What to Expect from your Day-of-Coordination Service Wedding Package?

     

       Above: An Oliveaire Bride  vs.  Above: Did Not Get a Planner

If you have made the decision to hire a Wedding Planner to manage your Day-of Wedding Coordination, Congratulations, you are now a BLISS Bride.  Today, more and more brides are feeling the stress of their Wedding Day and are opting to let a professional take over to fine tune the details, and to oversee the execution of those details on the day of their Wedding.  By hiring a Day-of Wedding Coordinator, brides can feel relaxed in knowing that the details are handled and all they have to do is completely enjoy the best day of their life.  Since you have decided to give yourself the best wedding present, what should you expect from their Day-of Coordination Planner?  Here are some tips:

Define Expectations:

Remember they are being retained to oversee your day-of details.  This means that you as the bride, will coordinate and plan the details leading up to the Wedding.  A good Wedding Planner will organize all of your details in a flawless execution.  Planners work with a plethora of forms that detail every segment of the Wedding.  Have the planner show you their forms, which will be utilized in executing your event.

Also, a great planner will be there for you regarding your vendors.  There are many aspects with a vendor that you may not realize.  The Day-of Coordinator will contact your vendor & will then be your liaison so you will not have to worry about contacting these vendors before and on the day of.  A Planner will also make sure each vendor has what they need, will schedule them accordingly to your timeline and will make sure they are there on time and completely prepared. 

The best expectation of all is you do not have to worry about a thing on your Wedding Day.  Most Brides do not realize how many intricate details go into planning & executing a Wedding.  By the time it get’s close to the event, Brides who did not hire a Planner seem to want the day to be over with, instead of looking forward to their big day.  This is a day all about you and your new spouse, spending the happiest day of your life with close family and friends and enjoying every single moment of it.  The Planner is to make sure the event goes smoothly, and if there is a small issue, they are to make sure you do not know about it.

  

Hours of Service:

A Day-of-Coordination Package must include at least 11 hours of service.  Typically 1 hour is reserved for rehearsal and 10 hours are for the day of the event.  Use this time wisely!  Planners are extremely important during the beginning of the day.  If your ceremony is planned for 2pm and your make-up/hair, vendor set-up and pictures are scheduled for 11:00am, retain the service from 10:30am to 8:30pm.  If you are not done with the important details by 8:30pm, consider adding a couple of hours to your package.  An Event Assistant is typically included in the package as well. 

How to Choose the Right Planner:

There are some great seasoned planners that may cost more.  And then there are some planners starting out in the business that charge less.  I personally would want the best to take care of my Wedding, especially when so much is invested in it.  I would want someone with experience, so that when it came time to make hard decisions, they will draw from their past events and will make the right decision.  I would also want my planner to have a leadership quality so that clear directions are given to the vendors, and excellent service to my guests.  But most importantly, I would want to make sure that they have a well-trained Event Support team, so that my event is not dependent on just one person.

Cost:

A traditional Day-of-Coordination Package can cost from $2,500.00, for an experience planning company, to $1,200.00 for a novice.  If your event is a sophisticated, detail driven and vendor loaded program, I would opt for an experienced planner.  The $1,300.00 will be well worth paying for, if it means the best are orchestrating your event.  Some ethnic events, with traditions and cultural influence, may require longer hours and multiple days.  For such events, expect to pay slightly more.  The size of the event will impact the price.

What Not to Expect From a Planner:

Planners are there to oversee your vendors, in making sure that they are performing as they have been contracted to do, also making sure Aunt Mae gets her low sodium vegetarian meal, and your Bridesmaid is not lost when it comes time to take pictures.  Resourceful Planners are experts in all arenas of Wedding Planning.  However, they are not florists, photographers, cake decorators, chair cover installers, butlers or bellman.  They are quick to get a team that will deliver these types of services, but cannot be expected to put together your centerpieces on the day of your Wedding.  However, some planners may be able to offer such services for additional cost.  Remember you are paying at least $1,200.00 to your Planner.  If you are using her to add flowers to the table, or move Wedding inventory from the Church to the Reception venue, you are definitely overpaying.  Let your Planner manage the other vendors to most effectively accomplish these tasks.

Your Wedding Day is about you and your Groom.  There should not be any need for a Bride to micromanage her vendors, or stand by the placecard table assisting guests to find their escort cards.  If your budget allows, at a minimum, hire a “Day-of-Coordinator.”  I promise you that you will look back at your Wedding day and know the second most important person on your big day was your Wedding Planner.

 

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now), 

Olivia

What to Expect from your Day of Coordination Wedding Package

If you have made the decision to hire a wedding planner to manage your Day of Wedding Coordination, congratulations, you are now a BLISS bride.   More and more brides feel the stress of the wedding day, and elect to let a professional take over to fine tune the details, and oversee the execution of those details on the day of their wedding.  Service is subjective.  What should you expect from a planner for retaining their Day of Coordination service? Here are some tips:

Define Expectation:

Remember they are being retained to oversee your day of details.  It means that you as a bride will coordinate and plan the details leading up to the wedding.  A good wedding planner will organize your details for a flawless execution.  Planners work with a plethora of forms that detail every segment of the wedding.  Have the planner show you her forms, which will be utilized in executing your event. 

