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Why Your Wedding Vendors Are Not Your Wedding Planners

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Let’s go ahead and rip the Band-Aid off:

Your vendors are not your wedding planners.

Yes, I said it. And if you’re planning a wedding, it’s something you need to hear now, not on your wedding day when everything’s running behind and your auntie is in the corner with a clipboard looking stressed out.

Here’s the deal. You booked your venue. You found your caterer. You hired a DJ, booked a great photographer, and your group chat is on fire with dress pics and menu ideas. You’re feeling like you're halfway to the altar.

But let me ask you this:Who’s running your timeline?Who’s cueing the ceremony?Who’s making sure the decor team is finished before guests arrive?

If you don’t have a dedicated wedding planner or day-of coordinator, the honest answer is... nobody.

Because your DJ? They’re focused on playlists and sound.Your photographer? They’re chasing good light and special moments.Your caterer? They’re timing food service.

They care about your day, of course, but they weren’t hired to run it. And asking them to step outside their lane not only stresses them out, it throws everything off.

Let me tell you a quick story.

I once attended a wedding where the couple decided to “wing it” without a planner or coordinator. When vendors arrived, the questions started:“Who’s directing the ceremony?”“When do we start?”“Who’s handling setup?”

No one had the answers.

The photographer tried to help. The DJ took a guess and announced the wedding start. Meanwhile, the bride’s family scrambled to keep things together. The vibe was chaotic. Nothing ran on time. And the couple didn’t get to enjoy the day they had spent months (and thousands of dollars) planning.

It wasn’t because the vendors didn’t care. They cared deeply. But they weren’t there to manage logistics. They were there to do what they were hired for.

So What’s the Solution?

Hire a professional wedding planner or coordinator.

This isn’t about throwing more money at your wedding. It’s about protecting the investment you’ve already made. You need someone whose job is to know the whole picture, keep things moving, problem-solve quietly, and make sure your day feels just as amazing as you imagined it would.

Even if one of your vendors offers to help with a timeline or says, “I’ll make sure things go smoothly,” remember, they’re still focused on their piece of the puzzle, not the entire thing.

Let your vendors shine at what they do best. And let your planner or coordinator bring it all together.


Want more real talk about wedding planning?

This post was inspired by Episode 2 of Season 4 of Did You Say Something?, my no-fluff podcast for engaged couples navigating wedding planning without losing their minds (or their relationships).

🎧 Listen to the episode: “Your Vendors Are Not Your Wedding Planners” wherever you get your podcasts.

And if you missed Episode 1 “So You Think You Don’t Need a Coordinator”, go back and catch that one too. These two go hand in hand.

Because you deserve a wedding day that doesn’t just look good in photos, it should feel good in real life.

Listen Now!



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