If you've begun planning your wedding, you've probably come across the terms "wedding coordintor" or "day-of coordinator". So what is a wedding coordinator or day-of coordinator and why should you consider hiring one? Just like a wedding planner, a coordinator works in the background, but most of their work is done the day of your wedding. A wedding coordniator's main objective is to allow you, your fiance, and your families to enjoy your wedding and reception while your coordinator takes care of all the little details and handles any issues that might pop up.
Wedding coordinators are often take care of tasks like these:
assisting with rehearsal and directing bridal party and family on expectations or responsibilities
meeting vendors for deliveries and ensure everything is set up properly and all items or services are completed
turning on venue lights or decorative lighting, turning on or lighting candles
ensuring interactive stations are ready for guests
preparing and refilling coffee, tea, lemonade, etc. and ensuring cups and ice are available for guests
ensuring any alcoholic beverages are chilled and ready to serve
making sure the food buffet table has cutlery, plates, bowls, napkins, serving ware, etc.
ensuring plates, forks, napkins, cake serving set, and toasting glasses are on the cake table or dessert buffet
restock plates, cutlery, napkins, cups, etc. throughout the reception
cut cake or restock cupcakes or other desserts
most importantly, they make sure special dances, food service, cake cutting, toasts, bouquet and garter toss, etc. are done in a timely manner so your photographer can get all the shots they need, guests don't get bored and leave, and nothing ends up forgotten
These things are the most forgotten or overlooked, which is why we began including on-site coordination with all our wedding packages. We didn't want you to have to ask family or friends to spend the evening taking care of these things instead of celebrating with you.
Wedding coordinators also handle or mitigate any crisis that might pop up, like this toppled cake that we had at a recent wedding. We made sure the air conditioning was set at 68 and the room cooled accordingly before the cake was delivered. When we returned an hour and a half before the reception the bottom layer had broken loose and slid off, toppling the other three layers.
We quickly salvaged what we could of the cake, cutting it into pieces and plating it. Thankfully the second layer was largely in tact other than a small spot on one side that was slightly pushed in. We put that toward the back and rearranged the flowers and greenery. After fixing the second layer and plating the rest of the cake, it looked like the couple had simply ordered a small cutting cake and sheet cakes. It was all fixed before any guests arrived for the reception and the guests never knew the cake was supposed to any different than what they saw.
Interested in a wedding planner or day-of coordinator for your wedding? Check out the planning and coordination services we offer or schedule a free consultation.