Coordinator....is it necessary?

lemonsprinkles23 · August 2009

My sister and my mom have been asking/bugging (depending on how you look at it) me if I'm going to get a coordinator for the wedding. I was planning to get a DOC later, but I don't know if it's real value and plus that's another vendor I have to feed. What are your thoughts? Did you have/ having one? Was it worth it?

bridegroom1109 · August 2009

We had one and I'm glad we did. It was nice to have someone, completely impartial, handle all things wedding and business related and keep everyone on schedule. As bride and groom, we got to enjoy our guests and each other without worrying about when a vendor was leaving or who needed to be paid and when or if it was okay to start, etc. Defintely worth it.

MRS.TJB · August 2009

I have a DOC and she has been worth every penny. She has kept in-line with everything. She knows the in/outs of all things wedding and she has saved me more than her fee. My main reason for really going with her was because on my day I don't want to be worried about anything. I don't want my BM, groom or family to be trying to coordinate something. I want someone there that completly understands my wants...and can speak on my behalf. Girl...I could go on and on. YES...it is so worth it!

julinejb · August 2009

I'm having a DOC because I don't want to be bothered with small details. I want all vendors to talk to her and not to bother me because I want to enjoy my day. I feel like it's worth it if you are unable to designate someone else to be on top of all the little things. I didn't want my family & friends to have to deal with any minor details or issues either. HTH!!

mycicybride · August 2009

We have a full service planner for all of our events and she is worth every penny so far. On the day of my engagement party (last Sat) I went to get my hair and nails done and showed up 20 minutes before our guests. We didn't have to lift a finger. It was WONDERFUL and well worth the expense. I highly recommend planners especially for the day-of so you can enjoy your day.Cicy

marriedsaywhat?? · August 2009

How many people are in your wedding party? I had one and baby she was needed. I had 7 BM's 7 Groomsmen, 4 flower girls 2 junior brides and 3 Escorts 1 honorary groosmen, 1 ring bearer, 3 sets of parents, 2 grandparents, and 3 Elders that were apart of being escorted in and a live choir. She helped me to fill in the cracks of what I was missing prior to the wedding but honestly you probably need one for real-less stress. If you get one it will be less stress off of you and more things are likely to go RIGHT vs. wrong. My coordinator didnt charge me hardly anything b/c I made sure I had everything done prior to booking one b/c I knew I could not afford to pay someone alot of money and plus I am very hands on anyway. At the very, every least you would only need them to go over your program line up to make sure you are not missing any elements during the ceremony, and to coordinate your party at the rehearsal and the day of. If this is something you are interested in, get pricing for this and in my opinion this should only run about $100- b/c of the time of which you would need their assistance.

mycicybride · August 2009

Oh...one more thing to consider....Most good full service planners cost about 10% of your budget which at first I was like hell to da nawh BUT....considering the hookups and contacts my planner has she has actually saved us money especially on photography so far. Ci

brobin01 · August 2009

Yes! i say definitly get a DOC. A day of coordinator is so neccessary! I don't know about only costing $100..i have never seen a $100 day of corrdinator and if I found one I would check those credentials..lol my DOC is costing me $400. I don't mind paying it at all b/c I have a large bridal party and lots of immediate family involved. I don't want to worry about one thing that day.

josey2181 · August 2009

A DOC is so worth it!! You don't want to have to worry about little stuff or somebody being late. They take all the stress of the day of items, away from you.

lemonsprinkles23 · August 2009

WOW.. I guess I'll stick to my original plan of hiring a DOC. Now comes the hard part of finding someone. Thanks laides! I have another question. How far in advance did you all hire your DOC/ planner?

missjones2009 · August 2009

I think it depends on the type of day you are having and who you are. You know yourself best and if you need assitance in putting aspects of your day together go for it-- and I'm sure a good DOC is very helpful in easing any day of worries.My experience: I'm the odd ball out here--I did not have a coordinator, nor a DOC. I took it upon myself to learn about the different aspects of the day--I created our wedding schedule. In the week before I gave timelines to everyone who was playing a major part (the BP, Pastor, Photog, Musician, Venue).I left the day up to God, whatever happened, happened. The day flowed perfectly.None my family had to help out.Our ceremony & reception were in the same building I think that was a big reason everything worked well for us.

NELCORP · August 2009

Missjones, that was my thought. My wedding and reception is at the same location, my WP is fairly small, and I am a very precise person. I'm not sure what all I would need a DOC to do. That's why I asked on the other post what are the "little things" that the DOC handled. I'm just not sure I'm sold on the DOC.

Dashawn Council · August 2009

i also had a small wp and wedding/reception in one place. I opted for a family friend as the DOC and in leiu of payment i brought her a gift.

NELCORP · August 2009

Thanks Aqua for posting this. Reading all these responses really helps me make a more educated decision. I'm still pondering on the idea but maybe. I met with a DOC and she quoted me 150 amd that was a discount since she's a church sister of my mother. But after talking with her I didn't feel there was much for her to do. I quess it's b/c my venue has a coordinator that does most of everything.

