What is a "Full Service" Wedding Planner?

Double-checking what services are included will save you headaches later on…

by Frank Damgaard of Monte-Carlo Weddings

As I have said many times before, there are wedding planners… and there are wedding planners! The irony of it all is that most people assume that the planners they sign on with will take care of every single last detail of the wedding – but: you guess it – they don’t always.

What many couples do not know is that most planners do not take care of the following issues and services:

Managing your RSVP lists
Ask any bride who has organized her own wedding, and she will tell you what the biggest headache was: “the RSVPs!” Not only is this one of the most time-consuming tasks of the entire process, but it can be one of the most challenging as well, especially with big weddings.

Words of wisdom: depending on how much time there is before the wedding, you need to set and stick to various deadlines: creating the invitations (and making sure they are printed on time), sending out the save the dates announcements, sending out the invitations, setting the deadlines, sending out reminder emails and deciding on the final official numbers for the caterers, for the gifts and for general logistical purposes. The good thing with a full-service wedding planner is that they will take care of all of this for you!

Managing your guests’ hotel accommodations
Where is everyone going to stay? Even if you are not planning a destination wedding, you can always count on some of your guests needing accommodation. Full-service wedding planners will help you find the right hotels, negotiate group rates and take care of all of the individual reservations and payments. An added bonus for you is they will then know where everyone is staying, so they can organize personalized transportation services to and from the hotels, the ceremony and the reception.

Managing your guests’ questions and special requests
Couples often underestimate the number of emails (not to mention phone calls) they will receive from their guests, asking questions such as: “Can you book me a round of golf?”, “Can you find me a babysitter?”, “Can you make me a spa reservation” or “Where can I rent a wheelchair one hour before the wedding? Ensuring that all of these matters are someone else’s job will save a lot of hassle and stress.

Personalized attention to all your guests
A wedding planner who gives it their all will also help you create a personalized atmosphere for your guests. How about personalized luggage tags sent to your guests by post ahead of time, personalized welcome letters and place cards which include a little note from the bride and groom on the other side?

An excruciating level of attention to detail
Is the wedding planner able to give the caterer an up-to-date list of where guests with dietary requirements are seated during the dinner? Fool-proof organisation is the name of the game. Remember: the more organized they are, the more relaxed you will be!

They only do planning
Wedding planners who “conveniently” also are decorators or caterers are just that: decorators or caterers who conveniently hang up the “wedding planning sign” in order to get your business, as suppliers. A real planner does nothing else other than plan weddings.

Those little extras
Need someone to go wedding dress shopping with you? Maybe you need someone to help you sort out all of the official papers. A full-service wedding planner won’t bat an eye at even the craziest request: it’s all in a day’s work.

The big clincher: Communication!
A full-service wedding planner is there for you, period. Setting limits as to when they can be called, how often you can be contacted, who can contact them, what matters they are willing to deal with, is not what its all about. They should be there to hear you out, to fix your problems, assuage your concerns and help you throughout the entire process, from the very beginning. The quality of the communication you enjoy with your wedding planner will be a measure of the success of your wedding. In other words: a full-service wedding planner will not only do everything you ask them to do, but will go above and beyond the call of duty to exceed your expectations as well as your guests.’ After all, it’s your Wedding!