Day of Coordinator

pinkcow13 · January 2015

What say you guys? I spoke with the coordinator at our venue and he recommended a DOC if we were interested, but did say they would also help us out a lot. Do you guys think it is beneficial to hire one, or can we do without? Our venue and florist will take care of decorations, so we don't have to worry about set up and take down. Our vendors will have been paid in full, so chances are we won't need to worry about payments that day. I'm sure there will be things that we will need some help with, though. Did you guys use one, or are you planning to? What do you guys think of DOC's?

holyguacamole79 · January 2015

Our venue included one, and it was SO helpful. We didn't have to worry about payments, either, but she was great at making sure everything ran smoothly. She kept things on time and was a good "buffer". If it's in your budget, I suggest it.

charlottesmom0626 · January 2015

I'm not planning on using one...I didn't think it was necessary. All of my vendors have worked together before, and I trust them to work it out without stressing me.

[Deleted User] · January 2015

My venue has an event manager, but they're there to take care of the things they need to set up, not coordinate the whole day.

I hired a wedding planner and engaged her as my DOC as well.

I know 2 people who got married recently and the both said that the DOC was the best thing ever.

On the day of, you'll still have to tip people (unless you plan to do that in advance), and when your family goes crazy as some do, they handle that shit. When your cake falls over, they are the person who runs to the nearest store and buys something else.

I think it's worth it. They deal with all of the problems and hassles so you don't have to. I wouldn't rely on the people at your venue unless it's specifically part of their job to help when shit goes wrong with any/all vendors, not just their part of show.

Good luck!

Blergbot · January 2015

It was worth it to me, but our venue was a family backyard, and I wanted to make sure family wasn't stuck running things instead of having a good time. If you already have all your vendors (her vendor list was a big help) and you trust the people at your venue to help things run smoothly, then it may not be necessary. Who's marrying you? Will they be running the rehearsal? That was also a key role our DOC played, since we were married by a friend. I will say that it took a lot of stress off my back. I would make a list of everything that needs to get done the day of and make sure everything is covered. If there are several loose ends, then consider hiring one.

theartistformerlyknownas · January 2015

We just let the event coordinator do his thing. Between him and the DJ taking care of all the scheduling, we were good. The wait staff was on point too with things like removing the one puking drunk.

AddieCake · January 2015

I didn't need one. I think this is a very individualized thing, based on wedding size, any kind of complicated parts of the day, how much or how little the venue is involved, etc.

mrscomposer · January 2015

We didn't need one, because our wedding didn't call for it. We set up the day before and took down the day after. J had the final three vendor envelopes in his jacket pocket and took care of them himself. It ran ridiculously smoothly, but I am insanely organized.

Hmm. Maybe I should be a DOC?

pinkcow13 · January 2015

Thanks guys! Maybe in our case we won't need one. Our event coordinator seems very organized, and the dj and mc will work schedules out. I forgot about tipping, but FI is excellent about staying on top of that. @mrscomposer‌ , I definitely feel that I should be a DOc!

KytchynWitche · January 2015

We didn't have one, and we managed fine without, but I do sort of wish we had. I thought with the wedding being so small, and the ceremony and reception being in the same place, and with us staying in the rooms above the restaurant, that we would really not need one, but it would have been nice to have someone else to check final details and answer questions.

Cookie Pusher · January 2015

We didn't have one. There were a lot of moving parts to our wedding, but most of it was handled by the caterer and the DJ during the wedding and I took care of things at the end (as drunk as I was, it wasn't hard to hand out envelopes of cash for tips and to point at things I wanted packed up).

lc07 · January 2015

I think they're important. Sometimes the event staff doesn't do the following things:

-Get everyone lined up and cued down the aisle

-Get on the phone with the limo/florist/whoever is late/lost whatever

-Make sure parents aren't in the bathroom right before special dances / toasts begin

-Pack up your personal items, gifts, clean up at the end etc.

-Fix shit that breaks like boutonnieres <-- the day I can spell that word without help I will jump up and down

-Create a timeline

That's just off the top of my head.. I'm pretty sure mine did a lot more that I don't even know about.

LadyMillil · January 2015

Our venue had an event coordinator and she kept everything running smoothly. We did have to put out the escort cards, favours and set up the cupcake table (homemade, so no pro to do that), but it didn't take long. I do have a few friends that didn't gave DOCs and said it was super stressful managing everything themselves.

kaitlynmichelle · January 2015

Our event coordinator had everything running for us for the ceremony but after that we were on our own. I had everything planned myself and had many compliments from the parents and siblings at how smooth everything was. I just about drove myself crazy with planning all those details alone and we had a small wedding. I don't know that I could have done it with a large wedding.

kaitlynmichelle · January 2015

I did a lot of running around and chatting with venue staff the day before to get it all organized with H. I was pretty worried when I found out the event coordinator wasn't even going to be there the day of our wedding. Especially when he never told me that little detail. I'm glad his assistant knew what she was doing.

Our event coordinator handled flower drop off, setting up the ceremony chairs and table, and getting everyone ready to go so we could start.

Edit: spelling. Mobile is being stupid and posted my first comment before I was done.

