Wedding Planners and Coordinators—Do I Need to Hire One?

The day has finally come. You’re engaged. And now it’s time to start planning. It shouldn’t be so hard. Most of the work is already done. You’ve been pinning and collecting inspiration for the past two years. Your color palette is set, you know the flowers you want and the venue you want, the band, your bridesmaids. The guest list is easy. And you still have plenty of time. So, with all of the necessary costs associated with a wedding, must you really spend even more money on someone else to plan or coordinate the details that you can take care of yourself?

This a valid question. And the thought of adding another line item to your list of expenses is far from pleasant. Spending more money to hire someone to fill this role is a decision that takes some thought. So let's dig in. First things first. What is the difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator? Wedding coordinators focus mostly on logistics and are usually hired later in the planning process, to fine-tune timelines, tie up any loose ends and in general, run the show come event day. Wedding planners, on the other hand, tackle the entire scope of a celebration with a primary focus on the creative aspects of the day. Think the look and feel of the event, the setting, the menu, the special details that make it feel authentic for a particular couple. Depending on the level of participation from their client, a planner can be the lead creator behind a wedding’s design, or a guide to aid the couple in streamlining their vision. And typically, wedding planners offer packages that also include management of the logistics for the day. 

So why might you need a planner or a coordinator?

When it comes to a wedding coordinator, there is rarely a scenario where one might not be beneficial. That is to say, a day-of coordinator is almost always a good idea. It’s important to note, however, that day-of is a bit of a misnomer, as coordinators generally start working with clients months before the big event. A day-of coordinator is responsible for making sure that the wedding (both ceremony and reception and everything in between) plays out seamlessly, so in order for this to happen, all plans, down to every minor detail, need to be delivered to the coordinator in advance. Over a series of conversations and/or meetings that take place in the weeks leading up to wedding day, all information regarding vendors, food and beverage, design, music, set-up, etc. is conveyed to the coordinator so that he or she is up-to-speed and ready to manage without question.

Clients who are unsure of whether or not they need to hire a coordinator are usually not thinking of the minutiae of a wedding day or of any of the unexpected occurrences that are typical of events of such scale. The other common reason clients might veer away from hiring a coordinator is that they figure someone in their family or a close friend will be there to put out fires. While the goal is always for all details to be buttoned up by the time the big day arrives, more likely than not, something unplanned will occur, and the last thing a couple wants is for one of their guests to miss out on enjoying the celebration because they are summoned to find a solution to an unwelcome surprise—the flower girl’s basket is MIA, a last minute attendee doesn't have a table assignment, the guest book pen is suddenly out of ink, the chuppah is about to collapse. Day-of coordinators are on the scene from start to finish, ready at a moment’s notice to be an extra set of eyes or ears or hands to tackle whatever comes their way that needs taking care of.

When it comes to hiring a wedding planner, think more about the big picture rather than just the logistics. Do you have a vision for your big day or is your mind a blank? Either way, a planner can be a great help in making your celebration beautiful and special and personalized for you and your husband or wife-to-be. If you have a vision of your own, you're off to a good start. But so often, there are many more details to be designed or figured out that have either never crossed your mind or that add up to more than you have the time or bandwidth to manage. And with the plethora of resources for design and decoration ideas available these days, the task of narrowing down all of your likes to something that makes sense visually and of course, meets your budget and timeline, can be overwhelming. Wedding planners are skilled at bringing clarity to a vision through streamlining ideas and at bringing that vision to life, by guiding their clients to the best vendors who will execute the various components of the vision.

When hiring a planner or a coordinator, it is important to find one that clicks with you and personality and your work style. Whether you need someone to manage only the logistics or someone who will create the event as a whole, this individual will be a key player and a big part of your life over the course of your time working together. A wedding is a true milestone in the lives of a couple and because of that, planning one is very personal, and great importance is placed on even the smallest of details. A wedding, of course, is a big expense and there are many moving parts and many decisions to be made—some requiring little or no thought, some making for sleepless nights. And while it would be so much easier if all of life’s other responsibilities could be put on hold as one plans a wedding, it unfortunately doesn’t work that way. So, it is natural for emotions to run high, for stress levels to peak, for things to get overlooked and for time to get away from you. A planner and/or a coordinator can be like a back-up brain to keep things in check, a voice of reassurance when uncertainty surfaces, a teammate to stand by your side when the pressure sets in.  

Unfortunately, many couples do not realize the need for a wedding planner or coordinator until after their celebration, and only in hindsight say, “I should have hired someone.” But when couples know the benefits a planner or coordinator can provide and hire one as soon as it makes sense to, they almost always say, in the end, that the expense was worth every penny. So, whether you have your theme and all of the creative components planned out and only need assistance with logistics, or you need someone to manage everything to turn this dream into a reality, hiring a wedding coordinator or planner is certainly a wise move and one that most likely will bring the experience from smooth to stellar.