FAQs: An Average Day as a Wedding Planner

Happy Monday bloggies! I hope you all had an incredible weekend and soaked up that gorgeous weather. We had another successful event on Saturday and it was the first of three up at Crooked Creek Ranch. So much more to share on that soon but first I wanted to add to the FAQ vault. I get a few emails from time to time about what a wedding planner really does and what a typical day looks like so I figured I’d share with you all. Also, let it be known that an average office day is night and day different from a day in the field on an actual wedding day. That sort of schedule is for a whole other post, but for now here’s a glimpse into my day. And just a little disclaimer, my day is certainly that; my own. Gotta love being your own boss, huh?

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6:30 am – Zoe our pup, wakes up bright and early, sometimes even at 6:00 am. Depending on the day and who is more sleepy (always me, I swear), Andrew or I will let her out for a bathroom break and feed her breakfast. I’ve never seen a living thing act so hungry in my entire life. If she’s lucky I’ll take her for a walk and then she goes back into her crate for some more zzz’s.

7:00 am – If I’m lucky I get to slink back to bed for 30 more minutes of sleep or take a shower, and slowly start to get my day started. If I do happen to skip going back to sleep, I really enjoy this part of my day the most. I can watch the sunrise behind our house and really bask in the gorgeous natural light that fills our home. I also love the sense of quietness that surrounds me during this time of the day.  Sometimes I’ll do a coffee and latte run for Apb and I or I’ll join him on the couch for five minutes where he can always be found watching Good Morning America (if he’s in fact the one who let Zoe out that morning).

9:00 am – My office hours officially start. I make sure as best I can that I’m in the office at my computer, phone turned on, ready for business! Sometimes I have my breakfast beside me, sometimes I’m in my house coat but I’m always ready to work. My morning has a lot to do with emails. Emails, emails, emails. This is 98% of what I do and is the one thing I rely on the most for staying organized and in the know. I try to dedicate three days a week to blogging but that’s a new schedule I’ve created and something that I am going to have to get used to as I move forward with a new balance. I make sure I start off each day with a clean and tidy office and a charged phone so I feel like nothing can hold me back from crossing off all of my to-dos!

11:30 – 12:30 – Depending on the day and how Zoe feels, I have to let her out for another bathroom break and feed her lunch. I try to take her for a quick walk around the block, remembering to dodge the ice cream truck that ironically passes by every day at this exact time. Sometimes we will play for a bit to get out some of that bottled up excitement and sometimes we will walk across the street to play with the neighbor’s dog. I’ll check the mail, call Andrew at work or if he’s working from home that day, he will take care of Zoe at lunch so I can work right on through with no distractions. High fives for sweet husbands.

12:45 pm – After I eat lunch, it’s back to work. My afternoon duties range anywhere from making more calls and confirming details with vendors, to organizing and answering more emails, picking up rentals for weekend events and prop building (my fave). I try to keep my afternoon filled with fun stuff so I don’t lose steam or get too tired quickly. I love putting on some music at this point in my day or even working from the kitchen so Zoe can play outside and still be within eye distance of me.

3:30 pm – Two words: Snack time.

5:00 pm – This is when I stop taking calls unless it’s an absolute emergency or from a client who is getting married that next weekend. I know 5:00 pm seems early and believe me this is still hard for me to do, but I have to create boundaries or I’d be making calls and taking them until midnight every day. I usually stick around in my office until 5:30 or 6:00 pm so I can prep for the next day, finish a prop I’m working on and get organized but for the most part nothing is being sent from my end. I also use this time to draft up emails for the next day. I love love love doing this because the next day when I press send, it’s bliss.

5:30 – 9:30 pm – Andrew and I eat dinner, play with Zoe, go on date night and sometimes hit the gym. We’ll get caught up on laundry, run errands together, watch TV, do yard work. You know, just be normal and enjoy doing normal things. I am slightly obsessed with spending time with Apb. Seriously though, I call him way too many times to list throughout the day and really just love knowing he’s physically close to me. When he gets home I think I’m more excited to see him than Zoe.

10:00 pm – I try to wind down for the night, shower, check emails one last time, blow dry my hair if I need to for the next day. Andrew and I love talking about our goals for the next day during this time and sometimes he’ll just chat with me before I drift off to sleep. I almost always go to bed before he does so he’ll let me drift off before he heads back downstairs to watch t.v. and let Zoe out once last time before he comes up to bed. I am a huge believer is a good night’s sleep so bed time is my fave.

Also, the above listed schedule isn’t what happens every single day. Sometimes we have puppy classes, doctor appointments, copious amounts of Hobby Lobby trips to make, vendor appointments in Detroit or Traverse City, tons of late night Skype dates with my clients who work 9:oo to 6:00, shoots, and other fun or non-fun things to do that may throw the above for a loop. And then there’s my weekend schedule, which is crazy enough to make you wanna pop two Advil’s just reading it and I’ll share that soon. But I love my schedule and couldn’t imagine doing it any other way with any other crazy cool fam.

Yeah Chenks and Zoe aren’t quite the best of friends yet. And I’m working on my tan I promise (it looks like I PAINTED my legs that white, my goodness). The photo though is by the incredibly awesome Kelly Braman from a little something we recently did together. Go see her awesome website wouldya?! And tell me below, what’s the best part of your day? xoxo