What Does a Wedding Planner Do? The Not-So-Obvious Wedding Planner Responsibilities

Do you know whether you should cut your wedding cake before or after your first dance? If you’re unsure, you might want to think twice about planning your own event. While it may seem like a small detail, these little decisions can have a big impact on the overall vibe of your wedding. It’s what makes hiring a wedding planner so important. 

What does a wedding planner do? From managing timelines to handling unexpected hiccups, wedding planner responsibilities go far beyond what meets the eye. To ensure your Lake Tahoe wedding is nothing short of spectacular for both you and your guests, a Tahoe wedding planner can take care of those not-so-obvious yet absolutely essential tasks that transform a wedding from great to WOW.

Do You Really Need a Wedding Planner?

While it might be tempting to take on the challenge yourself to save money, planning a wedding is far more complex than it seems at first glance. It’s not just about picking a venue and setting a date — it’s about managing countless moving parts.

For starters, you’ll need to research venues, book tours, and lock in dates. Then comes the task of finding vendors who not only fit your budget but also match the vibe of your event. For example, while there are plenty of talented florists, not all specialize in the aesthetic you’re envisioning. (At Epic Thyme, we know the Lake Tahoe wedding vendors who do!)

But even after you’ve booked your vendors, the work doesn’t stop there. Take your florist, for instance. When you think about wedding flowers, your mind might jump to your stunning bouquet — but that’s just the beginning. Once you’ve found a florist who fits your budget and style, you’ll need to:

• Provide them with your “must-haves” and inspiration.

• Schedule a flower design meeting and create a floral board to bring your vision to life.

• Share a detailed list of every floral arrangement you’ll need, including:

  • Bridal Bouquet

  • Toss Bouquet

  • Hair Flowers

  • Maid of Honor Bouquet (if different)

  • Flower Girl Bouquet (petals, flower crown)

  • Corsages for mothers, grandmothers, bridesmaids, or a female officiant

  • Boutonnieres for the groom, best man, groomsmen, fathers, grandfathers, ring bearer, or a male officiant

  • Special Pet Florals

  • Welcome Table, Memory Table, and Signage Florals

  • Ceremony Altar

  • Aisle Décor

  • Cocktail Hour Flowers for tables and bar

  • Head Table

  • Guest Tables

  • Dessert Display Table

  • Cake Flowers (which must pass a health inspection—only non-toxic flowers can be used, and you’ll need to coordinate this with your cake decorator)

Once all these details are finalized, you’ll need to stay in close contact with your florist as the wedding day approaches. You’ll coordinate their timeline for delivering and setting up the flowers, making sure everything is in its proper place, from your hairpiece to the groomsmen’s boutonnieres. And don’t forget, last-minute changes can happen — like adjusting your floral order if a bridesmaid can’t make it or if your guest count changes and you need fewer table arrangements.

And that’s just one vendor out of many! It’s no surprise that planning an extraordinary wedding can take up to 500 hours. If you don’t have that kind of time between now and your big day, we highly recommend hiring a Lake Tahoe wedding planner to ensure every detail is flawless.

What Can a Wedding Planner Help With? Understanding Wedding Planner Responsibilities

Would you believe us if we said everything? While not all wedding planners offer full-service design and planning, those who do can handle just about every wedding-related detail. At Epic Thyme, our full-service wedding planning package is put together to ensure you don’t have to worry about a single thing being overlooked. From booking, coordinating, and managing your vendors (typically around 20 of them!) to scheduling dress fittings, assisting with your wedding website, sourcing transportation, creating timelines, and so much more, our Lake Tahoe wedding planning team takes care of everything.

Let’s Break It Down: What Do Wedding Planner Tasks Actually Look Like?

Take transportation, for example. Coordinating transportation for your wedding day is no small feat. It’s a time-consuming process that requires meticulous planning. Here’s what it typically involves:

• Streamlining Guest Pickups: If your transportation company will pick up guests from their hotels, limit the number of pickup locations to three. This keeps things manageable and ensures smooth logistics.

• Gathering Guest Info: Add questions to your RSVP cards to find out where guests are staying. This information is super important for planning routes and timing.

• Mapping Out Routes: Calculate the best route to make sure everyone arrives on time, and build in extra time for unexpected delays.

• Planning for Early Arrivals: If transportation involves multiple loops, the venue, decor, and bar need to be ready early for the first round of guests, at least 30-45 minutes before the last group arrives. You’ll also need music and activities to keep early arrivals entertained.

Once all these details are finalized, you’ll need to communicate them to the transportation company well in advance and keep them updated on any changes. On your wedding day, the transportation logistics don’t stop. Someone needs to:

• Stay in constant contact with the transportation company to ensure they’re on time.

• Field calls from guests asking when the bus will arrive.

• Handle any last-minute hiccups or delays.

Without a full-service wedding planner, that “someone” is often you. Coordinating transportation alone can feel like a full-time job, and it’s just one of the many behind-the-scenes tasks a Tahoe wedding planner can expertly manage. By entrusting these responsibilities to a professional, you can focus on what truly matters — enjoying your big day stress-free!

What Does a Wedding Planner Do? 4 Not-So-Obvious Wedding Planner Responsibilities

You might be wondering, What does the wedding planner do outside of the 'traditional' tasks? A full-service Tahoe wedding planner also helps with the not-so-obvious responsibilities of planning, designing, and coordinating an amazing wedding. 

