Planning a wedding can be a time consuming and stressful job. So many decisions and so many moving parts! The venue, food and drinks, music, what to wear, whom to invite, invitations, flowers, centerpieces…the list goes on and on. And then the Big Day comes and you just want to party and hold hands with your new spouse, but there is so much to think about and people are asking you so many questions and you just can’t relax!!
I have a solution for you and it won’t bust your budget. Hire a Day Of Coordinator.
This is not the same thing as a wedding planner. A coordinator doesn’t do the legwork for you during the planning process. A few months before your wedding, they meet with you, go through that huge binder that you’ve been compiling for months to get you organized, create a timeline for you & your vendors, then show up the morning of your Big Day and just…handle it. Flowers haven’t arrived yet? Bridesmaid forgot her shoes? Not enough chairs set up for the ceremony? Not sure where everyone is supposed to be? Don’t worry about it – your wedding coordinator works behind the scenes to help the day move smoothly, so that you can focus on the fact that you’re getting married!!
In short, you’re hiring a problem solver.
My friend Tracy Dapp is a fabulous wedding coordinator, based in southern New Hampshire. I love what she has to say about this and why having a day-of coordinator is such a great investment. One of the key reasons she gives for hiring a wedding coordinator: It frees you up to have fun. As she explains,
“The worst way to spend those precious hours of your own wedding reception is pulling together all the last minute logistics when you should really be out on that dance floor arm-in-arm with your new spouse and side by side with your best friends. Your guests want to spend quality time with you that evening, not watch you run around stressed out about timelines and setup.”
I have seen this magic in action many times. And, I have seen the opposite, where couples struggle to enjoy their reception without a wedding coordinator. (Of course, I am always happy to help my clients and offer my support throughout the day, but in the end, I want to focus on the photos!)
Sometimes you have super organized friends who can help you with details during the party (and I do recommend delegating LOTS of things on your wedding day), but even the most organized friend still wants to party with you and enjoy the reception. Sometimes the venue has a wedding coordinator who will help keep your reception running smoothly, and that can be super helpful. But the venue coordinator isn’t going to the church with you, she won’t call the limo company when they’re 20 minutes late, and she won’t know the little personal details of your wedding. A wedding coordinator, on the other hand, is with you from dawn to dusk, every step of the way.
Again, Tracy explains it:
“I want you to savor every moment of your wedding day from the moment you open your eyes to saying goodbye to your last guest without any of the preoccupations as to what needs to happen when and where. I want you to experience the romance of walking down the aisle, the pure exhilaration of your celebration and feel like a guest at your own wedding.” 
Weddings are big, big events – maybe the biggest event you’ll ever plan. Hiring a professional day of coordinator will ensure you can enjoy the day when it finally arrives.
Tracy Dapp, Inked Events www.inked-events.com (603) 401-9938. Tracy is based in Southern New Hampshire and plans weddings all over New England.