What does a wedding planner do? If you've ever been involved with planning a wedding, you know that the answer to that question is, "a lot."

There are many misconceptions about wedding planners and the role they play in bringing your big day to life. The skill and experience a great wedding planner brings to the table can be invaluable, but it's important to fully understand what is -- and is not -- included within their services. 

At the end of the day, a wedding planner's duties will differ for each client. Here's what you need to know about wedding planners and what you can expect when you hire one.

Major Responsibilities of a Wedding Planner

The responsibilities of a wedding planner are diverse and wide-ranging. Most wedding planners offer two levels of service: day-of coordination, and full-service planning. The choice is yours depending on your needs, wedding budget, and how much planning you want to take on yourself. 

Day-of Coordination

When you hire a wedding planner for day-of coordination, their responsibilities don't really begin until the morning of your wedding. As a day-of coordinator, it's essentially your wedding planner's job to make sure everything runs smoothly on your wedding day. That includes:

• Getting to the venue early to oversee vendor setup
• Acting as a liaison between vendors and the bride and groom
• Ensuring that everyone is where they need to be according to the wedding day timeline
• Making sure members of the wedding party are fulfilling their duties
• Making sure guests are comfortable and well-treated
• Helping to usher guests from the wedding venue to the reception 

Full-Service Planning

Full-service wedding planning is more involved. It includes everything that comes with day-of coordination, along with months of preparation and planning beforehand. It requires wedding planners to work with the bride and groom every step of the way to develop their vision for the wedding and help make it a reality. This includes: 

• Working to establish a wedding budget and sticking with it
• Helping brides and grooms find and secure a wedding venue
• Choosing vendors with the bride and groom, including photographers, caterers, florists, entertainment, etc.
• Turning all of the above into a concrete reality that reflects your vision.

Common Misconceptions About Wedding Planners

From the cost of a wedding planner to the services they do (and don't) offer, these are some of the most common myths and misconceptions about wedding planners: 

Wedding Planners Are Only for Big Weddings

A wedding planner can help with weddings of all sizes and work within almost any budget. Planning a small wedding, or even a micro-wedding, can still be an immense amount of work and most wedding planners actually work on small weddings far more often than large weddings (especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic).

A Wedding Planner Is the Same as a Venue Coordinator

Some couples may think that the coordinator who works for their wedding venue is the same as a wedding planner. This is not always the case. While their roles overlap in many ways—and there are certainly some talented venue coordinators out there—venue coordinators only oversee the part of your wedding that takes place at the venue. Wedding planners, on the other hand, will work with you to plan and oversee the entire day, start to finish. 

Your Wedding Planner Is Available 24/7

Wedding planners are human beings and everybody needs boundaries. While a good wedding planner will make every effort to be just a phone call away whenever you need them, it's important to remember that they have their own lives and families. So, if you have a wedding-related panic moment in the middle of the night, it's best to wait until morning to call your wedding planner. 

Your Wedding Planner Will Take Over Your Wedding

Many couples worry that a wedding planner will force their own vision onto their wedding. But a good wedding planner should never steamroll your ideas. Any wedding planner worth their salt will make it their number one goal to help you realize your dream wedding day. 

You Should Be Your Own Wedding Planner

This might be true for a select group of people but, the truth is, even wedding planners usually hire other wedding planners when it's their turn to get married. Of course, some couples like the idea of a DIY wedding, or simply may not be able to afford a full-service planner, but hiring a wedding planner can be a great option if you think you might become overwhelmed during the planning process.

One thing you probably don't want to leave up to your wedding planner is picking out your wedding rings! Take our ring style quiz and reach out to our live chat team about how to design your own one-of-a-kind custom wedding rings.