Wedding Consultants

Everyone wants her/his wedding day to be a dream come true, but alas, most of us lack the time and experience to do it in the most efficient manner. Choosing exactly the right wedding consultant can be the smartest thing you can do to ensure that your day is perfect and as anxiety-free as possible. You can expect a good consultant to give you customized services that are the result of intelligence and experience, complete knowledge of local wedding service providers (photographers, caterers, florists, musicians and entertainment sources, transportation, guest accommodations, and so on), a healthy creative flair, and -- very important -- a good handle on the financial aspects of wedding planning. This individual should be able to communicate effectively and smoothly with a variety of people, not least important the families involved. She, or he, will be your liaison with all the service providers who combine their talents to make your wedding positively unforgettable. (You certainly don't want it to be unforgettable because of something negative -- stories are legion about the check that wasn't sent to the florist, the limousine that wasn't booked, the attendant's gown that didn't fit, the organist with two left hands, etcetera ad nauseum.)

In short, a good consultant will save you time,money, familial flak, and worry. This person will be not simply be an extra pair of hands; she will help you have the most elaborate and elegant wedding possible, if that's what you want, or, if you so desire, an ultra- simple affair that nonetheless will demand the ultimate in coordination and planning. To the wedding consultant you, the bride and groom, are the queen and king, and this talented person will do her utmost to do your bidding. Think of her as the conductor of the vast orchestra of instruments needed for your wedding, the person who knows the score and elicits harmony from all. Here's a partial list of the important tasks your wedding consultant should be able to do:

• Advise you (and your family) re proper protocol, etiquette, traditions, customs. (Should the groom's father be allowed to have his three ex-wives seated on his side? Will infants be allowed at the ceremony?)
   
• Choose, coordinate, and oversee the various vendors and service providers (limos, flowers, caterers, etc.). (This person is a paragon of efficient list-making.)
   
• Coordinate the rehearsal, supervising and cueing in of the wedding party and musician(s). (Are the attendants required to walk in time to the music? Can the ring-bearer be trusted to deliver? Is the groom's Labrador Retriever part of the wedding party?)
   
• Assist with seating arrangements. (Where do the bride's children by a former marriage fit in?)
   
• Make recommendations re site selections (the rehearsal party, the wedding breakfast, the church, the reception, etc.). (Be warned: On Nantucket, everything -- from churches to horse-drawn carriages -- tends to be booked well in advance.)
   
• Prepare wedding-day itineraries. (If you want to get all the immediate family members to Brant Point Lighthouse for post-wedding photos, someone needs to arrange for communication and transportation.)
   
• Assist in invitation design and wording, gift registration and recording. ("I want my invitations done on handmade paper in mauve ink and in calligraphy.")
   
• Deal diplomatically with family disputes ("All the bridesmaids should wear pale pink," insists the wealthy auntie, to the bride-to-be's consternation.)
   
• Make suggestions on designs and styles for everything from attendants' attire to floral arrangements to reception decorations. (Coordinate, coordinate, coordinate.)
   
• Answer any and all your questions about what to do and how to do it. ("Can we have the ceremony as we bungee-jump from the Hyannis - Nantucket Bridge?")
   
• Let you relax and enjoy your big day. ("This has been the best day of my life!")

View our listing of Wedding Consultants>