Wedding day management is often the first service offered by wedding planners when they are just starting out. It’s a great way to get to know vendors, learn how different venues work, and get experience before offering full-service planning.

This is the second part of our series offering successful tips for wedding day management services. You can find part one here: Before the Wedding Day and part two here: General Tips and Advice.

How to manage a wedding day as a planner

It’s super helpful to have a wedding day checklist to make sure you have everything with you.  Here are some of the major items to include on your checklist

• Complete ceremony timeline, reception timeline, vendor list, setup details or notes, and room diagrams with extra copies for your assistant(s) and vendors. If you are a newer planner and don’t have these, learn more about the Wedding Planner’s Toolbox which has timeline templates, consultation forms, planning checklists, and more.

• Your wedding day emergency kit

• Cell phone

• Water and snacks for yourself along with anything else you need to take care of yourself

• Any wedding items that the client has already given you (place cards, guest book, favors, etc)

• Your client binder or folder with copies of all vendor contracts

On the wedding day, keep calm and relaxed. The last thing you want clients or guests to see is a stressed out wedding planner. Stay focused on making your clients happy and making sure your team of vendors have everything they need for success.

Along with your skills and organization, your vendors are the key to an incredible event. Treat them exceptionally well, make sure they get fed, and let them know if the schedule is running ahead or behind. After the event, send a note or email acknowledging their hard work and thanking them for doing a great job (as long as they actually did a great job!).

If you need guidance on your wedding planning packages and pricing, learn more about our professional guide: Pricing With Confidence: Secrets to Profitable Pricing & Services for Professional Wedding Planners. This product includes an 80+ page comprehensive guide to pricing and services, ready-to-use planning package templates, example website wording for your services page, a detailed spreadsheet to calculate your pricing, and much more!

Learn More and Get Instant Access!