What to expect from a Wedding Coordinator - Part 3
For our last and final entry to our 3-part series on what to expect from a wedding coordinator, we will be talking about what your coordinator does from the end of your ceremony to the end of your wedding day.
Most weddings usually have some sort of pause between the ceremony and reception. It’s either cocktails, or a time for the wedding party to head to another location to take photos. It is during this time where your coordinator will stay behind after the ceremony to make sure that the venue is cleaned up, and back to its original state. As a wedding coordinator, I actually really enjoy this time - especially when friends are helping out with the take-down of décor items. It gives me an opportunity to get to know some of the bride and groom’s close friends, and in a way, get to know the bride and groom from a different perspective.
When special events happen in between programmes (such as a tea ceremony), your coordinator will be there to help out. If you’re away doing portrait sessions with your wedding party, they’ll be corresponding with your photographer to make sure that everything is going smoothly...and still on schedule. If the photo session is running over-time, your coordinator will start to plan ahead and work around certain details of the evening to best resolve the discrepancy in time.
To prepare for the reception, your coordinator will arrive at the venue early to manage vendors, and set up simple décor items such as seating charts, place cards, favours, & etc. They’ll check to make sure that everything is exactly where it needs to be, including preparing your bridal room for your arrival.
As one who takes pleasure in planning and hosting gatherings, guest enjoyment is one of my top priorities. I use guest enjoyment as one of the important categories to personally rate myself as to whether/not an event is successful. (Yes, I do take wedding coordination very personally. I treat your wedding like my own, and as nerdy as this sounds, I really do rate myself after each wedding). Because guest enjoyment is important to me, I make it a point to welcome guests as they arrive. I frequently scan the room to see which guest needs a drink, or which guest looks like they’re needing someone to talk to. And depending on their need, I will try to fill that void. And more often than not, wedding coordinators will check on your guests because remember: they are on your side, representing you.
To prepare for the start of your reception, your coordinator will warmly encourage guests to take seats. Once the reception programme has commenced, they’ll coordinate with your DJ and cue the wedding party into the dining room, and throughout the course of the evening, will remind and prompt guest speakers when it is their turn to speak. They’ll be in touch with the venue staff and/or catering to make sure that everything is going well not only on the floor, but also behind the scenes.
Most coordinators stay until the end of the reception program, and don’t typically stay past the dancing, unless of course, you have asked them to do so, or if you have a lunch reception. In most cases, the supervision of cleanup or take down of décor is not really actively done by your coordinator. For me, personally, in order to go around this, I’ll send a message to the decorating vendor following up with them the next day. Or if friends are helping out with the clean up and take down, I’ll courteously remind them before I leave the venue. It’s these unprompted details completed by your coordinator that really helps to make your wedding day completely worry-free.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: Most (if not all) wedding coordinators will have an emergency bag. It’s like a Mary Poppins bag that has anything and everything that’s needed in case small little emergencies come up - like a blister, or broken heel. This emergency bag provides quick fixes to immediate needs and is by no means a permanent solution to the problem. However, it is a fast and easy solution that is available for you to use...just in case surprises appear.
But I digress - that is another discussion for another day.
Lastly, I do want to reiterate that wedding coordinators do so much more than what’s listed above. And every wedding is different. Your coordinator may not do exactly everything that’s written in these last 3 blogs. But they will do what needs to be done, to confidentially take over and joyfully execute all the details of your wedding day. They work behind the scenes, keeping an eye out on you, your guests, your schedule and your entire wedding day. They’re there to tend to anything and everything, so you have the freedom to be present at your wedding - to enjoy your wedding day, and everything you’ve worked so hard for.
They have your best interest in mind.
I hope this blog topic has given you a better understanding of what a wedding coordinator does, and how you can benefit from their service. To see how we can help you achieve your worry-free wedding day, head on over to our Services page.
Happy planning!
Warmly,
