- The wedding planner consults with the bride and groom to discuss their vision for the wedding. She lays out a time line showing the list of details that she will handle and the order in which each item needs to be fulfilled. For example, it makes sense that the reception location should be secured before the decorations are finalized. She continues to stay in contact with them throughout the entire wedding planning process, keeping them apprised of how everything is progressing according to the time line.
- Early in the wedding planning process, the bride selects two or three colors and possibly even a theme for her wedding. The wedding planner will then ensure that every detail of the wedding coordinates with those colors and the theme if one is chosen. For example, if the bride and groom are enamored with pirate movies, the wedding planner could arrange for them to be married on a ship if desired. If the happy couple are avid fans of a certain football team, then the wedding colors could be the colors of the team's uniforms. The wedding planner's job is to make sure that every detail of the wedding, from the bride's dress and the flowers all the way down to the design on the napkins, fits in with the colors and the theme that were chosen by the bride.
- A large part of the wedding planner's time is spent working with various vendors. She places orders for the cake, the flowers and the food, and she negotiates contracts with the wedding and reception venues and the band. When the big day arrives, she is very busy behind the scenes making sure that everything happens exactly on schedule and exactly as it was agreed upon. She works with the manager of the venue to make sure that the space is set up the way the bride and groom would like to see it. She meets each delivery and shows the vendors where to place the flowers, cake, food and decorations and confirms that what they are delivering is precisely what was ordered. All of the wedding planner's hard work with the vendors means that the bride and groom are free to enjoy their wedding day and that every detail happens exactly the way they envisioned.
- The wedding planner is given a budget in the beginning of the wedding planning process. As she makes decisions about the wedding, from big ticket items like the wedding venue and the caterer to smaller decisions such as invitation and napkin styles, she must always keep the budget in the back of her mind. Her goal is to create the wedding of the bride and groom's dreams, while spending less than a certain dollar amount to do it. The Wedding Report states that the average cost of a wedding in the United States in 2008 was $28,850, but a good wedding planner can produce a lovely wedding no matter what the dollar amount of the budget may be.
