“Day-of Coordinator”, are you sure?

December 18, 2016 | Chicago Weddings, Wedding Planning

Every morning I sit down at my computer, gorgeous triple venti non fat cappuccino in-hand, ready to conquer my day. And every morning, I get so excited when I see them: INQUIRIES! The life blood of the wedding industry, and of course, planners. Couples who are engaged and considering an investment in a wedding planner like me! A wedding coordination service to guide them through the planning process: sending emails, asking for date availability, pricing our options, and a few other usual tasks. And then, there it is: “We are just interested in day-of …” SIGH.

The reality is that in order for a wedding day to run smoothly, a coordinator doesn’t just work for the day of the wedding only! I am constantly educating newly engaged couples with this one true fact: A planner/coordinator should NEVER just show up the day of your wedding. Think about that. It is terrifying! You have done all of this work to make this an important and very special day, unique and memorable – yet, you are going to hand over all of those minute details to someone without any prep time? This is arguably one of, if not THE, most important day of your life – why would you ever be that casual or unprepared?

In my humble opinion, we really shouldn’t ever use the term “Day-Of”

Think about it- would you want someone walking into your wedding on the day-of when they have no idea about anything that is supposed to happen? Definitely not, right? Having a wedding coordinator is absolutely something I wholeheartedly recommend, but you must realize that for a coordinator to successfully carry out your wedding day, we need to be able to work BEFORE your wedding day too. What is the solution to this, you ask? There is a PERFECT alternative to a “Day-Of” Coordinator …

Ladies and Gentlemen, Let’s Discuss the “Month-of” Coordinator!

Month-of coordination is not a new concept, I have been doing it for years, as have many of my talented colleagues. In fact, it is pretty much how the former “day-of” coordination service has been done for some time. In essence, all of this is just a matter of recognizing that the term “day-of coordinator” isn’t correct.

Wedding planners the world over will tell you that starting their coordination services 4-6 weeks before a wedding is enough time to tie up loose ends, bridge any gaps, dot all the i’s and so forth. Basically, this gives us time to all be organized and prepared to produce a beautiful day for you and your guests.

How should a “Month-of” Coordination Package look?

Very simply, the service would start 4 to 6 weeks before your wedding day. You hand over just about everything to your coordinator, and then we become your primary point of contact. You are no longer stressing about sending dozens of emails a day. You have a trained professional who has logged hours producing events and weddings looking at your day and making sure that the timing is correct and that nothing is missing.

You have put in the work and done the planning up until this moment – now your month-of coordinator handles the rest! Of course he or she will keep you in the loop every step of the way, at least that is something that my team does without a question. Confirming logistics with your vendors, creating the detailed timeline(s), ensuring everyone knows where to be, making sure you’re not forgetting anything- all of these details are definitely things that you want done in the weeks before your wedding day, not on the day-of or the day before! And the best part? You get to cherish and be present in every moment leading up to your day, instead of running on all cylinders attempting to be a super hero.