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Why Hire a Wedding Coordinator?
Okay, first off there are SO many reasons why you should hire a wedding co-ordinator. I cannot shout about this enough to my couples.
As nice as it is to get all the friends and family involved in the day, do you really want them to have responsibilities on the wedding day? Do you really want to ask them to check in with suppliers/ rely on them to sort things for you? I imagine what you really want is for all your guests to relax and have fun! Having a wedding coordinator is such a huge benefit, and not a lot of people think they *need* a wedding coordinator, but we are here to tell you that, well you’re wrong haha.
Paging Laura from Devine Bride!
The lovely Laura from Devine Bride has very kindly offered to write a bit more about why you should hire a wedding co-ordinator. I’ve worked with Laura and can hand on heart say her service is amazing. She goes above and beyond and is worth her weight in gold. She makes sure the day goes smoothly and if something does go wrong, she is there to handle it. She is incredible fun to work with, is super professional with loads of experience. So without further ado…
Welcome Laura!
Hello! I’m a wedding planner but I prefer the term ‘wedding coordinator’ much better… I find wedding planner can breed some incorrect assumptions…! (e.g. J. Lo!) But traditionally, a wedding coordinator is someone who can help you coordinate the day closer to the time, rather than help with the entirely of the planning and all the details that go with it (I can do any of the above though, for the record!). So why hire a wedding coordinator?
Dry Hire Weddings
As a wedding planner and coordinator, I’ve noticed the demand grow for personalised details and flexibility when couples ask for planning help. More of my couples are turning their backs on hotel and all-inclusive venues because they can be prescriptive and restrictive in what they do and don’t allow clients to do. Most hotels or all-inclusive venues won’t allow many customisations because they will have their own food, drink and ceremony facilities to up-sell – because they have a busy schedule of weddings, and often a fast turnaround for a wedding again the very next day.
My couples are opting to pay more for dry hire venues (usually a blank canvas venue, where you solely hire the room/space, e.g. tipis, studios, warehouses etc), but then save money on other details that they can hand-pick themselves (food, drink, and all the suppliers involved).
Dry hire = creative freedom but a blank canvas means no help!
Booking a blank canvas venue can give you absolute creative freedom. But as such, your venue won’t come with any kind of event manager, planner, or coordinator – that’s the freedom! You won’t be put into a cookie cutter wedding; you are hiring the venue for the building and space alone.
And that’s where people like me come in! ?? I specialise in dry hire weddings; it’s mostly all I do! I’ve personally worked on just about every single style and vibe of wedding, from urban warehouses to boho festival weddings in tipis. They are wonderful and give you the opportunity to really put your stamp on the day. You need to allow plenty of time for prep and set up though, and get someone to run it for you so you can be off having fun all day!
Wedding coordination in a nutshell
A wedding coordinator is someone to host for you, manage your suppliers and guests, ensure the setup is what you want, keep to timings, and ensure you are having the time of your life – without having to worry about any of the above.
So, at dry hire weddings, a coordinator is the glue that gels the team that have never worked together before – I am the link between all the deliveries, the venue owner, the celebrant, the caterer, the cake maker, the band, the DJ, …the list goes on. A coordinator is the manager who knows how to set everything in motion, who know what’s going on, who will check up on suppliers, who will herd your guests, and keep things running to time.
I always use the analogy… a dry hire wedding without a coordinator is like a plane without a pilot! (And… it’s always better not to ask a friend to help, because who wants a drunk pilot?)
Hosted Venues
While dry hire venues can be amazing, if your dream venue is a hosted or hotel venue, then go for it! Often these can work out a lot cheaper, but you may lose some flexibility – and that’s also where I coordinator would come in, too.
When I do my ‘On The Day’ package at hosted venues, it’s often to help run the day personally and personably. This ensures the wedding flows if the team are primarily a bar or restaurant (rather than a wedding venue), or sometimes it’s just to come in on the day and work in the background to give the bride and groom peace of mind. But it’s still my job to make your day run seamlessly, manage your guests, suppliers, and entire timings for the day (including leading you into each section of the day) – and generally making sure everything is perfect and everyone is attended to at all times.
Add Some Personality to your Venue
For hosted and hotel venues, a coordinator can inject a bit of personality into the day, to avoid it seeming too much like a generic cookie cutter wedding. This can be anything from personalising announcements, actioning surprises, adding extra bits and pieces behind the scenes (e.g. sparklers, confetti cannons, etc) and ensuring they are used and enjoyed at the right times.
Hotel weddings are somewhat easier to manage because all the staff are part of the same team, and have all worked together before, so do the same things together week in week out. So usually this means my focus on the day is much more personal with the couple, rather than the suppliers as much.
And if you need a hand…
I am a wedding planner based in Walthamstow, East London, and offer fun, flexible and affordable wedding planning, planning help, and coordination services. I offer pick and mix services; clients can pick and choose what elements they need help with, and we’ll take it from there. I’m personable, relaxed, yet highly organised. I help people have the party of their lives, and have fun, while taking away all the stress. And I am an On The Day Coordination and Wedding Day Management pro, too.
Laura x
Hit up Laura over on her website below:
https://www.devinebride.co.uk/
Check out her in action on the gram: https://www.instagram.com/devinebride/
Or email any hellos or enquiries to laura@devinebride.co.uk
Thank you so much Laura!
I hope you enjoyed this helpful blog post about why you should hire a wedding coordinator. Check out my other helpful blog posts here.
