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Why You Need a Day of Coordinator for Your Wedding

Wedding Tips

When it comes to budget, many brides question whether they need a day of coordinator or not. But what is a day of coordinator and how can they help during the planning process?

I recently sat down with my favorite team, The Girls of Bixby + Pine to really dive deep on what it means to have a Day Of Coordinator and how it can change your wedding experience from transparency about pricing to getting everyone lined up to walk down that aisle:


The Basics

Q: Why is it important to have a Day-of-Coordinator?

A: We understand that not everyone can afford a full on planner or designer, and to be honest, not everyone NEEDS one. If we didn’t have our business, we would be the girls who hired a day of coordinator only. Our job on the day of is to execute the design that had many MANY hours put into it. We are the people who are the first to arrive and the last to leave. We set up and tear down. We read you and your guests and keep the timeline flowing so that everyone is enjoying the night. We’re the girls who say “PAUSE” when your photographer is in the restroom but your tipsy bridesmaid wants to give her toast. And we’re the girls who say “Golden hour is starting, run off with your photographer and capture those STUNNING sunset photos, we’ll push back cake cutting” so you can get those images you’ve dreamt about. THAT’S what a day of coordinator does for you.

Q: What do you say to someone who is on the fence about hiring a team or even a DOC?

A: We hear this one a lot: “But my venue comes with a coordinator!” And often times they do, which is great, but our counter to that statement is: “The coordinator the venue provides is looking out for the venue’s best interest at the end of the day. But we’re your girls, so we’re looking out for your best interest at the end of the day.” And usually people get that. It’s important to have a team helping you on the day of, because you want your mom, sister, and best friend to enjoy the day with you.

 

Having a team to take care of all those little details for you ensures less stress for you and your guests! Here’s a sample of the Girls of B+P in action.


DIY Weddings

Q: For a bride who wants that Pinterest wedding, what should her expectations be in terms of budget and time commitment? 

A: The wedding industry can be so secretive sometimes when it comes to money and numbers, but we wanna break that mold and be as open as possible. Our clients come to us with many different budgets from $25,000 to $85,000, but most are right around the $40-50k range–sometimes that’s for 85 people and sometimes that’s for 150. If you want a Pinterest wedding, we first suggest using that search engine as a TOOL and not an end-all-be-all. This means that we ask our clients to use it to give us a picture look into what they desire, and then we get to work to customize things and design a wedding that is uniquely their own. You might look at a wedding we’ve done and think it’s rad, but there are so many hidden meanings and messages that only the couple and their guests would know about that make it authentic to our couple, and our couple alone.

Q: What is the biggest mistake you see brides making when it comes to DIY?

A: When clients want to DIY, we suggest only a few items and we talk about those items very clearly. Things like thank you cards beneath each table setting, a custom corn hole game set, or addressing your own invites are good options to DIY. Sometimes couples want DIY because they think it’s cheaper, but that’s typically not quite the case (don’t get us wrong, sometimes it is but more often than not, it’s the same price or even more expensive). And sometimes couples wants to DIY because they enjoy projects. We think giving yourself time with a deadline is the most important thing when it comes to DIYing something. Too often we hear horror stories of not having something done right (or at all) because a client waited until the last minute to do their project. Just save yourself the stress, and give yourself ample time to execute the task or hire it out to a professional who knows what they’re doing and isn’t reinventing the wheel every. single. time.

Q: How do you source something like that and why is it important to have a team that can do that for you?

A: Sheesh, sourcing is a trial and error kinda thing, isn’t it?! Sourcing things (from vendors who provide services to products) simply takes TIME. We work tirelessly to find the right products and vendors for our clients, and honestly, that’s one of the best things about hiring us (or any wedding planner/designer). We’ve taken time to build working relationships with other vendors, so when we recommend someone, it’s typically from hours of research and experience. That’s not something that can directly be quantified, but more so save you time in your wedding planning journey.

Q: How do you manage expectations with your Brides and Grooms?

A: It’s really important that our clients feel that we are as invested in their wedding as they are, because we are! We want them to know that they can call, text, or email, and they are top priority in our business. Because our clients turn into friends, there’s not really any abusing of the super open door policy we have, and we communicate each step as it’s necessary. This leads to a smooth client experience, where our clients trust us with their wedding and the decisions.


Closing Thoughts

Q: What is the best wedding you’ve ever coordinated and why?

A: Lexi + Scott got married at Suncadia (and actually Sarah was their photographer). This was one of our all-time-favorite weddings EVER. This couple was trusting and kind. Their design was bold and beautiful. Their details were unique to their culture and love story. It was a blast! (Check it out for yourself here)

Final Words..

Hiring the right people for your wedding day really takes the stress off of you, and let’s you focus on the good stuff–like picking the ribbon color and hitting “order”, and going jewelry shopping with all of your bridesmaids, and getting back two invitation mock ups and not being able to choose between the two because they’re THAT gorgeous. Our job is to roll our sleeves up and do the dirty work that takes time and experience, and you get to call all the pretty shots.

xo

-Girls of B+P


Need a planner, now? Head over to Bixby + Pine.


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