We all know what a wedding planner is. After many Hollywood movies, we know what role a wedding planner plays in a wedding and how she or he supports the bride and groom on their special day. But what is a wedding coordinator or day of coordinator? How is he or she different from a wedding planner?
This article explains what a wedding coordinator does and also gives you 7 reasons why you need one for your wedding.
What is a wedding coordinator and what is the difference between a wedding coordinator and a wedding planner?
Contrary to a wedding planner, a wedding coordinator supports the bride and groom mostly on their wedding day. Thus, the time frame of the service is more limited and the wedding coordinator will not be involved in the entire wedding planning process. A wedding coordinator is therefore the perfect addition for your self-planned wedding. You can tap into expert advice and turn your wedding from great to legendary!
The cooperation between a day of coordinator and the couple usually starts some weeks ahead of the wedding. The wedding coordinator will put in some hours before the wedding, but the biggest chunk of the time will be spent on the wedding day itself. Before the wedding, the day of coordinator will discuss the entire wedding with the bride and groom by going through every detail and making sure he or she understands the vision and planning of the event. The wedding coordinator will ensure you haven't forgotten anything, will reach out to all booked suppliers to double-check final details and then create a schedule for the wedding day. On the wedding day, the day of coordinator will make sure the day runs absolutely smoothly - from setting up the decoration before your guests arrive to timing your first dance with the DJ. He or she will make sure you have absolutely nothing to worry about and even if something doesn’t go as planned: You'll likely not even notice, because it's already taken care of!
7 reasons why you should book a day of coordinator for you wedding
Of course, a wedding coordinator comes at a cost that you will have to fit into your overall wedding budget. However, the coordinator will cost less than a full wedding planner. If you are still indecisive about booking a wedding coordinator - here are 7 reasons why a day of coordinator is a valuable asset for your big day.
1. Ease the burden for bride and groom
Any questions the service personnel might have, last minute problems or unforeseeable situations that arise will be taken care of by the wedding coordinator. That means that you are essentially putting a buffer between yourself and anything that might disturb your wedding day. You don’t have to worry about solving the problems yourself and can continue to enjoy the party with your loved ones. In most cases you won’t even notice something is wrong!
2. Ease the burden for family & friends
Not only do you want yourself to enjoy your wedding day, but you’d like all your guests to do the same. Wedding To Do's are often delegated to the maid of honor and best man, who in turn will be stressed out making sure everything goes smoothly. They will be the location’s and supplier's go-to person for questions and problems. But what if they have never organized a big event? They might not even know how to deal with whatever might be happening. A wedding coordinator has planned and executed weddings multiple times and will make sure that both you and your bridal party have their backs free to enjoy the wedding!
3. Turn your vision into reality
You’ve spent days, months and maybe even years planning your wedding. You’ve shed tears and sweat, missed dinner with friends and had no me-time whatsoever. What if your wedding doesn’t turn out the way you imagined it? Your day of coordinator will make sure that it does! As an event expert, the coordinator will take everything that you've planned, align the last details, give advice, have last minute discussions with your suppliers and ultimately put your vision into reality!
4. Personal fire extinguisher and solution finder
I love events because there is always a chance that something doesn’t go as expected - even with the best plan and preparation! There might be thunderstorms, the cake might not be delivered on time, the seating chart could be missing, the napkins might be delivered in black instead of white and the polaroid camera's batteries are dead. Imagine your stress on the wedding day in any of those scenarios - you’d be freaking out even if it weren’t your own wedding! That’s why a wedding coordinator makes sense: You have the support of a professional that knows how to find quick solutions and put out fires.
5. Point of contact for your guests
Naturally, your guests will have questions. Frequently asked questions could be: Where are the toilets? Can I park here? Where is my seat? When is the first dance? Where can I leave the gift? How long is the food going to take? Instead of asking around and not getting anywhere, your guests can be pointed to the wedding coordinator and will almost always get an answer - with a smile! You’re not only booking a wedding coordinator, you are also getting a friendly guest relationship manager.
6. Access to an established network of wedding suppliers
Not only are you buying a service, you’re tapping into a wide network of wedding suppliers. You might not see any value in this until your DJ cancels last minute or your florist comes down with the flu. In that case, your wedding coordinator will be able to pull up a little black book full of other suppliers to call right away!
7. Flexible support
Contrary to your wedding location and dress, you don’t need to decide on a wedding coordinator right away. A wedding coordinator can be onboarded at a later stage of your wedding planning. However: Even if the wedding coordinator is able to accomodate you on short notice, many wedding coordinators might already be booked throughout the season. Keep that in mind and don’t wait until the last minute!
Did reading this article make you go like “OMG I need this?”
Then get in touch! We’ll get to know each other - no strings attached - and discuss how I can support you on your special day. No matter if you’re looking for a wedding coordinator in Cologne, Munich, Germany or somewhere else entirely - I’d love to be part of your journey.
Marie