Day of Coordinator

AirmansLady

I'm my own wedding planner but I obviously don't want to be running around the day of making sure things are running smoothly. So, my question is - should I (and how do I) hire a coordinator for the day of, or just find someone to keep things in order? My mother knows of someone who works in special events that can do and if she trusts him to handle things, then so do I. But I'm just not sure if it's worth it/necessary to hire a PROfessional or if it would be ok without one.

???

DramaGeek

It's a shitton of work, so you need to pay whomever does it, even if it's a friend who is willing to help out but has no prior experience.  Personally, I would hire a professional, or at least someone who has some experience.  Not everyone is suited for this type of job.

daria24

I had one. After being a BM/personal slave for a bunch of weddings, I didn't want any friends or family "working" on the wedding day. It was well worth the money to me. My coordinator had to put out all the decorations/signs/escort cards/candles, receive and direct all the vendors, put out any last minute fires. 

Check with your venue and see if they have someone already in that capacity. Some places have a coordinator who will handle most of your details for you.

vbjoanna

I wasn't comfortable asking any friends or family to do the work that I couldn't do (my nature is to do it myself, so the fact I'll be in a long gown hiding from everyone is driving me crazy!), and my dad generously offered to pay for a day-of coordinator. Ours is pretty expensive ($1500 - her minimum for a wedding) compared to others I've seen mentioned on these boards, but we're happy with her. Different folks have different things they do -- someone might really just be present the day of to put out fires; ours will know the plans and details inside out, and won't need to ask me anything. A friend used our DOC a few years ago and said it was the best money she spent.

She'll take things from one venue to the other, gather up all our belongings and bring them to our house, set up our flowers and the few other items we're having, and she's been finalizing arrangements with each of the vendors and has met with us at each of our venues. She'll also attend the rehearsal.

One explanation for her high price is that she doesn't accept payments from vendors -- if a vendor wants to give her $100 for sending a couple their way, she passes that savings on to the couple. So her fee has to be enough to live on, and she can only do one wedding per weekend. I could have shopped around and found someone less expensive, but I hate shopping around.

TheVirginians

As Daria says, check with your venue. I was going to get one but the venue is a complete package (food, dj, flowers, etc), and they said I did not need one. Of couse, I could be making a big mistake!

kks4471

Definitely check with your venue!  My mom was planning on setting up various items on that Saturday morning.  Then I found out that my venue had 3 assistant managers, who set up escort cards, table number cards, programs basket, etc etc on Saturday.  We were so happy that we didn't have to worry about it!  If your venue doesn't help, definitely hire a professional.  No friend or family member wants to help set up that morning.

heylady87

My venue came with a dayof coordinator who was pretty much useless. I was very specific with her about what I would need her to do, and she failed miserably. My family and bridesmaids were all present when I gave her my requests, and they all understood what I was saying. She did not. I ended up having to personally undo the stuff she did incorrectly or sloppily. So, what I am saying is be sure your coordinator is competent and truly gives a poo about you an your day.

itzMS

I had a day of coordinator for the reasons you mentioned. I wanted to enjoy the day and my new husband, not run around "checking" on things.

It was worth it, but she actually caused a few headaches. Those are easier to get over as she was just a vendor to me, not one of my personal friends. Ultimately, it was better than having friends/family be my "personal slave" (as pp mentioned).

snowdaisy822

I would highly suggest it. I'm having a good friend who has worked in the field and has offered to help. My venue has an "event captain", but she will be making sure their stuff is set up and ready to go. My coordinator will make sure we all walk down the aisle at the right time and field any issues that come up.

Once you get to your reception, a good DJ will start to take over. They should guide the reception and tell you what is coming up next.