If you’re newly engaged and wondering whether you need a wedding coordinator and also wondering, “what does a wedding coordinator do?” I’m here with the answer! This is part 2 in a series. Part 1 explained what a wedding planner does, and you can read that here.

Wedding Planner & Wedding Coordinator Overlap

Pretty much everything I’m about to describe for a wedding coordinator will also be handled by a full-service wedding planner. Everyone runs their business slightly differently, but for the most part, these are standard services that a wedding coordinator will provide.

A wedding planner provides much more than a coordinator in the way of actual services, but in both cases, you’re getting a wealth of knowledge and experience that she will put to good use for your wedding. Hiring a planner or coordinator will always be money well-spent. (And I’m not just saying that because this is how I make my living. You won’t realize how much you need a planner or coordinator until it’s too late. So just save yourself a lot of headaches now, and go ahead and budget for one.)

TL;DR here’s the video version

Don’t Call It a Day-of Coordinator

I’m going to climb on my high horse for a moment and explain why a wedding coordinator is not a “day-of coordinator.” In a nutshell, there’s no such thing as a day-of coordinator. This is an unhelpful misnomer that has somehow been perpetuated by the wedding industry. No one can show up on your wedding day and make it run smoothly without a lot of background work.

Weddings are extraordinarily complex affairs with multiple vendors and a ton of moving pieces. Everything must be carefully calculated in order to run smoothly. The more information your coordinator has beforehand, the better your wedding will go.

Most coordinators will start working with a couple 4–8 weeks before their wedding and will almost always meet with the couple at least once before the wedding weekend. For this reason alone, calling it “day-of” is a vast understatement.

Creating Your Wedding Day Timeline

One of the most valuable services a wedding coordinator provides is creating your wedding day timeline, or schedule. This is the blueprint for your wedding day. Without it, nothing will happen on time, and some things might not happen at all!

But my [insert other wedding vendor here] will make a timeline

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Well, my DJ (or photographer) offers a day-of timeline as part of their package, so I don’t need a coordinator.” No disrespect to all the photographers and DJs out there, but their timeline isn’t going to be as thorough as your wedding planner/coordinator’s timeline.

Think of it this way: your photographer’s job is to capture amazing photos of your day. Your DJ’s job is to play awesome music that’s going to keep your guests dancing all night long. It’s NOT their job to create a timeline for you, even if they include that in their package. The reason they include that in their package is that they’ve learned over the years that not all couples are smart enough to hire a planner or coordinator, and that without a timeline, the day will be a disaster. So they step in to fill that gap.

But you know what? Your photographer and DJ will LOVE you if you hire a planner or coordinator. Why? Because it makes their job easier and it allows them to focus on what you really hired them to do: make your wedding day awesome.

What goes in the timeline

When your planner or coordinator prepares your wedding timeline, she’s not just focusing on the photos that need to be taken or the special moments that require special songs. Yes, we focus on those things too, but we focus on so much more.

The timeline actually begins before your wedding day, with any deliveries that are happening the day before and with your rehearsal. Your photographer and DJ don’t really care what happens the day before your wedding!

On your wedding day, we include your full hair and makeup schedule, which can be elaborate if you have a lot of bridesmaids having professional services. All of the vendor arrival times or drop-off times will be included. Special situations will be considered. For example, if your florist is going to be placing fresh flowers on your cake, we need to make sure the cake is delivered while the florist is still on-site setting up. Only your planner or coordinator is going to bring that level of detail to your timeline.

Your planner or coordinator will also have a full description of what happens during the ceremony. Not only which songs will play, but the order in which people will walk down the aisle, who will be paired with whom, who will be sitting in the first row (and in which seats), how the hand-off from father of the bride to groom will go, who’s the last person to walk down the aisle before the song changes from wedding party to bride. Lots of details!

We also include all the things that your photographer and DJ care about: when is the first-look, what time is the first dance, are there parent dances, will there be a bouquet toss, is the cake being cut before dinner or after? But we also put in things like what time the salad course is served, when will the vendor meals be available, when do coffee and dessert come out?

Making sure all the vendors are on the same page

Another valuable timeline-related service that only your planner or coordinator will provide is making sure all the vendors are on the same page, literally. We talk to your other vendors in the weeks leading up to your wedding to find out those arrival times and to make sure the cake and the florist will be there at the same time. We ask your photographer how long they need for the first-look or for family portraits because every photographer has their own style and workflow.

We share the final timeline with your venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, florist, rental company, bakery, transportation company, tent company—everyone who needs to know what’s happening and when. That way everyone knows what’s happening and there are no surprises on your wedding day!

Wedding coordinator as orchestra conductor

I like to think of a wedding coordinator as the conductor of an orchestra. The orchestra is made up of lots of individual musicians who all have their part to play. But if they all just do their own thing, you end up with chaos. They need the conductor to help them keep tempo and to know when their section should begin playing and when their section should stop playing. An orchestra without a conductor is just noise. An orchestra with a conductor is music.

It’s the same for your wedding. A wedding without a coordinator is chaos. A wedding with a coordinator is magic.

Managing Your Rehearsal

You also need a wedding planner or coordinator to manage your wedding rehearsal. This is especially important if your officiant is a friend or family member rather than a professional clergy person or wedding officiant.

Wedding ceremonies are highly choreographed. Someone needs to be in charge of telling everyone what to do, where to stand, and when to come in. That’s what your wedding coordinator does! The rehearsal is literally a practice run of your ceremony so that on your big day, when all the guests are there and the photographer is snapping away, people don’t look lost and confused. Again, we bring order to chaos.

Handling Set-up on Your Wedding Day

Setting up for a wedding is a multi-hour process. Your vendors pretty much handle their own set-up, but they always have questions. Do you want them to be texting or calling you repeatedly while you’re trying to have your hair and makeup done? Or would you rather have a designated point person for them to go to? Your planner or coordinator is that point person. We are there during set-up to answer questions and make decisions on your behalf so no one has to bug you and you get to relax.

You also probably have a lot of your own stuff to set up. Things like your guest book, signage, seating chart or escort cards, table numbers, programs, assigned ceremony seat tags, menu cards, favors—all the items you put a lot of work into designing and ordering. Who do you think is going to set that up? Not your venue, caterer, or florist. They have their own things to worry about. You and your family? Nope. You’ve got better things to do. That’s what your coordinator is for!

Why Your Mom Can’t Coordinate Your Wedding

You might be thinking that your mom, or your auntie, or your really organized cousin or friend can handle all that set-up for you. Sure they can. But they won’t get to actually have any fun at your wedding. No one can both coordinate and be a guest at a wedding. There are too many things to do.

Your mom and your friends and family should have fun at your wedding. They should have a leisurely morning getting ready and hanging out with you, and they should be free to socialize and chat with friends during the event. They won’t get to do any of that if you ask them to set up all your stuff and coordinate your wedding.

Not to mention the fact that unless your mom is a wedding professional, she’s not going to have the knowledge or experience to make your wedding day the best it can be. When you hire a planner or coordinator, you’re not just hiring them for the services they perform. You’re also hiring them for their experience, their expertise, and their knowledge.

Keeping Things on Schedule

Your wedding day will fly by. You will blink, and it will be over. There is so much happening, and so many people to talk to, and so much dancing to be had. If you expect all those special moments to happen (and happen on time), you need someone to be watching the clock and watching the schedule.

Your wedding planner or coordinator will be the person watching the clock. We aren’t there to have fun (although we obviously enjoy our job!)—we are there to work. We are there to make sure you and your family and friends have fun!