Day of Coordination Tips 7 thru 9

We’re back with the final installment in the Day of Coordination series.

Please note that many of these tips can be applied to any type of special event, not just weddings.

TIP #7 - ADVANCED DELIVERY

If you have place cards, favors, guest books, etc. to deliver to your ceremony and/or reception venue, have them delivered no later than the day of your rehearsal (based on the venue's policy).

Terrica Skaggs of Cocktails & Details  once told us: "All items that need to be setup need to be in the room or at the very least, the same building, as to where they need to be setup, if you haven't given them to me the night before."

Final payments to vendors should be sorted in sealed, marked envelopes and given to your coordinator as early as possible. I suggest handing these over at the rehearsal. This eliminates the chance of leaving the payments in your hotel room or in the limo. Your coordinator should handle the distribution of these payments to your hired wedding professionals so you don't have to be concerned with it during the course of your reception.

NOTE: The above suggestion also applies to your marriage license. At a recent wedding, the bride left the marriage license in the hotel and only trusted her mother to go back to get it. So the ceremony officiant had to wait after the ceremony for the mother of the bride to return with the license. Meanwhile, the bride's mother had to miss out on many of the formal photos.

TIP #8 - OPEN COMMUNICATION

As with any relationship, it is best to keep the lines of communication open. Without it, there is too much room for misinterpretation. Does your silence equal satisfaction? Or does it mean you called off the wedding and forgot to tell your coordinator?

Make sure your coordinator's emails are not being filtered into your junk mail/spam folder. If this is happening, she may think you are ignoring her emails while you are thinking she has terrible customer service.

Tell your coordinator the best time of day for her to speak with you on the phone. Unless you tell her, she won't know that you have staff meetings on Mondays from 10 am to noon or yoga 3 nights a week.

Provide your coordinator with a copy of your venue/vendor contracts so that we know who we need to reach out to prior to the wedding. This also allows us to find out who our points of contact are for the day of the wedding. AND it helps us to create a timeline for the day.

Speaking of the timeline…

TIP #9 - TIMELINE

Your wedding coordinator is the team captain, show director, time keeper, troubleshooter… The coordinator’s timeline is bible. It is all-inclusive of all of the individual agendas prepared by your hired professionals. It includes delivery, set up, and pick up times. It includes hair & makeup appointment times. It includes the order of the ceremony and reception events. It includes the music to be played and the courses to be served for dinner. It includes off-site photo locations during cocktail hour. It includes everything everybody needs to know about everything.

Hair & makeup always takes longer than you think it will. The coordinator’s timeline will include a time cushion

The coordinator’s timeline may also allow a little extra time for friends & family who typically tend to be tardy for the party.

Your job, as the client, is to make sure your coordinator has all of the information needed to make this possible.

This concludes our Day of Coordination series. We welcome your comments on the items discussed. Feel free to post below.

We invite you to meet with us to discuss your wedding day coordination needs. Our “Wedding Management” services begin 30 days before your wedding day. We recommend you book us at least 3 months in advance. Contact us today to schedule an initial meeting: Call 800-941-2770, Email info@trilogyeventdesign.com, or use our online calendar

Until next time…

Glitter Wishes & Unicorn Kisses

Day of Coordination Tips 4 thru 6

Hi There! We’re back with more day of wedding coordination tips.

TIP #4 - COORDINATION VS DECORATION

Not all Wedding Coordinators decorate and most Decorators don’t coordinate weddings. It is very important to know and communicate what services you need for your wedding day. This will help you make the right hiring decisions and avoid any disappointments on your very special day.

At Trilogy Event Design, we offer both services separately. Check out our service options at http://trilogyeventdesign.com/weddings

TIP #5 - NO SECRETS/ NO SURPRISES

Because the day-of coordinator did not plan your wedding, chances are she doesn't know every detail. It is up to you to make sure you tell her everything about your wedding so there are no surprises.

We asked a few of our colleagues to share their thoughts about this:

"There is no such thing as too much information. Never think to yourself, 'Oh, I'll have a family member handle that the coordinator doesn't need to know'. We are only as good at implementing your plans as you let us be." ~ Sandra Hadley, planning forever events

"Make sure that your family knows that you hired a DOC. You want to be sure that the girlfriends, sorority sisters, and siblings are aware that they are no longer needed to be the Day Of Coordinator anymore. And no, I don't need any of them to be my assistant because I hired my own team for that." ~ Kawania Howerton Wooten, Howerton + Wooten Events

If you told the DJ not to play "Dance With My Father" because you hate your father, then your coordinator needs to know so she can stop the song before Luther sings the first word.

