DOC

baseballbride17

Hi Ladies,

I was just wondering if any of you used a coordinator day of/month of? I am uncertain on whether I want to hire someone and was wondering what others have done. Pros/cons?

TIA

kimmiinthemitten

baseballbride17 said:

Hi Ladies,

I was just wondering if any of you used a coordinator day of/month of? I am uncertain on whether I want to hire someone and was wondering what others have done. Pros/cons?

TIA

Does you venue/catering company have a single point of contact for planning?  If so, I would first discuss their role/plans for the day of and see if that meets your needs.  If not, and you believe there will be work to be done that you can't do yourself (i.e. you can't do a pre-day set at your venue) then I'd look into one.

Word of advice:  make sure you have a list of specific duties you want this person to handle and makes sure if you do hire someone you have those duties specified in the contract.  We have had many a bride here complaining that her DOC isn't doing her job, only to find out that the bride's expectations and the actual contract differ.

baseballbride17

Thanks for the word of advice. That was the main thing I am actually questioning...what exactly she would be doing. Everyone I have talked to have said having one relieves stress but I'm the type who works better that way (I hate not having control or at least being in the loop).

My fiance and one bridesmaid are trying to convince me it will be worth it, but I just have a feeling a DOC is extra money being spent on tasks I can handle myself.

ILoveBeachMusic

I would ditto what @kimmiinthemitten said. It can relieve stress the day of. We hired a full blown planner (basically because it was OOT for us and she was relatively new to the area) for DD's wedding. DD has said several times she was glad that someone else was in charge of all the things the day of the wedding. Also it is important to make sure your expectations are the same as the DOC. DD and SIL were totally in the loop and made all the decisions.

[Deleted User]

Also, many DOC also do setup and tear down of decorations. Make sure to ask about that. 

kylexo

I would have loved a DOC, but instead did everything myself. It definitely added to my stress level and some things that I'd intended to happen didn't (forgot moms corsages and dad and ring bearers boutonnieres until after the ceremony, wasted $70 , had to break down everything ourselves after the wedding, etc. )

crowsgirl15

I have worked as a DOC both for friends and professionally through a local wedding planner. The duties vary based on the venue/what the couple requests, but the basic things I do (usually with a partner) are:

- act as the day of point of contact for the officiant, florist, photographer, caterer, dj/band, venue, and any other vendors (this general includes payment and prearranged tips)
- coordinate decor and flowers and put together tables/decorate ceremony and reception space to the bride and groom's specifications
- help coordinate first looks if necessary, as well as photos after the ceremony 
- make sure everyone is where they need to be for the ceremony
- pinned on corsages, made sure the bridal party knew how to hold bouquets (this is a tougher job than you may think!)
- make sure the bride and groom get something to eat and drink during the cocktail hour (either during photos or at the hour itself)
- coordinate a bridal party entrance if requested as well as spotlight dances and toasts
- make sure the emcee stays on schedule...or the night stays on schedule if there's no emcee
- corral gifts, cards, and decor that belongs to the bride and groom after breakdown
- help make sure vendor meals get to the right place (again, venue dependent)
- whatever else is needed! I have an emergency kit as well. I've sewn on buttons, fixed seams, fixed a ripped loop for a brides bustle (while she was in tears...do I get bonus points for that?), fixed ribbons on bouquets, found emergency chairs for brides who felt faint pre-ceremony, made sure VIPs knew where to be for the ceremony...and many other last minute requests that I'm having issues remembering. Lol.

There are definitely things I'm forgetting, haha, since this is off the top of my head, but my very biased self finds DOCs incredibly helpful, especially because most brides and grooms have limited experience with weddings

crowsgirl15

ILoveBeachMusic said:

I would ditto what @kimmiinthemitten said. It can relieve stress the day of. We hired a full blown planner (basically because it was OOT for us and she was relatively new to the area) for DD's wedding. DD has said several times she was glad that someone else was in charge of all the things the day of the wedding. Also it is important to make sure your expectations are the same as the DOC. DD and SIL were totally in the loop and made all the decisions.

