What Does A Wedding Planner do?

The Initial Meet Up

This is when the Planner and the Client have a chat for the first time and determine the " Five Ws plus How" of an event:

• When - is the event
• What - kind of event is it
• Where - will it be held
• Who - will be attending
• Why - is it taking place
• How - much is the budget 

From these questions, the Planner will then get a rough idea and picture of how the Client would like the event/ wedding to be. What decor goes with the theme, how to secure a venue that can accomodate the number of guests and so on.

A scene from "Father of the Bride" 

And then...

She or He will proceed to source and secure the vendors or service providers such as event decorator/florist, photographer, sound & lighting, entertainment and the list goes on; all the time ensuring that the wedding budget is maintained. Budget is almost a god in a wedding/event planner's life. 

Scribbles during meeting to understand clients visions which then transformed into illustration and then transformed into reality by the decorator

With a pool of reliable service providers, quotations will be submitted to the client who will make the final decision on which vendor suits their budget and requirements. Once the client has selected the vendors, the Planner proceeds to keep track of all details and payments made by the client to the vendors. Special requests made by clients must be relayed to vendor asap and constantly updating the client & vendors alike to ensure everyone is on the same page...so to speak.

The list of things to do for a planner does not stop here... it is endless. Advice on design of the wedding invitation, choices of flowers to suit the style of the theme and what flowers are the bride's favourite or don't like, colours of linen available at the venue. There are times when we draw up a rough scale of the venue so that the client and family are able to understand the layout and how to ensure the guests will be seated comfortably. On the day of event, minor changes to the decor will definitely happen. This is because on paper and actual deliverables of the day are two different things. Insufficient plug-points for lighting, colour of flowers differs from what was ordered to name a few. 

To advise client where and what goes where for seating 

Top left photo by PDP, top Right and bottom photos by Shutterspeak

The biggest problem is the guest list... if the client would like to have assigned seats there will definitely be changes upon changes until the very last day before the event. Infact, this Planner has not once in her eight years of being a wedding planner, had a guest list that was completed and firm before the day of event. Even on the event day, there will be changes and the Planner needs to notify the registration ushers and maybe even the banquet team if the changes involves special dietary needs. 

So in PDP's service package, our wedding planning package comes with wedding day coordination which then leaves the client and family free to enjoy the celebration and be with their friends. Program will be created to suit the wedding entertainment, speeches, videos and sometimes organise a game or two for the guests.

In short, we are the middleperson between the bride and the vendors, ensuring their wedding day is hassle & stress-free, on-the-spot problem-solver, arbitrator (sometimes...) and ultimately making sure that it is one of the happiest day for the bride & groom ... and family too!

Where to start in planning your wedding

 Photo from Wedding Song Music

Where do we start after he proposed to you and you have told your family the good news?

Well, the DATE would be a good to start you off with. In Malaysia, there season of getting married is usually around the school holidays which is in March (1 week), May-June (2 weeks) and November-December (5-6 weeks). There are also the long festivities break such as the Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidil Fitri which you can set your wedding date around those too.

However, the down-side is that for CNY break usually coincides with Valetine's Day and to those who do not know this, the cost of flowers will go up to 100-300% from the normal price. The high cost will take effect ONE week prior and ONE after Valentine's Day. If you decide to do it during the school break and if your guestlist is more than 350 pax and if you are staying in the Klang Valley/Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya, you are advised to search and book your venue 6 months to a year PRIOR to your event date! There is a shortage of venues around the Klang Valley and those impromptu wedding planning will cause you further headaches.

After the date, the next important thing is your guest list. This will give you a rough idea on the estimated budget for your wedding as the banquet or catering will cost about 60-70% of your total expenses. This can also aid you in selecting your venue or to have it in the comfort of your own home.

Stay tune for the next topic!

Bridesmaids - Made To Order?

This is an FAQ - should my bridesmaid wear the same outfit style and colour or one or the other.

It's a personal taste really but I do feel that in order to make your bridal party happy, why not the same colour but with different styling. Let's face it, not everyone is made out of the same mold and most of us ladies are quite particular whether the dress will make them look big, wide or both (heaven forbid)!

Photo from Bridesmaid Trade

However, it does look nice when everyone is dressed in the same outfit but the main thing is to choose the style wisely. One dress might look good on the tall and statuesque bridesmaid but may look dowdy and frumpy on a shorter person. 

The Pittsburgh Wedding

Here in Malaysia, the bridesmaids job is to carry the trays of gifts during the Solemnization Ceremony. The number of maids could start from 5-9, depending on how many trays of gift you'd be giving to your groom.

Last two photos are from Perfect Day Planner's events.

How to deal with wedding planning stress

My client (she's the Mother of the Bride) told me this afternoon that she feels that her stress level is slowly rising as the wedding date is approaching rapidly (we have 1 month and 17 days left to go to Event Date). I ask her how come as it is not the first wedding in the family albeit it's her eldest daughter that's getting hitched. She was worried about our meeting with the venue representative as he was taking over the sales executive that we have been dealing with who has resigned from the resort last month, worried about what can go wrong during the wedding and so forth. The meeting today was for us to touch base with this new guy, who Thank God, is the Sr Sales Manager and is very genial and friendly with us, not to mention knowing his stuff. The worry was wiped away instantly from my client and the three of us got on like a house on fire.

Basically, at some point some brides (I find that grooms are more laidback and just want to get married!) gets disheartened about the whole planning the wedding and going through all the minute details as well as absorbing it, trying to remember every single conversation. To handle stress easily, try to:-

1. Allocate certain hours of the day for your planning i.e. from 5-7pm that is when you make calls to vendors, update the details in your log book or answer emails pertaining to the wedding. If you do it during your lunch break, you might just not have enough time to eat. Now that is where it gets serious as your weight will be affected as well as your bridal outfit.
2. Back up all details and have everything in writing from the vendors. Send an email after a meeting with them to recap what has been discussed about to ensure that there are no miscommunication during the discussion. I usually have my jottings in a book (as well as sketches) on the computer.
3. Once you have decided on a theme or the style - stop reading bridal magazines. It will only confuse you about your prior decisions or selection.
4. If it all looks dreary or just too over-whelming, take a break from it. Rest your mind over the weekend and don't discuss the wedding with your fiance or friends. Just tell them that you are having a little break from the planning, not the wedding. Having a break from the planning will eventually remind you why you are getting married to the man you love.
5. If you still feel that you can't handle it anymore, share the task with your fiance or  delegate some duties to your bridesmaids. They are more than willing to help, just set a dateline on the task which at the end of the day can ease your stress and still get results!

Photo from Bella Baxter Events

But if you think that it is just too overwhelming for you to handle the planning and work commitment is just unbearable, give us a call and we can take away the stress from you!