Hours of service:

A day of coordination package must include at least 11 hours of service.  Typically 1 hr is reserved for rehearsal and 10 hrs are for the day of event.  Use the time wisely.  Planners are extremely important during the beginning of the day.  If your ceremony is planned for 2pm and your make-up hair, vendor set up and pictures are scheduled for 11:00a.m., retain the service from 10:30a.m. to 8:30p.m..  If you are not done with the important details by 8:30p.m. consider adding a couple of hours to the package.  An Event Assistant is typically included in the package.

How to choose the right planner:

There are some great seasoned planners, that may cost more, and then there are some planners starting out in the business that charge less.  I personally would want the best to take care of my wedding, especially when so much is invested in it.  I would want someone with experience, so that when it came time to make hard decisions they will draw from their experience and make the right one.  I would want a leadership quality so that clear directions are given to the vendors, and excellent service to my guests.  But most importantly, I would want to make sure that they have a well trained event support team, so that my event is not dependent on just one person.

Cost:

A traditional day of coordination package can cost from $2500, for an experienced planning company, to a $1200 for a novice.  If your event is a sophisticated, detail driven and vendor loaded program, I would opt for an experienced planner.  The $1300 will be well worth paying for if it means the best are orchestrating your event.  Some ethnic events, with traditions and cultural influence, may require longer hours and multiple days.  For such events expect to pay slightly more, the size of the event can impact the price.

What not to expect from a planner:

Planners are there to oversee your vendors, in making sure that they are performing as they have been contracted to do, also making sure that Aunt Mae gets her low sodium vegetarian meal and your Bridesmaid is not lost when it comes time to take pictures.  Resourceful Planners are experts in all arenas of wedding planning. However they are not florists, photographers, cake decorators, chair cover installers, butlers or bellman.  They are quick to get a team that will deliver these types of service, but cannot be expected to put together your centerpieces on the day of your wedding.  However, some planners may be able to offer such services for additional cost.  Remember you are paying at least $1200 to your planner. If you are using her to add flowers to the table, or move wedding inventory from church to reception venue, you are definitely overpaying. Let your planner manage the other vendors to most effectively accomplish these tasks.

Your wedding day is about you and your groom.  There should not be any need for a bride to micromanage her vendors, or stand by the placecard table assisting guests to find their escort cards.  If your budget allows, at a minimum hire a “Day of Coordinator.” I promise you that you will look back at your wedding day and know the second most important person on your big day was your Wedding Planner.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now)

Olivia

Great Rehearsal Expectation

The bridal showers and bachelor(ette) parties are over, and that fake bouquet created with all the bows from your shower gifts is ready to be used.. It is now the day of the wedding rehearsal, which officially starts the festivities leading up to the big day, The wedding party will be very excited, all are happy to see each other, and the bride and groom are feeling the anxiety of reaching the finish line.

Why the anxiety? There are many, many reasons. They might be leaving the home, or family, they have been a comfortable part of all their lives. More likely, the planning of the wedding activities, with their hundreds of details which had to be finished by the rehearsal day, may have finally caught up with them. Finally, making that unofficial walk the down the aisle, to practice their vows with all eyes on them, would make anybody feel butterflies.

The rehearsal ceremony is usually a one-hour window where the Officiant and wedding coordinator, or church coordinator, guide you thru what to expect on your wedding day. That person, who leads you through it, expects the wedding party to be there on time, and to finish on time. It is usually held at the location of the actual ceremony whether it is a church, temple, hotel, or on a beach.

Often this is the first time that members of the wedding party will first meet each other. In this instance not only the bride and groom are feeling anxious. Imagine the Maid of Honor or Best Man is all of a sudden being escorted down the aisle by somebody they just met, and will be expected to partner up in a formal setting in the next few days. Not only that, you have to be civil and pleasant, whether he or she is nice, or has a challenging personality.

Why go thru a rehearsal? It is to relieve the exact feeling you have felt all this time you were planning your wedding. By the end of the rehearsal the couple usually starts to let go of anxiety as they feel a great sense of support, seeing all their family and friends together. When the bride walks down the aisle once or twice, the groom fumbles thru the vows, when they figure out the ring bearer may not be too crazy about walking down the aisle, or the couple hears the laughter of their loved ones, or even of each other; they feel a huge relief off their shoulders. It is also when the tears start flowing for the parents or guardians, or most often, the bride.

