Weddings
Update: I’m currently available for 2010 weddings and events, but no longer booking for 2009.
Wedding Day Coordination
The day-of coordinator puts your existing plans to work on the rehearsal and wedding day. I act as a point person for all your vendors, family members, guests, and wedding party. This lets you be a guest at your own wedding and enjoy your day without the stress. Don’t be worried about the details you worked hard on when should be thinking about marrying the person you love.
Why Angel?
The truth is there are many great wedding coordinators out there. This is about finding the best one for you. You can narrow down the search by looking at testimonials and credentials, but in the end the person you hire should click and work within your budget. If a bride, groom and coordinator don’t have a good fit, you could add unnecessary stress, and reducing stress is the reason many people hire coordinators in the first place. If you’re looking for a day of coordinator who loves to have fun, is a picture straightener at heart, enjoys working out the logistics of events then I might be the one for you.
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What do I get if I hire you?
When a couple books a DJ or a band they know they’re going to get music. If they hire a photographer, they know they’re going to get photos. But a wedding coordinator is slightly different. You’re paying for the person’s experience, knowledge, and skill; something that’s not as tangible. The first thing I like to give couples is piece of mind. Having a coordinator is adding insurance that your wedding day is going to go as planned. For the 2008 wedding season, I offer day-of coordination that includes:
- Initial discovery meeting to discuss couple’s ideas and vision (approximately 1 hour)
- Confirm times and locations with your vendors and vendor management
- Create detailed itineraries, checklists, and timelines
- Act as mediator between bride, vendors and family
- Confirm that all details and decorations are in place at the ceremony and reception
- Provide wedding day emergency kit
- Assist or direct rehearsal
- Double check and improve details as needed
- Confirm all necessary documents and rings are present for the ceremony
- Provide on-site coordination and supervision at the ceremony and reception
- Ensure the bridal party and all family members are aware of their roles and cues for the ceremony
- Handle emergencies as they arise
- Move items from ceremony to reception location
- See that all gifts get to the couple or relative responsible for this task
- Assist cleanup and tear down including retrieval of any items left at the reception
As a coordinator I don’t limit myself to just the above list, but these are the items you are going to be sure to get. Under miscellaneous I also straighten necklaces, tidy table arrangements, check tablecloth length, get your DJ or band water, watch for fire hazards, keep the bride hydrated, direct guests, remove bugs and other critters, tie pew bows, pick flowers, find children, clean up broken glass, tie sashes, find cake servers, cover up unsightly portions of a venue, hold ladders and generally the small stuff that makes a couples day better.
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The stuff you don’t see
Sometimes it’s difficult for coordinators to express how much they do for a couple on their wedding day. Mostly there aren’t any appropriate titles for all the small things. But it’s the small things that count. Would you be impressed with someone with the title slug-kicker? Probably not. But you might feel good knowing that after a rainy morning and the wedding guests partying late into the night, a coordinator went out side and cleared the get away path of slugs. This way the bride and groom wouldn’t slip or get dirty as they ran to their car.
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Can’t I have my bridesmaids or family help out instead?
You can have your entire guest list work at your wedding if you wanted to, and there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that. The downside of this is that they miss out on being guests at your wedding. And your bridal party is going to have a tough time arranging everything when they’re busy getting arranged themselves. A good rule of thumb is to make your day-of coordinator someone who isn’t going to be in photos or isn’t already responsible for another task. This can be hard for family or friends since they will want to enjoy your day as much as you do. This is where having an outside coordinator can help.
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Can you give me a perfect wedding?
I tend to stay away from that word. Give me unique, romantic, beautiful, fun, personal, or memorable…but not perfect. The reality is that there’s no such thing as perfect. A wedding coordinator can get you closer to perfect, it’s true, but there’s going to always be something. The idea is to have a professional there to deal with it, so you don’t have to.
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How many weddings do you do a weekend?
I coordinate no more than one wedding per weekend. This might not be the greatest way to rake in profits, but that’s not my goal. Doing one wedding per weekend helps me put all of my energy into the couple’s day, not limit their time with me and stay refreshed. I want to enjoy weddings as much in the future as I do now. Let me know your date, and I’ll let you know my availability.
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Will you be there for the rehearsal?
Yes. Rehearsals are a great time to work out last-minute logistics and details, meet family members and the wedding party, and answer any questions.
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I like the idea of hiring a DOC, but my fiancé needs some convincing.
Booking any vendor is a financial commitment, no matter how small the fee and it’s a decision that is best reached by both of you. Maybe your fiancé doesn’t quite know what it involves or what a DOC can do for you. This would be a great time to bring questions to an initial consultation. There’s a good chance one of you is slightly more versed in the wedding world and sometimes it’s just a matter of bringing the other half up to speed.
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I’m interested. How does it work?
Visit the contact page and fill in your information. I’m a quick-draw when it comes to emails, but I will gladly call you if that’s what you prefer. We set up a time and place for the initial consultation. You bring questions, plans, inspirations, and your fiancé or friend if you want to. I bring my questions and open mind. We get to know each other and what kind of wedding you want to have. If, after the interview, you decide I’m right for you, I will send a quote for the amount and a contract. Once signed and a retainer fee is received, I start helping you with your event.
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Do you have any advice I can use now?
Yes! The wedding industry (makes it sound like everyone has a barcode, doesn’t it?) is an amazing and sometimes intimidating place. Many couples are pushed to rush into decisions, but the fact is that this will be your day and, as we all hope, this is your one to do it the way you want. Try to avoid buyer’s remorse. Do your research and feel good about the choices you have made. This applies to anything: the dress, the coordinator…even choosing bridesmaids! With me there’s no hard sell, no push to be anything different than what you are, no pressure to have the most expensive wedding in the nation, and no hidden costs. This is about the two of you and your day and at the end of it all, you’ll be married to the one you love.
