32 Questions to Ask A wedding Coordinator & Everything Else to Know Before Booking
Planning a wedding takes time, vision, and a lot of determination. When the day comes, all of the effort is worth it when you finally see everything you have worked and dreamed so hard for, come together. On the wedding day there are so many moving pieces that need to be managed, but you will be busy getting married and having fun! A wedding coordinator will take care of all the behind the scenes details to make sure everything is going according to plan.
When selecting a wedding coordinator it is important to find a professional who is willing to take the time to fully understand your vision in order to perfectly execute your plan! If you can find someone who is up for the task, you will walk into your wedding venue and see all of those pieces have fallen into place.
In order to gauge if a professional has the ability to accomplish this, there are several questions that can be asked prior to booking to effectively vet the professional you are interested in. Please note- a lot of these questions may be answered on the professional’s website. Asking too many questions may land you with an overwhelming amount of information! Be sure to ask the necessary questions so you are able to gather important information that will help guide your decision!
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What’s the difference between a wedding coordinator & a wedding planner?
A wedding planner lives up to their name! They plan your wedding, either for you or along side you depending on the professional and the level of support you require/prefer. They are there for everything: design, budgeting, pacing planning, vendor research & selection, and, of course, they’re there to ensure your wedding reflects YOU! Wedding planners are typically booked early on in the wedding planning process OR if a couple has begun planning but find they need support to complete the wedding plan.
A wedding coordinator is present on your wedding day to ensure all of the wedding plans come together. A wedding coordinator is perfect for couples who have found their venue & all of their vendors, thought through the logistics and simply need someone to step in on the actual wedding day to run the show so the couple and their loved ones can focus on celebrating and having fun instead of working. Their primary goal is to function as the point person to field all questions and oversee the execution of the day while acting as the liaison between the plan, the vendors, and you. Usually a day-of coordinator is booked anytime from 1-18 months prior to a wedding and begins working closely with a couple 1-4 weeks prior to their wedding to ensure the day runs smoothly and according to the couple’s vision.
Services included in a wedding coordination package-
Standard-
Timeline creation
A venue walkthrough prior to the wedding (especially if they are unfamiliar with the venue)
Collecting all vendor information from you
Distributing the timeline, floor plan, & other pertinent information to vendors 1-4 weeks prior to your wedding
Collecting copies of insurance (and other documents required by a venue) from vendors & passing this information along to the venue
Serving as the “team captain” of all the vendors on the day of the wedding to ensure everyone arrives on time, sets up where they are supposed to, follows any house rules provided by a wedding venue, and acting as the liaison between the couple and vendors to follow the timeline
Fielding any hiccups that may occur and making decisions to problem solve
Common, but not necessarily expected-
Floor plan creation (typically the venue or client is responsible for this with a day-of coordination package)
Providing an emergency bridal kit with a variety of items that commonly prove to be necessary at weddings
Attending meetings with you and the vendors
Communicating with vendors on your behalf regarding specific details pertaining to your wedding
Provide a specialized timeline for the wedding party and family members
Ceremony rehearsal coordination
Providing decor items
Decor set-up & breakdown (minimal decor set-up is often included, though anything beyond very basic decor set-up crosses over into the territory of a wedding decorator’s services. Wedding coordinators and wedding decorators are not the same job!)
Not common, but definitely an asset if included-
Assessing & offering feedback on vendor contracts
Collecting information regarding your balances with vendors, payment date with vendors, preferred payment method of vendors, vendor meal requirements, etc. to pass along to you and/or the venue
Reviewing order lists with rental companies, florists, caterers, etc. to ensure everything your event requires is accounted for
Discussing details to ensure you’ve got everything for the day-of covered even outside of ceremony & reception prep, execution, & clean-up
Full decor set-up and break down (including items exceeding 50lbs in weight & items requiring a ladder to install)
Extensive & specific decor creation or inclusion (i.e. sign creation, menu & placard creation, large rentals including tables, chairs, etc., decor extending beyond table numbers & candle votives, etc.)
Questions to ask a wedding coordinator before booking-
The basics-
Are you available on my date?
How much do your services cost?
What services do you offer, what are the differences between your packages, and what package will be the best fit for my needs?
Are there any additional fees?
Experience & expectations-
How long have you been a wedding coordinator?
How long have you been a wedding coordinator in my area?
How many weddings do you take on in a single weekend?
Will you personally be at my event?
What would you say your wedding coordinating “style” is?
Can you tell me about a wedding that you coordinated that you are particularly proud of?
What is your experience with problem solving?
Can you give me an example of something that went wrong at a wedding and how you handled it?
If we run into any issues throughout the planning process, what level of advocacy can we expect from since we are booking a day of coordination package?
How much access will I have to you throughout the planning period?
After I book, what are the next steps to working together?
When will we begin working together regularly?
