Why "Day-Of" Coordination Isn't a Real Thing

ARTICLE BY COLLECTIVE MEMBER: KATY PADILLA OF SCARLET ROSE EVENT PLANNING

You’re newly engaged and staring at that sparkly ring on your finger as you type into your Google search bar, ‘day of wedding coordinator.’ My hope is that result leads you to this (or another) blog that tells you: NOPE. Say it with me now: day.of.coordination.isn’t.a.thing.The unfortunate truth is, we receive many inquiries still from wonderful couples looking to hire a day-of coordinator. And our response is always the same: Absolutely, we’d love to help! However, our base package is called Wedding Management and starts 4-6 weeks before your wedding day. Because really, you don’t want someone just showing up on the day of your wedding trying to execute something they aren’t familiar with!Let that sink in for a second. There are people in this industry who come in for literally THE DAY of your wedding. The special day that you have spent months (sometimes years) planning. And they are going to magically know all of the inner workings of this day and the vendors you’ve hired and ensure you have the stress-free wedding you deserve? That’s a huge red flag if you ask us!Nonetheless, I get it. The term ‘day of coordinator’ or even simply a ‘wedding coordinator’ has been used for decades. It’s something you see when you’re looking at The Knot or thumbing through a bridal magazine. People still do that, right? This job has evolved over the years, and I promise you it’s evolved into much more than just the day of your wedding.The biggest concern we hear often when someone is looking for a ‘day-of coordinator’ is in regards to price. Sure, if you think someone just shows up for 8 hours on your wedding day, that $2000 price tag may feel a bit hefty. That’s not to say you don’t pay that for a DJ who is there less time than us, but that’s a story for another day. However, with some education, we hope you can see the number of hours that truly go into a wedding planner’s base package. For many, this begins weeks or months before your big day. It includes a venue walk-through, timeline planning, vendor confirmation and contract review, rehearsal assistance, plus (at least for us) generally 12-14 hours working on your actual wedding day. Throw in some back and forth emails and all of a sudden this ‘day of’ package is now averaging about 40 hours of work!So, now that you have learned that perhaps ‘day-of’ is a term that should no longer be in anyone’s vocabulary (we’re looking at you, wedding venues!), what do you search on Google? Wedding planner. Simple as that. Even the smallest of packages from reputable wedding planners that call themselves as such is a better option. Trust us. Some terms you may see? Wedding Management. Event Management. Month-of Coordinating. These will all steer you in the direction of sipping mimosas and enjoying the morning with your besties.At the end of the day, both you (and your vendors!) deserve so much more than just a ‘day-of' coordinator. And so does the reputation of the planning industry. So let’s all work to remove this coined term and concept from everyone’s vocabulary, k?!Photos courtesy of Anna Kay Photography (Instagram: @annakay.photography).