The question I hear the most when talking to people is, " why should I hire a wedding planner or coordinator?"
Many brides have been planning their dream wedding their whole life and believe everything will be perfect. Even if you have the planning under control, you should not rule out a Day of Coordinator. There is no reason a bride should be stress out on their big day, and it is inevitable without someone their to be the "buffer". Let me explain.
There are many details on the big day. Yes, you have booked all your vendors, had all your meetings, and believe they know everything they need to know in order to have a smooth day. Unfortunately, something is going to happen or questions are going to arise and if you do not have someone to coordinate, they are going to have to ask you.
Now let's think this through.
You are getting ready. Your nerves are off the charts. You are about to marry the love of your life. You just want to relax with your girls. Have some mimosas. Get your hair done. Get your make up done. Get pictures taken of all the fun you are having in the dressing room. Or one of the most recent trends, make a TikTok with your bridal party.
The last thing you want is someone knocking on the dressing room door and asking where they are supposed to set up. Or a guest asking you were the bathroom is located.
And this is why you need a coordinator.
A coordinator not only makes your day easier, but also makes your vendors' experience much better. Vendors prefer having someone to go over the timeline with right before the wedding begins. They feel more comfortable being able to talk through everything and ensure everyone is on the same page. Coordinating between the venue manager, the photographer, the videographer, the ceremony signer, the dj, the caterer, the florist, the baker, and any other vendors can be a lot to handle for the bride. That is why you hand it over to a coordinator.
As a day of coordinator, I will handle it all. Before the wedding, I make sure that I have all of the vendors' contact information. That way if a vendor is running behind, or lost, or the worst, forgot or had the wrong day on the calendar, I can call them and find out their ETA or answer their questions about how to get where they need to be. The day before the wedding, I coordinate the rehearsal practices and ensure your bridal party is comfortable with when and where to walk to. I know you are probably thinking, "how hard can it be to walk and stand," but you would be surprised how difficult it may be to understand to some. On the day of, I arrive as soon as the venue allows. I talk to the venue manager or representative and ensure everything is in place and get any additional information that may be needed. Then I communicate with all of the vendors as they arrive and make sure they know where they are setting up. Where they should put their supply bags. Where to put the cake top box, so we have it when it is time to cut the cake. Where the bride and her girls are so the photographer can start getting ready pictures. Where the groom and groomsmen are to get their pictures or make sure they are even getting ready. I talk to the florist and make sure she knows where the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception are located. Making sure all the flowers are put in the right spot. Grabbing the bouquets and boutonnieres and getting them to the right place. Getting everyone lined up. Telling you when to walk. And so so much more.
But that is just the basics. Unfortunately, not every wedding day is flawless. Sometimes a table cloth is forgotten about. Or the cake is slowly sliding off its tier. Or a song is not playing and the dj is trying to figure it out. It is my job to fix that. Maybe I have to send someone to the local store and buy a linen. Or move up the cake cutting before it slides into the floor. Or distract the guests by moving up something else on the timeline while the dj solves the music problem. But these are not things that the bride wants to think about on her big day. She wants to have fun. Not worry.
Now we love a timeline. And we work for hours making sure it is perfect. But sometimes, the timeline gets rearranged. Maybe not because of the unfortunate circumstances as listed above, but maybe due to items getting done earlier. Maybe the photographer got all of the pictures done and you are ready to be announced into the reception earlier. Or maybe guests are starting to fade out, but we want to make sure you have plenty of people for your exit pictures. We can move the exit up to have a good crowd for the send off pictures, but we can always go back in and party after the pictures. I tend to recommend fake exits to my couples, but sometimes they want to keep it at the end and that is when we have to pay attention to how many guests are leaving.
All of your vendors want to ensure that your day is perfect. We all will do anything we can to make it flawless. Most vendors want you to have a wedding coordinator, so that they do not have to bother you with any issues on your big day.
So you decide... Do you think you should have a wedding coordinator on your big day?