Package questions-
With the day of coordination package, do you offer any support prior to the wedding day?
Will you collect, organize, and distribute important information such as vendor insurance info, vendor balances & due dates, vendor meal requirements, etc?
Will you attend venue walk throughs, vendor meetings, etc. throughout the wedding planning?
Will you create a day of timeline?
Will you provide the other vendors with this timeline? If so, when will this timeline be created and sent to the other vendors?
Will you create a timeline to provide to the family and bridal party? If so, when will this be created and distributed?
How many assistants will be present on my wedding day?
Do you include decor set up and breakdown in your package? Are there any limitations to this?
Will you help manage vendors on the day-of including arrival, set-up, timeline management, and breakdown times?
How much communication do you typically have with the other vendors leading up to the wedding date?
Will you take care of payment for outstanding balances on the wedding day? How does this process typically look when working with you?
Do you provide an emergency bridal kit in case something unexpected arises?
What kind of items are in the emergency bridal kit?
Will the provide additional resources that may be beneficial to you throughout your planning process?
The logistics-
Do you have insurance to provide to a venue if necessary?
Do you require a vendor meal(s)?
If we have any issues with vendors following the wedding are you able to advocate for us as a day of coordinator?
Do you have any references?
Things to consider when looking for a wedding coordinator-
You more or less get what you pay for- If someone quotes you $500 for the same package that someone else is quoting at $2k, there is likely a large difference in experience. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the quality of work will be significantly different, but it is a very strong possibility.
Day-of coordination should really include month-of coordination- Your day of coordinator will need to begin working with you closely in the weeks immediately preceding your wedding to properly coordinate with vendors and manage the day successfully. They will need to create your timeline (or at least have the opportunity to review it), connect with vendors about arrival times and accurate contact information, discuss design detail with you, review order lists from other vendors, etc. There are a lot of small moving pieces, even with the simplest of weddings! Make sure that the coordinator you are looking into is willing to do the appropriate amount of leg work leading up to your wedding to do the best job possible!
Some day-of coordinators are strictly day-of only- It can be challenging to jump in essentially blind on the wedding day with nothing but a timeline and vendor contact list provided by the client, however a very small number of coordinators do this. They are typically a lower cost and don’t provide the same level of execution that someone who spends time getting acquainted with the plan prior to the wedding. These coordinators are hard to find, because it truly is not a method that will consistently set the professional up for success. The professionals who offer this kind of service are typically either inexperienced and/or offer a very “bare-bones” approach to their day of coordination packages. If you feel that your wedding is extremely straightforward and are looking for a day-of service only, be very careful selecting a coordinator who says they will take this approach! Even if you feel this is what you need, there is a reason it is a rare form of service to find!
Not every package will include the same amount of support- As extension to the last point, coordinators have a very wide range of what will be included in their packages. Some wedding coordinators will do all of your decor set up and break down. Some will only communicate and coordinate with vendors and nothing more. A lot of wedding coordinators will do something in between. Make sure that you are realistically considering what kind of service you will need before booking!
Things to do after booking your wedding coordinator-
Discuss what information they will require and when they need to receive this information. Wedding coordinators will typically need all of your vendor contact information, vendor contracts, “house rules” or venue protocols, a floor plan (unless they include the creation of this in their package), order forms from rentals, florals, caterers, etc., a list of decor you are personally providing, the ceremony information (i.e. walking order for the processional, seating plan for immediate family/VIPs, etc.), and a timeline (unless they include creation of one in their package). Depending on the specific coordinator you have booked, they may require more information.
Discuss what kind of questions you can come to them with throughout your planning process. Typically day-of coordinators are only readily available for support about a month or so prior to your wedding. Certain coordinators (myself included) make themselves available to answer questions regarding general vendor recommendations, reviewing vendor contracts, and discussing any variety of factors that may alter or shift your timeline.
Ask how often you can expect them to touch base. Day-of coordinators typically will reach out roughly a month prior to your wedding, but depending on the specific coordinator and how far in advance you’ve booked they may reach out intermittently to check in.
Move forward accordingly! Be mindful of the services included in your coordinator’s package and respectful of your coordinator’s time. Most coordinators offer full wedding planning or partial wedding planning packages. This makes them a great resource and a wealth of information, but also can present the opportunity for clients to surpass “coordination” questions and begin dabbling in “planning” questions/requests. If the coordinator has made themselves available to answer questions or offer support, then fabulous! Ask away! Keep in mind, they are going above and beyond the official role of coordinator because they care about YOU and YOUR wedding! If the coordinator feels the questions and level of support being asked of them is beyond what is included in the package you have booked, they may require you to increase the package to partial or full planning package, or simply tell you they are unable to provide the level of support you are requesting given the package you have booked. This is not a bad thing! If you require more support, ask to increase your package with them so that you can feel supported throughout the wedding planning process and confident in the plans you are making.