody quite frankly. So timeline development is very, very important. Outside of that, you know, you've now talked about budget, you've kind of talked about, okay, what are the goals or milestones leading to the event date itself? And then you have a good reference point of timeline. Your event, your planner can now go into what we call...

venue curation, right? So they can start to do some comprehensive venue research based on the parameters that you've already shared or whether that be budget, timeline, guest count, all of those things. So really a full service planner is gonna be hitting the ground running in the targeted areas that you're interested in and finding the actual venues that fit the bill and meet the criteria, obviously have dates available. So they're doing all that legwork for you. And then they're sharing that information with you.

usually doing follow-up conversations to chat through like process of elimination, what are we resonating with, what are we not liking, and ultimately that's going to really support our couples when it comes to making the best and informed decisions when it comes to their venue. A partial or lesser service planner is not involved in this step traditionally at all. Usually you would already have your venue contracted or selected and that professional really is just coming in to potentially just review the agreement that you've already positioned or put in place.

Brittany (11:17.105)
Okay, once the venue is

narrowed down or selected. You know which property you're ready to move forward with. A complete service planner is gonna be someone who helps you to negotiate that contract. And when I say negotiate, I don't necessarily mean it's gonna come in and be like, I need 20% off all this pricing because that's not really the world of weddings anymore. And quite frankly, in peak season in certain states, it's gonna be a really hard ass because you're competing against corporate business and other social events. So to be honest, usually the contract negotiations are just-

making sure that the contract is sound back to that setup time, catering access for your or kitchen access, excuse me, for your caterer, like different nuances that we need to make sure are taken care of so they're not a headache for the families later on. That's really what that is. It's just a contract review to make sure that it's in alignment with what your requirements are for your wedding weekend. Again, partial planner is not going to get into that. That's something that you would be doing on your own essentially if you're not hiring someone for complete.

second layer to your venue is going to be your room blocks. So if you're hosting an event with obviously any larger guest count, let's just say a hundred plus, you're gonna probably need some rooms for these attendees. So with that being said, the Complete Service Planner is gonna help you to negotiate whatever that rate is for the room block and support you with obviously securing a discounted room block link that you can later put on your wedding website or what have you to make sure your guests obtain.

They're usually also going to be involved, by the way, backing up before you decide on your venue, crafting some site visits. So dependent upon obviously your availability and their availability, they should be putting some site visit agendas together for you. So if you've narrowed it down to like your top four or five, they should be putting together site visits for you to meet with those venue coordinators to ensure that it's a good fit for you and the family. Sometimes those complete service planners will also join you on those site visits.

Brittany (13:20.768)
other planners will say, listen, you narrow it down. And then once we kind of know who you're going to proceed forward with, then I'll attend that site visit later on. So it's completely dependent upon, you know, the type of event you're hosting, where you're hosting that event and what have you. Okay. The other item pertaining to venue, which is kind of further in the process is, a couple of weeks prior to your wedding, you're going to receive what's called a banquet event order.

Okay. Or a BEO. This is something that essentially is the venue's version of a timeline, but it also is basically the final invoice or financial outline of all of your events. Given that the venue is gonna be probably one of your highest ticket items in your budget, it's very important that you have a professional review this thoroughly to ensure that the invoices, the setup times, everything is in alignment with that original timeline that you put together

you know, surprises and things like that nobody wants obviously on the weekend of. In my opinion or at least in my office, if you're a complete or partial client, we review BEO. It's in everybody's benefit that paperwork match up. We don't want vendors showing up and oh the tables not dropped the way that we need or the dance floor hasn't been placed down. That just causes a nightmare for everybody. So quite frankly, if you're hiring anybody to support you

those documents for you. Okay. Contract review by the way if you are

again, already hiring a venue and then you're booking a planner after the fact, that planner should absolutely be asking you for that venue contract. If they're not asking you for that contract to review right away so they know what they're getting into, that's kind of a red flag in my opinion because ultimately they have to know the logistics of what they're going into before they can commit to supporting. Of course, the only caveat there would be if they've worked at that establishment before and have a good rapport, then that might be the difference. Okay.

