Nothing excites me more when I show up on a wedding day and I see Michelle from Wish Productions. Being a part of a vendor team where you’re all working towards the same goal is the best. Michelle is someone I’m happy and always excited to work with on the vendor team.
The first time I met Michelle was at an event for business owners. Anytime I’ve had interactions with her since then always leaves a mark on my heart. She’s genuine and absolutely loves her job. Her wedding couples are near and dear to her and she goes above and beyond.
I’ve been wanting to collaborate with a wedding vendor on a blog post for a long time. One that would serve my wedding clients and educate. When it comes to weddings, there is a ton of information out there that can be overwhelming and daunting.
In this blog post Michelle from Wish Productions will share her wedding planner secrets, give some great wedding day tips and what her role is as a wedding planner. Grab a beverage as Michelle dishes out some amazing wedding day tips on budget and timelines along with some hot takes on wedding trends!
Give us a little background to your career and why you were so drawn to wedding planning!
I got started in the wedding and event industry when I was 17 – still in high school! At the time, I wanted to work in marketing, and got a job that was half marketing, half event planning. I immediately fell in love with the industry.
From there, I said yes to every opportunity that came my way, and opened Wish Productions in 2019. Looking back on my career and my life, weddings were a natural fit for me. I am so drawn to them because it combines my love of fairy tales, logistics, planning and details. They also allow me to use my skills to genuinely help others on the biggest day of their lives. On top of that, wedding days have a certain atmosphere and feel to them. The adrenaline rush of all of the details coming together for one moment invigorates me.
What are the differences between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator? What are the benefits of both?
A planner and coordinator are very, very different! Overall, planning a wedding is a lot of project management and human resource work all at once. With that lens in mind, the easiest way to tell the difference between the two is that the wedding planner leads the couple from the beginning, where a wedding coordinator will lead you in the final few months or weeks up to your wedding day.
Wedding Planner:
A Planner often begins working with a couple at the beginning of their engagement. They are there from start to finish handling every logistic and part of planning. They’ll help you narrow down a date, source all of your vendors, handle communication, manage your budget, provide you with a checklist, build your timeline, design and style your wedding, set up and tear down (depending on who you hire – Wish Productions includes this in our Full Service Package) and handle everything along the way. A Planner will do all of the hard work and give you your time back, while you get to make the fun decisions like which florals you’re loving, and which cake you want to pick instead of spending hours requesting quotes for said items. It’s the luxury suite of wedding planning!
Wedding Coordinator:
A Coordinator will begin working with you 1:1 usually a few months out from your wedding day. They will take all of the details and plans you’ve put together, and make sure the final few weeks ahead of your day are smooth. They’ll also confirm your vendors, coordinate your rehearsal, and then be responsible for executing the plans you’ve made, ensuring your dream wedding day comes to life. Depending on who you hire, some coordinators will provide guidance and recommendations before hand, as well as work with couples to build their timeline and floorplans. These are both things Wish Productions offers in our Coordination package, along with all of the tools you need to plan – a timeline tool, checklist, budget, etc! A Coordinator is beneficial if you’re someone who has the time and energy to invest in planning, and you want support along the way to make sure your day runs smoothly so you can focus on saying I Do without answering vendor questions, or worrying about logistics!
Both are incredibly beneficial, and play an important role in the industry and experience that couples have.
What is the biggest message you want every wedding couple to know about their upcoming wedding day?
Through all of the planning, the decisions, details and stress that come along with putting your wedding day together, the most important part of it is the love you have with your person. Your wedding day is about you, your fiancé, and celebrating your love. Everything else that goes along with that is extra. At the end of the day, if you’ve married your person, that is what matters most!
How do you ensure that your clients vision for their wedding day is realized and brought to life?
I bring my clients visions to life by spending time connecting with them through asking questions, providing suggestions, and laying a strong foundation at the beginning of our planning relationship so I can understand exactly what they want and need. A big part of the process of working with me is that investment of time. I ask questions that go beyond ‘what color are your linens?’ and instead ask couples to tell me about their love story, how they met, and what the proposal was like. I ask how they want to feel on their wedding day, and what is most important to them. Of course logistics is a lot of what I do, but the forefront of my work is done with the answers to those questions in mind.
What is your top tip for a wedding day timeline?
I have two tips – sorry!! Give yourself realistic timeframes for what you have scheduled. Your wedding day will run behind if you don’t accurately lay out how much time each part will take.
My second biggest tip is to not schedule your day down minute to minute. Giving yourself what I call ‘pockets of time’ where not every minute is accounted for is where the magic happens. You’ll be able to have a more intimate moment with your photographer, or settle into your ceremony or cocktail hour without feeling rushed.
What is something about planning a wedding day that most couples don’t realize or are surprised by? Something that typically sneaks by wedding couples?
That the process is a lot more in depth, and involved than they think it will be! There are a lot of steps and logistics in every aspect, every vendor, and every decision. Booking one vendor actually has another 10 steps behind it. But those 10 steps are not always immediately known when couples first start planning. Booking a venue, for example, has a lot more to it than just signing a contract. You need to make note of what they provide and do not provide, their delivery details, their floorplan, if there is storage space, giving final guest counts and so much more. Those details then weave into other aspects and decisions you’ll need to make. There is a lot that goes in to it and sometimes couples don’t find these details out until closer to their day, which is where overwhelm starts to creep in. (And if you are reading this and feeling that, please call me!! I will take the overwhelm away!)
What do you see as the biggest wedding trends for 2024 and possibly into next year?
