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
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