What to expect from a Wedding Coordinator - Part 1
Contrary to the popularized term day-of coordinator, or more recently, month-of coordinator, a coordinator’s job does not start on the day of your wedding. I’ve always found those terms very misleading, because their work really starts, well, as early as you want. It can be 24 months before, or a couple weeks before your wedding day.
If you ever find yourself wondering what exactly a wedding coordinator does, and what you can expect from them, wonder no more. My goal for these next 3 blogs (yes, 3 blogs) is to clarify that, and provide examples of specific tasks they do, in 3 parts:
Part 1 - Planning Stage
Part 2 - Wedding Day - Ceremony
Part 3 - Wedding Day - Reception
In a nutshell, a wedding coordinator is focused on the organization and implementation of all the details of your wedding. They complete a number of tasks, all of which allows them to guarantee a smooth and well executed wedding day.
The Planning Stage
The planning stage usually starts a few weeks to a few months before your wedding. Here are a few benefits to engaging your coordinator early on:
Vendor recommendations: If you are having trouble finding vendors for a specific industry, ask your coordinator. You can be sure that they’ll recommend only the best.
Vendor contract review: Some coordinators, like us, provide this additional service which allows them to review your vendor contract before you sign them. It will give you the opportunity to ask the right questions, and have certain details clarified prior to committing.
When most of your preferred vendors are chosen, your coordinator will work with you to create your wedding day schedule. This is a detailed timeline of your wedding day, and will give both yourself and your coordinator a clear understanding of how your day will be carried out. Here are some details you can expect to see:
Detailed timeline - From your first to your last vendor appointment, and everything in between.
Vendor details - contact information, start/end times, duties, rental items, etc.
Items to bring to the Ceremony, Reception, and/or other venues
Special tasks that will be carried out by a select group of people
As part of creating your Schedule and details, wedding coordinators may conduct a site visit, and will always reach out to your vendors to verify their start/end times and duties.
A ceremony rehearsal will be prepared and managed by your coordinator a few days before your wedding day. They’ll direct when the procession enters, where they’ll sit/stand, how to stand, and what they need to do to assist the bride and groom. Any changes as a result of the rehearsal will be detailed in your Schedule.
And of course, throughout the entire planning stage, your coordinator will be able to answer any wedding-related questions or concerns you have.
It is necessary for your wedding coordinator to complete all these tasks during the planning stage so that they can be 100% confident in implementing your Schedule and guaranteeing you a worry-free wedding day.
I hope this blog gives you a clearer picture on what to expect from a wedding coordinator. It only addresses the planning stage, but stay tuned for more details on what wedding coordinators do on your wedding day!
Warmly,