Brittany (15:23.804)
After your venue is secured and your date is secured and you can breathe a little bit because you're not having the pressures of trying to figure that out anymore, the next step that a complete service planner will support you with is the vendor selection guidance. So essentially this is a really critical step, right? You want to make sure that you're hiring the best team and the best professionals to create this incredible experience that you're looking to do for your wedding weekend.

Brittany (15:53.464)
to your budget, reference back to your expectations when it comes to the type of experience you're looking to host and is going to be able to make expert guided selections for you that are going to be in your best interest. Ultimately, I feel in my opinion and this might like ruffle feathers maybe for other professionals, but I have a preferred vendor list obviously that we work with. Okay.

of the clients that I work with and I'll tell anybody this, you are not obligated to work with anyone from that list. Okay? I feel, and maybe 10 years from now, I'll feel differently, but I feel that couples should have the option to pick whoever they want to support with their celebration. Now, I say whoever they want with a little bit of disclaimers. Okay? If they're not a licensed

we shouldn't have them at your wedding weekend, right? We don't want any trial events going on here. I also say that with, you know, especially with catering, if it's somebody who's kind of new in the market, are we really wanting to be the trial run for that wedding? Or would it be better supported to work with someone who's a little bit more seasoned because

food and correct service is just one of those things that if you don't get it right, there's really no going back and getting it right. So you got one shot to get it right. So really holding true to the professionals is super important. So again, preferred vendor lists from your complete service planners is probably going to come your way. They're going to make their recommendations, but if they're not resonating with you, if they're not in alignment with what you're really looking for, then express that to them. And hopefully most complete

some additional options or at least be, you know, keen on having conversations with other professionals that you're interested in having. Again, I say that with the disclaimers that we're all here as planners in the best interest of you. So ultimately their recommendations do go a long way. They can stand behind the quality of the work that they present. And so going with someone who's maybe, you know, new to the game or that they haven't had a report that venue before could certainly, you know,

Brittany (18:15.988)
cost you, right? And so the planner just wants to make sure that it's a good fit. A partial planner is not going usually to make recommendations with vendors. They may as a courtesy send you their list, but they're not going to actually reach out to these vendors, which is the next step, which is like contracting, vendor communications, consultations, all of that should be something that the complete service planner is involved with. Whereas the partial service planner is more

and sending them contracts. So just to be super clear, after you have narrowed down the vendors that you're interested in working with, a complete service planner should have either your lead coordinator or someone from their office on these consultations with you via Zoom. Okay.

I, throughout my planning journey, used to feel like, you know, there's certain calls that really, I don't need to be on. That vendor can lead that call, or, you know, I just didn't feel that it was always necessary. But, you know, since kind of living and growing, I feel like a lot of couples have no clue what questions to ask vendors when they get on a consultation with them, right? They have no idea what to ask of their photographer or videographer or DJ. And so it kind of just becomes, at that point, like a hangout meet and greet, and I don't know how productive that is.

is. So having a planner, especially if you're working with someone for a complete, they should be on those consultations with you to help navigate the conversation a little bit so that you can really get the most fruitful conversation from that meeting and that's going to help you to best make the most informed decision for you. A partial service planner is definitely not going to be usually on those consultations at all. The second component of that from a complete service standpoint is after you've had those

going to proceed forward with, they should be involved in the contracting process, right? Reading all the fine print, making sure that your photographer has enough hours on there, making sure that the design is in alignment with what you've discussed, being really clear if there's additional rentals that we need to be subcontracting for. But that's going to be a complete service planner. It's going to be hands-on when it comes to selecting your vendors and also contract with those vendors to make sure there's no loopholes or gaps or other things that need to be pre-discussed. Okay?

