What Does a Wedding Planner Actually Do?
Wedding planning is often misunderstood as simply organising the logistics of the day, but the truth is, it’s much more layered than that. A successful wedding requires a team effort that includes planners, stylists, and coordinators. Understanding these distinct roles is key to ensuring a stress-free and smooth wedding day. So, what does a wedding planner do? There are many different roles that a wedding planner can take on. Some planners offer only one service, while others have a multifaceted approach to how they work.
In our latest blog post, your OHD girls break down the different services that wedding planners can offer and explain why here at Oh Happy Day, we deliver a fully inclusive solution that encompasses all of these roles. So, make a cup of tea, make yourselves comfy, and let’s get going!
1. The Planner
The first role most people think of when they hear “wedding planner” is just that—a planner. This includes creating timelines, handling vendor contracts, and managing budgets.
Think of a wedding planner as like a project manager for your big day. We oversee everything behind the scenes—sourcing and booking your venue, caterer, entertainment, photography, make up artist (among others), and managing your wedding budget. The goal here is to ensure that everything runs smoothly from the day you book your venue to the day you say, “I do.”
The OHD difference:
We don’t just plan your wedding—we meticulously research and map out every detail, providing expert advice on all aspects, from selecting the perfect date to organising your cake tasting. We also always offer our clients more than one quote per vendor, and we match our clients’ visions and budgets to the vendors that we source from. We do this because we feel that as our clients, you should also get a say in the final decisions of who to book (it’s your day, after all).
But there’s also a personal side to this role, which we love. As destination wedding planners, we work closely with our couples, guiding them through one of the most exciting moments of their lives, offering support, inspiration, and sometimes simply being a listening ear when things get overwhelming.
2.The Designer
Creating a cohesive look for your wedding requires an eye for design. A good wedding designer needs to use their visual attention to detail, their creative eye and their talent for event design to create the look and feel you’re after.
The OHD difference:
We listen to your vision, and care about what truly makes you happy in order to design a day that fully encapsulates everything you love. This includes having a few design chats about your pinterest board and your must-haves before designing your mood board. We love taking the time to establish your full styling blueprint, as well as sourcing all the visual elements needed to create your dream day. Once we’ve designed your mood board and you’ve chosen a florist, we take the time to book a tablescape viewing before your wedding day, to make sure that you love your look.
We then take your mood board and wedding design and use it as the cornerstone when it comes to styling your wedding on the day.
3.The Stylist
Wedding stylists focus on the visual aspect of the day, carrying through your chosen looks via the décor choices and floral arrangements, as well as your lighting and table layouts.
The OHD difference:
Oh Happy Day prides itself on our fine-art approach to wedding styling. We believe that your wedding should tell a story from start to finish, and that every detail is captured by your story tellers (ie: photographer). We ensure that your chosen wedding design is carried through in the production and execution of your florals and tablescape designs.
We make sure your ceremony and reception set ups are perfect before the guests arrive, making sure the place settings are correct, cutlery is facing the right way, name place cards are perfectly centered to the plates, etc.
Our primary goal is to ensure that your wedding looks as beautiful as you envisioned, and to make sure that everything is picture-perfect before your photographer arrives to take décor and flatlay shots.
We also manage the setup and pack-down, allowing you and your loved ones to enjoy the day without having to worry about doing this yourselves.
4.The Coordinator
On the day of the wedding, the coordinator ensures that everything goes according to plan. They are the point of contact for vendors, keep track of the timeline, and handle any unexpected issues.
The OHD difference:
We believe that behind every beautifully executed wedding is an expert coordinator! Our team works behind the scenes to manage every moving part, from florists to caterers, ensuring nothing is left to chance. We coordinate with all suppliers to ensure a flawless execution on the day of your wedding.
We oversee all of the logistics, ensuring that vendors deliver on their promises, cross checking line items invoiced against stock delivered and making sure that every piece of the puzzle comes together seamlessly.
We manage every moment of your wedding day according to our agreed upon timeline, allowing you to enjoy the experience without worrying about the details. From ensuring the bridal party arrives on time to handling any last-minute hiccups, we’re there to make sure the day flows smoothly, and that you and your partner fully enjoy your celebration.
So, why choose Oh Happy Day as your wedding planners?
While some wedding planners may offer one or two of these services, Oh Happy Day offers both bespoke design & styling and luxury wedding planning and coordination services, which are all included in your investment.
We offer one rate because our package is fully comprehensive, allowing us to combine all our specialities into one offering. We do our best work when we both design and plan your event with you, because it becomes a seamless and streamlined process that way.
And now, for a personal plug! Not only have our services allowed us the honour of winning Best Wedding Concept and the title of Best Wedding Planning company in South Africa (thank you Top Vendor Wedding Awards), we also made the Loverly List this year, placing us in the Top 35 Destination Wedding Planners in the world!
We believe that you need to trust that your wedding planner will always have your best interests at heart. By choosing Oh Happy Day as your wedding planners, you are ensuring that every aspect of your wedding journey will be followed through and that you feel supported along the way.
Due to the nature of our work, we take on a limited number of bookings for each province—if you’re looking for a Durban wedding planner, Cape Town wedding planner, or Gauteng wedding planner, contact us today to find out more about our availability.
If this post resonates with what you’re looking for from a wedding planner, then we want to meet you!
