I notice that hiring a wedding consultant is at the top of the list. What exactly do they do? Do they help with decorations etc.? If you opt not to have a consultant or coordinator, do you then make all your own arrangements as far as finding a caterer, florist, band, decorator etc. Is the florist usually the decorator for the entire party and ceremony or is there a separate person to decorate and do the flower arrangements, corsages, bouquets etc.

Wedding coordinators usually have a variety of packages that you can pay for - some include the whole thing, from finding vendors and negotiating contracts, to spending the whole wedding day with you making sure everything goes as planned and actually doing the detail work. You don't have to have a coordinator. They work especially well for weddings in other locations from where the bride lives, brides with very busy work schedules, or for very large, elaborate weddings.

Yes, without one, you (or parents, etc.) do all the arrangements, find vendors, decide on decorations, etc.... Do it ALL. See the Advice section in EZWeddingPlanner for lots of ideas on what you need and how to do it (including contracts with vendors).

Florists usually will just deliver the flowers where you want them (perhaps several different locations), but don't always decorate or stay longer than just dropping off the flowers. Some may place altar flowers, aisle flowers, candle flowers, etc. in the correct place at the ceremony site. They may decorate your cake with flowers if it has already been delivered to the reception site before the florist gets there. It probably all depends on how much you want to pay them and for what services. Tell them what you want and ask what they will do and for what cost.

Some reception sites will decorate for you if you provide the decorations - some won't. Some provide table centerpieces free as part of the package deal and will set them up too. You will have to check on what's included when you book the site. There are also companies that you can hire to decorate the reception site - which can get very elaborate if you like - chair covers, ceiling/wall/window decorations, plants, theme stuff, etc.

Usually, the corsages, etc. are delivered to the ceremony site (by the florist) and then you have someone designated as the person to pin them on the correct people. The florist won't stay around for the wedding and do this.