You’re newly engaged (congratulations!) and staring at that sparkly ring on your finger as you start planning your big day. You know costs will be high, so you want to save money where you can, which makes you think—instead of hiring a wedding planner for full service wedding planning, you’ll do most of the planning yourself and hire only a wedding day-of coordinator to help on the big day.

But what does a day-of wedding coordinator do and how much do they cost? While a wedding planner is involved in the planning process from day one—from the invitations, booking vendors, design, and more—a wedding coordinator works with you in the weeks leading up to your big day to oversee all of the thoughtful planning you’ve put into the event.

We’ve all heard the saying, your wedding is the biggest day of your life, so it’s natural to want it to be absolutely perfect. After all, you’re inviting all your closest friends and family and the pictures will last forever. So, will a day-of wedding coordinator save you headaches on the big day or will it only add more confusion to bring someone in (albeit a professional) at the last minute?

Read on to find out more about wedding coordinators and whether or not they’re the right choice for you.

 

 

What Is Day of Coordinator?

A full-service wedding planner is there to help you bring your vision to life. A day of coordinator, on the other hand, is simply there to make sure your day runs smoothly.

For example, a coordinator will greet your DJ, show them where to set up, and make sure they get started at the right time. A full-service wedding planner would also help you locate and book the entertainment and even give you some song suggestions for your first dance.

If you’re confident you can plan your wedding yourself but don’t want to sweat the small things when the date arrives, a day of wedding coordinator can be just the help you need.

 

What Does a Day Of Wedding Coordinator Do?

At its core, being a wedding coordinator is about overseeing the execution of all your wedding plans on the big day:

• Manage your wedding timeline
• Attend and coordinate the wedding rehearsal
• Oversee the final walkthrough of the venue
• Ensure all decorative items are in place
• Managing vendors when they arrive
• Ensure everyone is lined up for the ceremony
• Cue officiant and musicians for key moments
• Coordinate the couple’s grand entrance into the reception
• Oversee breakdown and cleanup of the venue

What your wedding coordinator does will be unique to your event. Make sure you discuss their services in detail so both of you are on the same page!

 

Is Having a Day of Wedding Coordinator Enough?

For some, a wedding to-do list calls for much more time and energy than just the day or weekend of help provided by a day of wedding coordinator.

Our friends in the San Antonio wedding business at Scarlett Rose Weddings + Events say, “The unfortunate truth is, we still receive many inquiries from wonderful couples looking to hire a day-of coordinator. And our response is always the same: Absolutely, we’d love to help! However our base package is called Wedding Management and starts 4-6 weeks before your wedding day. Because really, you don’t want someone just showing up on the day of your wedding trying to execute something they aren’t familiar with!”

You have spent months, maybe even years, on wedding planning, and at the last minute, you want to invite a day of event coordinator in and expect them to be fully prepared and know all of the inner workings and minute details of this day and the vendors you’ve hired and ensure you have the stress-free wedding you deserve? For some, that’s leaving far too much to chance. 

Wedding coordinators have been used for years and as you might imagine, the term and job description has evolved over time, which is why these days, a day of coordinator does a lot more than just show up for your big day. Like with Scarlett Rose, their wedding coordinator package starts long before your wedding day.

 

What Does a Day of Coordinator Cost?

The biggest concern we hear often when someone is planning a wedding is in regards to price. And if you see a fee of $2,000 for a day of wedding coordinator who only shows up for eight hours on your wedding day, you might think that is a bit hefty.

However, with more information, we hope you can see the number of hours that truly goes into a day of coordinator’s base package. For many, their work begins weeks or months before your big day. It includes a venue walk through, wedding timeline planning, vendor confirmation, ceremony and reception information, contract review, rehearsal assistance, a planning team, plus generally 14-16 hours working on your actual wedding day.

Throw in frequent emails and calls with you and the vendors, and all of a sudden this day of coordinator is now putting in about 40 hours of work just for you.

 

Should You Hire a Wedding Planner Instead?

While a day of wedding coordinator does much more than show up on just the day of your wedding to handle simple logistics, it still might not be enough for what you envision for your wedding. The wedding you’re planning has a big say in how much help you’ll need as well. A fall wedding in the middle of one of the peak months requires expert advice and wedding industry know-how after all. 

A wedding planner is with you from the moment you start planning your wedding, helping with everything from budget, booking vendors, choosing a wedding theme, helping plan the ceremony with your wedding officiant, designing the look of your wedding, sending invitations, reminding you about wedding insurance, the floor plan, seating arrangements, and much more. While a day of wedding coordinator might spend several weeks working on your wedding, a wedding planner can spend upwards of 100 hours dedicated just to your big day.

That means they can also help you make all your wonderful summer wedding ideas a reality no matter when you start planning! Many wedding planners will even help plan your engagement party if you ask. 

After that, your wedding planner will be there on the big day to fill the same duties of a day of coordinator, but they will have a more intimate knowledge of your wedding dreams, your vendors, and your venue’s operations in case it rains on your outdoor ceremony plans. 

Yes, a wedding planner will cost you much more than a day of wedding coordinator, but if you want a professional in the business who knows all the vendors to contact, exactly what needs to be on your wedding to-do list, and someone who will be with you for months up until your wedding day, then you want to hire a wedding planner. If you’re planning a wedding in 12 months or less, a wedding planner will definitely make the whole process much simpler. 

Ask your venue their thoughts during your venue tour to see what they recommend as well.

 

Day of Coordinator vs. Wedding Planner: Which Is the One for You?

As we’ve discussed, a day of wedding coordinator works for more than just your wedding day and can take plenty of stress off your shoulders, but depending on your hopes for your wedding, spending the extra money on a committed wedding planner might be worth it in the end.

If you’re looking for something in between, wedding management, event management, or month of coordinators are the way to go. 

Whatever you decide is best for you, your wedding is the biggest day of your life so far and we want it to be as perfect as you do. View our list of preferred vendors who have worked with our San Antonio wedding venue many times, have years of experience, and are ready to help create your big day.

Book a tour today if you’re searching for the most picturesque Hill Country wedding venue.