EliNick · August 2009

Absolutely, positive necessary IMO.

withmike · August 2009

I only had a coordinator the "day of". She was well worth the help. I did not need a coordinator for the planning. I did it myself with my husband and it turned out great!

aquarius125 · August 2009

Well I am a planner so I am going to say YES! But seriously as the PP's have said having at least a DOC is great! I am hiring one for my wedding so that I won't have to work, I am not even letting my partner handle my wedding! I want ppl to enjoy the celebration and honestly a good planner can work you some great deals. For example, your planner can deal with finding you a nice affordable ceremony location and just show you the findings, etc! HTH! GL!

the cat · August 2009

My DOCs came with the vendor. They provided lists of contact info on other vendors if I needed help finding a photog, DJ, etc... On the day of, they decorated to my specifications and cleaned up. They also kept things in their proper order and cued the DJ for garter toss etc.

jbcurtis05 · August 2009

Well, I just got married 2 months ago..YES! It is worth it you should get one to take some stress off of you,bc planning a wedding is already enough STRESS!However,make sure you do your research and HIRE a professional... I made a mistake and hired the WORST planner ever!!! lol

lemonsprinkles23 · August 2009

jbcurtus... that's what I'm afraid of just hiring anyone. My mom was like "you don't need a professional just someone cheap" I'm like then why even bother with it.

zainamarie · August 2009

I don't know if this would be a good idea for you but I've seen it work for other people.... Do you know any other brides who are getting married who you would be willing to "trade" services for? I mean, if you only need little stuff, that could be a possibility. Girl A got Girl B, who was getting married later that year, to be DOC her wedding with a promise of doing Girl B's later that fall. Girl A and I both did DOC for Girl B and now Girl B is doing mine next year. Only a possibility if you get to know people on your local board...and can trust them....

aquarius125 · August 2009

agua- a good way to know if a planner is good or not is to check their references and ask around about the person. Ask other vendors that you have been dealing with for referrals. The wedding industry is very clickish so everyone talks. HTH!

jbcurtis05 · August 2009

@ Aquaviolet- PLEASE do ask around...dont just hire someone "cheap"...thats what I did..but in the end she wasnt that cheap,and gave me a BIG headache! She was a b****....but see that was my fault for NOT doing any research on her,I was just trying to do it the "money saving" way....but its worth it,get a professional who KNOWS what they doing!

Blkswnn · August 2009

We have a planner, otherwise I would be beyond stressed. She is awesome and I don't know what I would do without her. I travel often for work and I do not have all the time that I need to make sure things are exactly the way I want them. She's worth every penny!

Kenyagrace · August 2009

IMHO - I think it depends on the type of planner you are. I didn't hire a DOC - I searched for the vendors that I wanted to use and used our local board as a great sounding board for ideas. There is a DOC that posts regularly on that board too and I browsed her blog. She doesn't advertise that she's a DOC on TK for obvious reasons, but some of her ideas were helpful. I asked my cousin if she would 'coordinate' our rehearsal and be our Mistress of Ceremony at the reception, but everything she did basicially was my idea. I just needed her to execute it. I didn't feel I should turn into a boss at our rehearsal. I gave my cousin a nice monetary gift in return. Also, there was a coordinator at our venue that took care of all of the set up of our centerpieces and made sure the food process flowed. Our day went off without a hitch too and we are still getting complements about it. I say don't just get a DOC b/c it seems trendy. Be sure that you research it and can spare the expense. If you have reliable family members /friends that can take on the task, by all means ask them. Sorry this got long!

Kenyagrace · August 2009

sorry if i sounded crazy.....i've been drinking

marriedsaywhat?? · August 2009

Aguaviolet-I read over some of the replys and let me that I didnt mean to imply that the cost would only be $100 ...I actually meant to put like $100-160 but what I was trying to say is, if you are dealing with an honest person and you only need them for the rehearsal which means you guys will probably meet once for an hour or 2 to discuss the details prior, the day of the wedding for probably 5, they should not be charging you like they serviced you and helped you the entire time. My coordinator quoted me a very low price to low actually BUT at the same time, I had done everything and she didnt have to do any running around for me at all. We had a consult, a few phone conversations, she filled me in on what I was missing, she came over and helped me with some favors for little bit, of course she was at the rehearsal dinner and the day of the wedding. I paid her more that what she asked for but she was very impressed with how much work I had done and basically I only needed her to direct my wedding party. I had a lead hostess who handled the decor part of the wedding so she didnt have to help there. There are plently of coordinators who do weddings on the side and are reasonable. Seriously, If you only need them for as much as I did, then I say about $150 -175 max.

zainamarie · August 2009

I'm in Ohio and visit my local board often, they were always talking about Heidi, a woman in the NE Ohio area for DOC, she also offers full coordination as well. I asked for a quote, I gave her the basics...setting up my candy bar, making sure everything ran smoothly, just basic "little stuff" just to see what she would quote. It was over $600, I about freaking choked! My wedding is in the evening, ceremony/reception at the same location and I didn't happen to think I was asking for much. My BFF is getting married a few weeks before I am and at first thought having someone else plan her entire wedding was the way to go. She got a quote from the lady who ran the reception venue for closer to $2K. These things vary so much.

Coordinator....is it necessary?

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