While there are plenty of articles out there that will tout the merits of a planner or coordinator, I can attest from personal experience that those weddings with an organized, friendly, calm coordinator at the helm are much easier to capture on film.
A calm person in charge keeps everyone focused on their own role, while they focus on problem solving. You see, I haven’t been to a wedding yet (my own included), where something didn’t go wrong. Last week I lunched with one of my favorite coordinators and she told me a story about how the band’s drummer got into a car accident on the way to the wedding. He was fine, but was running late. She kept this information under wraps and managed to sneak the drums in the back door during the salad course and the couple was none the wiser. When her bride and groom bemoaned the fact they hadn’t a souvenir favor or program from their wedding day, she paid out of her own pocket to order an extra set from the manufacturer. Problems solved.
For those events where there has been no coordinator involved, we have had a much harder time doing our job. I’ve had my shooters ironing a wrinkled wedding dress, checking on the weather and bringing the DJ food and drinks, just to help things run smoothly when they’re starting to wobble. Without a coordinator, we often end up having to stay overtime because the schedule runs late and we haven’t filmed the cake cutting when we’re supposed to be leaving. If you end up paying for all your vendors to stay late, you may as well have hired a coordinator for the money you’d otherwise be spending on surcharges.
If you want to enjoy the most expensive party you’re ever going to throw, then having someone else worry about it for you is just about the nicest thing you can do for yourself. Your vendors will better be able to bring their true talents to the table and shine (not that we’re not good at ironing). And that’s a wrap!
For more ideas on how to reduce stress on your wedding day, check out some of our other articles in the Dolce “Less Stress” series! See the “How to Reduce Stress on Your Wedding Day” category in the right margin.
