Day of Coordination
Every engagement season, the calls and inquiries roll in from excited couples looking for day of coordination for their wedding. I get it, the industry gets it, but experienced wedding planners and coordinators will continue to offer education to couples and vendors around what this actually means.
Meg Adamik
Day of Coordination - often an expectation that a professional wedding coordinator can show up the day of the wedding and “make the wedding go smoothly.”
Why it’s not realistic:
Imagine planning your honeymoon and you book a flight ticket to get you to your destination. Your expectation is that you show up, the pilot shows up, and you’re safely on your way to paradise… what about your packing list, the ride to the airport, security, the coffee barista, the mechanic, air control, the flight plan, the weather…?
As a professional, I know that showing up the day of your wedding will not allow me to offer much value. Sure I can check on the vendors and get you down the aisle, but without a relationship, timeline, layouts, vendor contracts and my own run of show, there will be a million loose ends that unravel throughout the day simply because I don’t know about them. Coordinators wouldn’t do this work unless they loved it, and I assure you, I love my job when I get to know my couples and we invest in each other in the journey to the wedding day.
As a couple planning their wedding, you are hard at work and doing your best with the information and resources you have. I come with so much more of that goodness and when I don’t have the opportunity to share that you, you lose out on the benefits (sleeping at night, timing your RSVP deadline appropriately, hitting your stationery print deadlines, getting down the aisle on time, etc). Frankly, wedding coordinators have to be ready to coordinate your plan, not the professional plan they work through with planning clients.
As a team, we work collaboratively to honor your wedding vision and offer pragmatic support from our years of experience. I once had a couple ask “What would we be missing out on if we didn’t hire you?” Fair question, but I’m not at weddings that I wasn’t hired for. I do sometimes get a glimpse of the chaos as an officiant and sometimes those couples have a coordinator and there are still hiccups. I hold my level of support to a high standard and hope that the education I provide can help couples understand why day of coordination isn’t realistic. Not to reputable professionals who have your best interest in mind.
Here are some of our couples reviews of our coordination services that started much earlier than day of.
“Rebecca is an incredible planner and coordinator, I would wholeheartedly recommend her and her team to help you make your wedding day as stress-free as possible. We brought Rebecca on as a coordinator and she was invaluable for helping us tie up loose ends (there were many!) and get the whole vendor team ready for a smooth event. We did a few non-traditional things, had various family and friends helping, and the event was in a venue Rebecca was new to -- and she pulled everything off seamlessly! Or, at least that was my experience as the bride, which says a lot! You will not regret one penny spent on Rebecca's kind, attentive, and amazingly organized planning/coordinating. I was pulling my hair out trying to plan a wedding during an intense and stressful season at work, and really not enjoying the process. After bringing Rebecca on, things got so much better, and she was there to problem-solve, manage vendor questions and coordination, and generally kept me sane (i.e. No, I didn't need to be scouring Facebook for a card box if the idea filled me with dread. She'd check to see if the caterer had a basket we could use). I am completely and blissfully unaware of any problems that might have arisen the day of the wedding, and I truly believe that is because of Rebecca's planning and help.” - Bride Megan
Layla Eloa
“We used Rebecca as a partial coordinator (90 days leading up to the wedding), and it was the best decision we made throughout the planning process. Rebecca went above and beyond from the first day we booked her. She had helpful and interactive tools that helped streamline the process and ensured we knew exactly what needed to be completed along the way and when. For vendor-related items we didn’t need to be involved in, Rebecca handled them like the pro she is; we never once needed to jump in and were told by our vendors that she was great to work with. We were very detail-oriented and had concerns about many smaller items. Rebecca ensured these were not overlooked and was very helpful in suggesting possible solutions, reaching out to our vendors as needed, and keeping us calm. Rebecca helped map out every minute of the big day and ensured everyone involved was on the same page, including all 13 separate vendors we were working with. A handful of these vendors told us that her tools and communication were unlike any other coordinators they’ve worked with before, which helped ensure that everything went off without a hitch. On the day of, she was amazing - helping us get off to pictures on time with everything we needed, ensuring everything was set-up perfectly, checking in with us throughout the day to make sure we had everything we needed, and was just on top of everything for us. It allowed us, and our families, to relax. On top of everything else, at the end of the night, there were a couple minor items that were left behind at the venue that many people would’ve probably ignored/disposed of that Rebecca went out of her way to bring to our hotel, showing how much she really cares about every little thing being perfect! We highly recommend working with Rebecca!” - Bride Tori
Cailynn Wolfgang
“My partner and I had a particular, personal vision for our wedding -- but were daunted by the amount of coordination and planning to make it a reality. Rebecca was able to understand that vision, coach and gently guide us through getting everything lined up and in order -- using a software task list and being gracious when I deviated. Rebecca re-assured us that we were on track, it was our first time doing this and it was nice to hear from a pro that we didn't need to worry leading up to the event. Rebecca and Noah truly shined the day of, a wedding is an overwhelming experience, filled with lots of intense emotions. They were able to keep the whole ceremony and reception running smoothly and seamlessly. We never, ever worried about a single thing and were able to be fully present, enjoying what may be the only time all our families are together. We are immensely grateful to Rebecca and her team, and would highly recommend her to any other couple out there considering a wedding coordinator. You pour so much energy and thought leading up to the day, it's truly important to have a competent coordinator that can make sure you're able to bring your whole self to the event the day of. Thank you once again, Rebecca” - Groom Patrick
Here are some other great peer blogs to check out if you want to read more.
Why Day of Wedding Coordinators Don't Exist
Cover photo by Alana Lindenfeld
