Maui Wedding Without A Coordinator?

FutureMrsVinci · September 2011

Hi Ladies,

Have any of you planned your weddings without the help of a coordinator? If so, do you have any tips? I've found all the vendors I want to use based on the feedback in this forum and I'm wondering if it's worth it to hire one?

Thanks!

motoLyn · September 2011

Kaesha did all of her planning by herself and just hired a day of coordinator. If you feel that you can handle it by yourself and have pretty much done so already. Then I think that you can definitely do without a WC. But I would highly recommend hiring a day of coordinator so you aren't stressed about the details on your big day.

kaesha · September 2011

I didn't actually have a DOC either! Outside of the dinner, which the catering company took care of, we didn't need anyone to organize us. We decorated the tables (not hard), did the cranes for our arch (setting that up was one of my favourite memories from the day).

I'm a drama teacher by day - so, I'm really comfortable with handling all of the organization and being detail oriented. I figured it wasn't any different than putting on a school play (and, in retrospect, the school play is much harder). I was super organized; I totally had a minute-to-minute schedule that we stuck to (fundamentally it was a script). Everyone knew what they had to do and where they had to be, and we just rolled from there.

You do have to be aware of timing and feel comfortable dealing with any last minute issues (although, we really didn't have any except for our ride not showing up at the end of the night, which we dealt with by hitching a ride with friends). You also have to be good at letting things go and being comfortable adjusting your plans in response to your guests. Be okay with a plan B. Lastly, and, probably most importantly, I think the key to any good event is planning transitions. How are you going to move from one activity to the next, and make sure your guests are following along with you?

If you can manage those questions, then I definitely think you don't need a DOC. Honestly though, I think it's way easier than people make it out to be, and, for me, a coordinator would have been a huge waste of money.

Tanq&Tonic · September 2011

I agree with Alyson. In retrospect, there was nothing our coordinator did that was a major value add other than carry insurance for the venue. She also did book our marriage license appointment, order chairs, order a dance floor, and order cake. And two of the worst elements of our day were the dance floor and cake

I am crazy organized when I want to be, and a perfectionist to a tee, and honestly, a WC was totally & completely unnecessary other than my venue required one.

As long as you are willing to deal with any glitches and adjust, and potentially think about something other than just enjoying the day, you could be fine without one. It also helps if you are familiar with the island, really good at doing online research, and able/willing to work with various vendors instead of just having things done for you. I generally find the more control you want and the more you care how things look & which vendor is used, the less helpful a coordinator becomes anyway.

FWIW our DJ and caterer could have orchestrated the entire day without the WC.

fabutan · September 2011

I seriously thought about this at the time and was "this" close to not hiring a DOC. I think if you have a straight forward timeline, venue, and small guestlist, you could pull it off without hiring one. To be honest, I did most (maybe even all) of the pre-event planning myself, but ended up hiring a DOC close to the last minute.

I have to say that the DOC was worth it on the day-of - especially because I wanted perfect execution and to achieve the look that I had planned out in my head. I was (for lack of a better word) anal about decor - way too much for my own good! We didn't want to bother family and friends with set-up and details. It was more important that they relaxed and had a good time...

The DOC ended up doing the running around (like a mad man) and taking care of set-up. She also took care of take-down and clean-up. We had so many elements going on, a jam-packed timeline, different set-up areas...and I didn't have to worry about a thing! I was also able to mail lots of stuff to the DOC beforehand and she took care of all the packages until we arrived on island. She had valuable advice about our timeline and experience with our venue and vendors.

In retrospect, I wish I had gone with a cheaper DOC or maybe tried to negotiate the price, since her rates were higher than others that I had seen. But I think our DOC did play a big role in making sure the day went smoothly and that set-up was everything that I had envisioned. DOC's are people afterall, so you have to find one that you have good "chemistry" with...I met a few that I didn't "click" with and that was more stressful than dealing without one! HTH!

motoLyn · September 2011

Thanks Kaesha for the correction.

The ladies above are so much more organized and on point than I. I hired a WC because I have no room in my head right now to plan a wedding.

AKWinterBride · September 2011

I honestly wouldn't get married in Maui without a coordinator. My whole idea behind a destination wedding was that I didn't want to have to do anything on our wedding day. I just wanted to show up with my Rubbermaid bins of goodies and hand it off an not need to think about it again.

The day of our wedding went so smoothly, it was absolutely perfect! If I had had to spend my time decorating rather than just relaxing, I think my wedding day would have been stressful instead of fun.

That said, somepeople absolutely want to get involved with all aspect including setup, and that is great for them, I just didn't want to have to handle anything. My coordinator was the best and I was absolutely confident in her abiliites to keep things rolling as they should.

I would recommend at least a day of coordinator.

dianalynm · September 2011

I didn't want to have a WC, but was kind of forced into having one. Honestly i feel like I could have done without one and just have a DOC, but it's nice to know that you have a contact person on the island to turn to if you are in a bind. I think it is especially important for us to get a WC since our wedding is around 125 people (we are definitely hoping for less!). For small weddings, I think going without a WC is doable.

kimmykupcakes · September 2011

I don't have one and haven't had any problem not having one. I've been able to do everything myself without any problem. I'm glad I saved myself money and didn't get one.

TheMofoChens · September 2011

After getting quotes way out of our budget from wedding planners and discovering from my own research that everything they planned to do actually cost 1/4 the price to rent yourself, I decided to plan everything on my own.

There are definitely tons of things to do and think about, but I'm also detail-oriented, and I have trouble sleeping, so this gives me something to do. So far I've decided on and booked all my vendors, venue, DJ, photographer, rentals, bridesmaids dresses (super cheap!), decided on draping, ordered fabrics and linens, decided on centerpieces, flowers (all DIY), dress, etc. And this is all under a month!　For us, I would rather not have a planner bc I just didn't feel it was worth the money, and I work much faster than she was getting back to us.

We aren't hiring a Day of Coordinator either, but I'm having 2 of my friends help me with that the day of. They both planned their own weddings (and other people's), so I'm sure the 2 of them put together can handle the vendors and stuff.

I don't think a planner is essential, but it's probably a lot easier (albeit more expensive). I personally love putting things together myself, it's fun and cheaper and my FI and I are working really well together.

FutureMrsVinci · September 2011

Thanks for the advice ladies

I've decided to plan without a coordinator for now. So glad I found this board, all the help you give each other is awesome! I'll definitely be picking your brains over the next few months!

sparklegirl84 · September 2011

I didnt have one! I wish now that I had a DOC though (my friend was hired & didn't really run the show & flow/transitions but was a good assistant). I agree I totally just had to go with the flow. I regret rushing the timing of the traditions cuz our guests didnt stay as long as I had hoped. For me, cleaning dishes & setting up tables was too ambitious & added stress but I hate spending money, in the end it was perfect for us and our day was more than expected!

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