Do you feel like a wedding planner?

[i2iSTUDIOS]

Now that i've done a dozen or so weddings I feel I have a decent bead on what makes for a good weddings and have tips for what makes for a good/bad wedding. Do you guys/gals feel like a wedding planner for your friends since we're full of a lot of knowledge about weddings?

[Rhinotherunt]

Kinda scary isn't it...

[daclozer]

My ex wife, who refers most of my clients to me, owns a shop that does wedding cakes, catering and planning, so I am pretty lucky. All I have to do is shoot the pics, thank god!

[cmM]

there is nothing wrong with giving your opinion once in a while.

... when you do it more than once in a while it can be frustrating.

[PIXI_666]

Yes, but i mostly feel like a wedding planner because i have recently gotten married so i know all the recent information...and with constantly doing weddingy things i am still pretty up to date..its kinda fun, and at LEAST i can tell them all about how to BUDGET for a weding, buying a $500 veil is jsut not on in my books lol

Del

[Philco]

According to my Fiance, who has organized 500 + weddings, when the couple lacks a coordinator to run their event, the photographer takes on that role by default. Some of her photography vendors won't work with couples unless they know a coordinator or some kind of event manager will be there, otherwise it's soley up to the guy with the camera to make sure everyone is where they need to be.

I think "Do you have a wedding coordinator?" ought to be one of the first questions asked of any prospective couple. Another upside to working with a coordinator, or course, is that if you earn their good graces, they may become the source of all kinds of referrals. Just my two cents.

[PIXI_666]

its also soley up to the "GIRL" with the camera too :)

I have NEVER worked with a co-ordinator, they just arent that big in Australia, people seem to organise their own weddings - and why not? Its not THAT hard!!!

[Claire]

Wedding planners aren't a big thin in Sweden either. Everyone organizes their own wedding. I think there are a few wedding planners around, but not many, and the few people booking them are most likely couples with very busy professional lives.

[E3_Photo_Studio]

Yeah sometimes....I also feel like when I'm doing a wedding shoot, that sometimes I just want to voice my thoughts:oops:, which I know isn't the best thing. :rolleyes: But if they ask.....:lol: Then the opinions just come out. :lol:

[E3_Photo_Studio]

its also soley up to the "GIRL" with the camera too :)

I have NEVER worked with a co-ordinator, they just arent that big in Australia, people seem to organise their own weddings - and why not? Its not THAT hard!!!

Be lucky that you haven't! :) The last two that I've dealt with have been pretty useless. :rolleyes: They may have been the "Coordinators" for these weddings, but they had NO authority over the day, and both weddings were a bit disorganized. Honestly, what's the point of having a coordinator if they aren't going to keep things organized or on schedule? Let's just say...made my life 10x's harder and I was the one that got YELLED at b/c things weren't running on time. :rolleyes:

Like you...I organized my own wedding....it wasn't that hard, but the day wasn't perfect either....much like my life though. LOL :lol:

[Philco]

Yes, the GIRL with the camera as well! I should mention that I am getting married in three weeks, and our photographer is a girl! (Mindy Sonshine)

In my experience, most wedding venues (in hotels, on yachts, historic buildings, etc) have their own event staff, so you're basically hiring a coordinator when you book your wedding there -if it's the type of place that can include everything (flowers, cake, food) on one contract. Even so, they may not have someone there watching the clock and I'm afraid it is often up to the photographer to initiate the cake cutting, etc.

[tim]

its also soley up to the "GIRL" with the camera too :)

I have NEVER worked with a co-ordinator, they just arent that big in Australia, people seem to organise their own weddings - and why not? Its not THAT hard!!!

You'd be suprised how unorganised some people can be. Most people plan the time of the ceremony (often too late), the time of the dinner (usually too early), and don't realise how long everything else takes. I offer my advice to help them plan their wedding, because it makes my life so much easier on their wedding day.

[PIXI_666]

I know weddings can be un-organised, but at the end of the day they ALWAYS turn out being great, and us as wedding photographer's need to be prepared for anything lol and i think the last few i have done sometimes threw me into the deep end - but it's the only way i learnt how to deal with it.

Like i said the weddings i have always photographed, sometimes a little late or early - but we learn to deal with it. I personally would never have gotten a co-ordinator...i just feel my money was spent in a better area of our wedding, because we all had it under control. I wouldn't call it LAZY having a co-ordinator...but i just think it's not that hard to plan or organise a wedding. You can get a little flustered in the midst of it all....but it's not that hard :)

Del