[Wedding Planning 101] | The Truth Behind “Day of Coordination”
daytoremember.net | Daniel Colvin Photography | The Four Seasons Hotel | Houston, Texas | A Day To Remember Houston Luxury Wedding Planning and Design
Often, we are asked if we offer “day of coordinator” services. The answer is a resounding NO!
What we DO OFFER is Wedding Management. If you really think about it, no coordinator is going to just show up on the day of your wedding and automatically know what needs to happen on YOUR wedding day!
As you’re going down your list of coordinators to call, you will most certainly find start-up companies, or “side-hustle” coordinators who do offer this service. Seasoned professionals will steer away from executing an event without any type of history. Why? Quite simple…so many issues could go wrong. Think about it, when anything goes wrong at a wedding, who is the person people think of immediately? The coordinator! Our reputation is on the line, so we need to ensure we avoid such disasters. Not having a history or background on your event, is a recipe for such disaster — you deserve the best service for such an important day!
We’ve heard all the pushbacks before, and we continue to hear them, time and time again. So, before you think to yourself, “That’s not the case with me. I’ve got this!” Read on with our responses to the most popular pushbacks:
I’m very organized, I’m Type-A and want to plan my wedding:
Hey, we’re all for organized couples, especially if you are detail-oriented! High five! The reality is, you will only be planning one wedding [maybe two – yes, we’ve had amazing repeat clients!]. Regardless of how detailed and organized you are, creating a master timeline [not just of your day, but factoring in all the vendors, from food, photography, décor set up times, etc.], as well as reconciling all of the details taking place in the last few weeks, needs to be factored.
Most vendors will have their own individual timelines, but will they all match? No. They are focused on their part, not on the full day. Peter doesn’t know what Paul is dealing with, a recipe for disaster if there is minimal to zero communication.
We are well versed in what questions need to be asked, anticipate issues which may arise and detect those nasty red flags which will arise! Think of us as the conductor at the symphony. Our job is to orchestrate the vendor team, the wedding party members and you and your soon-to-be spouse, creating a wonderful movement!
Still not convinced? Completely understandable. Here are two wonderful supporting articles:
We have a small budget, we can only hire someone for the day:
We totally get it! Weddings can definitely get pricey, regardless if you’re aiming for an extravagant or not-so-extravagant fête! Our philosophy is to maximize and give you more bang for your buck! We’re not here to recommend the cheapest or the most expensive vendors, we are here to give you the best quality and service for your budget!
When we’re commissioned from the beginning of the planning stages, we definitely end up saving our couples money and time, not to mention, alleviate the stress level factor. Can you really put a price on peace of mind?
When you’re searching for a coordinator, you can expect to spend anywhere between $2K - $3K for seasoned coordinators. I know, you’re thinking, “why so much for 8 hours of service on my wedding day?” [NOTE: Event Management usually entails a minimum of 40+ hours of work.] We ARE the vendor bringing your day together, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Did you know your other vendors don't really like working weddings that haven't been vetted by a planner? Why? Vendors aren't giving 100% to their jobs, since they end up picking up the slack on the wedding day as troubleshooting occurs.
Think about it: You invest, say $6K on your amazing photographer, but you only end up with a $5K value, because a huge portion was focused on managing a timeline. The reality is, your photographer should have been focusing on documenting those in-between moments. As coordinators, we are running a legitimate business. As a business, we factor in salaries, rent,
taxes, other business-related costs into our pricing. As much as we love our job, we do have bills to pay! 😊With only so many weekends in a year and not working every weekend, it's just not feasible for a professional to sustain on anything less. All for a position considered
in the Top Ten Most Stressful jobs in the country, amongst C-Suite execs and first responders. Crazy, right?! You can’t deny we love and are passionate about our career!All this to say, you really can't afford NOT to hire the professional who will vet everything for your BIG day. We can promise you, this is not a sales pitch. If we’re not the coordinator for you, we totally get it! We’re not for everyone and not every couple is right for us! One of our goals is to educate our couples on what it really takes to ensure each wedding runs smoothly. In the end, we want everyone to have the wedding they truly deserve!
I’ve already hired all my vendors, I’ve created the timeline. Really, all I need is someone there to manage/execute our day. Can you adjust your pricing to accommodate?
Short answer: NO.
Hiring your own vendors and creating your own timeline actually generates more work for us.
Full disclosure: Our vendor recommendations are not factored into any of our pricing. We want nothing more than to have our couples hire vendors from our Preferred and Vetted List – that would make our job so much easier. We don’t believe in forcing any of our couples into something they aren’t comfortable, so we will never force any of our couples to use our Preferred Vendors.
If our Preferred Vendors aren’t hired, we will be spending more time learning these vendors’ process and method of operation. We have, surprisingly, encountered some vendors who really do dislike working with coordinators, which is sad. We find these type of vendors are usually in the practice of including “a coordinator” in their package. Are they really full coordinators, and will they offer the full service an event manager will offer? These are questions you need to ask. Better yet, ask exactly, “What is included in these coordinator services?”
We are well versed with how timelines should be designed, and every timeline our couple brings to us, we adjust and rearrange, as many important details are forgotten or left out. We aren’t just here to create timelines, we’re here to reconcile the final logistical details, review vendor contracts to ensure we’re familiar with the services to be provided and making sure you didn’t forget to add any specific services.
We have been in business for 20 years and take great pride in our work. We have designed a successful process, have detailed worksheets to cover all the bases. Each wedding is unique and comes with its own set of important details, so our goal is to ensure we understand your vision and how your wedding should be executed. Coming in without any prior history of your wedding sets both of us for failure and failure is just not an option for us!
We get it, you’ve done all the work in planning your wedding. Last thing you need is someone showing up on the day of your wedding without prior knowledge and have your wedding ruined — didn’t you just have another wedding nightmare? We want you and your mom, maid of honor, wedding party, sibling, etc. having a blast on your wedding, without stressing over the details.
We always say, “The devil is in the details!”
Question is: Will you be leaving your important day to a beginner or hobbyist coordinator, or will you be more at ease with a seasoned coordinator?
Can you really put a price on peace of mind?