Wedding Coordinator Recommendations?

kmesserly

Hi everyone,I'm getting married in Athens,OH next fall and I'm seriously thinking about hiring a wedding planner. Mostly because I've been hearing a lot lately about how they can actually save you money. So I guess I have a two questions---#1 Is it true a wedding coordinator can save you money?#2 Do you have any recommendations? This person would have to be willing to travel to Athens. ;-)

kerr

Hiring my DOC was the best decision I made in the whole wedding planning process. She was really able to pull my entire vision together and make it absolutely beautiful. Her name is Kate Trombitas with Celebrations by Kate www.celebrationsbykate.com I don't know if she travels to Athens but it's worth asking her! She is fabulous!

tami3573

I don't know about saving you money, but they do know their business so in theory, yes they will. I have two weeks left and I wish I would have made the investment.  I work a full time job and have a lot on my plate.  Have a coordinator would have relieved me of a lot!  Even the personal touches I added would have been easier because I would know the coordinator was worrying about the hard stuff.  If you have it in your budget I think I would have if I were to it all over again.... Good luck and Congratulations!

Alko726

knottie earl&pearl offers DOC services for what seems to me like a very affordable rate! I've been in contact with her just recently, and now I'm hoping to find some money somewhere in our budget to afford her for our wedding day.

kimanderic2009

Coordinators and coordinator fans please don't take offense, this is MY opinion. I think it is a waste of money. Surround your self with GOOD people, being your vendors, family and friends. Most professional vendors don't need a coordinator to tell them what to do. At our wedding we got what we felt to be great, intelligent, experienced vendors and just let them do their job. Our wedding went off wothout a problem. Between our photographer and our disc jockey, they were SO much help it was like having two coordinators. Plus if the coordinator costs you say, $500 and saves you $50 bucks on each of your vendors, are you really saving money? Oh well, sorry this is so long, but that's my opinion.

second time around

Enchanted Event Planners is out of Lancaster, and would probably go to Athens. www.enchantedeventplanners.com I think they are definatly worth the money. You can't be everywhere at once, and it is nice to know someone is taking care of everything so you can relax.

StephyJeffy

I don't know that I'd get a coordinator to save money, but I almost wish I had to save on sanity, especially the day of, when my family (and by my, I mean, my husband's), who was all there to help, were driving me crazy and refused to act autonomously. It would be nice to have someone to just relieve that bit of stress...

amyannosu

There's a difference between a wedding PLANNER and a wedding COORDINATOR. A wedding planner will plan your entire wedding, help you book vendors, etc - and in theory, they might save you money, but you still owe them money for their services. In my opinion it's a waste unless you're having a very extravegant affair that will need extra attention that you can't provide. Now a wedding coordinator is just someone who will be by your side during the day-of (or weekend-of, as some coordinators do) to make sure everything runs smoothly. I do think this can be very helpful, unless you have someone in your family who can take on this role for you - I don't. So I hired A Wedding by Sylvia in Pickerington.

Alko726

I agree with the posts about the purpose of a DOC -- I'm not looking for anyone to try and save me money, but more so that my family can enjoy the day themselves and so that I have someone that can help make the decisions and smooth over rough edges on the day of so that I don't have to deal with any of it. kmesserly -- I'm not fan of coordinators in general unless you think you're too busy to do it yourself, but a DOC may not be a bad idea. It's definitely cheaper than hiring a full-blown coordinator.

second time around

My friend got married last month and had a DOC. She decorated the reception hall the night before and was at the rehersal to help and find out where flowers and stuff went. She met the vendors at the church and put up the decorations, then went to the reception site while the bridal party took pics and met those vendors, and then went back to the church to get everyone down the aisle, and afterwards, took down the decorations, went to the reception, moved the flower arragements and guest book to there, kept them on schedule, packed everything up, and took it to their house, and returned the rental stuff on Monday. She was very happy she had spent the money.

kmesserly

Thanks so much for your advice, ladies!!! It was so helpful. It sounds like a wedding coordinator might be what i'm looking for---if not to save money---at least to save my sanity! ;-)