how to pick a wedding coordinator

dl920

Hi girls,

I have been following all your posts and they have been extremely helpful.  I have finally picked a location for my wedding (Lani on Oahu) and am now onto finding the perfect wedding coordinator.

I have narrowed down to Diana of Hawaii Wedding and Events, Diana of Oahu Weddings and Kathe of Gayle Weddings.  I have heard good reviews of all of them.  But how do I pick from the 3?  What questions did you ask your WC prior to deciding?  Did you interview your WC?  I will probably need a fair amount of help in planning the wedding (not very good at DIY stuff).  I'm clueless when it comes to narrowing further so any help is greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

melmac26

I guess I would figure out who had the best package for full service coordination based on what you want. It sounds like  you want someone to handle more of the little details of your day if you don't want to DIY. We went w/ Dianna from HW&E & she's at Lanikuhonua almost every weekend & she has a package that caters to that location. I personally loved her & had a good experience. But I've also heard amazing things about the other coordinators...we considered them too. But Dianna just felt right...sometimes it comes down to the gut feeling for who you think you'll work best with.
One last plug for Dianna....I always knew when she would get back to me b/c when I emailed her she has an auto reply laying out her schedule for that day or week. Listing when she would be getting back to emails.

timandwendystrack

I would definitely talk to each one, for me - it was the person I connected with the best.  I am getting married on Maui so I don't know the folks you are talking about, but I talked to three and it was really clear to me who was a good fit for my personality after we talked.  Think about what you want her to do and ask those questions when you call, see what ideas she has. 

Mine was bubbly and excited and already throwing out ideas and things for me to think about.  I knew she would be organized and ready with all of the small details.  And so far I have been right!  She also helps keep me from getting overwhelmed by focusing on one thing at a time, it's been so helpful.  I am using Kelly Miller at A Perfect Paradise Weddings.

ktabin

I agree with the girls above. Definitely talk to all of them. I interviewed both Dianna with HW&E and KathE when we were thinking of having our wedding on Oahu, and while they were both very knowledgeable and had good reviews, I just had a better connection with KathE and she made me feel more like an individual than a package and I felt that she was genuinely excited to help me plan my wedding. 

I would approach the interview as more of a conversation. Ask them about their experience, their strengths, if they have select vendors that they work with, how they like to work with clients (i.e. preferred contact method, collaborative vs. consultative, etc), how many weddings they normally book during that month, and it doesn't hurt to ask for references if you haven't gotten a concrete review that you completely trust.

Good Luck!

destiny1108

We also had Dianna from HWAE, she was the best investment we made!  We did speak to several coordinators first and liked her flexibility.  We did our due diligence and did ask to speak to a few of her past brides and were overwhelmed with the quick responses and raving reviews.    Good luck!