AND IF YOU PREFER TO READ, HERE'S THE SUMMARY OF THE PODCAST EPISODE!

In my experience as a luxury wedding planner in based in Upstate New York, I’ve planned countless weddings, each with its own unique flow, and let me tell you — it never gets old. There’s a particular satisfaction that comes from every wedding day at that moment when every element clicks into place exactly like we planned.

Now today, when I say “wedding day details,” I’m not just talking about the pretty decor or floral arrangements. We’re diving deep into the real work—the specifics of setting up, preparing florals, perfecting the final walkthrough, and wrapping up after the event. This is the process that we go through, which is often not seen by guests, that creates the beautiful Pinterest-worthy images you see all over the internet, I’m excited to show you how it all comes together.

Event Day Set Up

Alright, so first, let’s talk about setup and how our team approaches the event day setup. On event day, we start with the most obvious thing—arriving on time (and making sure everyone else does the same). We lay out everyone’s arrival time on our master timeline aka our production schedule, similar to the one we sell in our shop in the Master Day Of Organizer, and on the day of one of the first things we do is make sure that all of our vendor team arrives on time.

I know this sounds basic, but trust me—after years of doing this, I know that timing is key, and being prompt is the first step in ensuring everything goes off without a hitch. Once we arrive, we unload all equipment and supplies and review our production schedule internally to get a clear picture of the day’s priorities.

Next, we start unpacking and arranging the décor based on the directions from the lead planner (in most cases, that’s me, but it might be someone else if you have a team). This setup includes everything from signage to banners and other decorative elements. Once the initial décor setup is unloaded and underway, we inventory all rentals, stationery, and event decor. This ensures that nothing is missing and that we’re on track to create the planned look and feel for the event. We don’t want to wait until we are setting up the tables to realize we are one linen short!

If possible, we even count linens days before the event. They’re usually shipped to my house and I physically take them out of the boxes to ensure everything’s there. This also gives us time to call the linen company in case something is missing.

Floral 

Now, let’s talk florals, which are such an integral part of wedding day décor. The florist is almost always the person responsible for the bouquets and bouts, it’s important to know that as planners we also need to take special care to ensure that all personal flowers stay fresh and are kept in a cool, air-conditioned spot before they make their way to the wedding party. This could be a walk-in fridge, especially on hot days. Going back to inventory, our wedding party coordinator always double-checks the number of personals we have on the day. 

The florist usually handles delivery, but there are times when our team steps in to bring the flowers to couple, wedding party, parents, etc. And flowers can deteriorate QUICKLY when not cared for well. Especially on hot days!For example, we aim to get the bridal bouquet to the bride just before portraits begin, and the bridesmaids receive their bouquets right before wedding party photos. For boutonnieres, either the florist or one of our team members will handle pinning them on. And just a quick tip here: when pinning boutonnieres, we always pin them with the needles criss-crossing horizontally so they don’t flap around. They basically make a fat X on the back of the lapel.

Details like these may seem minor, but they make a significant difference in how the flowers and boutonnieres look in photos and how comfortable the wedding party feels. We also know how much thought goes into these arrangements, and we want to make sure they’re presented perfectly.

Table Set Up

Once the event has wrapped up, our work isn’t done. We move into breakdown mode, packing up all supplies, equipment, and any personal items from the client. We need to be careful to handle each piece with care to prevent any damage during transport. Personally, we also take photos of each item we pack and note its location to make retrieval easier for the client later. If the client has a private suite, we make sure that all their belongings are safely delivered there by a designated time, usually around 11:10 pm, as guests begin to exit the reception. Finally, we load everything back into our transport vehicle, keeping it organized for an efficient departure from the venue. I also check in with the banquet captain how many bottles of wine were consumed. This is important if the venue charges by the bottle. Some packages are all inclusive but if there’s a tally, we need to make sure that it’s accurate when the final bill arrives.

Going back to rentals, just like when we arrived, we again take inventory of all napkins and tablecloths. We carefully count every single item to ensure that nothing is missing. If any of the linens got wet during the event, we keep them separate so they can air dry. We can’t send back moist linens because if they sit on a delivery truck in Miami in the heat, they will develop mold. And then the mold will spread to other tablecloths. And then the client will get charged. Trust me, you don’t want to have to tell the client when they get back from their honeymoon they owe over $800 because their guests wrecked the tablecloths.

These closing steps are just as important as setup because they’re our last chance to ensure that everything goes smoothly, even after the wedding is over. Plus, a smooth breakdown helps us maintain positive relationships with the vendor partners, setting us up for successful events in the future. So fellow wedding planner listeners–this matters more than you realize.