Why Hire a
Day-of Coordinator or Full Planner/Coordinator… Which do you need???
There are
many reasons why hiring a Wedding Planner for your Wedding will benefit
you. Depending on your needs, you may be
looking for a planner to assist in the planning of everything… you may be looking
for someone to assist with planning only some things… or you may simply want
someone to assist on the Big Day!
The following
is only a small list of reasons for needing a Full Planning Package...
·
Planning
from a distance
·
Not
sure where to start? And once you have…
what comes next?
·
Too
busy with work, school or other activities... no time to dedicate towards
planning
·
Unsure
of how to make your ideas and general vision a reality
·
Over
whelmed... in over your head...
·
Want
your important day to be planned to perfection by a Professional
·
Don't
want to miss anything
·
Multi-cultured
and not sure how to tie the different cultures together
·
Prefer
to enjoy the planning process instead of adding stress to relationships with
your spouse and family
·
Want
to have fun at your own wedding instead of working at it
·
Would
like a lavish, unique or personalized event and need help with the finer
details
·
Been
married before and don't want to go through the trials of planning another
·
Parents
of small children making it more difficult to go around to tons of venues and
vendors before you find one you like
But… What happens when your budget
just simply doesn’t allow you to hire a Planner to do full or partial planning? Day-of/Month-of Coordination packages are the
next best thing and in my opinion an absolute necessity and life-saver on your
Wedding Day!
I recommend highly that every single couple
that forgoes hiring a Full Planner and decides to plan their own wedding, hire
a Day-of/Month-of Coordinator. It was
already stressful enough having to plan the entire Wedding on your own… Give
yourself the peace of mind on your Big Day and hire a Coordinator to ensure
everything runs as planned and to deal with the stresses that arise on the Big Day. Your peace of mind and enjoyment on your
Wedding Day will be more than worth it!
There are many reasons why I believe
it is important to hire a Wedding Planner/Coordinator for at least
Day-of/Month-of services.
·
With
the amount of money and resources being spent on your big day… don’t you want
to ensure everything runs smoothly and just as planned? Even if the planning was done by yourself,
the Day-of Coordinator will ensure everything goes according to your plans.
·
This
is your party and one of the most important days of your life… If a problem
were to arise, do you want to be interrupted while talking to family and
friends, during speeches, pictures or when you are trying to enjoy your dinner? Having A Divine Affair there ensures that
any and all issues that arise are taken care of for you. You are able to relax and enjoy your day
stress-free without having to become a last minute problem solver!
·
What
could go wrong??? The list of unwanted surprises
that could arise is endless, but here are a couple scenarios…
o
The
make-up artist is sick and unfortunately unable to come the morning of your
Wedding… A Divine Affair is there with a
list of backups to find you an available replacement!
o
What
if the Groom has dropped something on his shirt while getting ready… A Divine Affair can get a last minute
replacement from the rental company.
o
Oh
no... A Wedding Crasher has arrived and
they are ordering a drink at the bar… A
Divine Affair can escort them from the Wedding.
o
Oops…
Cousin John brought a date that he didn’t
inform you of… A Divine Affair will
ensure there is a place setting for the new guest.
o
The
band is going to be late… A Divine
Affair will ensure the party gets started by either finding a replacement or
hooking up a temporary solution to get the party started!
o
Limo
doesn’t arrive… A Divine Affair can
arrange for alternate transportation.
·
Family
and Friends are guests at your Wedding.
Why are you putting them to work?
Let your mother enjoy catching up with family she hasn’t seen in a while… Spend time with your bridesmaids getting
ready and taking pictures before the Wedding.
They want to relax and enjoy your day with you instead of having to run
around getting things done and not having enough time to get ready themselves.
·
Day-of
Coordinators are there to ensure that the day runs as planned. A Divine Affair coordinates the arrival times
and set-up for all of the Vendors and ensures they are setting up to your
expectations. We are double-checking all
details such as floor plans, seating, lighting and temperature levels, place
settings, all deliveries, set-ups and your personalized details to ensure that
nothing was missed.
·
We
attend the rehearsal and are there to conduct if the Officiant wasn’t hired to conduct
the rehearsal. This also makes for a
great opportunity to have the entire Wedding party and immediate family meet
the coordinator whom they will be going to with any issues on the Big Day.
What exactly is a Day-of Coordinator???
