I have always been asked how I do wedding days by myself and to that I would say “I do it well. Thank you!”  The honest answer is that I do not do it by myself.  Although 60% of the time you will only see me on a wedding day, I have a lot of help behind the scenes. I do an impeccable job prior to the wedding day (which is the secret to a smooth day no matter what), and I work with top vendors that do not need to be babysat! 

But lately, it has turned from an inquisitive question into doubt and concern from potential brides looking to hire a planner.  I am aware that the movies revolving around weddings or wedding planners will portray a group of people dressed in all black wearing head sets following each other with clipboards, but I also see movies portraying a round man in a red suite making it around the entire world in one night delivering gifts and we all know the truth behind that! 

Regardless, for the past 17-years, my stance has always been that if I need the help, I know where I need the help and I will make sure I have the help.  I have a team of very capable people that can do more than help – they can all run a full wedding on their own (and in some cases, they actually do run some of our weddings).  But I will not add more bodies in a room, or more “help”, which can so often just mean more chaos, just to prove my worth and work. 

We work for months, sometimes over a year, with clients to create the perfect day.  The number of KS staff members on a wedding day is a direct correlation between the locations of the ceremony and reception, the number of moving pieces and parts, the vendors that have been hired and the couple that I am working with.  For some weddings, I have had myself and three other team members, and for others, it has been just me with a broken wrist!  In all honesty, some of the weddings are not mine at all.  Although I am the only person handling the front-end planning, my team might run an event without me, or I will start the day and someone from my team will end the day.  There are plenty of variations regarding staffing and who is doing what and why. But I will point out that I have never been incorrect on the number of team members needed to create a successful wedding day!

Showing what I do on a daily basis with the actual planning, the rhyme, reason and expectations of event days and decisions made regarding staffing is something that I will cover at a later time.  The point of this entry is to let you know what a day in the life looks like, specifically for a larger wedding that I “seemingly” handled on my own.  There are very few people that make it on their own in any position and the wedding industry is definitely not an industry conducive to people who work best alone.  The entire day is a team effort from the team you have involved on the planner side to (and most importantly) the vendors who have to do their part to make the day perfect!  But, at the end of the day, trusting your vendors is key and trusting us to staff our teams accordingly is definitely something that we would know best!

*Disclaimer – this is NOT a wedding day schedule/ itinerary of the day! 

This is a literal example of how this particular wedding day unfolded and the details of what I was personally responsible for and what I did on this particular wedding day.  While each wedding day is very different, this is just an example to prove my point that we have the staff with us that we need in order to make sure the vendors are comfortable and feel supported, the guests have a seamless and amazing experience and the client feels taken care of throughout the day!

Wedding Date – June 6, 2025

Guest count – 343

My work time on the wedding day – 13 hours

One assistant brought in for 5 hours

More than 14 vendors

Ceremony off site at Immaculate Conception

Reception at the WESTIN NEW ORLEANS

BRIDE - NINNA DOMANGUE BRADY

GROOM - TRENT BRADY

10:32am – my chauffeur/ my husband drops me off at the Westin

(The florist BELLA BLOOMS is already in the ballroom starting the ceiling install)

11:02am – SNAPBAR PHOTO BOOTH  arrives for set up

11:07am – Distressed Rentals arrives for set up

11:43am – I run upstairs to the bride’s suite to check on the glam squad/ see how we are running with timing

Noon – the band - THE MIXED NUTS - arrives to set lighting followed by sound for the band

12:24pm – lunch break provided by Bella Blooms – SHAKE SHACK

2pm – BROCATO PHOTOGRAPHY and TONE PRODUCTIONS arrive to start shooting

3pm –  Kelly Davis arrives on site to help (first, check on the girls, then fill her in on vendors and the ballroom set up)

3:32pm –  Bittersweet Confections arrives to deliver the wedding cake

3:34pm – I go upstairs to pin the boutonnieres

3:40pm – AD Event arrives to wrap the dance floor, stage front and bar front

4:43pm – room reveal to the bride and her parents

5:03pm – in the bus (provided by American Luxury) with the bride and bridesmaid heading to the Church

5:34pm – bride down the aisle

*We did start on time, but it took 4 minutes to get the bridesmaids and parents down the aisle – Learn it – we do not start late (unless we do it on purpose to help the venue which is a totally different blog topic all together)

6:26pm – the bride and groom back down the aisle – ceremony is over – guests head to the Westin

(The bride, groom, family and bridal party take pictures on the altar afterwards – then travel back to the Westin)

6:58pm – family formals in the lobby of the Westin

7:17pm – done with photos

(Bride and groom have a private moment/ a bite to eat)

7:28pm – I bustle the bride

7:46pm – The bride and groom are announced into the ballroom for the first time

*Straight to the dance floor for their first dance and their dance with their parents

7:56pm – cake cutting photos

8pm – BYE, BYE KELLY DAVIS – KD is dismissed for the night!

8:07pm – Frenchmen Street Productions performers arrive to get dressed (Two Mirror performers and one stilt walker)

8:32pm – The bride changes her shoes (Adorable, by the way)

9:10pm – The bride does a quick outfit change

9:23pm – re-introduce the bride and groom to the ballroom with the mirror performers and the stilt walker

10:09pm – toss the bouquet (Nice catch, Candace)

11pm – end time

11:15pm – by 11:15pm, all vendors are breaking down the ballroom, I am packing up the bride’s personal items and bringing them up to the bride’s suite. 

*In this case, I was upstairs in the bride’s suite for a bit with her and her maid of honor having a debrief of the evening and taking selfies!

11:35pm – out the door and back with my chauffeur heading home!

Please see our INSTAGRAM REEL for a visual “Day in the Life” – and some major wedding inspiration for future brides!!!