Day of Coordination

Or is it really just manual labor with a feminine touch you're looking for as a bride? 

Many wedding coordinators are struggling with the term "Day of Coordination." What does that mean? To the coordinator it might mean one thing, but to the everyday bride it might mean something completely different. What does your "day of" package consist of? Is it truly just the day of the event? If so, how are you able to be the main contact for the event? Is there no consulting or questions? How does one know the details and other vendors? Is the client putting all that information together? It hurts my head just thinking about it.

It can't be just a "day of" coordination. 

It can't be if you want someone to truly take things off your hands and ensure your day runs as you want it to and your vendors are all in sync. My friend Kat at Dear Sweetheart Events puts it perfectly: 

"While you and your mama may be so organized and be able to plan your hearts out for the entire planning process, for you to be able to coordinate ALL the moving parts beforehand AND execute it the day of (while also getting ready, taking pictures and RELAXING to ENJOY the moments!) would be IMPOSSIBLE!! Think about ALL that’s going to go into it!! Hiring a planner who will COORDINATE AND EXECUTE your day is vital!!"

I used to be okay with calling my base options the "day of" option; however, after hearing (for several years now) brides and moms wonder what that means, I think it's time to change the name. 

When we (and I do mean most wedding planners) say "day of" we are really talking about 4-6 weeks of planning and coordination to gather your vision and details regarding logistics before your day so on the day of we have a well laid out timeline we can manage. Those details and that information you shared with us during the 4-6 weeks leading up to your wedding allow us to troubleshoot if there is an issue that might not have been mentioned before. This time allows us to review contracts to see if you might have missed something that we know to look out for. It allows us to talk to vendors and create a well laid out and logistically possible timeline. 

I'm not saying you can't put together your own timeline, but we do this for a living. Timelines and logistics are our business so we may know a little something about timing and logistics that you might not know. 

Let's go through some of the items it truly takes to successfully manage your wedding day:

• knowledge about you, your wedding party, and your vision
• how do you want things to flow? 
• what's your ideal day and how can we come close to making that happen? 
• what logistics are involved? have you thought about them? 
• who is important?
• what is most important? 
• knowledge about your vendors
• what are they providing? 
• how are they providing it? 
• who is their contact person?
• how long does it take to set up? 
• what do they need from you? 

So first and foremost you can see it's all about you. We need to get to know you and what you want. And if any coordinator says they can do a "day of" coordination without asking questions or getting to know you, I would definitely get clarification on what goes into their definition of the term. Maybe they're offering just a "labor" package for the DIY bride? They will drop your homemade items and ensure they are placed where you want them and carry second line umbrellas and bags and deliver gifts and be your errand person for the day and that is about it. Right? 

Am I wrong?  Do you want just manual labor? Tell me what you think a "day of" coordination consists of. Should we offer such a package? Maybe something called the "Wedding Day Assistant" plan? We want to know!

Happy planning!
Erin & Team