MADELINE HOCKLEY WEDDINGS

Lead Planner Job Description

Job Posting - Lead Planner

Madeline Hockley Weddings

Company: 

Madeline Hockley Weddings was created in 2016 and is a wedding planning company located in Gravenhurst ON. We service 20+ weddings every year around Muskoka. We offer partial and full planning packages as well as event management (a base level package that starts 3 months before their wedding date). 

Madeline Hockley is the CEO and lead planner, currently overseeing all full planning and some partial planning clients. We have a small team of lead planners, administrative assistants, and lots of day-of assistants! Our goal is to continue to grow the number of available  lead planners and day-of assistants to serve the Muskoka area with excellence.

Our Mission:

We believe weddings should be FUN. We believe you deserve to be CELEBRATED. We are hospitality-obsessed. Our “secret sauce” and what sets us apart from other planning companies is the warm, kind, and excellent customer service we provide. We believe clients and guests forget the logistics but they’ll never forget how we made them feel. From our CEO to day-of-assistants we revolve around making our clients feel seen, loved, and encouraged in their planning process.

The copy below is from our website. It is extremely important that anyone applying for the lead planner position must fully agree with it. 

“At our core we love people. We believe you are worthy and your love story is worth celebrating no matter your design style, guest count, or venue choice. This desire to honour you fuels every decision and interaction we have. It’s how we stand out from other planning companies. Not only are we logistics experts and can design amazing tablescapes, we also care about you, your family, and friends and want nothing more than for you to adore your wedding day. Our team is trained to ask ourselves constantly “How can we serve you? How can we serve your guests? How will we go above and beyond for this couple?” When guests approach us our first response is “How can we help?” and it’s not a facade, we genuinely can’t wait to help! We take on the stress and inevitable interruptions that occur because we desire that you look back on your wedding day with fondness, knowing your planning team really wanted the best for you!”

We believe from the moment the client signs the contract to their wedding day, they will experience an unmatched level of hospitality and care. The lead planner will work directly with clients, bringing their vision to life.

Location: 

Muskoka

  • We service Simcoe-Muskoka and if the fit is right, we will travel anywhere in Ontario. We tend to work within an hour’s drive from Gravenhurst ON. 

  • Primarily we service: Barrie, Simcoe, Orillia, Oro, Huntsville, Parry Sound, Bracebridge, and Gravenhurst. We work with incredible venues in this area and do a lot of cottage/private property weddings.

  • You will most likely meet your couples the Friday before their wedding when you run the rehearsal and do the check-in meeting. All prior hours and communication will be over email, phone, and video calls during the week. 

Requirements:

A desire to serve clients with unmatched hospitality

  • Experience in customer service 

  • Wifi or internet access

  • Computer/Laptop for emails and video calls

  • Printer to print timelines, hard copies are required on the wedding day

  • Good understanding of Google Suites (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Sheets, etc.) or attitude to learn

  • Able to serve the Muskoka area (depart from weddings around 11 pm and drive home)

  • Available to work Fridays and Saturdays in Muskoka from May-October

  • Understand the goal is to be a lead planner for 6-10 weddings per year from May-October 

  • Understand the commitment that one wedding is an average of 30 hours 

  • Must be a team player with fellow wedding vendors

  • Ability to problem solve on the spot with a positive “can do” attitude 

  • Able to work 12+ hour wedding days

  • Must be available for the 2024 and 2025 wedding season (as we book 2025 now) and have a desire to stay with the company

Preference will be given:

  • Previous experience in the wedding industry or event planning experience

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Execute our Event Management Package

  • Client Transition:

    • Conduct a phone meeting with Maddie 4 months before the wedding to transfer clients over.

    • Work closely with Maddie to understand the client's vision and details of their wedding.

  • Event Planning and Client Communication:

    • Collaborate with clients through two video meetings to gather information and transfer responsibilities.

    • Develop timelines and final to-do lists for each wedding.

    • Perform administrative tasks, including creating files and managing vendor and venue communications.

  • Vendor Coordination:

    • Initiate contact with vendors, introducing yourself and confirming arrival times and setup needs.

    • Act as the main point of contact for vendors leading up to and on the wedding day.

  • Rehearsal and Wedding Day Execution:

    • Conduct a check-in meeting with the client the night before the wedding to ensure all details are in order.

    • Run the wedding rehearsal the day before the wedding.

    • Set up, lead, and coordinate the wedding day activities, addressing any issues that may arise.

    • Ensure a smooth event, starting around 10am ending 10-11pm on the wedding day.

  • Flexibility and Growth:

    • Work approximately 30 hours per wedding over a 3-month period, with some variation based on specific wedding needs.

    • Opportunity to work 6-10 weddings per year, with the potential for growth if desired.

    • Willingness to assist with larger full plan clients on 2-3 Saturdays

Pay + Hours:

  • You will be paid per wedding you take on

  • For each wedding you will be paid $950.00

  • Example only: Approximate hours per wedding: 30 - estimated hourly wage: $31.67

  • Average 6-10 weddings: approximate hours: 180-300 hours

Start Date: 

Onboarding and paid training in the 2024 off-season (February-May) and able to take on weddings independently summer and fall of 2024 and commit to the full 2025 wedding season.

Next Step:

If you feel this is a great opportunity, please email Kerri at office@madelinehockley.com with your resume, why you’re interested in working for MHW, and why you feel you’re a good fit. We will respond to all applications and will move forward with select applications for a video interview.