The rehearsal is also the time to turn over the marriage license and church fees to the Officiant, so don’t forget them! Be sure to leave the unity candle and whatever is needed to the church or ceremony location, prior to the actual day.  Musicians might check the timing of their music, especially if they are family or friends of the couple. The readers will check the volume and speed of their voice when reading. Sometimes, it is when the ladies of the wedding party wear the actual shoes they will be wearing for the official day to break them in. Do not be upset if everybody cannot make it. Your groomsman from California may have a delayed flight, or the flower girl may still be recovering from a cold. Your wedding coordinator or a bridesmaid can show them what to do on the actual day.

Now that the couple has finished seeing a preview of their big day, they can finally, along with their wedding party and close family and friends, start the celebration at the well-deserved rehearsal dinner.

The rehearsal, or pre-nuptial, dinner is usually hosted by the groom’s parents, but anybody can host it, even the bride and groom. Its mood and setting is usually the opposite of the formal reception. It can be at the couple’s favorite pizza place, the church hall, or someone’s backyard. The dress code is relaxed and the food and drinks are lively. It is a perfect time for all to hang out with the couple and there is no real schedule. Your out-of-town guests are sometimes invited to show appreciation for their efforts and expense to be there for our big day. The couple at this time usually acknowledges all who were involved, and shows their gratitude by presenting gifts. This is also a nice time for the couple to publicly thanking the important people in their lives, and again will begin to relieve more of their anxiety. The rehearsal dinner is essential to a wedding if you want your big day to be less stressful and chaotic.

What type of gifts should a couple give those who were so instrumental in planning their big day? That is another blog topic, stay tuned!

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now),

Olivia

The Real Cost of Your Dream Wedding

Establishing a budget for your wedding is something that you must do, and it should happen early in your planning process. It may mean a few uncomfortable conversations with your parents, but it’s best to know where you stand. There are a number of websites out there that will assist you in creating a wedding budget. This should be the starting point of your budget, feel free to reallocate dollars to those things you care most about. For some it will be décor, others will want to place emphasis on the menu and some will want to buy a designer gown, no matter what sacrifices have to be made. Remember lovely brides, for every expense you justify going “just a little over budget” you either need to reallocate those dollars, or add to your bottom line. This can add up quickly.

As an example we decided to look at a few online calculators and provide you some concrete examples of how pieces of a $25,000 budget (with 150 guests) can be allocated.

Bridal gown: Online calculators allocated an average of $1,500 to the complete cost of a bridal gown. We are going to automatically deduct $200 for alterations and foundation garments (this is a conservative estimate), This leaves us $1,300 to spend on the gown of your dreams.

• With $1,300 you can afford almost any gown at an establishment like David’s Bridal (including Vera Wang’s new line)
• In Bridal Gown Boutiques you will also find you can afford a gown by many of the designers you see in magazines, including Alfred Angelo, DaVinci, Watters and more.
• If you are looking for something from a high-end designer, and are an “average” size in a wedding gown (Size 6 – 10 regularly), be sure to check out local trunk shows and sample sales. You may find your budget stretches a bit more there.

Invitations: Online calculators allocated an average of $750 for invitations, and all stationary needs. This is inclusive of invitations, postage, programs and any other “paper” needs.

• With 150 guests I am going to estimate that you will need 100 invitations (some will be going to couples/families
• The average wedding invitations costs $.61 to mail, so we immediately need to allocate $61 in postage
• We will allocate $1/Thank You card, plus $.44 in postage per card for a total of $144 on Thank You Cards
• That leaves $545 for all other stationary needs. Let’s allocate $4 per invitation and have $145 left for all misc. stationary
• For $4 we found a wide range of options on Etsy.com, moderate selections (including some pocket folds) through Carlson Crafts, or you may be able to work with a local shop to create a custom DIY (Do-It-Yourself) invitation

Floral & Décor: Online calculators allocated an average of $1,800 for flowers and decoration.

• We had to make a few more assumptions in this budget, so we are budgeting for 4 attendants on each side and a sit down dinner reception that will require centerpieces.
• There will be delivery and set-up fees so we are estimating that initial cost at $200
• The average bridal bouquet is $175. This could be a large bouquet of wild seasonal flowers, an appropriately sized hand tied bouquet of roses, tulips, daisies, or an eloquent arrangement of orchids or calla lilies.
• You should estimate $60 - $70 per female attendant for her bouquet. This is typically a smaller version of the brides bouquet, but may it may not be. It may be flowers in a similar color family, or just a single orchid stem.
•  The ceremony will most likely need one or two large arrangements, and that total cost can be estimated at $300. These will be modest arrangements (think Daisies, carnations, and some green and babies breathe between the flowers of your choice)
• Assuming 15 dining tables at the reception this leaves approximately $55/centerpiece. For $55 you should anticipate a small floral arrangement, or possible a duo or trio of vases with submerged flowers and candles around it. Your florist should be able to work with this budget to incorporate your colors and flowers of choice.

Be sure to review the entirety of your budge before you start spending, and as always, take your time and enjoy the process!

BBFN,

Olivia