Here at Sash & Bow, our goal is always to educate brides on how they can plan their best day ever and make it a reality. One big question we’ve been getting lately is from couples asking us to explain the difference between florists who offer event design and full service wedding planners. Sash & Bow Master Planner Alliey explains below.
Florists are an amazing asset on the wedding day, however they do not coordinate + run the details of the day.
Sure, your florist may sound like they can make the wedding day come together beautifully with their skilled design, but here are the things they don’t do for you on the day.
– Florists are not there during the actual event to have a hand in coordinating or attending to items as the event is going on.
– Coordinate other vendors during setup. They do not coordinate the place cards – make last minute seating adjustments or make sure there are the accurate number of seats at each table per your table assignments.
– So your band needs a stage and has certain dinner requirements + power requirements. Your florist is not there to take care of a stage delivery, band arrival + power issues. All entertainment is not equal and every single detail needs to be taken care of so they can do the job they were hired for.
– Coordinate the music location, sound check or music timeline. All the DJ or band has are the items pre-coordinated through you. If your photographer sneaks you out at the end of dinner for sunset shots – who is communicating that to your MC? If dad had to use the restroom before his big dance with the bride, has someone covered by letting the band know before their announce the dance?
– Sure, a florist can rent you in linens – but what happens when you make seating changing the week of the wedding? Will you end up a linen short? You certainly will. The florist only works off the last layout + table count you give them.
– Does your florist have a large enough team to provide all the rentals + setup they are saying they can provide? What if it starts raining and items are outside? These rental items need to be moved. Rental items are the responsibility of the renter or the vendor attending to them.
– Fireworks, dessert displays, passed apps/cocktails or other custom items – you are responsible to coordinate these, not your florist or venue if they are from an outside provider.
– Shuttles, oh dear, shuttles…. Who will be the constant communicator with the driver the day of the event, from the first pickup, when the bridal party women are running late, to the last pickup of the night when 40 people are at the venue and cannot drive because they had a fantastic time consuming at the party? The florist is not there to call back the shuttle driver – Did someone get the shuttle drivers number? Newsflash – they can’t pickup the phone when they are driving. These details through the evening need to be communicated as they happening.
– Are you sharing a shuttle between the bridal party + the guests? If so… then what if the bridal party is late after taking pictures and thus the shuttle is now late for the hotel guests? Who is making that call to the hotel front desk so that your guests get the message?
There are so many small tasks that go unthought of when planning – that only a coordinator (and experienced coordinator) can foresee and handle on the day.
You get one chance to get this right – it is one day. There are no redos. Why would you want to leave this in the hands of a friend or someone inexperienced or assume your florist will make it pretty and that’s all that matters?
