Anyone who has planned a wedding knows and understands, after the fact, just how many moving parts there are to conducting the day. “Execution” is very scary-sounding word that, in the event planning industry, simply means “to carry out the moment-by-moment occurrences the day-of.”
It takes an army to do this! Whether it’s Aunt Sally cutting the cake and Uncle Louie helping with ceremony chairs, or a complete team of professional vendors carrying out those details… THERE ARE A LOT. OF DETAILS.
A wedding coordinator will execute these details, and all the ones no one thinks of! I pin boutonnieres on the groomsmen, for example, which the photographer can perhaps do if there is no coordinator. I create a timeline for the reception, so the food is at the right temperature to make the caterer look good but there’s still time for photos in the perfect lighting to make the photographer look good. Yes the DJ may be able to create this kind of timeline.
But there are so many little details that a coordinator does, that you really do not want to put on your other vendors. For example, for one wedding this summer I ran during cocktail hour to McDonald’s to pick up happy meals for the kiddos’ dinner (you don’t have your DJ run to pick up kid meals during cocktail hour). I try to attend the rehearsal dinner the night before; not to weasel my way into free food, but to begin the process of building trust and rapport with the bridal party and family members PRIOR to becoming miss bossy pants the next day!
You do not want your photographer or DJ to try to fill these roles, no matter how professional or capable they may be! You want the photographer to take great photos and you want your DJ to keep your dance floor full. Trust me, you don’t want me trying to do their jobs! They’re great at it! You don’t want them doing mine, either.
The biggest advantage to having a wedding coordinator on the day of your event, is that you have ONE PERSON to handle all those little aforementioned details. Could 16 family members figure out a way to wrangle all the cats? Probably. But a lot of frustration and miscommunication can result! Let a professional, designated Wedding Coordinator be the person you turn to for your “execution.”
Happy Planning!
