What does a wedding planner actually do? Part 5

Help create the running order of the day...


Lavender champagne from Martha Stewart Weddings

A key part of a successful and enjoyable wedding is the atmosphere. Which mainly boils down to how the guests and bride & groom obviously, are feeling. Atmsophere is made up of sights, smells, sounds and and it's peoples' interpretations of these, that collectively creates the atmosphere.

So it stands to reason a good way to keep the atmosphere good at your wedding, is to keep the guests happy.

And a good way to keep guests happy is to think about timings. This seems to be one of the areas a lot of couples worry about, if my couples are anything to go by.

From how long the ceremony should last to what time to serve the wedding breakfast, the wedding day running order makes a big difference to the overall feel of the day. We've all been to weddings where you're hanging around after the ceremony whilst the bride and groom have their photos taken. You've got a glass of champagne but you haven't eaten for hours and it's nearly 3.30pm and there's no sign that you'll be fed anytime soon.

These kind of moments aren't great for guests and are definitely something you want to try to avoid. You want charmed, relaxed, happy and satiated guests and the best way to guarantee this is to get the running order right.

Every wedding is different and what's right for one couple and one wedding doesn't necessarily apply to another. But there are some general good rules/guides to follow and understanding timings is one of the main skills of being a wedding planner. We know roughly how long things take, and when you're most likely going to want to move things along. This comes partly from experience, but it's also a skill that every good wedding planner should have.