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What does a Pittsburgh Wedding Planner and Wedding Coordinator do and should I even consider hiring one for my Wedding?

Find out all you need to know before you make that decision + Five Tips with Leading Pittsburgh Wedding Planner & Coordinator: Wynn Events

The time is HERE. You are getting married. Let me say it again, YOU ARE Getting Freaking Married!! YESSS – That’s honestly one of the most exciting times of your life. As a wedding photographer in pittsburgh I live through my couple’s excitement.

From the minute they get engaged—if we’re lucky to meet before the proposal, I’m literally right there when it happens—capturing the moment they say yes to marriage!

So what happens after your babe proposes to you?! The fun part of planning your wedding day begins. You’re probably in the beginning stages, and you have NO idea what to do and where to start. 

“Should I hire a wedding planner?” Is probably one of the questions in your mind. No worries, I’ll be giving you all the information you need so you can quickly answer that question. 

I got together with one of my favorite upbeat and positive wedding planner, Rebecca, owner of Wynn Events to find out exclusive information about the wedding planning world. We caught up over coffee at Carnegie Coffee Company and she shared with me great tips for any couple who is starting the process of planning their wedding. Rebecca’s energy is awesome, and that’s probably why I gravitate so much towards her, but the most important thing about Wynn Events is that their priority is the couple—everything else is secondary, which as many of you know is my philosophy. 

I want to clarify the interchangeable terminology we use to refer to these professionals, from wedding planner to wedding coordinator. The main difference between the two is that a wedding planner is usually the person or team who will be helping you plan your entire wedding day from the get-go, and a wedding coordinator is usually the team who will run the logistics of your wedding day and is on site on your wedding day. There are many different packages professionals have, which vary from these two main services. 

This is probably the first time you’re getting married, and you might be asking yourself what is the need to having a wedding planner? It might sound like something you can save money on to invest it somewhere else, because after all, how hard can it be to plan a wedding, right? That’s why I think finding out the information you need is the best way to make up your mind. 

First, let me explain in general what a wedding planner and or wedding coordinator does and what exactly does it even mean to hire one for your wedding, so you can figure out if hiring one is something you should even consider. 

A wedding planner is basically a professional who will take the responsibility off your place. It can be hard to try to do-it all! And honestly, is not realistic for your mental health, because with everything you have going on with your social life and your full-time job, thinking of adding one more thing to your list can make your head spin. That’s why hiring a wedding planner allows you to hand off those more time-consuming responsibilities to a professional. 

Time + Money

Your wedding planner will help you stay within budget and get the most for your money, and they’ll guide you on how to spend it best to make sure you have everything you want! A wedding planner will also ensure you cross your to-do list off. They will schedule appointments with wedding vendors, go with you to see wedding venues that align with what you like, be the official person to communicate with everything related to your wedding, so all other vendors and work through the nitty-gritty preparation tasks of your big day! You only must review, approve and they’ll keep you in the loop about everything while you continue to live your best life and enjoy this time as a fiancé! 

Dream + Reality

Once you find the right planner for you, they will help you make the wedding of your dreams a reality—but only if you pick the right one. When you’re looking for that special person who will be with you during the entire process, think of it as looking for that person you “click with” right off the bat. Your initial meeting with a wedding planner is like a first date—you want to make sure you’re vibing with them, and you not only get along with them, but also have the same vision. Remember you’ll be spending a lot of time together over the next year or so.

Connections + Creativity

A wedding planner has lots of connections because that’s their job, to be all over and work with different wedding vendors throughout the years. When you show them a photo or explain to them how you envision your floral arrangement or the music you want to have during the reception, it’s very easy for them to come back to you with a vetted list of wedding professionals who still have availability on your wedding date that can fit perfectly with your vision and work with your budget. From photographers, florists, caterers, DJs, stationery designers, hair stylists, and make-up artists. Now you don’t need to spend hours sifting through Google search results. Win-win, right?!