Brittany (20:31.882)
The final stage with vendors, I know there's a lot here, is the planner should definitely be involved with vendor communication. So just because you've hired someone doesn't mean they sit to the side and then you let it go and you never speak again. Obviously they are a pivotal point in creating a effective timeline. So for me, I always like to cue in photographers because ultimately I'm putting a timeline together, but I'm not the one taking photo video that day. And I love when photographers give feedback

on sunset or sunrise or how the lighting needs to be or how much time they need for bridal portraits, to be very clear, your planner should not be dictating your schedule, okay? So they're creating a map or a support or a guide, but they shouldn't be essentially dictating your schedule, okay? So your professionals that are coming in to actually perform that day need to have some insight on the schedule. So it's a team effort.

right? And ultimately, I hate when some photographers or, you know, vendors come in and they'll go, it's gonna take five minutes, gonna take 10 minutes. We as planners always give a little bit of cushion, right? That's where that balance comes in. You want to have someone again, in your best interest, developing a timeline that's not only effective, but realistic for everybody. Okay. Moving on, after you've hired all of your vendor professionals, we always say the real work can now begin, right? So...

There is not a huge cost difference in my office between our complete service offering and our partial service offering and we only really offer partial during our off season. I don't tend to get into that during our peak season times here in Florida. Some planners again don't offer it at all and some do offer it year round so it just depends on that company but I feel in my heart that

anybody who is involved, whether it be complete or rather it be partial or rather it be whatever terminology they're using, if they're going to show up on site for your event, these are the items that they should be involved with.

Brittany (22:41.054)
Load in load out schedules for your vendors. Communicating with your hired professionals. What time are you arriving? I need you set by this time. So what time does that mean you need to be arriving by? Communicating with your venue to make sure that they're clear about those vendors' load in requirements. Rigging plans. If you're suspending anything from the ceiling and you're going really crazy with your decor.

they should be involved in those communications and those conversations, right? Ultimately, it's very important that partial plan or complete plan or doesn't matter, whatever planner, if they're on site for your event, they have to be cued into the production of your event. Otherwise, in my opinion, it's kind of a wasted investment. Okay, because if they're not involved with rigging plans, load and load out schedules, power mapping, permitting support, contingency planning, vendor insurance, collections,

of those items, it's gonna come up on the day of the event. It's just going to come up. And if you have not thought, oh, I have a Hindu wedding and it's now gonna be inside. So I have the fire, the Havan Khud inside. Well, the venue is gonna tell you that it requires permitting and fire marshal. And that day of coordinators says, oh, well I just, you know, I'm showing up like.

Again, not of support to you. So I feel in my opinion for any of the couples listening today, if you're torn between the two and you're really looking to save cost essentially when it comes to a planner and you really just want to hire them for...

halfway through, let's call it partial, whatever, it's still very important that they're involved in this step, which is why in my office, there's not a huge cost difference between the two, because I'm going to be involved. I'm never going to show up to an event and not have asked these questions or be prepared, because again, I don't want to be sitting there with my hands in the air like, oh, I didn't know. Like that's not an acceptable answer. It's just not. And it's very important that you bring your best when you show up to anybody's wedding celebration to be a

Brittany (24:47.396)
benefit to them. Otherwise, quite frankly, maybe reconsider like what your expectations are for a planner because coming in and lining everybody up and queuing the music and hoping for the best is just not reality. And so there's a lot more time energy effort that goes into creating a successful occasion. Okay. A couple other things that a complete service planner does in the final stages leading to your event date that, you know, may toggle between what's

Room block check-ins. So originally when you hired that venue and you set up a room block a complete service planner is going to be getting a final printout of your room blocks to ensure that all of the You know rooms that essentially the family wants to pay for are marked any vendor rooms that they're responsible for are marked Anyone that is obviously paying on their own is Categorized that correct way anyone that's receiving a welcome bag is marked the correct way and then you know If there's certain request on like the bridal access to her

suite or extensions on those dates or you know mom needs to be on the same floor as bride. Those are all things that your complete service planner should be communicating with you about or at least prompting you to have a meeting with your rooming coordinator at that property about. Partial planning is not going to get into those details. That's something that the family would then be on their own for. Okay.

