Planning your wedding can be difficult and confusing. While the end result is guaranteed to be one of the most wonderful days of your life, the days leading up to it can be hectic and frustrating! If there is one specific thing that we can recommend to any couple planning their dream wedding, it is that you should NOT be afraid to ask for help. Having a second opinion on your wedding day festivities is a great way to ensure that your big day goes off without a hitch (pun intended 😉)!
To keep your wedding planning and day stress-free, we highly would advocate for hiring a wedding planner and/or coordinator. Both of these individuals have the capability of taking much of the weight of the wedding day off of your shoulders, letting you enjoy the day you say “I Do” to its fullest extent. You may ask, “what is the difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator, and which one is the best fit for me”, and lucky for you, we are here to explain!
Wedding Planner
When it comes to wedding planning, it can be difficult to keep track of everything that you may need to host your day successfully. Enter the wedding planner; a wedding vendor that manages all of the wedding day logistics. Whether it be choosing/referring a talented list of vendors, managing contracts, or even choosing the perfect decor to bring your vision of your big day to life, a wedding planner is excellent for completely taking on all stressors of your wedding!
Many wedding planners offer full-scale wedding design/styling and are more than happy to cater their services to ensure that your inspiration for your wedding day is successfully executed! When choosing your perfect wedding planner, be sure to dive into the depth of their services to ensure they are able to offer everything that you may need to make your wedding truly one-of-a-kind!
Most wedding planners offer the following services:
- Vendor Referrals
- Contract Negotiation
- Budget Management
- Event Styling/Design
- Attends Vendor/Venue Meetings
- Coordinates Timelines/Floor Plans
If you have been searching for an incredible wedding planner who is more than capable of providing dream-worthy weddings, make sure to check out Cheers MT Premier Vendor, PlumTree Events! Owner and planner, Erika Sherek, has been in the industry since 1998. She has created a reputation with her vendors and clients as being hard-working, fun, and making sure every detail is tended to. She and her staff have the goal to always make sure clients feel less stressed, organized, and secure in knowing that their event will be a huge success.
Wedding Coordinator
If you feel like you’ve got the stresses of wedding planning handled, a wedding coordinator may be the perfect option for you. While wedding coordinators are still very much logistically focused, they typically function on a much shorter timeline than a traditional wedding planner. Whether you hire a wedding coordinator or specifically a day-of coordinator, these helpful vendors are excellent for handling any last-minute necessities that may arise, alongside being the person of contact for any questions and/or concerns.
Wedding coordinators are known for confirming the validity of vendor contracts, and personally creating a day-of timeline, ensuring that your big day will run smoothly. In addition to this, coordinators are excellent for making certain that your day-of plans are in order, and that no necessary functions are being overlooked. All in all, these vendors are the perfect addition to take the weight of the wedding day off of your shoulders!
Most wedding coordinators offer the following services:
- Confirms Logistics with Vendors
- Manages the Wedding Rehearsal
- Oversees Wedding Day Functions
- Completes Final Walkthrough of Ceremony/Reception Venue
- Resolves Overlooked Details
- ** Timeline and Commitment can vary by Vendor
If you are looking for a wedding coordinator referral, we recommend Cheers MT Premier Vendor, Bitterroot & Blue! Bitterroot and Blue specialize in select wedding decor rentals, wedding day coordination and management, and intimate wedding packages. Sarah Varley, owner of this company, will meet with you prior to the actual day to gather information and details so she can be the perfect point person for you, ensuring that everything goes smoothly as well as be able to properly execute your wedding day vision. She personally works with you to gather all the information & details for your big day, confirm times with all vendors, and create a detailed timeline of your day. Sarah will help you finalize everything and ensure that your wedding day vision comes to life!
In addition to her wedding coordination, Sarah offers beautiful pop-up weddings! A Pop-Up Wedding is an all-inclusive wedding concept where the date, venue, and decor are preselected for you. The cost is kept to a minimum by sharing the date with up to four other couples. You will be able to select the time you want and then you, your fiance, and up to 25 of your closest friends and family members show up to celebrate! Each couple will have an hour and a half at the venue which includes the ceremony, mini reception, grand exit, and a 30-minute private photo session.
Should you Hire a Wedding Planner or Coordinator?
Should you hire a Wedding Planner or Coordinator? The answer to this question can vary from couple to couple. Depending on your values, wants, and needs, you may prefer either a wedding planner or wedding coordinator, or maybe you should even hire both! There is no right or wrong answer to this question because it does depend on who you are as a couple! Here’s our list of things to consider when hiring a wedding planner and/or coordinator:
What is Best for You?
To decide whether or not you should hire a wedding planner or wedding coordinator, ask yourself the following questions:
- What does my budget look like? – When it comes to choosing between a wedding planner or wedding coordinator, it is important to consider your budget. If you have room in your budget for a full-scale wedding planner, that may be a great option for you. However, if you’ve decided to dedicate more of your budget to other parts of your wedding, a wedding coordinator may be the better option!
- Would I like to be involved in the wedding planning process? – Determining your level of involvement in planning your wedding is crucial in deciding whether a wedding planner or wedding coordinator would be best for you. If you would like to be heavily involved in the planning process of your big day, a wedding coordinator is definitely the way to go. On the flip side if you are easily stressed, are feeling disorganized, and are wishing for serious help with many of the wedding planning duties, opt for a wedding planner!
- How busy is my life? – We totally understand that life is crazy, and sometimes, planning your own wedding is not sustainable. If this is the story of your life, maybe a wedding planner would be the best option for you! If you enjoy the organization process and feel comfortable with the time you have available, a wedding coordinator might just be perfect for you!
- How difficult are the details of my wedding day? – Sometimes the details of your wedding day make it exceptionally hard to plan your wedding yourself. for example, if you are planning a destination wedding/elopement, or are on a very short time frame. If the details of your day seem unmanageable without professional help, call up a wedding planner. This being said, Bitterroot & Blue, Cheers MT Premier Wedding Coordinator, offers pop-up weddings which significantly simplifies the wedding planning process!
While there is no denying that wedding planning can be a tedious process, the good news is that there are vendors that are specifically able to help you manage the weight of planning one of the most wonderful days of your life! Don’t be afraid to ask for help with your wedding planning or the day-of process. We guarantee that it will be incredibly helpful in the end!
For more recommendations for talented wedding planners located in the big sky state, click here! We are proud to represent a variety of Montana-based wedding planners and coordinators that are willing and able to help you with your big day.