WEDDING COORDINATOR OR DIY?

The planning process can go quickly from “I can do this myself” to “Ok… I had no idea it was this hard. HELP!!!”

There are brides who believe that from the time they’ve chosen a date, they do not need any convincing that a wedding coordinator is a worthy investment. Then, there are other brides who believe that a wedding coordinator is not financially feasible. I was the bride who started off believing that I could plan and execute everything, and quickly got a reality check so we adjusted our budget accordingly to include a wedding coordinator.

I believe that choosing a coordinator carefully can actually help you save money in the long run. Your wedding day should be a stress free, enjoyable day, and one of the things past brides advised me during my planning turned out to be sage advice. I was told to make sure to take time to soak it all in, to enjoy it, to look out the window while dressing if I could and just soak in the moment. Both my husband and myself were able to do this because we had nothing else to worry about on our big day; our coordinator took care of everything. From the moment I researched reputable coordinators, I was impressed by the stellar reviews on the Nouveau Events page. Subsequently after I initiated contact and got my first consultation, I knew that I didn’t need to search for other options. I knew that the person I was dealing with was both personable, and professional. She and the Nouveau Events team were everything we desired for our nuptials.

Below I’ve listed a couple reasons I believe that wedding coordinators are a worthy investment:

1) Wedding coordinators can help with your budget constraints and legal contracts.

“What’s your budget?”

The first thing I was asked. I was advised that my wedding style and the things I wanted was definitely feasible with the budget we had set aside. Trust me when I say coordinators know what they’re doing. For example, our coordinator saved us money on florals when she used the same florals from the ceremony and moved them to a grand banquet table at the reception.

She saved us money when she negotiated with the wedding venue to house the barn doors that I dreamed of for the outdoor ceremony till the following workday after the wedding. In this vein, we did not have to pay for same day pick up of the barn doors.

2) Coordinators will fight for your wedding vision and keep everything on track.

Coordinators not only take the time to review the legal contracts from your vendors and help you stick to your budget; they also literally fight for your wedding vision from beginning to the very end.

Our coordinator ensured that the colour scheme was the exact colour that we, well in this case I, (LOL) wanted.

She made sure that every intricate detail that we cared for was made possible. I believe that when a coordinator truly understands your vision, he/she will make every effort to ensure that they follow through and execute to bring your vision to life exactly the way you’re hoping.

3) Coordinators can keep things stress-free.

From a vendor's perspective, working with a wedding coordinator instead of directly with the bride or groom or their parents can keep things streamlined and stress-free. Industry knowledge can go a long way in this regard, and they are able to liaise with vendors in a much more professional, assertive, and cordial manner.

One thing that stood out to me with my coordinator was that I literally felt “protected.” I felt like she was in my corner, and even the day before the wedding, she specifically advised that no one was to contact “her bride” or “her groom” for ANYTHING on our wedding day, that all communication or hiccups was to be channelled in her direction and she would take care of it. I believe that feeling is ultimately worth every penny.  

4) Wedding coordinators can get you a vendor discount.

From the get go she assured me that we would get value for money with the vendors that we had not yet contracted. So promised, so delivered.

5) Coordinators can handle ceremony to reception flipping.

Monica and her team were able to seamlessly transition from ceremony to reception. They cordoned off the reception area so that it was ours for viewing before the guests were able to enter that part of the venue for the reception after the cocktail hour.

Coordinators have full and partial wedding packages that they offer, and its important to not only consider your budget but exactly how capable you are of handling certain aspects of the wedding day.

All in all, I started off believing that a wedding coordinator was unnecessary. I’m breathing sighs of relief that we decided otherwise because in the end, everything went so smoothly and it is ALL because of our coordinator. I would advise brides-to-be to think long and hard about the aspect of wedding planning, because once you’ve chosen the right person, you won’t be disappointed.

                                                                

                    Picture of our Grand Banquet table captured by Alaina Ronquillo Photography 

                    Flowers by Embellished Blooms