To hire or not: A Day-Of Coordinator

mksisler11 · March 2011

Hello fellow Brides--

I am looking for insight on whether or not to hire a day-of coordinator (DOC). We are getting married this NYE in downtown Chicago. We will have a traditional Catholic Ceremony with a reception to follow a new downtown hotel.

The more I plan this event and book wonderful vendors who have great service reputations, I am questioning whether we actually need the assistance of a DOC. I am not very concerned with the details of the day that don't necessarily relate to the reception, (day-of timeline for wedding party, beauty services, photographer, herding guests onto trolleys to the church and back), because of my rockstar bridesmaids, but rather my concern of not hiring a DOC stems from knowing I will not be able to be present when other vendors (event design, floral, lighting, furniture rental, photobooth and DJ's) are setting up and taking down. But I know they will be given instructions and protocol from the hotel.

The hotel will have a Catering Coordinator working behind the scenes of the reception, so I'm not sure the addition of a DOC is necessary.

What are your thoughts? If you have hired one, what were some of the things your DOC helped with most?

hz80408 · March 2011

I had one and am so happy I did. We met/talked several times before the wedding to discuss what I was looking for and wanting for the wedding.

She called all of my vendors the week of the wedding to confirm delivery, etc.

She came to rehearsal and helped everyone learn timing of the procession, who stands where, etc.

The day of I feel like she did everything. I didn't speak to one vendor/delivery person, she did it all. I also had items from the ceremony that needed to be moved for the reception which she took care of. She kept us on our timeline. Honestly all I did was get dolled up, married and enjoy myself. If something bad happened, I still haven't heard about it and assume she must have taken care of it.

Our venue also had a coordinator, but she dealt mainly with the catereer. Even my photographer (with years of experience), emailed me after the wedding to say how awesome DOC was (prior to the wedding I had called him to see if he'd worked with her and what he though).

For me, it was definitely a blessing to have one.

MrsPaps · March 2011

I'm getting married in July and love our DOC. She is constantly available for advice and touches base with us on how things are coming along. I can't imagine not having one.
BTW I'm using Amanda at LaDi Events if you're looking for one.

nikikarabetsos · March 2011

We have one, and my wedding is in 9 days, and I'm telling you its the best money we've spent!!!

butterflyfan · March 2011

We are not hiring one. Like you, I feel very confident in our vendors. The are professional and know how to help. The reception, our DJ will have control of our timeline we gave him, so he will stay on track. He will let us know about the upcoming events of the evening, line us up for intros, ect. I have an 2 friends, who will be at the reception early to help setup things. Our hall I have complete confidence in getting everything ready. Our hall has a person there to help organize and get everything ready. Personally, the money can be spent somewhere else.

Golfer09 · March 2011

I would highly recommend getting a DOC if not for getting ready but getting the venue ready. With so many independent vendors, while they may receive guidance if something goes wrong (god forbid) these vendors will go back to you for resolution, not the catering manager.

Also, independent vendors might want to do things a certain way which may conflict with another one of your vendors. Issue resolution? They will go to you for the final word. An example of this might be a photographer working against the videographer for position, etc. If things are running late, who makes the call? They will consult with the wedding party to see what to do....our wedding was delayed by over 20 minutes to accommodate someone who was handicapped and running late.

A DOC is there to resolve any disputes, issues, and handle any problems that may arise so the bride and the groom can enjoy their day instead of being stressed out that a vendor arrived late and throws off another vendor's schedule.

I had a DOC and we had lighting and drape - little did I know that they had to assemble the buffet table to properly light it in advance and then break it down.

Well, the people that put up the buffet table refused to take it down (it's double the work for them, right?) even though this was agreed upon during our walkthrough.

The staff would prefer that guests arrive with it in the space hogging up the walkway. If it wasn't for our great DOC (Anthony from Liven it Up) who MADE them take the table down we would have some serious space constraints when guests arrived.

It's stuff like this that I didn't realize happened until long after the wedding. If I didn't have a DOC, I would be the one chasing down someone and having to negotiate them to rectify the situation - not something I wanted to worry about prior to our ceremony!

aimers1525 · March 2011

We do not have one. We are really lucky, in that, our reception venue has an event coordinator. She will ensure that all of my DIY or non-DIY (hehe) items will be set up. This includes place cards, guest book, non-floral centerpieces, etc. We established a timeline for everything with her and all I have to do is drop off anything that needs to be set up the Wednesday before our wedding.

