What the heck do you need? A planner? A coordinator, or a decorator? (click here)
Hey there. So I heard you're engaged. Or are you planning an important event? How are your plans coming along? Wait, have you even started planning? If not, we want to help you take the first steps to get started. I continue to overhear people say they need a planner when indeed they really need someone to manage their day or better yet someone to help them design and decorate their wedding or event. I know, all of the closely related event jargon can be confusing to you if you're at the beginning of your planning process. Well, in just a few minutes we're going to give you our bite sized tips to help you understand the differences. So lets get into it.
Wedding & Event Planners:
In a nutshell your planner is your right hand. They're with you from event conception to day of execution. A planner focuses on the details and logistics of your overall wedding/event and will help you make the critical decisions about your wedding/event day. Quick tip: consider securing a planner before hiring your vendors. Your planner will be able to refer you to their top vendors that they know will work best with your style, personality, budget and overall expectations.
A planner is also your vendor liaison. Your planner can help you negotiate vendor contracts and advocate for you to vendors to help you get the most for your money. On your wedding/event day your planner will oversee and manage the arrival, setup and breakdown of all contracted vendor partners. Often times, this responsibility is left to a friend or family member who may not have experience in vendor management. Talk about instant chaos.
Another role of a planner is to create and manage a robust timeline to make sure your wedding/event day runs smoothly. This might sound minor but poor time management can really make or break you and your guests experience.
Wedding & Event Coordinators:
A coordinator will typically step into their role maybe 30-45 days prior to the event day. The role of your coordinator is centered around ensuring your wedding/event day is successful.
Your event coordinator will create and manage your timeline as well as the arrival, setup and breakdown of all vendor partners involved. Once again, try not to place this task on your family and friends. This task can quickly become overwhelming to someone with little to no experience in time management. Lets try to allow our family and friends to remain guests at our events.
Ultimately your coordinator will oversee your timeline, your logistics and manage the flow of your wedding/event day. Check out our wedding coordinator services here.
Wedding & Event Decorators:
Your wedding/event decorators role is to help you to determine the aesthetic and atmosphere of your event.
Together you and the decorator will come up with a theme, and design concept.
Your decorator can render virtual mockups or story/mood boards to include photos, fabric swatches and florals options to help clients gain a clear vision of the design.
While many planners are also designers those are two very large hats to wear. It might be worthwhile to separate the two roles for your event. Let your designer focus on the event aesthetic and let your planner manage the event logistics.
Here at TWIST we're a full service team. We love all parts of a wedding/event from helping you make critical decisions, to managing the timeline on your big day, to transforming your venue into the event of your dreams. If you're hosting a wedding or event in Maryland and you think you need some help feel free to reach out to us. We would be thrilled to learn more about you, your event and hopefully offer you assistance. Connect with us here to chat about your wedding or event.
