There are a million tasks that wedding planners take care of during the course of a wedding day. It’s our job to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible and that our clients are happy.

Here are ten things I do to pull off a successful event:

1) Triple Check my Wedding Day Binder

I am a paper and pen girl, so I print all the contracts, event timelines, and meeting notes and keep them in my wedding day binder. I like to have a copy of all the vendor contracts with me so I can refer back if it seems like something is not being done to the client’s expectation on the day of the event.

When signing a new client, ask for copies of all the event contracts they signed prior to hiring you. If you do not have the contracts and there are questions, you have no way to verify what was agreed to.

2) Check my Wedding Emergency Kit

I normally check and replenish my wedding day emergency kit after each wedding, but I have now started checking it one more time before I walk out the door for an event.

Often after running the wedding rehearsal, there are a few miscellaneous items I need to have on hand, so when I put those in, I double check everything.

3) Check in With the Couple and/or their Honor Attendants

Often the first items on the wedding day schedule are hair and makeup and they are likely happening somewhere other than the event venue. I make a point to check in via phone or text with the couple and/or their honor attendants to make sure the schedule is off to a timely start and that everything is going well.

4) Pack Extra Shoes and Clothes

I have found my feet feel much better at the end of the night if I change shoes a couple of times. I have set-up, event, and post-event shoes that I take to each wedding. I also take extra clothes to my events in case I get dirty or get stuck in the rain during setup.

5) Print Extra Timelines

We send out our wedding day timelines weeks before an event to all the participating vendors, but without fail, event professionals sometimes show up without them. I print extra copies to keep on hand for everyone on the wedding day.

6) Pack Drinks and Snacks

I always try to take a break and eat something around dinner, but sometimes that vendor meal just sits and I do not get to it. To keep my energy up, I pack snacks that I can quickly grab throughout the day. I also bring a huge water bottle to stay hydrated. Packing an electrolyte drink such as Gatorade is helpful as well.

7) Check Traffic

The first thing I do when I wake up the morning of a wedding is check the driving route to my event location and the traffic around town. Seattle is notorious for bad traffic and you never know when some sort of accident or construction will cause a back-up. I want to know first thing if I need to get on the road earlier than I had planned.

If there is a major traffic problem, I call or text the other event professionals so they have as much time as possible to get to the event.

8) Venue Inspection on Arrival

Upon arrival at the venue, I do a once over to make sure that nothing is broken or damaged from the wedding the night before. If there is, I point it out to the venue owner so that my clients are not blamed.

I also want to ensure that all of the services listed in the contract have been completed or are ready for the day. For example, if the venue is setting up chairs and tables I want to know that they are where they should be. It is much easier to fix things before everyone starts arriving.

9) Meet Each Vendor on Arrival

I make sure I speak to each event professional as they arrive and before they start working. I want them to know I am there to manage the wedding day and also make sure they are set with the timelines. I always ask if there is anything I can do to help them.

10) Post Event Inspection

At the end of the night, I go over the venue clean up or check out list to make sure that all tasks are complete so that the damage deposit will be returned to the client. If possible, I have the venue representative sign off that everything is in order.

This is a guest post from Amber Peterson. Amber is the owner of Cheers Wedding Planning & Design and Cheers Consulting Group in western Washington. She has a Masters Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and consults with wedding professionals about their marketing and business challenges. Amber is also the co-founder of the Skagit Wedding Society.

PIN IT!