Brides and Grooms spend so much time, energy and money planning their perfect wedding in The Hamptons, so when the big day arrives they want to be sure that all of their hard work be properly executed. The newlyweds should not have to think about anything other than enjoying themselves on their happy day. That is where a “Day-of” wedding coordinator comes in.
Unlike a full-service wedding planner, a “Day-of” coordinator is for brides and grooms who want to do most of the planning themselves, but when their wedding day arrives, they need a professional to execute all of their hard work. “We preferred to choose table linens and floral decorations on our own, but once the day finally arrived we did not have to worry if the right table clothes where on the tables or if the flowers we chose were correct," said Amy Stenzler who hired a "Day Of" wedding coordinator for her wedding in The Hamptons in June 2004. “We did not want to burden our parents or anyone in our bridal party with the final details so we hired someone to take care of it for us” she said.
An organized ceremony is another reason to hire a “Day-of” wedding coordinator. Hampton wedding ceremonies often take place at a private home or club rather than a church or synagogue, where there is no one to make sure that the bride gets to the altar on time. A “Day-of” wedding coordinator will ensure that the bridal party knows what their roles are during the ceremony, that the ceremony musicians are ready to play the processional and that the groom’s tie is straight.
One of the reasons the “Day-of” coordinator has become so popular in the Hamptons is because most of wedding reception locations do not have a Maitre d’ or event coordinator on staff, this is something you would usually find at a luxury hotel in Manhattan or a country club in Connecticut. A coordinator is working for you, not the hotel or location, and he/she is there to see that your wishes and requests are carried out as well as covering other services that are not related to the location. Coordinators will work with the personnel at your ceremony and/or reception venue to ease the planning process and provide you peace of mind.
After the coordinator is hired, he/she will sit down with the bride and groom approximately two weeks prior to their wedding to come up with a preliminary timeline for how the day should be mapped out. A few days prior to the wedding, the coordinator will confirm final details with all vendors that the bride and groom have previously arranged. The coordinator will work with the information that the bride and groom give he/she to formulate a master plan for the entire day. A coordinator is only as good as the information the bride and groom provides, so the more detail that is provided the better.
Typically, the fee for “Day-of” wedding coordination ranges anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000 depending on the size of the wedding. This usually includes Direction of the rehearsal, distribution of the final timeline to wedding party, coordination and direction of wedding day events starting from the arrival of the first vendor i.e. hairdresser for the bride to the end of the evening.
Whether you are planning a wedding that is big or small, casual or formal, the knowledge, professionalism, and assistance a wedding coordinator can provide for you, is well worth the cost.
For more information on “Day-of” wedding coordination services, please contact Kim Pilson at The Wedding Sitter – 212-427-3616 or Kim@theweddingsitter.com or visit her website www.theweddingsitter.com.