Category Archives: Wedding Time line

Why Day-of Coordination Doesn’t Really Exist  

Lately, we have been getting lots of inquiries asking for just “Day-of” services.  Day-of Coordination doesn’t really exist.  Month-of Coordination is the service that is required.

Many couples believe that they can plan their own wedding and simply have a coordinator show up on the day of the wedding and jump in.  Then came the newer planners, who decided to offer this service at a lower price to build a portfolio.  Long ago, we admit we did the same thing, but not for long as we realized that this simply doesn’t work. Keep reading and I will explain.

Experienced Wedding Planner

Experienced Wedding Planners have been in business for years and are professionals at identifying every potential issue that can arise at your wedding. They are able to manage all vendors prior to and on your wedding day.  They are also very resourceful, problem solvers, and calm under stressful situations. They built relationships with many of the vendors in town, along with venues.  Most importantly, they are licensed and insured.

Inexperienced Wedding Planner

They are most likely starting up their business and may only have a few weddings under their belt.  Knowledge of contracts and timelines is lacking along with insurance and being licensed.

In order for a Wedding Planner to be successful at your event, the following should be considered:

1. Your Planner needs to know who all of your vendors are and have read the contracts. They also need to understand each of their duties, what exactly they were contracted for, setup times and start times.  I can’t tell you how many things we catch just by reading the contracts.
2. The Planner should know all of the aspects of the venue. This is a MUST!  It is mandatory that the planner have a walk through with the venue manager prior to the wedding to finalize the floor plan, load in and out location, electrical outlets, extra equipment, etc.
3. Planners also are in charge of drafting a timeline for your wedding day. This is distributed to all of your vendors to follow, but may also need to be adjusted in real time if problems arise.
4. What about rehearsal? Your Wedding Planner will direct your rehearsal.  Do not expect the venue manager to do this unless they are specifically contracted to do so. 
5. And then there are your wedding decorations. The favors, welcome table, cake serving set, escort cards, etc.  Your Wedding Planner will obtain these items from you ahead of time so that they can review and inform you if there is anything missing.

Costs of a Wedding Coordinator

So the most popular question asked is, why does it cost so much? Let me break it down.

Note that this doesn’t include business expenses such as assistants, insurance, licenses, and other overhead costs. So next time you ask a Wedding Planner to drop their pricing, you are asking them to work for an average of $4 an hour. Providing Month-of Services allows us to provide the correct level of service and professionalism that allows you to have the best day of your life.