Wedding Blog
No, not that Church Lady!
When we first starting planning the wedding, I thought the one place we could save money on was not hiring a day-of-coordinator (DOC). Since I plan fundraising events and have stage managed in the past, I felt pretty confident in my ability to put our little shindig together. Then when our venue said they would have a coordinator on hand to help make the day go smoothly, I was even more confident that we didn’t need to hire a DOC. It was settled no DOC!
Yeah, life is funny!
As issues with vendors arose, turnover at our venue, working two jobs and other shenanigans, I started beating myself over the head. It was time to call in help. I think the biggest lesson I have learned planning our wedding is that you can’t do it alone. However, I flat out refused to squeeze a single penny more out of the budget to pay for a DOC. Paying off student loans and a mortgage payment is bad enough, and Mr. Cookie and I are not about go into debt over our wedding. Enter the Church Lady to save the day!
A quick disclaimer: For reasons of anonymity I call her the Church Lady. My Church Lady is not anywhere near the pious, proselytizing character that Dana Carvey created on SNL – far from it! It just so happens that she goes to church with my mom, is a friend of the family, plans and coordinates weddings, and after hearing our woes, offered to be our DOC for FREE – as a wedding present to Mr. Cookie and me!
At first I was a little apprehensive about turning our wedding over to the Church Lady (I am a little bit of control freak), but after our discussions I am so happy to be giving the responsibility of the day to someone else! She is cool, calm, collected, organized, fierce, and has coordinated a handful of wedding!
So on Saturday I handed the reigns of the wedding over to her. Thanks to the Church Lady I can sit back, not worry, and enjoy the dayDid you hire or not hire a DOC? If not, why? If so, did you have a professional or family friend?
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Share this post: The Church Lady is Our DOC
My aunt is an event coordinator for a large hotel in Orlando…so a professional, but family, too.
We hired a professional DOC to help out with overseeing vendor contracts and then with acting as the POC on the day-of. As much as I want to cue the musicians as I gear up for my walk down the aisle… nah 
Our florist offered to be our DOC at no additional charge. She actually did an awesome job.
Our venue’s manager will act as the DOC. I was relieved at knowing that there will be someone there to direct the traffic so I can relax!
I contacted the event management program of a college in the city I’m getting married at, and had the program director send out a notice that I was looking for a new graduate to be my DOC. I then interviewed about 5 people, and have found a GREAT DOC that is trying to break into the weddings market. And best of all? I’m paying her $200 - a HUGE savings compared to the quote of $1100 I got as the cheapest quote for an experienced DOC!!
At first we were going with the site coordinator… and then there were employee change outs and people were hard to reach or busy. All understandable but we didn’t want to run the risk of that happening during the wedding. So we hired a professional… who also happens to be a family friend (was my babysitter when I was a kid). Gotta love small towns.
No DOC here. In fact, I had never even heard of DOCs until I fell head first into the wide world of wedding blogs. I will however have two personal attendants (friends who are not bridesmaids) who’s responsibilities throughout the day include some (but not all) of what would be considered DOC responsibilities. I think personal attendants must be a regional thing, because I never hear them mentioned in anyone’s writing, but I’ve also never been to a wedding where the bride didn’t have a PA in addition to her bridesmaids.
[...] a lot of laughter and fun. But when it came time to put the details in the trusting hands of my DOC to set up, I let them go. After I gave her the reins, I sat back and enjoyed the [...]
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Mrs. Cookie, Denver
Age and Occupation: 25, Nonprofit Fundraiser/Theatre Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Analyst
Engagement Date: September 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: May 8, 2008
Venue: Ten Mile Station
About Me: With a degree in Theatre I never realized that planning a wedding was a lot like Theatre Management, until I started planning my own. I am a coffee addict, especially Starbucks' Grande Mochas, yummy! I love to cook (especially chocolate chip cookies for my honey), travel to exotic places, and be creative. As a couple, Mr. Cookie and I are extremely practical, down to earth, and children at heart. We live in a cozy abode with our adorable Pomeranian, and love to play board games and watch movies into the evening.
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