What a Luxury Wedding Planner Does Behind the Scenes: A Real Wedding Day Story

The Hour Before: How We Saved E&O’s Most Precious Ceremony Moment

An hour before E&O’s ceremony, unbeknown to them, one of the most deeply sentimental and important details of their wedding suddenly broke. Read on to discover why having an experienced wedding planner, with a cool head, a strong team and a clear, aligned understanding of your priorities can make all the difference when the unexpected happens…

There is a moment in every wedding I plan where I know, without question, exactly what matters most to my couple. For E&O, that moment was their ceremony.

I knew the importance, I had every cue mapped out for the musicians, every beat of the procession timed to the second & every chair positioned perfectly. Their officiant had sent me the wording earlier that week, I’d read it through and welled up. It was one of the most beautifully written ceremonies I’d worked on — and it was set to be deeply emotional, in the most beautiful way.

Both the bride and groom had sadly lost their fathers in recent years and understandably wanted to acknowledge these 2 very important people in their lives during their ceremony. On the front row, next to where their mothers would sit, we had placed two “in memory” chairs — dressed simply, with a small white bow, and a single calla lily resting in front of a beautiful silver frame that held a photograph of each Dad. Understated. Tasteful. Exactly right.

An hour before the ceremony, one of the frames fell. The glass cracked. I Froze.

I knew how important these photos and this moment was, I knew precisely what it meant to the couple. That’s the thing about working with a couple for over a year, you don’t just know their seating plan and their supplier list. You know what will bring them to tears in the best way, and what will quietly break their heart if it isn’t right.

Within seconds, well-meaning voices around me offered the obvious fixes: “Just take the glass out, no one will notice.” “Pop it in a different frame, it doesn’t need to match.”

I understood the sentiment, however at the level I work at, and knowing how important this moment was to the couple we would not cut any corners. Their ceremony had been considered so carefully, and this detail mattered so deeply, that the right solution was to restore it exactly as they’d intended.

The couple had a vision for their ceremony, and my role — the only role that matters in that moment — was to deliver it exactly as they had pictured it. Not almost. Not close enough. Exactly.

So I did what I always do when something goes wrong: I gave myself two minutes to think, not panic. I searched for a local frame shop. There was one, fifteen minutes away. I personally couldn’t leave, there was still a ceremony to finish setting, but I sent a member of my trusted team with the broken frame while I stayed on site. (Forever grateful to my incredible team!)

The gentleman in the shop cut a new pane of glass to the exact size. My team member was back with twenty minutes to spare before the first guest arrived. The photograph slotted back into place, and not a single person — not the bride, not the groom, not either mother — ever knew it had happened.

That, to me, is the job.

It isn’t just the mood boards or the running orders, though of course there are plenty of those. It’s what happens in the hour no one sees — when something breaks, physically or otherwise, and it gets fixed before it ever reaches you. You should never have to know your ceremony almost looked different. You should simply get to stand there, watching two frames holding the memory of your fathers, exactly as you imagined them.

E&O went on to have the most joyful, tear-soaked, laughter-filled weekend of celebrations. Their ceremony held the moment it was always meant to hold, and I am endlessly grateful that my team and I were trusted to make sure of it.

The true value of a luxury wedding planner is what your guests — and sometimes even you — never see. It is the peace of mind, knowing that an experience professional is capably managing every element of the day so you can be fully present with your loved ones, soaking in all the celebration, love and joy.

High level wedding planning isn’t simply about creating beautiful weddings (though of course that’s important too!), its about:

• Anticipating problem, knowing which moments are logistically or emotionally important in the smooth running of the celebrations and being especially well prepared for those key moment.
• Honing trusted relationships, having a strong team of capable people around you that are all passionate about being there to make sure the couple have the most magical day.
• Making decisions under pressure, never allowing any problems to become the couple’s issue.
• Protecting the guest experience, this is always key! Ultimately each couple has invited their favourite people to celebrate with them and they want to ensure they are all well hosted and have an incredible experience.
• Knowing the couple, knowing what is and also what isn’t important to them, this differs with each couple and I always make sure we have our couples priorities front of mind when running their special celebrations so we can manage everything just as they would want.

This is what it means to plan a wedding at the highest level — not just design, but complete, calm command of every detail, seen and unseen.

If you’d like to see more from this special celebration then be sure to check out their page on our Portfolio, the dinner table draping was absolutely stunning!

For couples planning a wedding where every detail matters, the greatest luxury is knowing it is being managed by someone capable that your trust. If you’re looking for a wedding planner who will take care of what you see, and everything that you don’t too, then I’d love to hear about your plans.

For real wedding ceremony inspiration for your own moodboard, you might like:

Read my guide to choosing your wedding planner.