RosieC18 · January 2015

I had one and loved it. It meant that all I (and my family) had to do the day of was show up. The "buffer" piece is really what made it worth it to us. There was someone to greet the cake and flower deliveries, someone to show the DJ where the electrical outlets were, etc. I trusted her enough that I just didn't worry/think much about the day moving along like it was supposed to. Worth a couple hundred just for the peace of mind.

phira · January 2015

Our venue came with one, and it was SO SO SO helpful to have someone who could coordinate everyone, be in charge, tell us where to be, etc.

kmmssg · January 2015

It was the best money I spent on my last 2 DDs' weddings. And it didn't come out of their wedding budgets, it came out of mine!

larrygaga · January 2015

The owner of my venue(s) will act as my coordinator. She's amazing and so laid back. She is already not shy about wrangling the mothers. I have a lot of siblings who are my wedding party and they are all very headstrong, late often and don't pay attention to details. I would have hired one so I don't have to wrangle them.

I think it's worth it if your wedding party never gets their shit together. If you think there could be a lot of little problems, I would say it's worth it.

flyingfoxes · January 2015

We aren't going to use one. One of the venue staff will be there to keep things moving, along with the DJ. Hopefully it won't turn into a shitshow - but I can't see swaying FI on the cost of one.

dolewhipper · January 2015

After seeing the shitshow that was my sister's wedding (the planning and getting everything ready part, as well as the cleanup after, the wedding itself was lovely), that was the first thing I booked.

I don't think a lot of people understand all the tiny little things that accompany a wedding. Additionally, coordinators that are part of the church/venue work for the church/venue, not you. Their priorities may not be on on the details you care about.

princessbuttercup09 · January 2015

I've been an assistant DOC before so I may be biased but I definitely think they are worth it! I've seen crazy things happen with even the most organized bride! (Just one example- a bride with an outdoor wedding had her sweetheart table over an ant hill. Ants got up her dress and were biting her! We helped her get de-anted, moved the table, and made sure the DJ didn't try to start any of the dances until she was ready to go.) It's nice to have someone else that people can go to with any issues that arise. They can also help with simple things like setting up decorations.

mrsdee15 · January 2015

We hired a planner who will be the DOC, and everyone I know who has had a DOC has said it's so, so worth it, because they can take over during the madness and handle any issues that come up.

emmaaa · January 2015

We didn't use one.

It sounds like the only thing you may need one for is to keep you on schedule and timing the ceremony. Both of those things I did myself and trusted my officiant, music, and WP to do.

pinkcow13 · January 2015

larrygaga said:

The owner of my venue(s) will act as my coordinator. She's amazing and so laid back. She is already not shy about wrangling the mothers. I have a lot of siblings who are my wedding party and they are all very headstrong, late often and don't pay attention to details. I would have hired one so I don't have to wrangle them.

I think it's worth it if your wedding party never gets their shit together. If you think there could be a lot of little problems, I would say it's worth it.

This is an excellent point. Our friends and family tend to be in the not paying attention/always late camp. I guess it will be beneficial to at least look into one. I am also organized to an extent, I am not a super organized person. So if a super organized bride can go crazy, I am sure the same can be said for me.

southernbelle0915 · January 2015

For us, a DOC was some of the best money we spent. Our ceremony outside did not come with a coordinator, so someone had to coordinate the equipment delivery/set up/tear down, making sure everything met the specs, telling vendors where to go/what to do, etc. I would have hated trying to coordinate all that the day of. It was money well spent.

mikenberger · January 2015

I'm hiring one today and I couldn't be more excited. She's going to be in charge of running the show and tear down of the venue. Which means none of my bridal party or family has to take care of that stuff. Which makes me super excited. I realize that I probably don't need one, but I'd rather have the piece of mind that me or that one of my family or friends is not running around like a crazy person the day of, trying to coordinate everything. I'd rather have everybody relaxed and let someone else handle it. Also, if something goes wrong, I'll have someone that this is their bread and butter. Which means they'll probably have a better solution or already will have it handled.

Piece of mind for me, is nearly priceless.

charcoalandblush · January 2015

I was the personal attendant at a wedding that didn't have one, and for my own sanity I wish it had. The venue's event coordinator was (according to the bride) extremely helpful in the months leading up to the wedding, but she did NOTHING the day of. She wasn't even at the venue. The brides mom, aunts, cousins, and I were responsible for putting up and tearing down all of the decorations, collecting and transporting the gifts and the top of the cake, calling late vendors to get an ETA, gathering everyone for photos, lining people up to be announced at the reception, etc.

Even if you have a coordinator through the venue, you may still need a DOC. The venue coordinator works for the venue, not for you. While some may be extremely helpful, others are not at all. Our event coordinator at our venue has very strict policies on what they will and will not do (and what they will charge extra for).

SBmini · January 2015

Yes, but make sure they have all your contracts and contact info for all your vendors. Also get references and be sure you are getting a good one. Mine didn't have enough info- i.e. she didn't know that the florist was supposed to supply flowers for the cake, because she didn't have the contracts- so a lot of things were missed that she should have been on top of. This was partially her fault for not asking for more, mine for not remembering everything to tell her. She also wasn't proactive enough with my vendors. Two weeks before my wedding I was getting all these calls from vendors trying to finalize details and I was shocked to hear that my DOC- who was hired months prior- still hadn't called any of them.

My problems aside, I still think they are worth while.

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