When you start to think about your wedding day, it’s easy to scroll through Pinterest and flip through bridal magazines in search of fresh inspiration. But a planner will have countless, unique, and brilliant ideas for your ceremony and reception, many of which can’t be found online. Whether you want a unique location for your wedding or memorable dessert spread, they’ll brainstorm something that will blow you away!

Personal Assistant + Therapist

Sometimes it might feel like your wedding has become about everybody else. What venue your parents prefer, what your bridesmaids should pay for their dress, and what your mother-in-law opinion is on the caterer you like. This is when everything starts to become stressful and quite frankly, annoying. 

Let’s keep it real, yes, this is a celebration with the people you love the most, and you want to be accommodating to them, BUT this is YOUR wedding, let me say it again; It’s YOUR wedding. Ultimately, you gotta make the best decision that resonates with your fiancé and you, even if your parents are chipping in and helping pay part of your wedding.

How can you handle all this pressure? Your wedding planner will take care of it for you. It’s part of their every-day and they’ve seen it all and will be able to guide you through any tricky situations that arise during big-day preparations. 

A BFF to assist you on your big-day

When your wedding day finally comes around, you’ll feel great knowing that your planner has your back and is taking command of the venue and vendors, coordinating logistics, and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. If any issues arise during the ceremony or reception, they’ll be the first one on the scene-and you won’t need to worry about anything except enjoying your special day with loved ones.

Remember, on your wedding day, your only order of business is to soak up every second and be present. Not worrying about the cake not showing up or a missing flower arrangement.

So now that you know a general scope of what a wedding planner and wedding coordinator is and what they can do for you, we can explore how Wynn Events can work for you to make your wedding process easy, stress free and more enjoyable. 

Rebecca, owner, and lead wedding planner and coordinator of Wynn Event’s motto is: “We’ll turn your vision into reality” – That means anything! From planning unconventional weddings in Vegas to classic, elegant weddings in Downtown Pittsburgh. You name it, and they’ll help you make it happen in the most carefree and fun way possible, because like I already mentioned, when it comes to hiring a Pittsburgh wedding planner making sure you like them as a person, their attitude and you find their work unique and interesting is a priority.

What’s the deal with the timelines?

I’m glad you asked! I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about a wedding timeline, that’s because a wedding runs on a schedule. Each vendor has its own timeline. That’s how we make sure we can all coordinate and make everything run smoothly. 

For example, as a wedding photographer in pittsburgh, I have my own timeline which lets me know the times of the ceremony, the first dance, and the specific photos I need to get, and I coordinate all of that with my second shooter. I also explain to my couples the importance of carving out at least 30 minutes for us to get bridal portraits, just them, so they can have intimate and romantic photographs that they’ll be able to have for a lifetime to come. It’s also a time for them to decompress, chat and catch their breath.

And let me tell you what’s the best thing about all of this! all you must do is SHOW UP because Wynn Events will take care of it all. How sweet is that? 

“Think of me as your personal assistant. All the calls come to me, and not you!” Rebecca said, Wynn Events.

It’s very common for weddings in Pittsburgh to have a lot of guests flying in from all parts of the world. Organizing their stay, transportation and making sure they feel welcome is one more thing to add to your never-ending to-do list on top of everything else you already have going on. It can make you lose your mind, and that is the last thing we would want you to do. 

The cool thing is that’s another thing you can delegate to Wynn Events. From searching to the best hotels in the area or the most comfortable Airbnb’s that can accommodate your guests to making them feel welcome by having cute welcome party bags waiting for them at their hotel room, Wynn Events will take care of it all. 

Coordinating the Pittsburgh Wedding Day

I believe your wedding day should be a day for you to be present, celebrating and enjoying every second with the least number of worries. Just like anything in life, things happen—A problem will almost always arise, it’s something nobody plans for, but having someone who can take care of it if it were the case, it’s important. That’s why having someone on site who you like and trust not only coordinate your wedding but have the ability to fix and figure out what to do in the case something goes wrong is important. Just knowing you have someone there will give you a peace of mind, and free up space for you to enjoy the day.