Additionally, we will have final logistical meetings with our florist and photographer so they know the schedule for the entire day. All of our vendors will have our timeline which includes cell phone numbers of my bridesmaids who will know everything that I know so they can answer questions w/out me having to be on the phone

jaimechristena · March 2011

We got a coordinator a month ago just to help up out with the last few things, details, and DOC. It has been a great so far, granted I have done so much, but she has been such a help with a few other things. Has given some great negotiation advice and was right there trying to help me when we were having issues with the hotel we are blocking the rooms at. I know other people who have one and said it was the greatest expensive they ever did.

DOC are not that expensive, look around, my FI found quite a few really cheap ones.

I have Shannon Gail.

kblezien · March 2011

So we're like pretty much in the same boat! I'm also getting married on NYE in downtown Chicago but at the Sofitel. I hired a DOC for the exact reasons that you're considering hiring one. Our director-of-catering is there to do some behind-the-scenes things, but I know she has a huge wait staff to direct and coordinate so I knew I wanted someone else who was just focusing on setting up the room and whatnot.

I am using Amanda from La'Di Events (I think someone else mentioned her earlier), and so far she has been terrific. I feel so much more at ease knowing that the room will be exactly to my likings with her there. We are having pretty extensive decor and place cards at every chair so I wanted the extra attention to detail.

In my opinion, go for it! It's not a ridiculously large investment into the wedding so I think it's totally worth it to know that you won't have to deal with a single mishap on your day. If anything goes wrong, she's there to handle it so people don't have to come ask you what you want to do to fix it.

Good luck!!

akrysl22 · March 2011

It sounds like you are on the fence. Do you have a friend or family member who is organized and that you trust? Where I'm from, there are no day of coordinators - they're called Personal Assistants. I've done it many times for my friends and am always happy that I can help my friend on her big day. You don't pay them, but a nice gift is appreciated.

Bimbi284 · March 2011

I was like you too, OP...I thought I had everything down and had planned most of my big day by myself to the T. However, in the weeks leading up to the wedding, it became apparent all of the little details that needed to be addressed that actual day. I really wanted to enjoy the day, and I didn't want to have to deal with little details like who brings the gifts back to the room after the reception or who takes care of getting the leftover cake refrigerated. Not to mention, if anything happened to go missing or wrong, I didn't want to have to be the one to try and figure it out when I was trying to get ready or taking pics with my new hubby. I had rockstar BMs too, but I also wanted them to enjoy the day and not have to stress about an assigned task for that day. I also originally thought that a family friend would help with the Day Of stuff...but she kind of flaked during the last few weeks too. I had no choice but to hire a DOC and I'm SO glad I did!! I highly recommend it, even if you don't think you'll need one at this point!

thealphabride · March 2011

Although all of my vendors were very experienced and the venue provided a coordinator, I hired a DOC. I didn't want my family to have to do anything except enjoy themselves on the wedding day. Our DOC coordinated the entire event, from the last week through the end of the reception. She packed my sister's car at the end of the night with all the gifts and the decor that was to go back to our home.

She was wonderful. My groom, family and myself had a wonderful day and evening, we did nothing except get married and ENJOY!!! Nothing to my knowledge went wrong, if it did, we never knew about it.

I think it is worth it so you won't have to worry about any details during your day.
We used Karolina Warren, Weddings by Karolina. She was excellent!!!! and very affordable.

One of my fav moments of the video, he captured the reveal of the room with my DOC on tape, it was priceless.
Highly recommend getting a DOC....

MrsPaps · March 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_illinois-chicago_hire-not-day-of-coordinator?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:72Discussion:230b7216-6c39-47d9-998d-ab04995bae3cPost:c17fe7b9-4601-4776-9e2c-f1188b6cc726">Re: To hire or not: A Day-Of Coordinator</a>:
[QUOTE]Although all of my vendors were very experienced and the venue provided a coordinator, I hired a DOC. I didn't want my family to have to do anything except enjoy themselves on the wedding day. Our DOC coordinated the entire event, from the last week through the end of the reception. She packed my sister's car at the end of the night with all the gifts and the decor that was to go back to our home. She was wonderful. My groom, family and myself had a wonderful day and evening, we did nothing except get married and ENJOY!!! Nothing to my knowledge went wrong, if it did, we never knew about it. I think it is worth it so you won't have to worry about any details during your day. We used Karolina Warren, Weddings by Karolina. She was excellent!!!! and very affordable. One of my fav moments of the video, he captured the reveal of the room with my DOC on tape, it was priceless. Highly recommend getting a DOC....
Posted by thealphabride[/QUOTE]
Alpha did you get your video?!

mksisler11 · March 2011

Thank you all for your input! Your comments are very helpful. After speaking with our event coordinator, I am feeling confident that we will not need a DOC. Of course, the wedding is still far enough away, so this all may sound fine in theory, but in practice, we shall see.

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