Day Of Coordinator worth it?

futuremrscrystal · January 2014

Did anyone hire a day of coordinator and was it worth it?

Jenn7778 · January 2014

I am wondering the same thing. I have a proposal from the coordinator of my dreams for "Day of" but she would be handling a lot more then just day of coordination. I know it will give me peace of mind on that day since we are not having the ceremony and reception at the same venue but I am trying to figure out if it is worth the money. Sigh!

futuremrscrystal · January 2014

@jennkurtz that's why I'm thinking about getting one too! Our ceremony is at a church and I won't get to see the room until we arrive. I want to make sure everything is perfect. I already asked potential florists if they would send me a picture of my centerpieces on my wedding day so I can feel better that they are exactly how I wanted them! So much to think about!

Giaspo · January 2014

I had one and it was worth every penny. Some brides are comfortable with the banquet person provided by the venue. Typically a day of coordinator will do more then just the venue stuff... They will act on your behalf from a week before the wedding through the evening. That last week was nuts and mine did everything, which allowed me to focus on other stuff. She helped with all the things that went wrong that you can't plan for. And she answered questions so me, my mom and sister (MOH) wouldn't have to.

My sister was married a few months ago and she had a small wedding. Even with a wedding that size we hit a few bumps and it was so nice to have someone else in charge. We were able to enjoy the evening and relax.

futuremrscrystal · January 2014

@Giaspo if you don't mind me asking how much do DOC typically charge?

Jenn7778 · January 2014

@Giaspo thank you so much. I am meeting with my coordinator for the first time Feb 27.

@futuremrscrystal the proposal I have is $2,000 and includes the following

- 2 1 Hour Meetings scheduled at my convenience

- Complete day of coordination to include 8 hours to ensure proper decor of church, programs, personal flowers, reception venue set up ect

- Final details meeting held 2 weeks prior to wedding

- Creation of detailed Day of Timeline

- Confirm vendors and manage their contractual obligations

- Oversee Vendors day of

- Distribute all final payments and gratuities

- Unlimited contact via phone and email from the time the contract is signed

I am leaning towards doing it just for peace of mind and she included so many other things then just day of that will eliminate a lot of stress.

Giaspo · January 2014

Hi! My sister's coordinator was less than $500 because her wedding was on the small side. They can run as high as $2000 depending on what package you purchase. I think I paid $1750 which included an additional DOC onsite plus 10 hours of extra "help" (in addition to the month before services). This included ordering and managing specialty linens, rental furniture, etc. finding a new rental company when the first one flooded, etc.

@jennkurtz - honestly that sounds a bit high. Will there be a team of people working at your wedding or just one? Perhaps it might help to get a few more proposals just to see? A lot depends on how you click with the DOC, so if you absolutely loved her then that would make sense.

Jenn7778 · January 2014

@Giaspo I got 3 different proposals and they ranged from $1700 - $3000. I like the planner that was right in the middle. It is a 2 person team so that there will be coverage with me while we are getting ready/photos and at the church/reception venue overseeing stuff there.

We are having about 130 people at the wedding and have 6 in the bridal party so it is not big but not small either. The coordinator that wanted $1700 was strictly day of and did nothing else and the 1 for $3000 had about the same package as the planner I chose but we did not really click.

Giaspo · January 2014

@jennkurtz Then it sounds perfect! You will be so glad that you did it. They really are incredibly helpful and take a load off of your shoulders. After my wedding, we met with my planner for a drink and she told us all of the things that went wrong that we never knew about. There weren't many but still I was glad she handled it for us. You must be so excited - congrats!

Jenn7778 · January 2014

@giaspo Thanks...I am so excited. I keep thinking I am doing things too early or quickly but I am so excited that I just want to keep planning! These boards are keeping me sane since I see that I am not the only person planning so far in advanced!

Thanks for all the advice and help! It is much appreciated.

futuremrscrystal · January 2014

@Giaspo Thanks so much for all your help! @jennykurtz when is your wedding? I've been on here constantly lately and it's helping with getting everything done haha

Jenn7778 · January 2014

@futuremrscrystal my wedding is not until November 7, 2015. When is yours? I keep reading all the timelines and I am not sure who puts them together but they are clearly not in NJ. If I waited to book things according to the timelines I would have no vendors. LOL I feel like I am on here constantly but it is so helpful talking to people who are going through the same thing.