purchased inventory support. So couple comes in and they've purchased ceremony programs and guest favors and all sorts of like personalized details. I feel in my heart a complete service and partial should be involved in what are the purchased items and helping you to set that up on the day of the event. And then recollecting if that's necessary to ensure that you get those items back. Okay, so that should be something that they are involved with.

hair and makeup schedules, again, that goes back to vendor communication, should be complete or partial. If your partial service isn't involved with creating a hair and makeup schedule, especially for immediate family involved with photos in the morning, it's a miss. It's a miss. If you start the wedding planning journey the day of, and everyone's behind on hair and makeup because the partial planner was like, oh, I'm not involved with that part. It's not supportive to

Brittany (27:07.84)
late because we didn't create an effective schedule to start. Hair and makeup schedules I swear they can make or break your occasion. So very important that whoever you hire is involved with those conversations. I'm not talking about like the 30 aunties that are getting services that morning that aren't involved maybe with some of the photos. I'm talking more about moms, sisters, you know bridesmaids, what have you. Those are the individuals that really need to make sure that they're queued in because they're most likely

to be involved with photos before the ceremony starts or play a pivotal role that day. Okay, a couple other things to mention is final wrap up items, seating chart support.

Obviously as a planner, nobody's going to know which person you want seated by who, but they should be offering you a template with a layout that's very specific on the expectation of how you should be organizing your seating chart. In my opinion, again, partial planning should be involved in this because it's an element to the day of the event that requires it to be successful. So if I'm your onsite coordinator, but I wasn't involved with your venue contracting, and then I just show up and I'm like, I'm the partial planner.

or actually have no idea where everybody's seated. Again, not a support to you. You have to make sure that they are involved with your seating chart. They're not gonna put it together for you, but they can at least provide the template and guidance that is needed in order for the venue and the caterer and everybody else to be successful in terms of that outline. Okay. Final couple items here, and then we'll get to on-site management. I know this is all like a longer episode, but shot list creation. Okay. So,

During your wedding weekend, you're going to have some group photos with family that you're going to expect to be accomplished prior to the actual event taking place. So whether that be in the morning before the ceremony takes place or even after the ceremony, you have some group family photos. You have to have a list because if you don't have a list, it's sort of just

Brittany (29:10.55)
Caution to the wind and who knows how long you're going to be standing there or you know What what a shame if you have everyone travel in and you didn't get the pictures that you really wanted So ensuring that coordinator is has that list So again partial planning is probably just going to request that list from you Complete service is probably going to be a little bit more involved to make sure that list Is in alignment with how it needs to be successful for the day of the event

On-site stationary, so not talking about save the dates or invitations. This is seating charts, reserve signs, signature drink signs, you know, specialized, customized thank you cards to all of your guests, all that really fun stationary on the day of the event. Partial planning is not going to be involved with. That is going to be your complete service planner is completely involved in those elements to support you and making sure that it feels customized to you. It's a good flow

isn't going to be involved in those conversations because again, you're in charge of all of your vendor hires. They may make some suggestions or recommendations and they definitely are going to need some sort of organization on how you're seating your guests, but that's going to be something that you will be on your own for traditionally. Okay. In addition to that, touching base with your guests throughout the months leading to the event date or on site.

Complete service planner is usually going to send e-blast announcements out to your guests. Friendly reminders to book their rooms. Hey, it's going to rain tomorrow. Here's something to take into consideration.

Partial planning doesn't really get involved with wedding guest touch points in my opinion Because they're usually not involved with tracking RSVP setting up your wedding website all that good stuff But they definitely I feel should have some method rather that be through your existing wedding website to plug in With your guest in case of you know contingency plans You know going through or shuttle schedules shuttle schedules is a big one You need to make sure that they have access or ability to communicate with your guests on

Brittany (31:11.076)
site. Okay. So recapping before we talk about on-site management, you have basically budget analysis and outlining and management. That's not something a partial planner is going to do. That's complete service. Supporting you with finding and contracting a venue, complete service. Partial is not involved with that or day of coordinator, whatever we're calling it right now.

