For plannersRSVP
Outsourcing guest management: a guide for wedding and event planners
Why wedding planners hand over RSVPs, hotel desks and guest transport, what to keep in house, and how to brief the team that looks after your guests.
Most wedding planners are good at what clients see first: the concept, the design, the vendors and the family. Looking after hundreds of guests is a different job. It means hundreds of phone calls, rooming lists that change every day, a desk open from 7am to midnight, and cars at every flight. The work grows with the guest list, whatever the budget, and it lands on the same weekend as everything else.
So many planners bring in a team for it. Here is how to decide what to hand over, and how to make it work.
Why do planners outsource guest management?
- Busy weekends. October to March weekends pile up. Your own team can’t staff three hotel desks and a hundred airport runs on the same day.
- Specialist work. RSVP calling, rooming lists and dispatching cars each need their own skills and systems.
- One team to answer to. One partner responsible for everything guests see is easier to manage than five separate vendors.
- Clear pricing. A price for each service is easy to add to your client’s budget.
What to hand over, and what to keep
| Hand over | Keep in house |
|---|---|
| RSVP invitations, reminders and follow-up calls | The client relationship and key decisions |
| Rooming lists and hotel coordination | Concept, design and décor direction |
| Hospitality desks, welcome hosts and shadows | Choosing and negotiating with vendors |
| Airport pick-ups, shuttles and VIP cars | The overall run sheet and timeline |
| Welcome hampers, placed in the rooms | Final approval on anything guests will see |
How to brief your guest team
- The run sheet. Functions, venues, timings and how they connect.
- The guest list and who owns it. Who sends updates, and in what format.
- Priorities and VIPs. Elders, family members who need a shadow, guests with accessibility needs.
- Style. How guests should be greeted, what staff wear, and how the desk speaks on the family’s behalf.
- Who decides. What the team can decide on the day, and what comes back to you.
One contact on each side
What helps most is two named people who talk every day before the event: your lead and theirs. Everything goes through them, so vendors, the hotel and the client all hear the same plan.
Your client should see one event run by one team. Who does which part is up to you.
What to expect on the weekend
- Final RSVP numbers for each function, a week before.
- A staffed hotel desk with arrival sheets, itineraries and room lists.
- Shadows with the couple and the elders, briefed on the timings.
- Someone at every flight, and shuttles running on time.
- Their lead on site reports to your lead and keeps them informed.
How Plan it Better works with planners
Wedding companies and event planners, including Meragi, The Wedding Company, Panigrahana Weddings, Shanqh Luxury Events and Ambaari, have brought us in to look after their guests. We run RSVP management, hospitality teams and logistics to your brief and timeline, with staff who speak English, Hindi and Kannada and more than 150 vehicles. See how we work with planners.
