Arizona Day-of Wedding Coordinator At-A-Glance

Your wedding day will be one of the most memorable days of your life. However, it can also be one of the most stressful. You want everything to run smoothly and hope that your guests have a great time. Making everything work according to plan is no easy feat.; and that’s where day-of wedding coordinators come to the rescue. So, the big question is: what is a day-of wedding coordinator? Read on to learn the role and responsibilities of a day-of coordinator and why you should consider hiring one for your wedding.

Who is a Day-of Wedding Coordinator?

Unlike wedding planners, who arrange and manage all activities throughout the wedding planning process, a day-of wedding coordinator’s focus is assisting on the wedding day to ensure all the plans made by the couple are executed accordingly. However, unlike how the name implies, the day-of wedding coordinator provides services starting four weeks prior to the wedding. This is why the term “month-of coordinator” is also used to describe this role. The two titles, day-of and month-of, provide the same services and are used interchangeably. 

Couples always have access to the wedding coordinator to ask questions, seek best practice advice or obtain vendor referrals throughout their planning process. But the services provided within the day-of or month-of package begin four to six weeks before the actual date of the wedding. From there, the coordinator will conduct a venue walk thru, reach out to the vendors on the team to introduce and explain their role and will assemble a detailed timeline for the wedding day. All these tasks will ensure the details are in order and nothing logistically is overlooked. In essence, they act as the check and balance to make sure the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. 

What Are the Costs?

Day-of (or month-of) coordination typically starts at the $800 price point and can reach up to $2,500. The rate is highly dependent on the region of the wedding location, the coordinator’s experience level and how many hours they are needed on the wedding day. In addition, some coordinators offer “partial planning” details like collecting and managing the RSVP’s or distributing welcome bags to the hotels of the arriving out-of-town guests. All these factors and add-on services can affect the rate of a coordinator. 

What Are the Key Benefits? 

The most significant benefit of working with a day-of coordinator is the much-needed peace of mind that comes with entrusting a professional to secure all details will come together as planned. Wedding costs can be substantial, and with 5 to 10 percent of the budget going to coordination, couples can have assurance that their money spent, as well as their countless hours of planning, will be to no avail. Weddings are investments and hiring a day-of coordinator IS securing that your investment is taken care of on wedding day.   

Another benefit of hiring a coordinator is allowing the family and bridal party to enjoy themselves as guests and not staff. Should any problem arise during the wedding, having a coordinator on board allows the couple to be gracious and charming rather than irritable, frazzled, last-minute problem solvers. Coordinators, therefore, allow the couple and their families to enjoy every moment of the day.

Day-of Coordination at a Glance

• Refer professional vendors to the wedding couple.

• Act as a guide to etiquette, best practices and advice to the betrothed couple. 

• Formulating the wedding day timeline and distributing to all vendors.

• Communicating with the wedding professionals selected by the wedding couple.

• Conducting the wedding rehearsal in the days leading up to the wedding. 

• Coordinating all day-of activities ranging from setting décor, checking the set-up of ceremony and reception floor plans, greeting vendors as they arrive, troubleshooting issues with discretion, packing gifts and personal items at the end of the night and checking out with the venue staff. 

Bottom Line

Now that you have an answer to the question: What is a day-of wedding coordinator, it’s easier to understand why hiring one is a hot trend in wedding planning right now. These highly experienced professionals are becoming an essential vendor to make sure you hitch without a glitch! 

Happy Planning, Janet