Wedding planning is a whirlwind of deadlines, last-minute changes, and administrative tasks all at once. While you may thrive in the industry, there comes a point when you start wondering: is it time to hire a wedding planning assistant?
Assistant wedding planners are in charge of repetitive, time-consuming tasks that you just don't have time for anymore. It differs from one planner to the other. It could jump from replying to emails to keeping the bridezilla meltdowns at bay. Managing an assistant wedding planner can have its challenges, but with the right approach, they can easily be one of the best investments for your wedding planning business.
In this article, you will learn:
- The roles and responsibilities of a wedding planning assistant
- The benefits of having a wedding planning assistant
- How to make the most out of an assistant planner
Should you hire an assistant wedding planner? Let's find out.
What is a wedding planning assistant?
A wedding planning assistant can play a crucial role in helping you deliver a high-class service for your wedding couples.
You, the planner, can delegate small, but time consuming, tasks to your assistants to free up your time to focus on high-level tasks such as conceptualising the design and co-ordinating with your vendors. You can hire two types of wedding assistants: day-of assistants and lead assistants.
The day-of wedding assistant works on the day of the wedding only. They swoop in to set up decorations, troubleshoot hiccups, and guarantee everything runs like clockwork. A day-of assistant is suitable for wedding planners who prefer to work on the preparations by themselves and just need someone to help them execute the plan flawlessly on the day.
Day-of assistant wedding planner responsibilities:
- Ceremony and reception set-up and decoration
- Tracking and coordination of on-the-day vendor arrivals/deliveries
- Assisting with guest management
On the other hand, a lead assistant works with you throughout the wedding planning process. They're by your side from concept to completion: researching vendors, managing budgets, attending venue tours, and so on. Lead assistants are best if you're working on several weddings at once and struggle with keeping up with each.
Lead assistant wedding planner responsibilities:
- Helping to connect with and co-ordinate your vendor network
- Replying to inquiries and management of client relationships
- Input on wedding concept and design ideation and execution
How to find your wedding planning assistant
Hiring the right wedding planning assistant can take your wedding business from good to great. Your planning assistant should be someone who understands your vision and your style to ensure you are providing a consistent service to your couples.
Not sure where to start looking? Explore the following avenues when looking for a wedding planning assistant:
- Personal network and referrals. Reach out to colleagues, mentors, and social media for recommendations. Your network of industry vendors may also know of talented individuals seeking opportunities.
- Wedding industry associations. Join professional organisations such as, The American Association of Certified Wedding Planners (AACWP) to access job boards and member directories. You can also connect with local chapters for regional networking opportunities and industry events.
- Creative recruiting agencies. Consider working with agencies specialising in event professionals, particularly those focused on the wedding industry. These agencies can understand your specific needs and help source qualified candidates tailored to your requirements.
The benefits of having a wedding planning assistant
Your time is precious. Hiring a wedding planning assistant allows you to share your workload
and claim back your time.
There are many benefits to hiring an assistant, here are a few:
- Free up time for your high-priority tasks. You didn't go into the wedding industry to do more admin. A wedding planner assistant can help you with administrative, or repetitive tasks that eat in to your time. The fewer low-priority tasks you have to manage, the more time and energy you can devote to creative design and fostering great client relationships.
- Scale your business. With more hands on the job, more work can be done! There's only so many projects you can handle alone. But with an assistant, you can tackle client consultations, contract signing, and social media management all in one day—leaving room to take on more clients and grow your business.
- Gain peace of mind. Hiring a competent and reliable assistant can alleviate stress, reduce burnout, and improve work-life balance. Knowing that tasks will be handled efficiently, you can confidently delegate tasks and approach your top responsibilities with better focus. To top it all off, you also get to actually enjoy the weekends!
How to make the most of your wedding planning assistant
If you're used to working independently, it can be difficult to integrate an assistant into your wedding planning process.
You may be unsure of what responsibilities to delegate, or worry that your assistant will not be able to execute in the way you hope for, ultimately adding to your workload. But here's the thing: you never know unless you try. Most successful wedding planners rely on a trusted team of assistants to help them offer their exceptional service.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to good communication, trust, and oversight. Ready to delegate? Here's some ideas of what a wedding planning assistant can do:
- Planning: Manage vendor communication, create timelines, handle RSVPs, update budgets.
- Admin: Respond to emails, schedule meetings, update social media.
- Logistics: Research venues, coordinate deliveries, oversee guest seating charts.
- On-the-day: Set up decor, manage rentals, receive gifts, troubleshoot on-site.
While assistants are there to alleviate your workload, you cannot simply dump your responsibilities on to them. A successful planner-assistant relationship requires an investment of your time, and consistent careful planing.
The five golden rules of managing a wedding planning assistant:
- Plan in advance. If you’re prepared, your team will be prepared. Know what you need to happen on the day and exactly how your assistant slots into that plan. Then, set a quick call a day or two before the event to make sure you and your assistant are on the same page. As long as they're aware of the event flow, timeline, and floor plan, minor changes won't drive them to a corner.
- Give the right resources. Your wedding assistant should be an extension of you! Create a binder full of all the information you have available and pass this on to your assistant. You can even set up cloud storage on Google Drive or DropBox if you want to keep it paper-free.
- Lead by example. Provide clear instructions and demonstrate the task thoroughly before handing it off to your assistant. Demonstrations will help your assistant understand your expectations and gives them the confidence to proceed. Furthermore, it prevents any conflict later on.
- Efficient communication. Stay in touch with your wedding assistant leading up to the wedding day, whether through Zoom calls, in-person meetings, or text messages. Keep communication channels open on the day of the event to address any last-minute changes or issues that may arise.
- Be kind to them. Wedding planning assistants need time to settle into their roles. During this time, you need to be patient and understand that they might make beginner mistakes at first. Show appreciation for your assistant's hard work and dedication and address issues appropriately. A little kindness goes a long way!
Is it time to hire an assistant wedding planner?
If you're overwhelmed with tasks, want to grow your business, or seek a better work-life balance, then now is the time to hire an assistant planner.
Hiring an assistant is an investment in your business's future. So once you decide to hire, you need to clearly define the assistant's role, communicate openly, and provide proper training. Don't forget the five golden rules when managing a wedding planning assistant—plan ahead, give ample resources, lead by example, communicate well, and be kind.
