If you’re planning a wedding, you may be wondering if you should hire a wedding planner or a day of coordinator. And it’s a very good question.
Planning a wedding can be a big and overwhelming undertaking. Many weddings involve a lot of money, a lot of people, and a lot of elements to plan on. And, chances are, this is the first time you’ve ever planned a wedding. For a newly engaged couple, it can seem like a lot of work. Luckily, there are professionals out there who can help you.
These professionals typically hold the titles of wedding planner or day of coordinator. A wedding planner is someone who you hire to do just that – help plan your wedding. They may be involved in little details, such as vendor selection and coordination, designing the event, and helping you make big decisions.
A day of coordinator is someone who helps on the actual wedding day. They are there to make sure that what you’ve just spent all this time planning actually happens. They ensure that everyone is in the right place at the right time, and keep the wedding on schedule. A day of coordinator may greet and direct both vendors and guests. However, a day of coordinator may not be involved in the actually planning of your wedding.
Do You Need A Wedding Planner Or Day Of Coordinator?
Though there are distinct differences between a wedding planner and a day of coordinator, they both may play an essential role in curating the best wedding day ever for you. Or, you may be in a situation where you don’t really need a lot of assistance, and the expense would be better used elsewhere. This post will help clarify the purpose of both of these vendors. It will also help you determine if you should look into hiring them to help with your wedding.
WEDDING PLANNER OVERVIEW
Let’s get one thing clear. This blog is all about DIY wedding planning. So, it’s important to note that hiring a wedding planner is not an essential wedding expense if you don’t have room in your budget. It’s also not essential if you feel confident in planning your own wedding.
That said, wedding planners do offer a variety of services, and you may really want the help of a professional. This help can range from a wedding planner’s involvement with every detail, to them just being available for some big items. They are often involved at the beginning of your wedding planning journey, staying with you as you hire vendors, design your wedding, and make big decisions. However, there are some variety in services from wedding planner to wedding planner.
The big difference between a wedding planner and a day of coordinator is that a wedding planner may not actually be at your wedding. There’s more on that later. The gist is that they plan the wedding, but might not actually run the wedding.
HOW MUCH DOES A WEDDING PLANNER COST?
The amount that a wedding planner charges varies a lot on the services and your location. If they are not very involved, and won’t be there on your wedding day, you may be looking at a fee of around $2,000 USD. However, if they are full-service, will be present on your wedding day, and are highly involved, the cost could be $10,000 or more.
The costs of a wedding planner should be put into perspective, if they seem high to you. Planning a wedding does take a lot of time and coordination. A planner will help with meetings, phone calls, and on-site visits with vendors, and meet separately with you. There may be travel time to consider. These hours can add up fast, so when you break the costs into hours the expense may seem very reasonable.
DO YOU NEED A WEDDING PLANNER?
As I mentioned above, you do not necessarily need a wedding planner to plan a wedding.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine if hiring one may be right for yours:
- Do you have time to plan a wedding?
- Are you capable of researching vendors, creating a schedule, and tracking your own budget?
- Will your fiancé, friends, or family, help you out when you need them?
- Can you easily make decisions about décor and design?
- Is your venue providing a wedding planner for you?
- Are you budget conscious, or don’t want to spend the extra money, on a wedding planner?
- Do you want to plan your wedding?
If you answered “Yes” to most of these questions, you can probably plan your own wedding without a professional wedding planner. However, you might not have time to plan a wedding. Or, you have very little support from your community, and feel completely overwhelmed. If this is the case, and you have room in your budget, a wedding planner may be right for you.
DAY OF COORDINATOR OVERVIEW
Alright, so we’ve determined that you don’t need to have a wedding planner. You do, however, need a day of coordinator unless your wedding is very small. And I’ll tell you why.
A day of coordinator is someone who helps with the wedding day logistics. They assist where needed, they meet and direct vendors, they keep the day on schedule, and they are completely aware of the plan and how to execute it.
Even if it’s a friend or family member helping out, if you are having a mid-sized wedding, there absolutely needs to be someone as the point person in this role, on your wedding day. Without someone doing this job, anyone arriving will have to figure out things for themselves. This can create all sorts of chaos and risk, as well as being a waste of time if things need to be corrected.
HOW DO YOU WORK WITH A DAY OF COORDINATOR?
To work with a professional day of coordinator, you’ll probably meet with them about a month before the wedding.
A day of coordinator will ask you all about your wedding plan, including who will be arriving, when, and what their purpose at the wedding will be. They will ask about your wedding party and guests, schedule, and special requests. All of this will help them make sure your wedding day goes incredibly smooth.
Depending on the day of coordinator, they may reach out to vendors ahead of the wedding day, or attend your rehearsal. On the wedding day, they will be there for the entire wedding, working hard to set up and execute your vision. They may be involved in setup and breakdown of the wedding, which can be an intense and time-consuming part of the day.
HOW MUCH DOES A DAY OF COORDINATOR COST?
Because a day of coordinator does not plan your wedding, unless they are also providing separate wedding planning services, they are more affordable than a wedding planner.
Depending on your location, the coordinator’s experience, and seasonal demand, a day of coordinator is typically around $1,000 – $2,000 USD, but that amount can vary. This amount is mainly for their presence and participation on your actual wedding day. However, there may be requirements for them leading up to the wedding, as mentioned above.
DO YOU NEED A PROFESSIONAL DAY OF COORDINATOR?
As mentioned earlier, your wedding absolutely will need a point person if you’ve hired vendors and have a mid to large amount of guests. You may not need a professional, though.
Here are some questions to determine if you should ask a friend or family member to help, rather than hire a day of coordinator:
- Do you have people who are willing and able to help be your wedding’s day of coordinator?
- Is your venue not able to provide someone to fill this role?
- Are you trying to keep your wedding costs low?
- Are you getting married at a traditional venue, where weddings are often held?
- Is your wedding guest list less than 50 people?
If you answered “yes” to most of these questions, you can probably get away with asking a friend or family member to help be your day of coordinator, if needed. The more “no” answers, the more you may want to consider hiring a professional, unless your venue is already providing this service.
CHOSING THE RIGHT FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER TO BE YOUR DAY OF COORDINATOR
If you are able to avoid hiring a day of coordinator, and want to ask a friend or family member to help, there are some things you should be aware of.
If a friend is acting as your day of coordinator, make sure they are right for the role. They should be trustworthy, reliable, and capable. They should have some experience with events or project management. Weddings can be intense and stressful, and they will have to remain calm and in control. Leading up to the wedding, you’ll need to provide them detailed instructions just as you would a professional.
Ideally, the friend helping out would not be in your wedding. And they shouldn’t be a close family member, either. They should be someone who isn’t essential for extra photos or roles. This is because they may have to greet vendors while everyone is getting ready, or make sure the dinner room is set up properly while photos are being taken. It isn’t fair to them to be in two places at once.
So, choose someone wisely, and make sure you’re not asking too much of them as they take on this big role.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Friends, hopefully this helps clarify if you need a wedding planner or a day of coordinator for your wedding. Be sure to have someone direct your wedding, even if it’s a friend or family member. Don’t ask anyone in the wedding to take on this role. Even if you hire a professional, or recruit help from your community, you’ll still need to be involved, provide the right information, to help them make your wedding the best day ever.
More From Hummingbird Gives Advice:
How To Use Pinterest For Wedding Planning
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How To Deal With Wedding Planning Stress
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