1. Floor Plan Development 

Once you choose the venue for your wedding, you need someone to help you turn that venue into your dream wedding. While the venue may provide certain things like tables and chairs, you need to know how to arrange the event so that everyone is comfortable, and there’s room for guest seating, caterers, the band, the dance floor, and more. Floor plan development is a crucial part of your wedding design that shouldn’t be overlooked or set aside until the last minute. Everything about your design, including your decorations and rentals, depends on a carefully developed floor plan. 

At Epic Thyme, we know Lake Tahoe wedding venues like the back of our hands and know how to utilize the space best to ensure your wedding makes sense aesthetically and functionally. For example, the grandparents should be positioned next to the dance floor so they feel part of the dancing, but can remain seated. (We also place the heat lamps next to the grandparents and ensure they have a clear exit to the restrooms.)

2. Curated Vendor Selection Based on Wedding Style 

Your wedding vendors are an essential part of your wedding. They’re who you entrust to bring your vision to life and ensure it is truly the most special day. There are also many Lake Tahoe wedding vendors to choose from. Researching to find vendors within your budget that match your style and are available on your wedding date takes a lot of time and effort. Plus, before selecting a vendor, you’ll want to meet with a few to ensure you know exactly what you’re getting with their services. Then, it’s essential to read the contract carefully and negotiate any points as necessary.

When you hire a full-service wedding planner, they do all of this for you, and they don’t just choose the first few options that pop up on Google. Instead, they consult with you to learn more about your exact desires and present you with a list of high-quality, vetted vendors to choose from. You don’t have to worry about whether or not they are within your budget or understand your vision. A full-service wedding planner already does that for you. Additionally, once you've selected all your vendors, a wedding planner handles management, vendor meals (including dietary restrictions), setup and teardown plans, vendor rentals, and more.

3. Master Production and Rental List Creation and Management 

Each vendor needs specific information to do their job effectively, so someone needs to create and manage a master production and rental list. Fortunately, it’s one of the not-so-obvious wedding planner responsibilities our Lake Tahoe team handles! Take tables, for example. It sounds simple enough, right? You need a place for your guests to sit and eat. But even tables require much more consideration and planning.

• You need a welcome table and any decorations, such as a guest book or a card box.

• You need standing tables for cocktail hour.

• You need tables and chairs for your guests to eat dinner, including the proper number of linens, place settings, and table decorations for each one.

• You need tables for your caterers to use.

• You need a table and linens for your wedding cake and any other desserts.

• You need tables, chairs, and place settings for on-site vendor breaks and meals.

And then, you need to determine the amount and type of each table and coordinate with your rental company to ensure they have what you need and deliver it on time on your wedding day. Because this number may change after you receive your RSVPs, and if you have any last-minute guest dropouts, you need to keep your vendor informed. Once the tables get to the venue, they need to be arranged. Some companies literally drop off the tables in the corner of your venue, far away from where they’re actually going. At Epic Thyme, we like to ensure we know exactly who is doing what and step in so the tables are where they’re supposed to be. And we always bring a screw gun and check each table to tighten any that are wobbly. And that’s just tables! 

4. Develop a Wedding Day Timeline: Months, Weeks, and Days Before the Wedding

Not to mention on the actual wedding day itself. Some couples opt to hire a partial or day-of wedding planner because they think that’s when the “management” part of a wedding planner’s job kicks in. But it actually starts months before the wedding by developing a realistic timeline, informing each vendor of their arrival and set-up times, and making sure everything goes smoothly from start to finish. Then, on the wedding day, your planner ensures you don’t have to think about anything other than marrying the love of your life. While you’re getting ready and calming wedding nerves before you walk down the aisle, your wedding planner is preparing to… 

• Cue processional

• Cue musicians

• Cue ceremony

• Cue guests to get seated for dinner

• Cue the bride & groom

• Cue grand entrance 

• Cue for toasts

• Cue dances

• Cue cake-cutting

• Cue garter toss

• Cue the bouquet toss

• Cue grand exit

• Cue lasers, bubble machines, disco balls! 

• Execute the exit strategy 

These “cues” take a certain amount of time, depending on how many guests you have at your wedding. For example, before you can “cue” guests to sit for dinner, you must first check with the caterer to see if they are 20 minutes out. Then, you need to talk with the photographer and videographer to make sure their lens and flashes are ready for the couple’s grand entrance. Then, the bride and groom need to be prepared to seat everyone. Then it’s time to cue the DJ to make the announcement. THEN, the wedding party needs to gather for the entrance, all while someone checks that the couple’s food is ready at their table. This one “cue” takes a lot of communication, work, and coordination.

So, Which Comes First, the Cake or the Dance?

Back to our original question… which comes first, the cake or the dance? You cut the cake before you start the dances! Why? Because after the dances, it’s time to pump up the crowd to get everyone on the dance floor while continuing the music. If you did the cake cutting after the dances, you would have to STOP the vibe and music, cut the cake, and try to get everyone back on the dance floor. But nobody would want to dance because they’d be too busy eating cake!

While many couples know the basic answer to the question, “What does a wedding planner do?” it’s the not-so-obvious tasks of a Tahoe wedding planner that ensure your wedding is perfect. Unless you’re ready to spend 500 hours learning about how to plan a wedding and then actually planning it, you should hire a Lake Tahoe wedding planner that not only knows what they’re doing but loves doing it (that’s us!). Contact us to learn more about our services!