Day of Coordinator

[Diamond Confused]

So th banquet manager at my reception venue seems to do a lot of the set up (folding napkins, placing table numbers and name card etc.) We were planning on having a day of but now aren''t too sure if we need one. What are your thoughts on day ofs

 

[ficklefaye]

our venue event manager will be taking care of a lot of the wedding set up and coordination, but one of my cousins will also be helping me with the vendors, making sure they get to where they need to be and she will call them in case they are running late or lost

 

[zipzapgirl]

I don''t think you *need* a day of coordinator, but you will need someone who knows what is going on to usher people around. If your caterer, reception hall manager, DJ or officiant is willing to do this as part of the package, that''s great.

Some of the times someone will need to take charge:

- Making sure everything is in place for the cermony/reception
- making sure everyone gets their flowers, esp family members and guys
- Getting everyone in place directly before the ceremony
- Organizing everyone for the formal pictures (having everyone mill around and the photographer point is inefficient and wastes dance time from the party!)
- Signaling for the first dance, cake cutting, toasts, bouquet toss, etc. events

Honestly, sometimes you might get caught up talking or cornered by a guest and need someone to tap you on the shoulder and get you to cut cake or eat something for goodness sake

Make sure you at least have an aunt or someone to do this.

After all, once you put on that white dress, your time of directing people is over and being part of the center of attention begins

 

[BigDiamonds]

Honestly, hiring a day-of coordinator was the best decision I made through the whole process. I found someone who wasn''t otherwise invited to the wedding, so I didn''t feel like I was preventing her from having a good time. I actually found her at work, she is the event planner for our company and plans things for our ultra-demanding CEO all the time. I figured that if she could do it for him, she could do it for me!

Having someone there through the whole day to make sure that everyone was in their place, on time, got paid, etc. made a huge difference. I knew if there were any problems she would just deal with it and find a solution. However, having someone that I really trusted made a huge difference - if it would have been someone I felt I needed to babysit, it wouldn''t have been worth it.

 

[omieluv]

Not a bad idea, given that they are supposed to help the event run smooth. I will definitely be looking into this option...

 

[septembergirl]

I used a day of coordinator because I wanted to relax and enjoy the day. Having been married before, with my first wedding about a decade ago I planned and organized everything. I remember feeling that day like I had to monitor how things were going, make sure the guests knew when to go in for dinner (my mom helped too) and it really stressed me out and got in the way of me having a good time. The reception vendor helped only so much.

The second time around, I splurged for a day of coordinator and it couldn''t have been better. We had three meetings before the wedding to take care of last minute items. She came with us to our DJ vendor meeting to help finalize song selections and she came with me and my mom to my hair appointment for the veil fitting. Then, she called all of the vendors the day before and prepared a set of final "day-of" schedules on paper and passed those out to the wedding party and the vendors, and then she and her staff of two kept everything running smooth. They kept the direction/flow of the wedding moving where at the ceremony, she cued us all for walking, then at the reception, she cued guests to move from the bar area to the dinner area; she kept track of gifts; packed up all of the cake and presents at the end... the list goes on! Even that morning, she showed up early to my bridal suite with breakfast for me and the wedding party. She really rocked and I loved having her because it allowed me to soak everything in, taking in all the moments, and just having a great time with family and friends. It was nice too because my mom didn''t have to remember to do tasks or anything--she too could enjoy herself and have fun.

Highly recommend one!

 

[Erinleigh]

Would anyone mind sharing how much a day of coordinator might cost? Would it be comparable to a wedding planner? I'm guessing it'd likely be less... I'm toying with the idea od hiring a wedding planner, but I suppose my biggest concern is just having things run smoothly the day of, so a coordinator might be the way to go!

 

[septembergirl]

Date: 7/22/2009 10:48:47 AM
Author: Erinleigh
Would anyone mind sharing how much a day of coordinator might cost? Would it be comparable to a wedding planner? I''m guessing it''d likely be less... I''m toying with the idea od hiring a wedding planner, but I suppose my biggest concern is just having things run smoothly the day of, so a coordinator might be the way to go!

My day of coordinator was $400.

 

[KatyWI]

One of my best friends is a wedding coordinator, so this is a luxury that I get for free.

But I know that she charges $1100 for her usual day-of services, and obviously more to help plan the wedding from top to bottom.

 

[BigDiamonds]

Date: 7/22/2009 1:16:37 PM
Author: KatyWI
One of my best friends is a wedding coordinator, so this is a luxury that I get for free.

But I know that she charges $1100 for her usual day-of services, and obviously more to help plan the wedding from top to bottom.

That is similar to what I have seen quoted for other day-of services. Mine was not professional, but I paid her $400.

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

Mine was 300$ for 4 hrs (setting up and the ceremony) - she left right after the ceremony ended.