- The job of a wedding planner/coordinator can be compared to the foreman of a new building project. It's the planner's job to sit down with the happy couple after they become engaged and (1) determine what they want the total event to look like; (2) establish a reasonable budget and a time frame for delivery of all the desired elements; (3) contact appropriate vendors, assign them duties and oversee the quality of their work; (4) run interference between squabbling vendors and members of the bridal party; (5) ensure that everyone gets paid promptly per the terms of their contracts, and (6) stand by on the day of the actual event to devise creative, last-minute solutions in case anything goes wrong (e.g., the cake falls on the floor, the limo gets lost on the way to the church or the bride throws up her dress).
- The job of the wedding photographer is to memorialize the happy day with a combination of formal pictures and candids. The proofs of the photos are then shown to the couple upon returning from their honeymoon so that they can decide which ones they'd like to order, what sizes they want and whether they'll be displayed in frames or albums. While many photographers have their own portrait studios, just as many work as freelancers and rely on favorable word of mouth publicity to attract new customers. As important an event as a wedding day is, the extra expense of hiring a professional photographer is a better choice for most brides than letting this job fall to one of their relatives, especially if the latter is an amateur who has a tendency to get drunk at festive occasions.
- Weddings are a wonderful excuse to forget about diets and indulge in yummy food. In addition to the main attraction of a tiered wedding cake, food served at a wedding can be anything from tea sandwiches and punch to a sit-down dinner. The cake will usually be the purview of a local bakery, although enterprising freelancers who only do a few weddings a year may do everything out of their own kitchens at home. Like photographers, they rely on word of mouth publicity and will generally have a sample book available or a website featuring pictures of cakes they have designed for past weddings. Although there are caterers who likewise work out of their own kitchens for small- to medium-size receptions, the majority of them own professional catering businesses and/or are associated with restaurants. In the early planning stages of the reception, the caterer will sit down with the couple, determine a budget and make recommendations on food items that will be compatible with their overall vision and ethnic preferences, and also take into consideration such issues as food allergies, vegetarianism and religious prohibitions. Unless it is already being coordinated by the wedding planner or the facility where the reception will be held, the caterer is also responsible for networking with vendors who supply dishes, glassware, utensils, napkins, tablecloths, tables, chairs, bartenders and wait staff.
- The job of the florist is to help the bride decide what kind of flower arrangements will look best with the color scheme of her wedding. Depending on the season and the region, a wedding florist can also advise if the bride's choices are available locally and, if not, how expensive it will be to have them shipped in from somewhere else. In addition to artfully assembling the bouquets for the bride and her attendants, the florist supplies boutonnieres for the men in the bridal party, corsages for both of the mothers and centerpieces for the tables at the reception. Since flowers are generally fragile, the florist needs to make sure that they are properly refrigerated to stay fresh and that they are delivered in a timely manner so that they don't wilt five minutes into the ceremony.
- The proliferation of graphic design software programs and the accessibility to vendors selling card stock with matching envelopes has made this job one of the fast growing opportunities for freelancers who want to get into the wedding business. It's attractive because it's something that can be done at home and promoted via websites on the Internet, and it doesn't require storing a lot of supplies or inventory. Even better, freelancers can set their own competitive rates, which are usually much lower than what a bride would have to pay if she went to a stationery shop and worked with its in-house designer.
- Unless you just happen to have your own limo or luxury town car, it's likely that you will subcontract with an existing limousine company. The job of limo drivers in the wedding business is to make sure that the members of the wedding party are delivered safely and on time to the church, that the new Mr. and Mrs. are delivered safely and on time to the reception and, in some cases, to ensure that they are subsequently whisked off in grand style to the hotel where they will spend their honeymoon or to the airport where they will catch a flight to someplace romantic. Limo drivers are required to dress professionally, have excellent driving records and basic knowledge of how to repair flat tires and other minor mechanical glitches, and to be pleasant and courteous.
- Although the Internet has seriously jeopardized the viability of travel agencies because of the speed and convenience of online bookings, there are still some individuals who specialize in orchestrating the details of romantic getaways for happy honeymooners. In the case of overseas nuptials, it's incumbent upon travel agents to research the rules of residency, discern whether the host country performs religious or civil ceremonies or both for foreign visitors, arranges all transportation, reserves hotel rooms and assists the couple in determining what kind of documents (besides their passports) they need to take with them. The travel agent is also vested with the responsibility of being the couple's 24/7 helpline if something unexpected should happen while they're on the trip (e.g.,, the cruise line on which they're booked for their return home files for bankruptcy and cancels all existing reservations).
