One of the most frequently asked questions we get is, “What exactly is a Wedding Coordinator?”
A Wedding Coordinator can be a life-saver for couples who thought they could do it alone and then closer to the wedding realize they, do in fact, need someone to come in and execute the details; and for couples who want to spearhead the planning of their wedding, but then recognize they don’t want to create the timeline, set up the venue, be the point-of-contact for vendors, handle the day-of nitty gritty details day-of, or leave this in the hands of their bridesmaids, maid of honor, mom, or even a close family friend. Remember, your family and friends are your guests, too. You want them to be able to relax, enjoy your wedding day right alongside you! Wouldn’t you rather have your mom and maid of honor getting ready and sipping on mimosas with you instead of telling the DJ where to set up or calling the bakery asking where the cake is when it hasn’t arrived on time?
To give you more insight on what we do as a Day-of Wedding Coordinator, I am sharing some answers to common questions we receive:
01. WHAT EXACTLY IS A WEDDING COORDINATOR?
As Wedding Coordinators, we coordinate the details and logistics of your wedding day to ensure that your entire day flows seamlessly from start to finish, making sure everything you’ve spent months upon months planning is executed exactly as you’ve always dreamed of.
02. DO WEDDING COORDINATORS REALLY JUST SHOW UP ON THE DAY OF?
In short, no. Professional Wedding Coordinators spend many, (many!) hours behind-the-scenes prior to your wedding day, from multiple one-on-one wedding planning meetings with you, communication with your vendors to coordinate their schedules and set up times, preparing a well-crafted timeline, working through your unique day-of details and logistics and overall game plan design to ensure your day is managed and executed flawlessly.
At FDE, we provide multiple levels of support to our clients with services tailored to their need, starting anywhere between the 3-18 month mark. Our ideal day-of clients are excited to plan their own wedding and have a love for the details. They feel fully capable of designing their wedding vision, booking all of the vendors, managing their budget, etc., but are looking for an expert to wrap up all the details with a pretty little bow. That is where we come in at Forever DeYoung Events. We are the team they can bounce ideas off of, help walk them through logistics, work through all of the moving pieces of their wedding day, create a timeline aligned with all vendors involved and ultimately bring their vision to life.
We also offer services for partial planning needs, in which we refer to as Design & Event Management. These clients typically want their hand in the planning process, but want a bit more assistance along the way to guide them through the planning process. We help reign in your vision, offer refined recommendations on vendors and design, attend vendor meetings, provide budget management support, and much more!
03. WHAT KIND OF COUPLE SHOULD CONSIDER HIRING A WEDDING COORDINATOR?
This may sound biased, but we strongly recommend every couple planning a wedding should hire a Wedding Coordinator. If you want to plan your entire wedding yourself, or you simply do not have the budget for a full-service Wedding Planner, the least you will want to do is hire someone who can handle the stress of the day. Someone with experience. Our clients invest in an experience that allows them to fully relax and be present with their family and their guests throughout their entire wedding day, having full confidence we’ve covered all the details. And THAT my friends, is worth every. penny. – trust us!
04. WHAT ALL CAN BE EXPECTED OF A WEDDING COORDINATOR?
Every wedding coordinator offers different packages, but depending on your service agreement, they will most likely meet multiple times to plan one-on-one with you and review final details of your day, send regular checklists and reminders for tasks to be completed or vendor payments that are due, attend (a few) vendor meetings, complete a venue walkthrough to get an idea of how you envision the space on your wedding day. They will create your day-of timeline, as well as a vendor timeline breaking down all the details regarding arrival times, setup and breakdown, photo and video timing, band/DJ timing, wedding day formalities, and all that your wedding day encompasses from start to finish. Prior to your wedding day, your Wedding Coordinator, will have contact with your vendors to review contracts and establish themselves as the day-of point-of-contact, so that YOU are not who the caterer is calling to let know they are stuck in traffic or asking for directions. Your Wedding Coordinator will also welcome and direct vendors upon their arrival, ensuring they setup in the correct location, floral arrangements are in the proper place, the boutonnières are pinned, the bouquets are dried and overall there to direct all of the questions and details that you as the couple aren’t even thinking of in the moment. They are there on-site during your wedding day to oversee it all and keep the day flowing according to the timeline throughout the entire event.
05. IS IT NECESSARY TO HIRE A WEDDING COORDINATOR IF MY VENUE ALREADY PROVIDES A VENUE COORDINATOR?
Again, we may sound quite biased, but yes we believe it is absolutely necessary to hire a Wedding Coordinator in addition to any venue personnel that may be on-site come wedding day. While we love our Venue Coordinators and find them extremely helpful, they typically play a different role day-of. They are not there to spend hours and hours behind the scenes focusing on your details and logistics of your wedding day, as your personal Wedding Coordinator would be. Venue Coordinators are oftentimes focused on the venue side of things (think in-house catering, security, venue maintenance, legal/rule following, parking, etc.) vs your timeline and design details.
If your venue claims they have a Venue Coordinator, you might need to identify exactly what this entails and what your needs are leading up to and on your wedding day. Here are a few questions you could ask that might give you a better idea of how hands on they might be for your day-of:
- When do services begin and when will we meet to review details and logistics of the day (such as timeline for the day)
- If a timeline is created, will this only cover the reception, or will it be designed to lay out the entire day? Is the timeline aligned with the photographer and videographer’s timelines? What about the DJ and/or Band with breaks? Will the timeline be communicated with vendors or would I be responsible for reaching out to each one prior to my wedding day?
- Is the Venue Coordinator responsible for setting up day-of decor? How will you ensure you are aware of what goes where?
- Do you conduct venue tours with prospective clients during the setup time of our wedding day? If so, who is managing the vendors and setup while you’re providing the venue tour?
- Do you help us manage ceremony processional? Will you be at our rehearsal?
- Do you help coordinate with the DJ/Emcee to cue songs and important moments throughout the event?
- How long are you there on the day-of? Do you help with teardown? Does someone else come in after dinner for the evening portion of my wedding day?
- Are you visible and walking around the reception or are you typically in the office in the event an emergency arises?
These questions will give you clarity on the Venue Coordinator’s role and help you determine your need for a Professional Wedding Coordinator.
06. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MYTH ABOUT WEDDING COORDINATORS?
That you don’t need one.
While we do understand a Wedding Coordinator or partial/full-service Wedding Planner might not fit into every budget, we encourage couples to think about what is most important to them on their wedding day. Do you really want to worry about every little detail throughout the day? Or would you rather be able to sit back with your bridesmaids and soak in every second of this special day?
We hope this shed a little bit of light on the benefits to having a Wedding Coordinator and provided you with a bit more knowledge on what exactly a Wedding Coordinator does!
Xo,
The FDE Team