Where are you getting married?

futuremrscrystal · January 2014

@jennykurtz my wedding is August 3, 2014. Our reception is at Addison Park. Where is yours? We slacked off in the first few months just enjoying being engaged. Finally now everything is pretty much done! I really enjoy all the planning but at times can make me crazy haha

Jenn7778 · January 2014

@futuremrscrystal we are getting married at my FI church in Clark and then the reception is at Primavera Regency in Stirling. I am so excited!

cj92212 · February 2014

@futuremrscrystal

YES YES YES a DOC is essential. Mine saved my life when I got married. I didn't have to worry about anything so I was really able to just enjoy the day and not worry about the schedule or if people were in place, or what was happening next. Seriously, planning your own wedding is great but being able to relax and enjoy on the day of is soooo necessary.

I used a really great planner.. Her website is here: http://www.pearleventplanning.com/. I see some people saying they paid $1500-$2000 and that's wayyy too much. Definitely check Jessica out before signing anyone else because her prices and her service are both AMAZING!

Jenn7778 · February 2014

@cj92212 I am so glad that I had not signed a contract with the original coordinator that I was going to use. I emailed Jessica yesterday after I read your post and am meeting with her this week. Not only is she 1/3 of the price of the other coordinator that I spoke to, she has been more responsive to me in 1 day then the other planner was in 2 weeks.

Thank you so much for the recommendation!

JoanE2012 · February 2014

We did not have a DOC and have no regrets. We hired professional vendors that came highly recommended and had no problems with any of them. Our venue also had a coordinator that helped us with timing of the processional as well as the little details like packing up our wedding stuff (toasting flutes, cake server, etc), putting the favors out, etc. I suppose if something went wrong I might feel differently, but thankfully nothing did. We saved that money and put it towards our honeymoon in Bora Bora!

SewInLoveWithDMB · February 2014

We did not have a typical DOC. One of my sister's friends had offered to do set up at the venue before the reception, and that was more than enough.

(The venue did set up favors, toasting flutes and cake server)

I'm a reallllly organized person, and I met with her a few days before the wedding and gave her boxes and buckets of our decorations....table seating cards, menu cards, guest book, pens, candy bar/jars/candy/sign, photo booth sign, framed family wedding photos, birdcage for cards, parasols for photos, etc. I feel like we really did a lot of details. I gave her a map of the reception room and my general ideas as to where I thought each decor item should go, and then let her make the final call. It took her less than an hour to set up, and I did get her a nice gift for helping. It turns out we had a cancellation the night before and she and her husband (and kids even) were able to come to the reception to eat and celebrate with us as well. (This is a person that had no expectation of being invited, but is friendly with me and close with my sister, and she was thrilled to help, and got to attend and got a nice dinner!)

Beyond her setup, there were no issues that needed to be "handled" by a DOC. My pastor and the church handled all set up at the church, the florist delivered the flowers to the reception venue (and flowers/pew bows to the church), cake delivery went right to the reception, I met the photographer and videographer at the church in the morning before the ceremony, etc.

I had sealed envelopes for each vendor with their name and the final amount due on the envelope, and just passed them out to each vendor myself as I saw them. Again, no biggie.

Anything related to the ceremony I brought to the church during our rehearsal. (Door letter monograms, dried lavender in bags to throw as we left the church, programs, flower girl basket, ring bearer pillow, etc)

My dress did not rip, I did not need a sewing kit, no wedding gifts were lost, all vendors knew where to go - I had no worries throughout the day. I didn't need anyone to "act on my behalf."

At the end of the reception, I had no problem shoving our decor back into boxes, and GMs and other close family men packed them in cars and delivered them to our house. Again, no biggie.

So, it totally depends on your personality. I had everything all lined up, packed and ready to go and didn't mind being responsible for things throughout the day. And, it saved us a lot of money (I got a quote for between $1500-$2000 for a DOC)

Oh! The only thing that got lost throughout the entire day was my set of car keys. I drove myself to the church with my mother (we all got dressed at the church - they have a room specifically for the bride/bridal party and it worked perfectly with our early morning ceremony time) and I somehow threw them in some bag or purse, and it took a few hours after the reception to find them. Not sure a DOC could have fixed that, however?

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