The biggest wedding trends I am seeing in 2024 are an emphasis on guest experience. Things like audio guestbooks, seated bridal parties, and weddings becoming a bit more of an overall wedding weekend experience. From a design perspective – bright, statement florals are becoming more popular as well. Along with the bride having a second reception dress (which I loooove)!
What do you see on the way out for trends in 2024?
Trends I see that are on the way out are large bridal parties, matching bridesmaids dresses, champagne towers, and cutting the cake!
What has been your most favorite trend?
Oh gosh, so many! I feel like every year there is something I love about each thing that’s trending. Right now I would say my favorite trend is the move toward a more intimate wedding day. Weddings are a celebration of your love story – not a family reunion! It brings me joy when couples invite their people, and not everyone they’ve ever met.
What’s your favorite part of a wedding day and why? What gives you chills and brings you the most joy to see?
My absolute most favorite part is the walk down the aisle and the vows. I cry every single time. The ceremony is the most important part of your day, and it’s the entire reason we’re all there. There is something special about watching two people commit to their love for one another.
What’s often something that wedding couples don’t consider when it comes to budget?
I could talk about budgets ALL day! There’s a lot that I see couples not considering. Prepare yourself for a few hot takes!!
The first is that weddings are expensive and they aren’t priced the way they were even 5 years ago. If you have a budget of $35,000, yes – that is a lot of money, but everything will add up quickly. It’s no longer a reality to have a 200 person wedding for under that amount without doing things differently, or making some sacrifices.
The second thing is that when a vendor quotes you $5,000 for a service, there’s tax, operating costs, equipment, insurance, licenses, etc. included in that, and that fee isn’t just for one day. There’s hours and hours ahead of time and after a wedding where a vendor is working.
My final thing I see couples not considering is not budgeting with the total, complete number with all fees! This kind of comes down to the industry a bit, because when vendors provide pricing, there can be fees down the line like service fees that aren’t always provided until they’re getting an invoice, or signing a contract. For example, if you’re looking at a catering service who is charging $50 per person, and your max budget is $50, there is a service fee and tax added onto that, so you end up paying an extra $10 in service fees, and $6.6 in tax. Your $50/person is actually now $67 which is out of budget.
How do you direct your couples in figuring out the best way to spend their budget on? With a budget in mind, how do you direct them in getting what they desire for their day.
From the beginning, I ask what is most important to them. Do they care most about convenience, or the design, or the photos, or the food, or the entertainment? I then direct them to allocate the budget appropriately with that in mind. I also educate couples on how important it is to make these decisions. For example, if photos are the most important thing to you, it makes sense to invest in a photographer you connect with and whose work you love, because there are more options for linens, or florals where we can be flexible with budget if those areas are not as important to you.
Another really important part of making sure clients get what they desire for their day in terms of budget is transparency. I will provide honesty and care around having a conversation that perhaps we need to adjust a specific budget line item.
Top 3 tips to make a wedding day skyrocket
- Hire a planner or a coordinator – I promise I am not being biased, but we’re the one vendor who looks at the entire scope of your wedding to make sure all the pieces fit together for you!
- Plan the day you want to have – This is much easier said than done, but your wedding is your wedding. Sometimes this can be tricky when budget contributions come into play, but doing what you want will make the day much better than if you listen to outside opinions. That family member you can’t stand? That old friend you haven’t seen in a while but feel obligated to invite them? Not inviting them will be less stress than inviting them.
- Stay with your partner as much as possible throughout the day – It can be easy to get pulled in a million directions as all of your favorite people are in one place at the same time. Staying with your new spouse as much as you can ensures you spend the day together!
What would you like every wedding couple to know if they’re on the fence of booking a wedding planner/coordinator?
Hiring a planner or coordinator is like giving all the dreams, visions, work, and time you’ve invested in your wedding its own set of insurance. By that I don’t mean traditional insurance like what you buy for your car, but instead the peace of mind knowing that we know your wedding inside and out, and we’re there to make sure things happen for you. It’s the one thing you can do to make sure your day is as perfect as possible, and that you can take every moment in, instead of answering vendor questions, or telling your family members that speeches are starting. Planning and coordinating a wedding is truly a bit of an art form, and our experience will make sure things run smoothly, that you stay calm, and that your friends and family can take in the day along with you.
What’s the best advice for any wedding vendor that will be working with a wedding planner/coordinator on a wedding day? As vendors, we all want to have great relationships and are 100% there for the wedding couple!
There are so many pieces to a wedding day, and the planner or coordinator is the one who looks after all of them, at once, together to see how everything fits as a whole. My biggest piece of advice is to communicate well, trust the planner or coordinator, and follow the timeline we’ve built!
To wrap it up…
Thank you so much Michelle for ALL of those amazing tips for a successful wedding day! One of my favorite tips from Michelle was staying with your partner as much as possible on your wedding day. Also, creating the wedding day you want. This day is about the two of you and every aspect should represent that.
Lastly, a wedding planner is the vendor that is involved in the entire scope of your wedding day. Planning an event of this scope is a huge under taking and having someone in your corner from beginning to end will always alleviate stress allowing you to be fully present on this amazing day.
Are you wondering how to get started with wedding planning services? Click here to book a consult call with Michelle, see if you’re both a fit for your vision and go from there!
For more tips in wedding day timelines, read my blog post on Creating an Intentional Wedding Day Timeline and how this can impact your wedding day.
Images: Taylor Ehman Photography
Rentals: Special Event Rentals
Florals: Wascana Flower Shoppe
