April 10, 2023
Outside of hiring the right wedding videographer, one of the best things you can do to ensure you get the wedding video of your dreams is to hire an amazing wedding planner.
I’ve been lucky enough in my ten years of filming weddings in the Philadelphia area to have seen lots of different types of weddings, and there are a lot of really great ways to have a wedding. But someone to help guide you and curate the day can impact so many aspects of the day, and wedding planners without a doubt make it easier for me to create a personal, creative film for my couples. Here’s some of the ways how:
They Keep You On Time
Weddings will run behind. Sometimes, it can’t be avoided, but a good wedding planner is going to go a long way to make sure that does not happen. A planner has the experience to know how long it will take for everyone to have hair & makeup done (depending on the bridal party size), how long it will take to get from your ceremony, to a place for portraits, and to the reception. And if things do run behind, they’ll have the experience to adjust and get things back on track.
When those rushes happen, it’s typically the time we have for fun, creative shots, and more intimate moments between the couple that have to be sacrificed. A great wedding planner knows the importance of those shots and tries to preserve them.
Provide Perspective
For most couples, planning their wedding is the first and last time they’ll have to think about the logistics of planning a wedding, which can make it difficult to know what is the right decision.
A few years ago, I was working with Andi from Musa Weddings in Old City Philadelphia, and she told me the couple had been on the fence about having a tent for their open-air reception at the Powel House. But with the rain possibly in the forecast, she recommended they have a tent just in case so that their reception could go on, rain or shine.
At the beginning of the day…it looked like that might not have been necessary. As they say, it’s always sunny in Philadelphia, and that was the case during the first look and portraits. However, as we moved to the ceremony, dark clouds rolled in, and it started raining hard right as cocktail hour started. The rain only lasted maybe an hour, but all of the amazing tablescapes and décor were safe under the tent.
I mention this because there are a lot of elements to a wedding, and while you may not have experience beyond being at a friend’s wedding or helping plan a sibling’s wedding, your wedding planner will have seen almost everything!
Help with Budgeting
Kind of along with just a perspective of the event, your planner can help you get what you want with the budget you’ve set. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about how much you should spend on different elements of the wedding. I haven’t talked to any vendor who feels like some of the big sites give a good realistic budget for what they do.
But your wedding planner will work with you to know what’s important for your day, and make recommendations for the right amount for each vendor (and potentially have the hard conversation of either adjusting expectations or adding budget)
Make The Event Look Beautiful
One part of Hollywood movies people don’t always talk about is set design, but it’s hugely important in setting the scene for a film. The show “Mad Men” was often praised for how much detail they put into making every frame feel like it was authentic from the 1960s. For Philadelphia wedding planning, your wedding planner will help with the “set design” of your wedding day.
From helping you design the look of the event, to working with you to rent the right pieces, the spaces you’re in for your wedding will look amazing and the details will be incredibly personal and intimate. And in my films, I want as much of your personality to come through. While the audio we hear and the smiles on your faces are the most important thing, having those things in a place that looks amazing and reflects your personalities take it to the next level.
Help Get All Your Vendors In Sync
I pride myself on playing nice with others. Part of the responsibility of working on weddings is putting our couples first, and not allowing anything to stop us from capturing your best moments.
However, like with anything, it’s easier to do what we need to do if everyone is one the same page, and a wedding planner is absolutely going to get your entire team moving in the same direction.
Your planner likely will help curate the sea of wedding vendors you have to choose with, and will help you pick people who can achieve what you need while having the confidence that your planner has vetted them and knows who will work well together.
Even if you hire some or all of your other vendors before your wedding planner, their organization and direction will help get questions answered and keep things moving.
Allow You To Enjoy Your Day
I definitely subscribe to the theory of, if you aren’t early, you’re late, and I can take that to an extreme when it comes to getting to your wedding. So no matter when I’m scheduled to arrive, most likely I’ll be there well before then.
One moment sticks out one time I was early, and I was unloading my gear at the venue. I walked into the reception area, and there was the bride, who had been scheduled to be having her hair and makeup done, stuffing vases with flowers for the centerpieces and looking pretty miserable.
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. The expectation for people is that their wedding should be stressful, but I don’t think that should have to be the case! If you hire the right wedding planner, someone you trust…you can let go of some of those details and just be present with each other and with your friends and family. And that will exponentially improve how you enjoy the day…which will exponentially increase how much you want to watch your wedding film!
A wedding planner is such a vital part of your wedding day. I want your wedding film to be a fantastic experience for years after the wedding, and the more you can do to just enjoy your day and not be worried about the details, the more natural everything will feel.
Here are some of my favorite wedding planners – you should check them out!
