A beautiful event designed & planned by Kelsey Angelotti, Kelsey Rae Events.

There are many options for hiring assistance with planning a wedding: day-of, month-of, partial planning, full planning, all-inclusive. Some have a team, others work solo. Some may offer rentals, floral arrangements, a design deck or paper goods. Some charge a percentage, others charge a flat-fee. The sky is the limit in this multifaceted industry. So, with all of these options and price points, what is a “day-of wedding coordinator” and what do they do?

Brides.com defines a “Day-of Wedding Coordinator” as:

a person responsible for making sure the wedding day or weekend is executed perfectly. Their roles include overseeing vendors, managing the timeline, and overcoming any last-minute challenges that arise during the festivities.

Kasey Schaffer, Kasey Schaffer Luxury Weddings & Events

That’s a tall order, if you ask us! Let’s unpack it a bit. If a planner is stepping in, with no prior knowledge of your event, the success of the event is subject to how well the bride, groom or their family members planned the event. “There are few jobs that you can show up and perform well without any preparation,” contributes Kasey Schaffer of Kasey Schaffer Luxury Weddings & Events.

In the rush and fullness of the experience, there are so many moving parts, ideas, plans and details that can potentially be overlooked because they were not shared with the planner. Emily Humphries of Simply Yours Events says, “One of the most challenging versions of being a wedding planner is attempting to provide day-of services. There is so much the planner doesn't know walking into a hugely significant day in your life.”

Christina Logan, Christina Logan Weddings & Events

A good planner knows the questions to ask, the vendors to look for, the jobs that need to be done, and what general expectations to hold. They’ll catch a mistake in the rentals order. They’ll ask how you want your welcome table set up. There are so many nuances present on a wedding day, and "day of" coordinating it is such a highly underrated challenge for a planner to take on. Christina Logan, Christina Logan Weddings and Events says, “We come to our clients with a wealth of knowledge and they are paying us for our expertise, not just our physical presence on an event day.”

“A wedding day is at least 12 hours of constant logistics management that require many hours of pre-planning and vendor communication. When hiring a seasoned planner to execute your wedding day, you are protecting your investment of the most memorable day of your life. That person needs to see your vision as their own to bring it to life. You will see that seasoned planners offer Month-of Coordination rather than Day-of because they know what it takes to bring a wedding day to life.” - Tiffanie Elliott, Elliott Events

Kelsey Angelotti of Kelsey Rae Designs adds, “Rather than call it Day-of or Month-of, we should be transitioning to calling it Wedding Management. Whether that means the seasoned person you hire comes on board 60 days out or 30 days out, it should be enough time for them to get well acquainted with all the moving parts, have the time to be in touch with your vendor team, and put the proper systems in place to make sure the biggest (and often times, most expensive party you’ll ever throw!) goes off without a hitch.”

*Lindsy Read, Music City Events & Read Event House*

Lindsy Read of Music City Events and Read Event House shares, “I wouldn’t feel comfortable providing day-of services, I always prepare myself and my team for every event and would feel so unprepared walking into an event that I hadn’t thoroughly prepared for.” So, if you are determined to hire a day-of coordinator, please prepare them and pay them accordingly. They will work overtime to bring the work you've done for months into fruition in one day, and probably at an exponentially challenging pace because they are catching up from those months of work. Emily Humphries says, “you wouldn’t ask a contractor to come finish your house that you’ve DIY’d the whole time without any preparation or without paying them well.”

So while day of coordinating is possible... it is not ideal. Here in the Middle Tennessee area we have an incredible wedding industry full of experts that are ready to help you enjoy your day and see your plans through. For them to do that with excellence, we highly suggest having them with you for longer than just one day. But if that is still your decision, then contact us at the NWPG and we'll connect you with our planners who do offer this particular type of service or as close to it as is available. Best wishes!

Our Planners' Insight on Day-of Coordination