Today I would like to shed some light on the role of a Wedding Coordinator as generalizations are a double-edged sword, because every situation requires a deep analysis and can bring many different solutions. And this is particularly true when planning the wedding of your dreams and choosing the professionals who will take you on this exciting journey.
So, first of all, remember that a Wedding Planner can also be a Wedding Coordinator BUT a Wedding Coordinator has to be a Wedding Planner. Mmm, that doesn’t help, does it? Let me clarify this assumption.
Imagine you are a couple who wants to elope in Italy, just the two of you. You don’t know where to start, so you contact a Wedding Planner asking for help. In other words, you need an officiant, a bouquet, a makeup artist and a hair stylist, a nice place to have a romantic dinner and a cozy room for your staying. So, the Wedding Planner sends you an all inclusive offer that you fall in love with. As a result, all the vendors get booked and you receive a wedding day timeline. In this case, a Wedding Coordinator is – of course – suggested, BUT it is not a MUST. Taking for granted that all the vendors hired are expert professionals, you might not need another professional to supervise their job, as the logistics on the day is easy and should run smoothly.
Now, imagine you have 80 guests coming from all around the world and staying in different hotels in Tuscany. You are planning a Catholic ceremony and you would like to rent a villa for you, your immediate family and your bridal party. Moreover, you want all the other guests to get driven from their hotels to the Church, and then at the reception venue, located at 10 km from the Church. Your husband to be would like a string quartet for your ceremony, and you would like a DJ for the cocktail hour and the party. Then, on Instagram you find a wonderful venue which is too small for your number of guests, but you like it SO badly! Of course, the first step is to hire a Wedding Planner. Again, she sends you an offer which meets your expectations.
So, you begin planning your wonderful wedding with her.
She suggests you to set up marquée at the venue to have a great plan B and also a nice location to decorate. Ah, remember that setting up a marquée takes a lot of time and workmen will need very precise instructions on your wedding day! Who do you think will give directions to them? Your Wedding Coordinator, of course! ^__^.
But let’s continue with the role of a Wedding Coordinator. Imagine that, on your wedding day, you realize your wedding gown isn’t properly ironed. Shame that nobody among your bridal party dares to touch it! (And it’s pretty normal, of course…) So, what happens? Your Wedding Planner – whom you have also hired as Day-of Coordinator – comes to your rescue!
Bride’s Best Friend: the role of a Wedding Coordinator will be there to ensure everything goes as planned. Of course, this means she will be there in case you feel a little lost and overwhelmed by strong emotions. It’s normal and she will know what to do…
A Wedding Coordinator is armed with tissues, mints, band-aids, and anything else you or your guests might need on your wedding day. She will also assist you with hair and makeup touch-ups, if needed.
Dads’ chamomile: yes, you read that right! I said “chamomile”.
Let me explain something. Every Dad (or anybody acting on his behalf) is totally unaware of his role on his daughter’s wedding day. If – by chance – anything goes wrong, he might feel totally paralysed. So, the role of a Wedding Coordinator will be to gently guide him during those activities such as lowering the veil on the bride’s face or taking the right place to walk the bride down the aisle, letting him relax and reducing the stress caused by those situations.
Groom’s Best girlfriend: When it’s time for the Mother & Groom walking down the aisle but they suddenly black out, the Wedding Coordinator will give them clear instructions on what to do.
And if the florist is busy with the set up of your ceremony decorations, she will expertly place the buttonhole on his lapel.
Supervision of vendors is one of the main activities of a Wedding Coordinator. Every detail has to be in the right place. For example, are you getting married by the beach? Remember that it’s always windy there, so you’d better choose decor elements which
Working with the Wedding Guests: a Wedding Coordinator will also act as a liaison between the bride & groom and the various wedding participants, providing them instructions on how to stage the ceremony and make entrances.
And, last but not least, Last-minute-problem solver: a cute kitten might happen to sneak into your wedding car while everybody is having dinner. With gentleness and pampering, your Wedding Coordinator will persuade her to get out without anybody to notice… except for an observant photographer, of course!
Photos: Jay Studio | Daniele Pierangeli
