(And Why Choosing Between a Full-Service, 90-Day, or Day-Of Wedding Planner Truly Matters)
When it comes to crafting a flawless wedding day, few decisions impact your photography experience more than your choice of planner. Whether you hire a full-service wedding planner, a 90-day coordinator, or a day-of planner, the level of planning support can dramatically shape the flow of your timeline, your stress levels, and ultimately the artistry your photographers are able to capture.
At Coastal Chic Studios, we’ve seen firsthand how seamless collaboration between photographers and planners transforms a day from “well-run” to effortlessly magical. Here’s how each type of planning service works and how choosing the right one can help your photography team focus entirely on what matters most: the love, the laughter, and the timeless story unfolding before the lens.
Full-Service Wedding Planner: A Complete Journey from Vision to Vows
A full-service planner like Tara Skinner Events guides you through every stage of your engagement from venue scouting and vendor selection to design, logistics, and execution. They’re your creative director, logistics expert, and advocate all in one.
When working with full-service planners, they typically build the entire master timeline from beginning to end. This includes pre-ceremony preparations, transportation details, ceremony logistics, and reception transitions.
For the photography team, this means:
- We’re brought in early to align our creative flow with the planner’s master schedule.
- The planner ensures we have time and lighting to create intentional portraits, whether it’s during your first look at The Wayne Mansion, or your golden-hour portraits in Lafayette Square.
- Communication channels remain open and streamlined, allowing your photographers to focus purely on artistry rather than timeline troubleshooting.
Some full planners prefer that we fill in photo assignments only if a couple has unique wishes, others build in the industry-standard flow (bridal prep, groom prep, ceremony, portraits, reception). Either way, this collaboration ensures that every meaningful moment is accounted for, beautifully.
90-Day Coordinator: The Perfect Middle Ground
A 90-day planner (sometimes called a “partial planner”) steps in around three months before your wedding to tie up loose ends, finalize logistics, and refine your existing plans.
For couples who enjoy hands-on planning but want professional support to bring everything together, this option is a wonderful balance.
In these cases:
- The couple often initiates the general timeline, and the planner then refines it for flow and vendor coordination.
- Photography timelines (like our with and without First Look templates) are integrated during this phase to ensure the best lighting, efficient transitions, and emotional pacing.
- This option gives us time to collaborate directly with your planner to ensure that the photo experience feels intentional, not rushed or fragmented.
For example, a 90-day planner might ensure that your trolley ride with Old Savannah Tours aligns perfectly with your golden-hour portraits in Chatham Square, making every frame as cinematic as it feels in person.
Day-Of Planner (or Coordinator): The Logistics Lifesaver
A day-of coordinator joins the team about 4–6 weeks before your wedding to take over vendor communication and manage logistics on the wedding day itself.
While they’re not involved in early design or vendor selection, their role is still crucial, especially for photography.
Here’s how:
- They ensure vendors arrive on time, details are set, and the event runs smoothly, freeing us from logistical distractions.
- We typically create the full photography timeline ourselves, coordinating directly with the couple or day-of planner to ensure coverage is seamless.
- This setup allows us to stay focused on composition, emotion, and storytelling, not the clock.
For couples having intimate weddings or elopements, this can be a perfect fit. But for larger celebrations with multiple venues or elaborate details, a more hands-on planner often ensures smoother transitions and fuller creative coverage.
Why Planning Support Matters for Your Photography Team
Simply put: the more structured your planning team is, the more freedom your photographers have to create.
When a planner manages logistics, transportation delays, vendor setup, ceremony timing, or weather pivots, your photography team can fully immerse themselves in documenting the genuine moments that make your day uniquely yours.
This partnership also influences the emotional tone of your gallery. When couples feel calm and cared for, the images radiate that ease. It’s why we always encourage our clients to invest in professional planning, it’s one of the most effective ways to elevate your entire wedding experience.
Sample Timeline Insight: With vs. Without a First Look
Based on our Coastal Chic Studios timeline questionnaire and templates:
- With a First Look:
Your day begins earlier, with dedicated portrait sessions before the ceremony. This allows more relaxed family photos post-ceremony and an uninterrupted cocktail hour. Planners help structure the morning prep and transportation so everything flows naturally. - Without a First Look:
The schedule builds around the ceremony start time, with most portraits following immediately after. Here, precise coordination is essential, the planner and photography team work closely to manage light, transitions, and family grouping efficiency.
These differences illustrate why having the right planning support ensures that no moment feels rushed and no image opportunity is missed.
Most-Asked Questions About Wedding Planning & Photography
Q: Do I really need a full-service planner if my venue includes a coordinator?
A: Venue coordinators oversee their property, not your full wedding experience. A planner manages your entire event — design, vendors, and timing across multiple locations (like prep at The Wayne Mansion, ceremony downtown, and a reception at the River View Penthouse).
Q: Will a planner change my photography timeline?
A: Not necessarily. A good planner enhances your photography schedule by ensuring each phase happens on time and with ideal lighting.
Q: What’s the best time to hire a planner?
A: As early as possible! Full planners are often booked 12–18 months in advance. Even if you’re leaning toward a 90-day option, reserving your team early ensures alignment with your photographers and venue.
Final Thoughts
Your photography experience is shaped by more than just who’s behind the camera, it’s shaped by how your entire day unfolds. A talented planner allows us to be fully present in the creative process, capturing fleeting emotions and timeless beauty without logistical stress interrupting the flow.
Whether you’re planning a luxury destination wedding in Savannah, an elegant coastal celebration in Hilton Head, or an intimate Lowcountry gathering, investing in the right planner ensures your story is captured with artistry, ease, and intention.
At Coastal Chic Studios, we believe every wedding deserves to be captured with artistry, intention, and heart. With years of experience photographing luxury celebrations across Savannah, Hilton Head, and Charleston, our team brings a calm, creative presence that allows couples to stay fully immersed in the joy of their day. From intimate “first looks” beneath the oaks of Savannah’s historic squares to golden-hour portraits along the Hilton Head shoreline, we work seamlessly with your planner to ensure every meaningful moment unfolds beautifully and effortlessly. Our passion lies in transforming real emotion into timeless imagery, the kind you’ll treasure for generations. When you entrust your story to Coastal Chic Studios, you’re choosing more than photographers, you’re choosing a team dedicated to your experience, your vision, and the art of preserving your love story with elegance and grace.
