Weddingbee

I realized after all this time, I had forgotten to post on one of the most important aspects of my wedding… my day-of-coordinator. Early on in the process, I was freaking out about all that I would probably have to do on the day of the wedding– namely feeling overwhelmed with the obligation to entertain our guests, particularly family we haven’t seen in a long time or people attending from overseas and my desire to cut loose and have a blast. I suggested to Mr. Canary that we hire a day-of-coordinator to help alleviate these fears, but he thought it was a frivolous expense. Just ask one of the bridesmaids to do it. No way! I wanted my bridesmaids to enjoy the wedding as much as I would and not have the stress and pressure of coordinating and navigating the guests.

I suggested we meet with a few coordinators and get quotes before we made a decision on whether or not to hire one. Mr. Canary reluctantly agreed and I started my search. As usual, the main constraint was budget. Since we had not originally considered hiring a coordinator, it was last on our list and thus, we had a very small budget.

The first person I met seemed to completely disregard our little budget issue. We had a meeting at her office and I brought along my inspiration PowerPoint to show her my ideas for the wedding. She immediately began discussing various ways we could decorate and apply my ideas, but I kept trying to steer the subject towards coordination instead of decor because our venue only allows us to choose from a menu of six florists and we already hired our florist (who would take care of all the decor too). But despite my efforts, she disregarded that as well. Her proposal came back and it was triple what we planned to spend. We never called back.

After that experience, I was more cautious and spoke to DOC #2 on the phone, before meeting in person. She was very knowledgeable and had lots of experience and didn’t care a lick about doing my flowers or decor. We set up an appointment and Mr. Canary tagged along. It was a pretty straightforward meeting where the DOC gave us a basic idea of timeline and quick-fired questions regarding the details of our wedding. I liked her business-like demeanor, but Mr. Canary was put off by what he characterized as “too cool.” He thought she was too rigid and might end up stressing people out more. Her quote was above what we really wanted to spend, but still reasonable. We held off on booking on the spot and we could tell she was disappointed.

I deliberated for a day or so and was going to book DOC #2, but then I heard back from Christine of Exquisite Affairs Productions. I had read about her in one of Mrs. Peony’s posts and she just sounded too good to be true for what she was charging. But Christine’s office is 10 minutes from mine, so I decided to meet with her for good measure.

I am so glad I did because we hit it off right away! We actually spent close two hours chatting up like old friends during our first meeting. I felt comfortable and relaxed and basically like I could tell her anything. Unlike DOC #2, Christine is bubbly and warm, yet still very organized and put-together. In between all our gabbing, Christine was able to draft a timeline and give me some great vendor suggestions. I could tell that she really loved planning weddings and wasn’t just churning out schedules and timelines– she genuinely wanted to hear all the details. I was actually laughing, smiling, and not feeling stressed at all. Right after our meeting, I called Mr. Canary to tell him about my fabulous meeting with Christine. The price was right and he could tell from my excited chatter that we got along really well. We decided to hire Christine immediately and mailed out our deposit.

Since then, Christine has been an endless source of vendor suggestions, a sounding board, and cheerleader. She understands what I value and prioritize about the wedding and therefore tailors her suggestions to match. Christine has helped me find a florist for our personal flowers (saving me close to $1,000), book transportation for Mr. Canary and me, the bridal party and my entire family, and play chief negotiator with all our other vendors (who we had hired before finding Christine and most of whom she knows personally or is on very good terms with!)

Christine is always available on email or the phone. She responds to me in less than 24 hours and she’s always up for a Starbucks run to discuss the most mundane detail of the wedding. If you can’t tell, I have a huge crush on her!

Even with their growing popularity, the rates for Exquisite Affairs’ services haven’t changed. They’re super reasonable for the amount of personal service you receive. And every time after I’ve had a meeting with Christine or I tell Mr. Canary of another great vendor she provided, he agrees that it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made. I just know that Christine will keep me cool and collected on our big day.

If you’re in the market for a DOC, don’t forget to check them out. You won’t be disappointed! Also, if you’re looking for more wedding inspiration, Exquisite Affairs just started a blog that showcases some fabulous New York weddings.

Exquisite Affairs Productions
Email: Info@ExquisiteAffairsProductions.com
Web site: www.exquisiteaffairsproductions.com

Are you hiring a day-of-coordinator? Was it a priority and in your initial budget?

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