Vendor curation, meaning finding the vendors, contracting the vendors, having consultations with them, all that good stuff's complete service. Partial's not involved with that. You're responsible for hiring your own team. And outside of that, all the nitty gritty little details we just talked about, like load-in schedules and room block check-ins, that's obviously going to vary from company to company. But ultimately, in my opinion, if you're going to show up to somebody's wedding, your partial planner

or whatever they're going to refer to themselves as, if they're selling that as a service, they have to make sure that they show up prepared because otherwise it's a disservice to them and it's a disservice to you. So if you're considering between complete and partial, ask those questions, be really clear about what they can expect in terms of timeline development, vendor communications, how far out are they be getting those communications.

Maybe I'll think back on this later and say oh, I'm giving too much but in my opinion

I don't ever tell a couple like, hey, talk to me three months before your event and then we'll put together the timeline. I just think that's kind of a nightmare waiting to happen. If I've agreed to support you in the summer month with your wedding and it's more of like a partial level of service, we still need to be touching base on a monthly basis to make sure that things are on track. The last thing any of us want is we're three months out from the wedding and now we've just started planning together and it's like, oh, by the way, we haven't completed steps,

Brittany (33:08.212)
one through 20, and now you've got to hustle and get those done in the next 30 days. I don't think that's supportive for anybody. So making sure that a partial planner is still giving you some structure and expectations on the tasks that need to be completed in the months leading to the event date. Again, you're sort of kind of driving that shift and they're sort of monitoring, if that makes sense. And then at some point, of course, they will take over most of the vendor communications and then provide the onsite management.

Okay for on-site management, um, i'm going to high level this because again in previous episodes We kind of go into that more specifically, um, which you can definitely check out some of our previous episodes But in my opinion on-site management should be categorized I think it's very important that you talk to your complete service planner or partial service planner to ask How many team members are going to be there and what are their roles? bride side groom side Production guest management all of that plays a

role and so figuring out how they're gonna divvy up their team I think is really important so ultimately you want to make sure that you're asking them those questions so in my opinion whether you're complete partial or dare I use the word day of coordinator your on-site delivery is the same on-site delivery is the same you cannot show up to the event and use the excuse of oh well I wasn't involved with that

sure, maybe you weren't involved with the contracting, but you did get access to the contract, you reviewed the agreement, and you had an opportunity to give insight and support on the adjustments that needed to be made in order for the event to be successful. Now, as a planner, I can't control if you take my advice or you make those edits, but I can at the very least try to prevent the fire from happening by having the conversation in the months leading to the actual event date.

sample if I'm a partial planner and I get access to your photographer contract and we're working on your timeline and I see that we're short by five hours on the wedding day for coverage, I'm going to flag that and I'm going to bring that up. Hey, do we want to go ahead and add coverage? Are we removing certain areas that we don't want them to capture? Because the last thing any of us want us doing is asking you to pull out your checkbook on the day of the event because we're over those

Brittany (35:32.56)
plugged in and engaged to make sure that they're prepared to show up to the best of their abilities on site for your event.

I hope that this episode has been supportive for you. Again, there's so much that wedding planners do and sitting in my position as someone who does this on a regular basis, it's really difficult to articulate everything that a wedding planner offers. But it's a lot of work, y'all. It's a lot of work and it's a labor of love. Anybody in the hospitality industry, especially those who specialize in wedding planning, you really have to love what you do because it is a lot of time and energy

and effort and it has to be done right. You get one shot to get it right and so not dogging on anybody who you know maybe for financial reasons or one way or another wants to go with a different level of service outside of complete that's totally fine but just know that there is no such thing as a day of coordinator. Nobody is going to show up on the day of your event and it be successful. They have to make sure that they're plugging in to all the right things to make sure that they're prepared to show up for your event day. So

has been supportive for you. As always, tune back in for more insight and inspiration on how to make informed decisions for your wedding planning experience. Thank you.