Should We Hire a (Day of) Wedding Coordinator?

DanAll1228

Hi All:

I've given some thought lately to hiring a day-of Wedding Coordinator. I was thinking it would be better to have someone handle all of the "day of" or "day before" issues, so that we can relax, and not have to appoint a friend or family member to do "chores" during the ceremony and/or reception.

Has anyone else decided to hire a Wedding Coordinator? What influenced your decision? What should I look for (or beware of) when looking for a Wedding Coordinator? Thanks in advance for any information you can share!

arcany123

i have a full blown wedding planner but before i hired her, i was thinking about just getting a day of coordinator.  i dont want to worry about anything during my wedding day!  if the limo is late, i want someone else to handle it.  its hard to be a host and guest of honor at that same time.  make sure that anyone that you consider hiring covers the number of hours that you need.  make sure that she covers your rehearsal.  also ask if she will do final vendor confirmation.  good luck!

mahoganieyes

Do I want to worry about cousin Pookie received the wrong meal, someone forgot the ceremony music(cd) or when to cut the cake? Hire a pro! Family sometimes let things roll over but a pro will know not to let that small things fall to the side.

eagles347

I agree with these ladies. I have a full planner, which maybe I could done without, but there is no way I would want to skip out on a DOC. You should be a worry-free as possible on your wedding day WITHOUT having to have your vision suffer because you aren't micro-managing every detail. Hire a professional if your budget will allow it and let family and friends enjoy the event as guests. Be sure that the DOC is not truly just Day-Of...you will need to meet several times prior to the event and the DOC will need to meet/communicate with all vendors as well.

2010Bride2be

Day of Coordinator is a must have in my opinion. It will preserve your sanity and allow you to enjoy your day without having to worry about this or that.

As far as a full planner, meh, it all depends on how busy you are and if you want to be hands off. We thought about getting one, but for me, it takes away half the fun of planning a wedding. It would have been wasted money.

krimson19

we had a DOC.  it was a good friend who has done it for a few weddings.  she was  a big help.  since we had a small size informal wedding she was just the person i needed.

PhillyBride123

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_african-american-weddings_should-hire-day-of-wedding-coordinator?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:400Discussion:3dd6a786-aa9c-4808-b12c-230bb2c2f0cePost:e51d4acb-9aa0-4d33-8bd7-8d7718adf872">Re: Should We Hire a (Day of) Wedding Coordinator?</a>:
[QUOTE]i have a full blown wedding planner but before i hired her, i was thinking about just getting a day of coordinator.  i dont want to worry about anything during my wedding day!  if the limo is late, i want someone else to handle it.  its hard to be a host and guest of honor at that same time.  make sure that anyone that you consider hiring covers the number of hours that you need.  make sure that she covers your rehearsal.  also ask if she will do final vendor confirmation.  good luck!
Posted by arcany123[/QUOTE]

This!

summerbride11

I regret not having one....just for peace of mind.

As for things to look out for: I've heard that it's better to go for someone that charges by their breakdown of services , rather than a percentage.  In other words, several high end planners charge 5-10% of your budget (for example).  They may steer you to go with more expensive vendors because it's more money for them. The planner should be able to tell you  how much they charge for A, B and C, not what percentage they get.
Good Luck!

banks69

I actually have two....one is my FI's aunt who will handle aspects of the ceremony at the church since she's also the church administrator so she has keys and access to everything! LOL!

I actually bartered for my DOC for the reception, which is where I need the most assistance.  She needed some proofing work done and we exchanged services instead of payment.  So far so good.

missheaven1999

I definitely get a coordinator. Let her deal with the minor stuff. My venue came with a coordinator.

kenyasobeautiful

I will be hiring a DOC.

There is absolutely no WAY I could handle that stress.

Its worth it and they are not expensive considering the piece of mind you end up $saving....

cincy2011

Definitely hire a DOC!  We didn't get the full planner, but we wanted to plan it all ourselves, so that worked for us.  The planner should be extremely organized, responsible, quick to respond (as in within 24 hours) and reasonably priced.  As others have said, make sure she also handles the rehearsal and attends all final meetings with vendors so she can become their main contact for the big day.  You will not regret it - I felt so relieved after we found our DOC!  Good luck!

zantster

Yup!  I hired a DOC and am glad that I did.  I love the planning process.  But I will not be wanting to go through the worry and pull your hair out process.  Just make sure the DOC has excellent references from other brides.  And if they don't come highly recommended with a ton of reviews you can read online then you may need to ask for references from them.  In this case you should make sure the references they give you (at least 3-5) are real brides who are not relatives of the DOC.  And the references should not only include the brides' names and phone numbers but also the names of the venues where they represented the bride so you can cross check and make sure the references are legit.  Good luck!