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Day of Coordinator - what exactly do they do?

Hey ladies,

This post may be more rant than question, or maybe I'm just seeking reassurance. The wedding is a few days away (eek!) and, to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what we've paid our day of coordinator to do.

She's pretty expensive - $1400 for what really just amounts to day-of and some vendor recs. We couldn't afford this extra expense but sucked it up because we were repeatedly told it was necessary. Now it's just not clear. She emails every few weeks to see how we're doing, we write back with updates, and that's about it. I had a decor question early on and we talked about it on the phone for about 20 minutes. I've had a few etiquette questions pop up that I've emailed her about, and that's kind of it. She came to our final walkthrough. She's been sending us questions about our contracts for the last few weeks. I suppose she's doublechecking our work, but from what I can tell nothing has needed fixing. And for the wedding day, I just don't get what she'll be doing aside from setting up escort cards and tablecards.

Did I blow it on this one? Are DoCs just insurance - their value kicks in if something goes very wrong? Am I missing something with this whole process? Are vendors really incapable of handling stuff without a conductor overseeing it? I really don't want to believe I just wasted a ton of money!


Re: Day of Coordinator - what exactly do they do?

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    edited December 2011
    Mine was amazing!  She is actually a friend from work but on the day of my wedding she set up decor, made sure the rabbi had everything she needed, told us when to walk out, she knew when we were ready to start lunch, she told the dj when we were ready for first dances, cake cutting, and speeches. 

    She also made sure that things that were important to us (cake server set, ceremony items), and at the end of the wedding she made sure everyone had a cab home.

    Since she was a friend, I don't know how much it would have cost for a professional, but I feel like if I didn't know her, I would have hired someone anyway!
    Married!!
    image
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    MrsPapsMrsPaps member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm counting on ours to run the rehearsal, make sure everyone is everywhere they are suppose to be, set up some DIY at my venue, make sure the vendors are on time and doing what they need to be doing, and really just putting out any fires the day of.
    You're paying about 3 times as much as I am but the range here for DOCs is really like $500-1500. honestly, you're paying for piece of mind!
    I will tell you that I was at a wedding where the couple hired a shuttle to take guests from the hotel to the church/reception and it was in their contract that he made a roundtrip every 15 min however the driver didn't know that and after the first group, sat at the reception place just waiting. her DOC stepped in and drove guests that needed it plus straightened out the driver and got them money back since he didn't live up to the contract.
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    edited December 2011
    I paid about $600 but mine made the day of timeline, called all the vendors to let them know where they needed to be and at what time.  She was the go to person in case any of the vendors had questions or got lost.  I also gave her a list of things to set up or make sure were set up correctly.  I was completely at ease the day of because of my DOC.
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    edited December 2011
    I think that price isnt bad from what I found actually, and think the cost is worth it for the peace you'll have the day of, not worrying about the little details, timelines etc.. she'll take care of all of it.

    This was one of the best decisions we made!
    nikiplanning.weebly.com
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    IzzyBarIzzyBar member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think you will find a DOC coordinator really useful on your wedding day.  I agree with all the other posts, that your DOC will make sure all your vendors are doing what they are supposed to be doing and helping you with any problems on the wedding day.  
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    hz80408hz80408 member
    5 Love Its First Comment Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_illinois-chicago_day-of-coordinator-exactly?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:72Discussion:9a00bcde-fac0-4521-bad9-eb28c4bf84dbPost:e9f80377-9d7f-47f4-ae0f-fd78f01e8cfa">Re: Day of Coordinator - what exactly do they do?</a>:
    [QUOTE] but mine made the day of timeline, called all the vendors to let them know where they needed to be and at what time.  She was the go to person in case any of the vendors had questions or got lost.  I also gave her a list of things to set up or make sure were set up correctly.  I was completely at ease the day of because of my DOC.
    Posted by ChiA&M[/QUOTE]

    this is pretty much what I plan on using my DOC for.
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    edited December 2011
    Suneeta,
    See my vendor review above on the DOC, that sums up very well what they do.
    It is not a waste believe me. She should take care of everything for you on the day of the wedding including any crises that arise so you and your family don't have to deal with it on your special day.
    Good Luck with your wedding!!!! I hope all of your dreams come true.
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