This is an incredibly important point. A good DOC or plannerwill go through EVERYTHING with the couple, and are really just acting out the couple's wishes. I might make suggestions if the couple is unsure of what they might need, but at the end of the day, it is their call and their wedding.

baseballbride17

Thank you so much everyone! Your insights are very much appreciated and helpful. Definitely helped ease my concerns!

You all are awesome

southernbelle0915

We hired a planner just for the actual day really just to coordinate vendors, be there for deliveries, be the point person for questions, etc. Basically is was so that we could get ready in peace and not have people asking us a million questions.

It made sense for our situation because we got married outside in a park - so the space didn't come with an event coordinator or staff member to help. It was all on us. If we had gotten married at a church or a venue that had this baked into the cost, we probably wouldn't have wanted another cook in the kitchen if you KWIM.

baseballbride17

@southernbelle0915 that's kind of how I'm feeling. It's another person in a long list of people. I've already told the coordinator I have been speaking with (met at a bridal show) since we are having a church wedding, if we did hire her it would be for reception and morning of.

ILoveBeachMusic

baseballbride17 said:

@southernbelle0915 that's kind of how I'm feeling. It's another person in a long list of people. I've already told the coordinator I have been speaking with (met at a bridal show) since we are having a church wedding, if we did hire her it would be for reception and morning of.

The church coordinators vary in duties so you should check on that. The coordinator at DD's church basically just made sure the church rules (and there were many) were followed. She ran the rehearsal. She did not do anything as far as flowers or decorations were concerned. Our planner made sure all reception decorations were handled in addition to making sure the timeline (photo and reception) was followed throughout the day. She also handled ordering food (which we paid for) for the WP. If we had just hired her as a DOC she would have done everything she did the day of but would also have set up a budget/payment schedule. Planner duties included setting up vendor appointments, hiring transportation, looking over contracts. 

SP29

We did not have a planner or DOC, but we had our ceremony and reception at the same venue, and our wedding came largely as a package (ceremony, dinner, bar, decor, set up, take down), so there wasn't a lot of extra stuff I needed help planning or staff that I would've need for set up/take down. We were fine without.

However, I think if we had separate venues, or a venue where we had to bring in everything (tables, chairs, cutlery, dishware, etc) I would definitely want a planner or DOC, at the very least to organize all the vendors.

cowgirl8238

If your venue doesn't come with any "Day Of" person or assistance I would look into hiring someone.  Our venue came with a person and an assistant to her that helped out with everything that day.  She was responsible for:
 - Setting Up and Tearing Down Tables and Chairs (Reception and Ceremony Chairs too).
 - Setting out programs/bubbles/ceremony décor
 - Setting out the place cards (we had to have them in order but she set them out)
 - Setting the tables with centerpieces, tablewares, etc...
 - Tips/Payments for all vendors that arrived day of
 - General point of contact throughout the wedding and during the planning phase (when we were looking into other vendors we asked her who she worked with and if she would recommend them again).|
 - Getting ready coordination (made sure groom wasn't out if I had to walk somewhere, putting on boutonnieres and keeping the schedule.
 - Lining us up for entrances

I'm sure there is a bunch more, but it was a HUGE help for us in getting ready and staying on schedule until the wedding reception started.  Once the reception started she mainly just helped with questions and then tore down afterwards.  She was FANTASTIC!

baseballbride17

Thanks everyone! My fiance convinced me to go with one. His main thing was he doesn't want to see me stressed or unhappy day of wedding.

julieanne912

I didn't because I didn't think I could afford one, but in hindsight I wish I had one. It would have been nice to relax and enjoy the day a bit more, but instead I was running around all day leading up to getting ready.  I also had to deal with a DJ issue right before the ceremony, and be the point person for the caterers during the reception as well, and it would have been nice to have someone else for that.  In the end, not having one didn't "ruin my day" or anything like that, but you're definitely making the right choice to have one.