Is Day of Coordinator Worthwhile?

RunnerBride2013

I'm in the process of lining up vendors for my wedding in September 2013. I'm debating whether to hire a day-of wedding coordinator. Our ceremony and reception are both being held at the same venue, and there will be ~30 people. 

Any advice for those who have made this decision and how you decided? If you had a day-of coordinator, what types of tasks did they help out on? Thanks!

cwaggoner07

I almost always say that a DOC is 100% worth your money and that it is very helpful to have. However, with such a small guest list, you may not have as many moving parts. Do you have a lot of different vendors?  That was the biggest help for us was making sure everyone was on time and where they needed to be when everything started.

libby2483

I think it depends on a couple of things with your venue.  We did not do a day of coordinator for a few different reasons:

1) We were able to go to the venue the night before to set up everything, so there really was only a few last-minute things to set out on the day of.

2) Our venue provided us with a coordinator who helped to coordinate aspects of the ceremony and keep the reception flowing smoothly.  This person communicated with all of our vendors for us, and just generally kept things going as planned.  

If we had not been able to set up the night before and we had not had a coordinator provided by the venue, we would have likely hired a day of coordinator.

JoanE2012

We did not use one and, looking back, do not regret it one bit.  We had just over 100 guests.  We had a small wedding party, had NO DIY and had a great coordinator at the venue to help with some stuff (putting the favors and centerpieces out, making sure we got our cake cutter/toasting flutes/etc back).  We also hired professional and well respected vendors.  We even had to reschedule our wedding at the last minute due to Hurricane Sandy.  In the end, everything moved smoothly and perfectly the day of the wedding and the money we saved by not having a DOC went to our honeymoon in Bora Bora.

JadziaDax

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_is-day-of-coordinator-worthwhile?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:14Discussion:8b3497f9-6747-4623-9f54-1caa07ce3da1Post:6437fd83-0189-456d-87f8-d099b65ade9b">Is Day of Coordinator Worthwhile?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm in the process of lining up vendors for my wedding in September 2013. I'm debating whether to hire a day-of wedding coordinator. Our ceremony and reception are both being held at the same venue, and there will be ~30 people.  Any advice for those who have made this decision and how you decided? If you had a day-of coordinator, what types of tasks did they help out on? Thanks!
Posted by RunnerBride2013[/QUOTE]

<div>With 30 guests and your ceremony and reception at the same venue, I don't think you really need one. If you have the budget for it though, I guess it can't hurt. A DOC wasn't in my budget so I didn't even think about having one. My guest list was 75 and my ceremony and reception were at different venues and everything was fine. The only problem I had was when a few of my bridesmaids forgot their bouquets and walked down the aisle carrying small flowers- I didn't even notice until I watched the video. I guess that is the one thing that having a DOC would have helped. </div>

Ven&Radio

I haven't had my wedding yet, but the most valuable service my DOC has provided so far is "ongoing consultation" as part of her day of package.  This means she is available to me to get advice on vendors, etc.  As someone who hasn't been to many weddings myself, I don't know how I would have done this all by myself.  Just something else to consider.

krizzo17

As someone who has worked in the wedding industry (as a ceremony musician) and a recent bride, I'd say it CAN be worth it, if you have the right person. Many DoC's seem to be 20-something women who went to a few weddings and wanted to keep going to more. I've encountered many disorganized, stressed out women and end up dealing with the bride directly, chasing down groomsmen/mothers of the bride, or managing everything on my own. We had one day-of-coordinator try to set us up in a different room than the ceremony...that really doesn't work too well.

The venue I got married at had their own DoC specifically because they were so tired of brides bringing in bad coordinators and doing all the work themselves anyway. That said, a true professional can be a godsend. The woman I worked with was absolutely wonderful. I'd ask your venue for a suggestion if you really want one - they probably have 1 or 2 go-to people who work at that venue all the time, know the staff, etc.


ETA: I also didn't have a bridal party, so the DOC helped me with things like bustling my dress, holding my flowers during the first dance, and getting a trashcan, fan, and towels when my husband got sick from the heat (super romantic, I know).