THE DAY-OF COORDINATION MYTH

Why you should never call it that or expect it

You’re getting married and you have spent hours planning and have it all set for the big day. Now you start thinking about who will be there that day to make it all actually work so you can relax and soak in every second of your wedding day. This is when your mind turns to find a (dun dun dun) …..Day-Of Coordinator.

Okay, I don’t blame you for calling it that. It is what our industry has educated you into calling it. But let me tell you why I more than hate that title. It has you believing a lie. No professional planner or event manager would just show up on the day of your wedding and make it all happen. The word “Day-Of” suggests just that. That we will show up on the day of your wedding and just magically know what needs to be done and how to handle it. I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but you won’t find that with me or other professionals, and if you are able to find that with someone else, I would advise you to proceed with extreme caution. These people are usually not experienced and because they haven’t invested any time in you, they just don’t care.

Let’s take a step back and look at what you have done for your wedding. You have spent hours strolling through Pinterest for inspiration, countless nights stuffing invitations, creating custom signs with your Cricut, and chatting with your BFF on how amazing everything is going to be. Whether you have been thinking and planning your wedding since you were 10 or you just jumped into it with no idea what you wanted after you were engaged, there is a lot that goes into this day. So, I ask you, if you have spent that much time and invested that much money into your wedding, wouldn’t you want the person responsible for making it run the way it should to put time and effort into understanding your vision and knowing the details? I think you would. If we just show up on the day of your wedding we are walking in blind and personally, I don’t like that feeling.

So, what do I do? What exactly is my job if you hire me for what you call Day-Of Coordination? First off, I don’t call it that. I don’t even call it Month-Of, which you also see quite often. I call this Wedding Management. It is my job to manage all working parts of your wedding day and to do that effectively there is some work to be done weeks before your actual wedding day. I collect all contracts from you for your other hired wedding professionals. (Quick tip: I highly recommend that you have a contract in place for every in your wedding, even if a friend or family has agreed to do something for you like bake the cake) I take these and read over the entire thing to ensure I know every contracted responsibility of that person or business.

I look for other specifics in there as well that may have been missed when you first signed it. For instance, did you not include the cake cutting in your catering contract? If not, then you need to reach out to them to verify they will handle this and then get it in writing. There’s nothing worse than going to cut your cake and realizing that all of your guests are sitting and waiting with no one stepping up to cut into the 4-tiered sweet treat in front of them. I take that back, there is something worse. Having your guests begin to cut their own cake slices is much worse. These contracts provide me with the information I need to help create specific items in the schedule of events that I will put together for you.

Speaking of the schedule of events, your vendors are going to want to see that as soon as possible. How many weddings have you planned? Do you know the most efficient way to plan out the reception to make it flow nicely so your guests don’t get bored and leave? Did you remember to include the traditions you have been thinking about for months in there? And if you wrote it all out and know you didn’t forget anything, who will be watching the clock and guests to ensure these things actually get done and people are around to witness it. I promise you that once you walk down that aisle, the rest of the wedding goes by so fast. Before you know it, you are saying goodbye to everyone and hopping into your limo to take you to your hotel for the night. Will you be thinking on that ride that you didn’t get to do that fun game or anniversary dance to honor your grandparents, who have been married for over 50 years, who were in attendance? That’s what we are there for! Not only do we help to create the flow of the day, but we ensure everyone on site is on the same page and that you do not miss those special moments you want to incorporate into the evening.

So now you ask, why can’t you just do a timeline for me and then show up that day? Well, there are a good amount of people you have hired to help with your wedding and what kind of planner and manager would I be if I didn’t work with them beforehand to ensure I don’t overstep or miss something they are contracted to do? Everyone works differently and every wedding is different, so it’s important to take that time to chat and make sure that I can answer any questions they have for me. It is also important that I visit the site of your wedding with you to go over the layout and other logistics. If you are having someone else do the set-up, I need to know that when I arrive that day at your venue that it is done properly if you have not yet seen it.

How awful would it be if you specifically asked for one area to be on the dance floor because of the lighting and you showed up to see guest tables or your buffet sitting in that very spot? And honestly, sometimes what you may have in mind, from that one time you saw the venue 10 months ago, just won’t work with everything else you have planned. We help guide you in not only making sure that you have an awesome time, but that everything is set for the perfect guest experience. Who doesn’t want their guests leaving their wedding saying “That was the best wedding I’ve ever been to”?

So, as you can see, there are a lot of working parts to putting on a great wedding. We are there to protect your investment, eliminate your stress, and help to ensure you create the memories you deserve to have. And honestly, none of that would be possible by just showing up on the day of your wedding. You deserve to have someone on your side that cares just as much as you do in making your wedding day a once in a lifetime experience for you and your closest loved ones.

For more information on my planning services, you can CLICK HERE. If you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation, CLICK HERE and find a date a time that works for you. If you schedule a consult, I will be sending you a brief questionnaire for you to complete before we chat so we can make the most of our time together. And if you have any questions, simply contact us here and I will get back to you shortly or email us directly at hello@onefinedayroanoke.com. Happy Planning!