About 7 years ago, I got engaged around the same time with another good friend of mine, Karen. Since our wedding dates were about a month apart, we started doing our researching, shopping, and planning together, and we were each other's wedding day coordinators. We had a blast & our wedding days were filled with only fun memories for us. After that, a friend of mine asked for my assistance in planning a wedding for her because she just didn't have the time to deal with all the details & stress associated with wedding planning. She even offered to pay me for my service. That is how I got my first gig as a wedding planner.
Fast forward to 2009 & numerous weddings later:
I got hired by another friend, Hye, to plan a wedding this July. Her & her now husband have decided to get married since sometimes late 2008, but the wedding date kept changing, partly because they have to get a firm date from the church, and the church would not give them a date until they have completed their pre-marriage counseling camp.
With me going on maternity leave in January and having a baby in February, it didn't make things easier. But nonetheless, it only took me a day or two to do research for Hye while I was on leave at home.
By the time we finally book the reception site for Hye's wedding, we had exactly 3 month to the big day. I actually took my new clients to check out 3 sites in one day, and booked the reception site, the florist, and DJ all in the same day!
Hye was very relieved after all the vendors have been booked. She told me that she wanted me to enjoy the wedding. My replied, "Well, I won't be able to 'party' with you, because there will be a lot to do on your big day."
To her dismay, she questioned, "What's there to do on a wedding day after we booked all the vendors? Don't we just get married in the church and enjoy the party with our friends?"
"Yes, but someone needs to be in charge of the day, and it certainly won't be you, the bride, because I want you to not worry about any details on your wedding day and just enjoy yourself," I said.
After all, who knows how the whole day is supposed to go, other than the bride & the groom? You may have booked all of your vendors, but they don't know each other, and they will need to get directions from someone - and that, is the job of a wedding day coordinator.
Have you ever been to a philharmonic concert without seeing a conductor? Yes, all the musicians know their instruments and music, but the conductor gives directions to the group so the whole orchestra can jive together. A wedding day coordinator is like the conductor for the orchestra.
Hye still does not understand. She said, "but I want you to enjoy my wedding too!"
"Well, I will," I told Hye.
"The way I enjoy your wedding is by making sure that everything will go smoothly for you on your big day. Don't worry about me - I enjoy organizing events like this."
She still looked perplexed. I said, "You'll see what I mean. A well executed event needs a coordinator. Especially when this is the one event that you will never be able to go back and re-do things."
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Two weeks before the wedding, I was going over the logistics of things on the wedding day. Initially, Hye does not like having to be on a 'schedule', and she asked, "Why do I need a schedule for my wedding day? Why can't I do what I want? Why can't everyone just enjoy the party?"
"You can do what you want," I explained.
"The wedding day schedule is just an outline to help us move things along. No matter how big or small the party is, since you spent so much money, you need some sort of a structure for your guests so that they will be entertained."
"Besides, have you thought about who will transport the flowers for you from the church to the reception site? Who will be handling your gift receiving? And if you're leaving for honeymoon right away, who should be taking all of your stuff back home for you? Who will let all the vendors know when & what was supposed to happen & pay them at the end of the day?"
"The photographer will need to have an idea of when certain things are happening so he can anticipate them and snap good shots. The reception site needs to know the schedule so they know when to deliver various dishes without interfering with the toasts or dragging the night on too long."
After we hash out the whole wedding day of what Hye wanted and didn't want to do, she finally realized why a day coordinator is important, because so many details are involved.
She said, "You should blog about this. Most first time brides don't know this. There is a lot of work and details on the wedding day." I smiled and told her, "That's why you have me. I will blog about it to educate future brides."
Postlude: the wedding on July 11th, 2009, for Hye & Gerardo was a success! More details on that later.