If you insist on having your hair done with your bridesmaids on the morning of your wedding, then your coordinator needs to know the time and location of your appointment so she can realistically judge the timing of later events, such as photographer's arrival.

If you have assigned specific tasks to members of your bridal party, then you should tell your coordinator so she doesn't step on anyone's toes. For example, you have asked your mother and maid of honor to bustle your dress. Unless you tell her, the wedding coordinator may expect this to be one of her duties.

If you forget to buy something that is needed on the wedding day, don't wait until the last minute to tell your coordinator. If she is willing to run out to get it for you, she will have to work it into her timeline.

These are just a few possible scenarios. It is always best to keep your wedding coordinator well-informed.

TIP #6 - GET THE MEASUREMENTS RIGHT

If you rent chair covers, make sure they fit your chairs. If you get the wrong size, then you will have to order 100 new chairs in just a few hours before the ceremony starts. Can you imagine how this scenario would have played out without a coordinator?

The same goes for anything else you are bringing in to the venue as “extra” decor.

• Is there enough space for that flower wall?

• Are your special linens for the sweetheart and cake table going to fit properly?

• Does the aisle runner need to be cut to size on the day of the wedding?
  

Come back for more fabulous tips as we continue this Day Of Coordination series. Until then…

Glitter Wishes & Unicorn Kisses!

Day of Coordination Tips 1 thru 3

TIP #1 - VENDOR CONTRACTS

You should make copies of your contracts (venue & vendors) available for your wedding coordinator to review in advance. These contracts contain necessary information, such as: contact information, arrival times, number of hours services will be provided, what is included and not included in your package, etc.

TIP #2 - SEATING PLAN

The line around the escort card table or seating chart can be overwhelming for some guests. They just want to know where they are supposed to sit. This is where a master seating chart comes in handy. You should give your wedding coordinator 2 printed copies of your seating plan in the form of a spreadsheet: one sorted by table and the other sorted alphabetically by name.

TIP #3 - LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT YOUR COORDINATOR

Often, the banquet captain takes on the role of coordinator for the reception. You will avoid a lot of confusion by letting the banquet captain know in advance that they can focus on the food service and let the coordinator handle the formalities like lining up the wedding party for introductions.

Your day of coordinator (DOC) is the go-to person for all vendor concerns. The bride and groom should not be bothered with last minute issues such as "Who moved the gift card box?" or "When do you want to cut the cake?"

Your ceremony venue may have an assigned "wedding coordinator" who directs the rehearsal and ceremony to uphold the rules and regulations of the church/synagogue/hall. Sometimes they don't appreciate the additional coordinator so it is important to clearly determine the role of each coordinator ahead of time.

There are more DOC Tips to come. Until next time…

Glitter Wishes & Unicorn Kisses

Don't Be Afraid to Talk About Money

Are you afraid to talk to your significant other about money?

Do you go shopping and hide your stash in the trunk of your car until the coast is clear for you to sneak the bags in the house?

Or are you the thrifty frugal one and your partner’s laissez faire lifestyle make you crazy?

How is your relationship with money? Y’all cool?

For many people, everything they know and feel about money is based on their upbringing. Rich, poor, single parent, both parents, foster homes… whatever the experience, there has always been a relationship with money. You and the love of your life may not have the same experiences, views, or values when it comes to money. You need to know this and learn how to work with these differences before, during, and after your wedding.

Talk about Money

Let’s say you absolutely hate, with every fiber of your being, talking about money. You hate thinking about money. The thought of someone else asking you how you spend money makes you cringe.

Guess what! Once you start thinking about bringing another person into your life to be your life partner, you have to get over those feelings. You have to let them help you deal with your hatred towards money. Only then will you be able to make decisions for your family, your household, and your future together.

Get Clear

Once you have clarity about how you will spend and save your money TOGETHER, then you can have more peace of mind. You can release the fear and guilt that came in your childhood baggage. You can start to rearrange your thoughts to reflect more satisfaction with your financial decisions.

How Can We Help?

Join me (Randi Martin, Trilogy Event Design) and Lateisha Johnson (Wealth & Wellness Network) for cocktails, appetizers, and conversations about MONEY & MATRIMONY.

This unique wedding planning workshop is specially designed for couples who will be combining incomes and spending styles as well as joining their families to become one.

We will have REAL discussions about the cost of planning the wedding you desire. We will also talk about some smart financial steps you need to take BEFORE the wedding to prepare for your happily ever after (buying a home, planning a family, etc.)

You can't afford to miss this educational and entertaining workshop. EARLY BIRD pricing ends March 31. Get your tickets now! We’ll see you there.