I’ve done weddings where the bride needs to step out of the make-up chair to go check if the tables are getting ready the way she requested. Check if the flowers arrived, and if not, call the florist to see what’s the estimated arrival time because the photographer, me is waiting for her flowers to take detail photos. Unfortunately, this is part of how a bride’s wedding day can be because she must make sure everything happens as it’s supposed to and figure out what to do if not. All of this while trying to get her make-up and hair done while she enjoys the time with her girls drinking mimosas and reminiscing about that time before meeting her soon to be husband. Think about it though, if you have a wedding coordinator, you will never get pull out to figure something out, that’s why they’re there. They’ll take care of everything for you! 

Another of my favorite things about having a wedding planner is that they sometimes will take care of the setting up of your day FOR YOU. It’s a great thing to look for when planning to book a planner, so they can help you set up, that means setting up all personal items, signages, welcome signs, flowers, cookie table, cake, and checking that the vendors that are there to set up know where to go and where to put each things and having their phone on when other vendors call to ask about parking and where to go. 

But what about the end? Once the wedding is over?!

I’ve been on weddings where the bride and groom are trying to stop partying to clean up and leave everything as decent as they can by taking the trash out, packing all the alcohol that’s left and even cleaning. But imagine doing all of that with one too many drinks on you. Because you know what? You should be as tipsy as you want! It’s your wedding and you deserve to drink and party as much as you want, the problem is who will help you wrap everything up at the end?

If you have the right Pittsburgh wedding coordinator, they will be there and can take care of tearing it all down, storing all your candles, taking all your flowers, making sure the remaining alcohol is not wasted, and taking it all to whatever you tell them to. Now you can really end the night however you like: continue partying with your crew in your favorite bar or go off to your honeymoon! Whatever it is, you can get in your car with your hubby and live your happy ever after as you envisioned!

A “friendor” that’s the term Rebecca used to describe herself. A friend you pay for who is with you from the beginning until the end of your wedding. Isn’t that awesome?! If you ask me, I would love a Pittsburgh wedding planner to run my wedding, but I don’t want to influence you with my opinion. 

Top Five Tips when starting to plan your wedding from Pittsburgh Wedding Planner and wedding coordinator from Wynn Events

1. “You don’t HAVE to invite them” – That’s right! You don’t have to have people in your guest list because your parents want them there. The people you want in your wedding should be those who you’d like to celebrate your love and story with! No one else.
2. “Be DIFFERENT. Don’t do the same thing everyone else is doing.” There’s so much room for creativity and so many directions you can take when it comes to your wedding, and that is something you will be able to discuss with Rebecca. She’s the right gal who will make of your wedding a unique and beautiful event.
3. “Do whatever you want to do!” Your wedding is not determined by the traditions of the past. For example, if you don’t want to toss the bouquet, DON’T! And if you want to create a new tradition, you are welcome to do so. Nothing is off-limits!
4. “Don’t rush the wedding planning experience and enjoy every moment.”
5. “Hire a wedding planner: They’ll make your wedding day feel like a dream.”

If you’re interested in finding out more about Wynn Events Wedding Planning and Wedding coordinator services, feel free to check out their website here.

By now, you probably know that preparing your wedding day entails a lot more than you probably thought of before you started reading this blog post. It’s a huge time commitment, between booking vendors and choosing every element of the décor, you can spend hours working out the details of the ceremony, reception, and everything else while juggling the demands of your every-day life. 

The good news though is that you don’t have to take on all that responsibility alone, you can simply hire a Pittsburgh wedding planner who will be there helping you weed through the options better than you can, and making your life easier and your wedding experience a pleasant one.

Share with me your thoughts and if you have any questions feel free to send me a message, or e-mail me at: nataphotoroll@gmail.com