Planning Perfection: Behind the scenes of your Big Day

It is a well-known assumption that planning and producing weddings is a major task to take on, making sense for there being an entire career dedicated to it! Despite it being such a large undertaking, there is nothing our team enjoys more than finally being able to transform your visions and design drafts into reality when the day finally comes. So the question is, what really happens on the day of? Well, you get married of course! But your day as the couple getting married may look a little different than mine, let me take you through a typical day in the life of a wedding production assistant! 

PREP

The first and most important step (really a ritual), is being adequately caffeinated for the day. While this involves stopping at Starbucks and picking up an energy drink to prevent the midday slump, something super important I was told by Cassie when I began, was to hydrate not only the day of but also the day before, similar to marathon runners since this really is a marathon! So, to anyone involved in a wedding from production to being a guest, drink water!! 

To get my mind in wedding mode, I will listen to some sort of music to wake me up, from rock to country, and even a couple of my favorite wedding classics, such as September, Love Shack, and Shout. Once I’ve arrived, I meet with one of the leads, Cassie, Sarah, or Marissa, to better visualize the venue and create a game plan for the day.

SETUP

This is where my day starts to differ from other weddings and my tasks depend on a variety of factors such as decor, timelines, and even weather, something so unpredictable. For set up of the reception, it typically includes the following: 

• Setting up the layout of tables, bars and other furniture
• Laying linens in time for the arrival of florals,
• Placing table details which includes menus, table numbers, name placements, candles, and other beautiful details to make the tables more than just tables. 

The actual ceremony differs as some couples are married off-site at a church, while some are on-site but varies once again from setting up chairs to benches. Of course, Mother Nature has the final say in where venue ceremonies are held as it may be pushed inside, emphasizing the importance of having a rain plan! 

ACTION

Once everything is set up and vendors have arrived to start their process, we then start to initiate the timeline regarding you and your wedding party! From ensuring boutonnieres are pinned securely, and grabbing extra hair bands, to gathering photographers for first looks and portraits, our team is typically spread out with tasks to move along with our timeline. Executing the ceremony is once again another curated plan which includes photographers, musicians, and planners sending each other various hand singles to accurately cue the wedding party in perfect timing. While you are busy saying “I do”, I will typically be sent to check on the cocktail hour area which includes: 

• Touching up florals
• Lighting candles
• Moving furniture if needed
• Grabbing extra hors d’oeuvres and personal drinks to save for the couple (one of my more important tasks!)
• Double-check seating arrangements and placements of utensils and plates
• Post Ceremony: reposition the ceremony aisle and arbor florals use them in the dining or reception area

Once dinner is initiated, and vendors and planners can grab a quick bite, the planning team once again keeps track of time and starts to cue family speeches, toasts, and then the first dances! While nothing is the same day for weddings, something that contradicts this statement is me tearing up during speeches and first dances. I truly love hearing the favorite stories your friends and family share, making me feel more connected to this big day. Watching the first dances makes me dream about when my own big day will come, making me feel like a little girl again! During dinner and dancing, I always try to find something to do whether it is for the wedding at hand or for a future one. Some tasks I have done have been: 

• Putting together flip flops (great addition for dancing!)
• Creating party boxes (sunglasses, glow sticks, beads, etc)
• Invitations for other weddings
• Lighting campfires (as a Maine native, it is really a sense of pride at this point) 
• Cleaning up table details and linens from dinner

THE GOODBYE

Just like that, the last song is played and the lights turn on. Lead planners will start to ensure everyone who needs to be on the bus to hotels and afterparties is on those buses! Final tasks for me include: 

• Collecting candles and flowers
• Bunching up linens 
• Breaking down tables and stacking chairs
• Collecting any personal items to send back with the newlyweds. 

This process can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the wedding and venue. Finally, cars are packed, “Congratulations” and “See you soon” are said, and 13 hours later, I am back where I started in my car, listening to more wedding music to take me home! 

I always like to think no wedding is the same and I am always doing something different. What was just discussed is a general schedule, but in reality, there is so much more regarding personal items from the details regarding extra tables, putting together the seating boards, or even hanging custom neon signs. No matter the degree of difficulty or size of weddings, I am so lucky to be a part of this great team at Olive & Co. and continue to look forward to working with the couple and contributing to their special day! 

Xo, 

Molly