Exhausted

One more long weekend under the belt. One more long, exhausting weekend under the belt. All of you other wedding planners out there know exactly what I mean. My feet hurt, my back hurts and I think I'm slightly dehydrated from the heat yesterday. I put every skill and talent I have to work yesterday, decorating, communication, coordination, even waitressing!

Being a wedding coordinator isn't all fun and games, it's not all about glitz and glamour. Honestly, it is the complete opposite. Anyone that is seriously in the biz knows exactly what I mean. We are there behind the scenes, not making ourselves look good but making the bride and groom shine.

Recently, with all the TV shows focusing on wedding coordinators, anyone and everyone that has ever been to a wedding thinks they can handle the job. They see the shows and think it "looks like so much fun". Even my own friends and family say that when I talk about what I do, no one has a clue how stressful it can be.

It is a fun job, it is one of the most satisfying things I have ever done, having a bride and groom tell you at the end of the night "it would not have happened without you", it's an amazing feeling. But I want to caution anyone thinking about joining the "team", it's a hard job. It is exhausting, physically and mentally, you have to be on your toes and the top of your game at every moment. You have to be willing to do anything and everything to make sure the day goes off without a hitch: willing to clean up other people's garbage, willing to put tables and chairs away at the end of the night, willing to crawl around on your hands and knees in your dress clothes and willing to spend 12 hours or more on your feet. It's a serious job and it needs to be taken seriously.

Before jumping into the deep end, I encourage perspective planners to take a course or two or shadow or intern for an experienced planner to get your feet wet. Please don't do a trial run on someone else's big day.

This has been a hot topic with other wedding planners around the country as well, please check out these blog postings Amber Events, Confessions of the Wedding Diva and Destination...Soiree! Thank you ladies for putting this topic out there.