Is a wedding coordinator necessary? - The PASH Wedding Forums and Message Boards

Sharon Naylor · #1 06-21-2006, 06:17 PM

Okay, so I've started posting questions to myself. Spread the word among your fellow Pashers, and new members you bring to the forum, so that I don't feel like I'm talking to myself.

The short answer to this question is:

It's not necessary if you love the planning process -- even the stressful stuff -- but it takes a lot of the stress away when you look into hiring a pro to run things on your big day. Since so much takes place behind the scenes (deliveries, tracking down the limo, setting up, where is the officiant?) it's a wise investment to bring in a coordinator to run the show while you're enjoying breakfast with your family, going to the salon or getting your hair done at home, posing for pre-wedding pictures, and enjoying your day. Most coordinators offer Day-Of assistance, so check it out. So many brides and grooms aren't aware that they can have this service. They think they have to hire a coordinator to do everything. The truth is, good coordinators are willing to customize a package for you. They have different tiers of service from 'I'll do everything except for walking you down the aisle' to 'I'll help you find your venue and vendors' to 'I'll run things on the big day.'

I can provide more details if anyone has questions on this topic...

Sharon

breezy · #2 06-21-2006, 06:38 PM

Is there an average fee for day off?
We have most of our plan lined out, but could use a day of for picking up food and keeping it warm ect... little stuff.

The ones I've contacted want $600^ and I think that's a bit steep for what we need. Any thoughts?

DragonYoga · #3 06-21-2006, 06:42 PM

I personally LOVE the planning process - I'm having a blast!

But, a "day of" sounds like a good idea, I wouldn't mind having someone else spaz for the day! But, just what is the average price range?

Lizbet · #4 06-21-2006, 08:15 PM

I did the day-of thing. The woman who did it for me was not a professional wedding coordinator, but a member of the church at which I had my ceremony. She charged me $150 for the wedding and reception. (A total of 5 hours that day.) Plus we had 2 meetings prior to to coordinate everything, and she was there for the rehearsal.

I think I got really lucky with cost though, since she wasn't a pro.

And, I too would reccommend this to brides. It was great to have someone else worrying about what happened to the corsage we got my Aunt. (They found it somewhere eventually. LOL) I didn't have to stress at all that day.

Sharon Naylor · #5 06-21-2006, 08:44 PM

The costs will vary depending on what's involved in your plans for the coordinator. These are pros who charge by the hour, so keep that in mind, and also keep in mind that 'day of' packages don't mean just the day of. A good wedding coordinator will want 2-3 meetings with you so that they can see your plans, confirm with your vendors about what you've arranged, get the details, see your itinerary, and work for a few hours before your wedding, during and after.

I wish I could give you a fee range, but that varies wildly with the package details, # of hours, where you are in the country, and so on. Plus, a wedding coordinator may bring an assistant to help out -- he or she can't be everywhere at once -- so that could factor into the charges. But it's worth checking out with wedding coordinators, and don't forget your negotiating powers as the bride and groom. You can try to talk them down a little bit if you feel your hours needed and the amount of work needed don't fit into such a high figure.

Most brides and grooms who initially flinched at a seemingly high 'day of' coordinator rate found it well worth the money for peace of mind before and during the wedding when someone else did the hard work, scrambling, running errands, making calls, finding lost items and lost people, and everything else to make the day seamless.

Comparison shop like crazy, ask questions, and negotiate. This is a valuable service, so it's not going to be cheap. Wish I had one at my wedding!!

Here's a Web site where you can look at what brides and grooms in your area are spending for wedding coordinators -- and keep in mind that these surveys usually mean FULL wedding coordinator help: www.costofwedding.com.

Sharon

AshyBekka · #6 06-21-2006, 09:34 PM

I decided to hire wedding planners and it was honestly the best thing I've done so far! I'm a full time Master's/JD student, I teach undergrad American Gov't, and my fiance is currently deployed, so things are a bit stressful right now to say the least! Personally, I'm not much of a details person, so it's been an absolute blessing having two people sort of following up for me with vendors and asking the right questions so I stay focused. Not to mention they're just fun people to be around! We ended up paying about 2K for them (hired them in December, wedding is this November) but in the grand scheme of things, I think it was one of the most justifiable expenses based on what I needed, the number of people we're talking about coordinating day of and just general sanity!

It's definitely something to look into..