Is a Day-Of Coordinator a Real Thing?
In today’s world of wedding planning, there are so many different offerings to choose from in relation to what you and your partner may need. Some planners have multiple types of packages ranging in overall cost and inclusions, while others stick to mainly just one.
Here at Fancy Fox Events, as a wedding planning company that currently offers three separate services for potential clients to choose from - the ‘Finishing Touches,’ ‘Wedding Design,’ and ‘All-In’ planning experiences, we wanted to dive deeper into the first of these, the ‘Finishing Touches’ experience. We’ll explain some of what’s included, why, and give our take on whether or not we truly believe if a “Day-Of Coordinator” is a good idea in this particular industry.
How Do I Know Which Type of Service I Need?
With most couples these days being in the engagement season for anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, the question of “when to start planning” may not always be the same for everybody.
For example, let’s say you and your partner just got engaged and are desiring to have a mid-sized wedding with all of the ‘traditional’ vendors, (caterer, wedding planner, DJ, florist, etc.) but, you’re moving to a different country later in the year and essentially need to plan and execute this wedding in roughly 8 months.
Let’s also say that you know you want to be the one in the driver’s seat and think that you can handle a majority of the planning yourself, but need help putting everything together in the end. This is where a service like our ‘Finishing Touches’ experience would come into play. (In this specific scenario, you’d probably want to start planning as soon as possible!)
What Does ‘Finishing Touches’ Mean/Include?
If you’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting throughout the planning process yourself, but are realizing you may need a bit of extra help to get you through the final months and to tie up any loose ends, this is the type of service you’ll most likely need.
We like to remind our couples that on the wedding day, while they absolutely shouldn’t have to lift a finger or feel as though they need to be involved in the setting up/taking down of everything, it’s also not a job for your bridesmaids, mom, siblings, etc. They should be able to enjoy each and every second of the day of celebration right alongside the couple!
With that said, the reason why we like to call it ‘Finishing Touches’ and not ‘Day-Of Coordination,’ is because it’s really not possible, in our eyes, for someone to be given all the information right before the wedding, or on the day-of even, and then properly execute to the level and in a manner the couple truly deserves.
Think of it as preparing for an open-book test in school - you may have the necessary resources at your disposal, but if you haven’t spent enough time looking over all the material to at least have a foundation of knowledge, it may not be very helpful after all.
Knowing how important it is to get a good grasp on all of the important wedding details before heading into the big day, our ‘Finishing Touches’ package actually begins about two months out from you saying your ‘I Dos.’
We always want to make sure we understand where a couple is currently at in their particular planning journey when first meeting with them, and then strategize how we can be the best teammate to get them across that “finish line” and to a happily ever after with the love of their life :)
Okay So, What the Heck is ‘Day-Of Coordination’ Then?
In a sense, what most planners really mean when they say they offer ‘Day-Of Coordination’ is that they will be there on the day of your wedding, to help coordinate things.
So, although this type of package is often lower in cost compared to one in which your planner is helping you from the start, keep in mind that there will probably be more that goes into it, especially in our case, than you may think. But again, that’s a good thing if it means the person or people who will be there on your wedding day are competent and well-versed in what they need to do to help make your day a success.
No matter what planning service you and your partner end up choosing, you’ll be so happy you made the decision to hire professionals whose main goal is to lend a hand in whatever you need and to make sure you and your happiness is a priority on the wedding day :)
