What is a Day-Of Coordinator?
A day-of coordinator is the designated point-person who works closely with the couple and their vendors in the days leading up to their wedding, during the wedding itself and immediately after the wedding. The main responsibilities of the day-of coordinator are to make sure that the couple’s big day runs on time, on budget and to the couple’s standards; all in an effort to reduce stress and provide an unforgettable, once in a lifetime experience.
What Does a Day-Of Coordinator Do?
The day-of coordinator is much more involved in the wedding process than most people think. The title “day-of coordinator” can be misleading, since day-of coordinators work closely with the couple well before the day-of.
Many people wonder, “do I really need a day-of coordinator”? Giving this huge responsibility to a close family member, bridal party member or friend to save money can put a burden on them, and the day, if something does not go right. Just like with any profession, it is hard to jump in with both feet and do everything right on the first day. We’ve been in business for over 10 years, which makes us experts at making sure your day goes exactly as planned.
Before the Wedding
Schedule development. The development of the wedding’s timeline is one of the most important things you can do for your wedding. However, can also be a very stressful task. Thinking about when the vendors should be arriving, when to start your dances, when to begin speeches and when to schedule dinner can get a bit complicated if you’ve never planned a large scale event before. We work closely with the couple to develop a custom timeline to fit their needs and priorities of the big day.
Floor plan development. The floor plan doesn’t just include who sits next to who during dinner. It includes everything from the stage, DJ, decor placement, lighting and bars. In addition, the most important part of the floor plan is, of course, where your guests will be seated and how many guests there will be per table. The flow of your wedding reception and where things are placed is very important for your venue, as this will help save a lot of time during the setup process of your big day.
Vendor management. Deciding which vendors to use on your big day and negotiating a good price for them can be difficult and expensive. We work closely with a list of professional, vetted vendors and are able to negotiate the best prices and value possible. We work with these vendors to arrange follow-ups, schedule arrival/end times and work out what balances are due when so that you don’t have to worry about a thing.
Venue management. Similarly to vendor management, we can manage everything that comes along with booking your venue. Whether that is arranging a day of venue visits with the couple to negotiating a great price, we work closely with many venues on a regular basis and are able to give you the best value possible.
Attending and coordinating rehearsal. The rehearsal is a key part in making sure the day of your wedding goes smoothly, and that everyone knows what they are doing. We will help manage the rehearsal and organize the processional and recessional lineup to make sure everything runs smoothly, as well as give you a heads up for everything to look out for on the big day.
During the Wedding
Distribute final payments. There’s nothing worse than having to worry about paying people and carrying around cash or debit cards on your big day. On your wedding day, it is expected for you to celebrate your special day with family and friends, but payments might be keeping you from being fully in the moment with your loved ones. Let your day of wedding coordinator take that burden off your hands, and pay everyone when the time comes so that you’ll be able to completely enjoy your big day.
Setup of event. On your wedding day, there are so many different moving parts. This includes everything from food, to decor, to vendors checking in and even sound check with the MC & DJ. It takes a lot of people and time to pull everything together before the doors open for the reception. Having one of your family members or friends make sure everything is set up and good to go can be a burden, as some of the most magical moments of the day are something they’ll be excluded from. Let us help keep all the members of your family be part of your wedding memories and manage all these working parts for you.
Bride and Groom assistants. You can also work with your day-of coordinator to arrange assistants for the bride and groom. These assistants will essentially be at the beckoned call of the bride and groom, assisting them with everything from breath mints, to pinning boutonnieres, to fetching their favorite drinks, to making sure they look picture-perfect before walking down the aisle. They will have a schedule in-arm to make sure the bride and groom and their respective bridal parties are exactly where they need to be at all times, and that everyone is accounted for.
Securing the gift box into the bridal suite. Before the end of the night, we make sure that everything from your gift box and all your gifts are safely secured and stored into your room. When you’re in the moment and celebrating with everyone, it’s easy to forget some of the most physically small, but very important, things to take back with you - like the wedding gifts. Your day-of wedding coordinator makes sure this doesn’t happen, and that nothing is forgotten in the venue.
After the Wedding
Tear down of event. Every venue has an event cut off time where the vendors need to tear down and pack up for the night. The benefits of hiring a day of coordinator is that we stay around until everyone is gone, everything is cleaned up and make sure the venue looks the way it was from the beginning of the day. This can be hours after the last guest leaves, so this will allow you to avoid any random and extra cleaning charges and fees.
Final walkthrough. After the wedding comes to an end and all the vendors are gone, we do a final walk-through with the captain and the manager of the venue to make sure everything is as it was before the wedding started. We ensure no extra charges will be applied to your final bill and that you get your security deposit back if your venue asked for one in the beginning of the planning process.
About AI International
AI International is a wedding and events planning company located in Los Angeles, California. Established in 2009 by renowned event planner Reggie Pottukalam, AI International specializes in event decor, development and details. AI strives to give make every event feel big and special, no matter the occasion, and puts in personal touches whenever possible. Large events can be very stressful when it comes down to the details - don’t miss out on your big moments. Investing in an event planner can make all the difference, and we’re ready to show you.
To learn more about AI International, visit planningla.com