Wedding Blog
I’ve always been a proponent of wedding planners because of my personal experience with them - they really were there to save the day!
While you may not be able to afford full wedding coordination (which starts at $5000 in New York City), day of coordinators are a great alternative available for a fraction of the cost.
Day-of packages and other partial services are becoming the norm as wedding consultants try to draw in couples of all budget points. And it’s working. This year, 21 percent of those marrying will use a wedding planner, with nearly half of them requesting the day-of service, according to Shane McMurray, author of the Wedding Report, a market research website. (source)
There are so many components of a wedding - from the ceremony, to the cocktail hour, to all the activities that take place during the reception. A professional coordinator makes sure that you keep on schedule, maintain a great flow, handle any crises that may arise and make sure the day is worry and stress free for you.
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I am a coordinator for my church (as a side job), so I am doing mostly everything. My FSIL will be helping with the wedding party the day of.
wow - starting at 5 grand? I didn’t pay that much for full coordinating on LI.
I always thought the going rate was 10%-15% of your total budget.
That figure is based on stats and my own research for manhattan based coordinators. =)
and yes you’re right laurie - a lot of planners will charge based on a percentage of your budget, but many of them also have minimum budgets they’ll work with.
Well, I guess it’s hard to put a price tag on piece of mind.
And I shouldn’t be that shocked, after all this is the wedding biz!
i think Mrs. Bee is pretty on-point if not being a little conservative with her estimate of NYC coordination prices.
i actually was quoted over $10K and often closer to $30K (yes, that’s $30,000) for most of the “full coordination” services i met with in the search to find one.
i ended up using the Wedding Library for my planning and cannot say enough about how they have helped me with every single step of the way thus far. (down to font choices for my save-the-dates and finding us dance lessons).
they serve the role of advisor/suggester and even quasi-therapist with all my wedding drama.
I do urge some caution.
I hired a day-of coordinator–she was rated “Best Wedding Coordinator” in my state’s wedding magazine. But she had a complete, childish power struggle with the church coordinator. It still makes me angry! My grandmothers did not walk in the processional, and when the pastor forgot to pause for our final soloist song, she told everyone I walked back down the aisle too soon!
My advice: make sure that your wedding coordinator and church coordinator can act like adults. Don’t assume!
Great timing–I just hired my day-of coordinator today! She’s ALREADY been a huge help, setting me up with tons of contact numbers and saying, “I’m always just a phone call away, no matter what!”–sounds really great for someone we’re only hiring for one day! Her mantra is, “It’s your day to be the queen and you won’t worry about a thing.” Fantastic!
mplnews - your story reminds me an episode of “whose wedding is it anyway” when the venue coordinator was extremely territorial over the regular coordinator. if you have a venue coordinator, it might be a good idea to see what her/his expectations are and what your regular coordinator’s expectations are.
but both should act professionally no matter what! so sorry you had to go thru that!
Happily my Fi was watching–OK forced to watch–Whose Wedding is it Anyway. There was some drama over paying the vendors on the day of the wedding and then a miracle happened:
FI: “who’s going to do that for us?”
ME: “uh, we could, or we could designate someone to do it…or we could HIRE someone”
FI: “We’re definitely hiring someone. There’s no way I want to be doing that on our wedding day.”
Wedding coordination! Yay!!
I’ve coordinated a few weddings. I think the best thing is to have the wedding coordinator and venue coordinators meet and discuss things prior to the day of wedding. That way, they are familiar with each other’s styles and also know exactly what you want them to do for you. It’s an extra meeting or 2 but it could save many hassles on the day of that you do not need to deal with!
But whether they are a friend, relative, or a paid coordinator, it’s best to have one so that they deal with all the last minute problems, not you! : )
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Mrs. Bee, New York
Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet
Engagement Date: May 7, 2004
Wedding Date: March 5, 2005
Venue: Westside Loft, New York
About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
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