One of my favorite scenes of The Wedding Planner starring Jennifer Lopez was the first 10 minutes of the film.  She is giving the bride the “You’re timeless” speech, telling the minister “nature must call back later we are starting soon.”  She then gets her assistant Penny to demolish the “dark tower choking the AV” and then asks for the FOB (Father of the Bride) to be sent over…wait…Penny sent him over 2 minutes ago. In wedding planner code she says to Penny: “cover me up front the FOB is MIA” then, in a calm, elegant fashion she stops the flower girl from walking down the aisle and tells her “Count to 100 then start again ok?” She then finds the FOB slightly intoxicated, sitting on the stairwell and is talking to himself.  Jennifer Lopez opens her jacket and has EVERYTHING down to crazy glue, q-tips and mineral water spray for his face!! Then when he asks who she is, she smiles pleasantly and says “I’m the Wedding Planner.”

I would watch this with stars in my eyes and think to myself… I want to be like that. Of course Hollywood has a knack for making it look that easy and glamorous but I’m sure my fellow planners can relate.  It is so important to be ready, whether you realize it or not how smoothly the entire day runs…is all on you.  One of the most important life-saving tools you will need if the wedding is of reasonable size, is an assistant. It doesn’t make you look inadequate but the truth of the matter is: there is one venue, one if not many picture taking sites, one reception hall and one you.  So unless you want to be crazy gluing your heel back together from running and spraying your face the mineral water because you are sweating-have another pair of hands and divide and conquer that wedding like a boss!  Another detrimental thing to not only have memorized but have a hard copy of for you and your assistant is the “Day of Itinerary”. Consider this to be your Bible for all intents and purposes.  For the “day of” you are: commander of the troops, time keeper, problem solver, possibly but hopefully not the Dr. Phil/Referee and the Queen of “plan B” and you better have one! Itinerary; have it, know it, breathe it, live it, love it- become “one” with it.

Another essential thing as a wedding planner that you should have for every day of is a “Wedding First Aid Kit”.  This kit should include a few things such as pins- safety and bobby, sewing kit, Tide stick, breath mints and band aids.  A more extensive list can be found at the bottom of this post- I hope you find it useful in solving saving dresses, shoes, freshly manicured nails and mishaps during the day!

Lastly and probably just as important- stay composed at all times. Everyone and their “friend’s brother’s godmother” will be looking for you, calling you and relying on you at all times and if you aren’t collected- it comes crashing down.  A few days before the wedding do your best to try and foresee any potential road blocks or possible problems that could arise and formulate your back up plan. Be sure to discuss things over with the bride and groom so they are aware and can help you determine what is feasible or the best course of action to take.   Communication is essential before hand as the bride and groom will be occupied with family, friends and enjoying their special day so it’s up to you to be ready see that it’s as happy and as stress free as possible!

Wedding First Aid Kit:

• feminine products
• clear deodorant
• clear nail polish (in case the panty hose gets a run),
• nail polish remover
• safety pins (in case the groom’s pants get a bust),
• tissue (in case you get teary),
• gum and mints (for in-close hugs and kisses),
• case of water
• bandaids/ Polysporin
• sewing kit
• refreshing face spray
• superglue
• double sided tape
• Stress Tabs- any drug store
• Hand sanitizer
• Tide stain removal
• Comb
• Bobbie pins
• Eye lash glue
• Boob padding
• Nail clippers/File
• Wet naps (for sticky fingers)
• Face blotting tissues
• Q-Tips
• Tweezers
• Razor