Learn to Love Your Wedding Inventory: 4 Tips For Success
Let’s talk about a bride’s wedding inventory! As a Day-of Coordinator, you will encounter many brides with a lot of DIY décor. But it is your job to determine how much is too much. Setting up décor can be very time consuming and if you didn’t bring in extra help, you will find yourself extremely frazzled. Why?
Because you have about a million other tasks that need to be managed. I learned this lesson the hard way. It was my second wedding and I didn’t hire any additional help because I never realized I needed it until I was in the trenches. I remember being hot, sweaty, and stressed the whole time. Hindsight being what it is, I see now the error of my ways. So today I want to share with you what I’ve learned when it comes to wedding inventory.
#1 Don't offer to set up tables and chairse
Never, I repeat, never offer to set up tables and chairs. I know—once again, from experience—that as planners, we want to save our couples money. And one of the selling points you might be considering is offering to set up tables and chairs for free. Not only is this hard work (like sweat-your-pants-off hard work), but this is also very time consuming. Charge an additional fee for this service if they want you to do it. This fee is the same that they would pay a rental company.
#2 Charge for additional help
If your client is bringing in a U-Haul full of DIY décor, charge an additional fee for the extra assistants you will need so you’re not bogged down by décor. Don’t feel bad. Everyone’s time is worth something; just make sure this is discussed and invoiced before the wedding day. Our Wedding Management Planner Kit can help make the wedding process and communication easier so everyone is on the same page.
#3 Don't allow too much décor
In my wedding management contract, we have a clause that states how many boxes we will take on before adding an extra fee for additional help. It is important to have legal boundaries in place before the wedding because having too much décor will slow your process of actually managing the day.
#4 Have an inventory sheet
Having your brides complete an inventory worksheet will do two things for you: 1) it will help you place all the décor items in the proper place and 2) it will let you know if you need to charge for additional help. You will want to send your Inventory Worksheet questionnaire at least 30 days before the wedding. This worksheet will come in handy on the day of the wedding. This list is only for the couple’s personal items—everything they will bring in themselves. Our inventory worksheet is due by the time the second phone call takes place (two to three weeks before the wedding). When it comes your client’s wedding inventory sheet, detailed descriptions should be included so there won’t be any confusion on the day of the wedding about how they want these items set up.
Last Words on Wedding Inventory
When it comes to wedding inventory, less is more in my book. So, before you agree to setup any wedding inventory, take a step back and assess the situation in its entirety. Will you still have time to manage the wedding? And if you’re feeling stressed out about setting up décor, lugging around heavy boxes, or moving furniture around, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with our Wedding Management Planner Kit. This kit includes everything you need to organize a bride’s wedding inventory. Time-saving tools like these are essential for any wedding planner looking to streamline their workflow and maximize profits.
2 Responses
Great piece of advice. I know what you are talking about. In our country additional duties will include picking the cake and setting it up and also collecting flowers. I know better now. Thank you always for all these information and resources.
Eeek! Never volunteer to pick up a cake. So many things could happen. Glad you found this post useful!