A Wedding Without a Planner
This past weekend a friend of mine and I attended a wedding. I was eager to attend, maybe get some ideas and finally just be a guest at a wedding, which I haven’t been in forever.
After waiting more than 10 minutes for the wedding to begin, it took everything I had not to get up and see what was going on and get everyone lined up. As I sat there having to fight back the urge, my friend was praying that I didn’t get up. I am a very impatient person, I hate to wait and I think it is very rude to make people wait. Finally at 3:35pm, thirty minutes after the wedding was to begin, it finally began. As the wedding party walked down the aisle, I found myself saying, “Smile!” , “Drop your flowers.”, “Walk together…”, Why is the ring bearer coming down now!”, and much more.
My friend that is unmarried could not understand all the things that were going wrong and making me crazy! The bride also had no idea that the majority of her guests left after waiting over 30 minutes in a crowded lobby, with no food or drink, as the ceremony area was being flipped. Finally at 5:10pm, someone announced we could move into the cocktail area. “What?! You mean that we are not going into the reception? Why weren’t we in the cocktail hour this whole time?!” So after we waited in line for hor’d ouves for another 20 minutes, while I think, “Why isn’t this a double sided buffet?”. Mind you, there are about 200 guest in attendance. We finally get food, then at 6:00pm they open the doors to the reception, where there is another buffet line that has formed…also not doubled-sided. After eating our hor’d ouves, we left, my friend and I could not take it any longer. As we walked to our car, the bridal party was still outside taking pictures.
After leaving I thought that it could have ran so much more smoothly if the bride had hired a professional planner and not tried to have friends and family handle things. They know nothing about the proper etiquette or how to coordinate a wedding. I know this sounds a little harsh, but brides, this is your ONE special wedding day, and it should be perfect. Having a professional planner that knows what they are doing will cut down on lots of problems that may occur. A planner knows the ins and outs of planning a wedding. I would have never allowed the venue to not have a double-sided buffet. This helps the guests get through the line more quickly, and I have even asked my assistants to step in and help guests move through the line.
Having a professional planner there will ensure that you have someone there taking care of you, your guests, and your vendors. Brides: Find a planner that you can connect with and trust to help you with your special day. I promise you will not regret it!
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There have been times when I've been tempted to write a post on our blog after working a wedding where there was no planner — simply to point out what a difference having a planner would've made (as advice to other brides not to make the same mistake). But fear of one of our clients recognizing themselves has always won out over my desire to make the post.
The stories I could tell you! :)
A planner not only makes the bride's life easier – it also makes our job easier!e
Such a great blog post!! I have also been in similar situations attending weddings of friends who don't hire planners and they are disasters! Thanks for writing this!