Day-of Coordinators aren’t only there on
the day of your Wedding. Typically a
Month before your Wedding you would meet with your Day-of Coordinator. During the month before your Wedding A Divine
Affair would…
·
Ensure
all loose ends are tied up in your Wedding plans. We are there to make sure you haven’t missed
anything.
·
Create
an in-depth Wedding Day agenda with arrival times, set-up times, photo times,
ceremony, food service, speeches, etc…
·
Contact
Venue and all Vendors and confirm details prior to your Wedding day.
·
Attend
your last meeting with the Venue to discuss final details on guest count, the
menu and get a good idea of how you envision the space will look.
·
Attend/Conduct
the rehearsal.
What if the Venue comes with a Venue Coordinator?
A Day-of Coordinator and a Venue
Coordinator are 2 very different things.
The Venue Coordinator is an employee
of the Venue. They are simply there to
show the Venue to couples and assist with Venue related things such as tastings
and menu choices. On the day of your
Wedding they are there to ensure things are running smoothly with Venue related
items such as food service, set up of tableware and cleanup. They also often leave once your meal is served.
Your Day-of Coordinator is with you
the entire day. A Divine Affair will do
any and everything they can to ensure your day is perfect for you. Your Day-of Coordinator will be there to
assist in any problem be it small or large that may arise anytime during the
day of the Wedding or even the month leading up to it. They are there to ensure the timeline is
being followed throughout the day. They
will prompt the Vendors and MC on when to announce the next speech or event
such as dances, cake cutting and bouquet toss.
They will be there to assist with the lining up of your Wedding party
for the ceremony and fix your train before you walk down the aisle. They will be there to open the door for your
Grand Entrance… Your planner is like your personal sidekick all day to help you
and consult with you on anything you need.
They are there to troubleshoot with Vendors and ensure every aspect of
the Wedding runs smoothly, not just the Venue.
Main difference… A Venue Coordinator works for the Venue… The Day-of
Coordinator works for you. The Day-of
Coordinator will ensure every detail and aspect of your Wedding runs exactly as
planned.
Now that you know a bit more about the
benefits of hiring a Day-of/Month-of Coordinator…
Here is a list of some of the services
included within the Day-of/Month-of Coordination and Full Planning packages that A Divine
Affair offers to help you decide which best suits your needs.
Day-of Coordination vs. Full Planning
|
·
Create a wedding
day agenda
·
Confirming final
details with Vendors and Venue
·
Attend final
meeting with Venue
·
Attend/Conduct
Wedding Rehearsal
·
Instruct and
oversee all duties of participants
·
Oversee set-up
·
Assist Bride
& Bridesmaids with dressing
·
Supervise all
Vendors and Professionals
·
Handle necessary
payments
·
Supervise and
assist with day of Photography
·
Guidance and
Assistance with Ceremony Processional and Recessional
·
Double-checking
final details
·
Attend to
guests’ special needs
·
Ensure
everything runs as planned
·
On site
Supervision and Direction of the Wedding Ceremony and Reception
|
·
Book Venue
Visits
·
Create
Personalized Timeline
·
Research and
Suggest Vendors based on your budget, theme and personalities.
·
Book all Vendor
Meetings (Including but not limited to photographers, florist, DJ,
transportation, decor and caterers)
·
Attend all
Meetings with Vendors and Venues
·
Negotiate Prices
or Services with Vendors and Venue
·
Review all
Vendor Contracts (A Divine Affair does not dispense legal advice but will
look over contracts to ensure nothing is missing)
·
Full development
of the Wedding Theme you have chosen
·
Assistance with
wording of Invitations
·
Vendor Follow-up
and Confirmations
·
Budget
Management
·
Manage all
logistics
·
Create a wedding
day agenda
·
Confirming final
details with Vendors and Venue
·
Attend final
meeting with Venue
·
Attend/Conduct
Wedding Rehearsal
·
Instruct and
oversee all duties of participants
·
Oversee set-up
·
Assist Bride
& Bridesmaids with dressing
·
Supervise all
Vendors and Professionals
·
Guidance and
Assistance with Ceremony Processional and Recessional
·
Double-checking
final details
·
Handle necessary
payments
·
Supervise and
assist with day of Photography
·
Attend to
guests’ special needs
·
Ensure
everything runs as planned
·
On site
Supervision and Direction of the Wedding Ceremony and Reception
|
