My Wedding Venue Already Has A Coordinator

There’s one assumption that many couples have about their venue when there has been one point person they have been talking to about their wedding. Many times they will assume that is the person or another employee who will be there for their wedding to take care of any issues that come up during the wedding and reception. However, that's not the way it works. 

That employee's first responsibilities are to the venue and probably other events that are taking place in the case of a hotel. There's a good chance that they are also responsible for sales which take place any day of the week. While that person might be checking in periodically, they will not be there for the entire wedding and reception. It's more likely that someone will have to search for them if an issue arises. 

This is one of the reasons why couples don't hire a Wedding Planner. They think that they already have someone to take care of them and any unexpected problems. You hope, but there are no guarantees that they will be there to direct vendors who are making deliveries. They won't be lining everyone up before walking down the aisle. That is what a Wedding Planner would be doing. The venue coordinator is there to take care of the basic foundations of the wedding by directing staff to do their jobs for your event. 

To get more information about the assumptions about weddings that can result in headaches, you can read my book "Wedding Planning Unmasked!"

7 Tips to a Happy and Yes, Uneventful Wedding Day!

1.  Have a wedding rehearsal.  It's also nice if everyone who is going to be in the wedding party will be there.  I'd recommend it happen the day before the wedding and not more than 2 days before the wedding.

2.  Don't booze it up before your wedding.  People have been getting married for ages and everyone thinks that people pass out during the ceremony because of nervousness. More often than not it's from a poor judgement call made regarding alcohol consumption before the wedding the night before or the day of the wedding!  I find that many couples really don't want alcohol at their wedding and sometimes there is alcohol at a wedding because family members or friends pressure them into it.  My response would be, "It is your wedding and if someone can't handle a few hours without alcohol, they have bigger problems than you can take care of.  Create your day the way you want it.  Consider toasting with sparkling cider for everyone as an alternative and everyone will actually remember your wedding the next day!  You can consider finding a venue that won't allow alcohol and that will take some of the pressure off of you.

3.  Include a map in with your wedding invitation and make directional signs guiding your guests to your wedding.  So often weddings start late because of late arrivals and we hear this "wait for this person or that person".

4.  Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.  You don't want to be blamed for everyone getting sick.  Leave the food and cake up to the professionals to help eliminate this potential problem.  For instance, I heard of bride who's guests all got very ill and it was traced back to the cake.  The bakery knew it had nothing to do with them.  The mistake was that the bride didn't want to pay anyone to put flowers on the cake.  The guests found out the hard way that you can't just stick any flower into a cake!  Some flowers are toxic and at best should only be inserted into the cake with floral tubes to avoid contact with the cake.  Don't risk it!

5.  Know the venue rules well.  You're probably safe if you just make it a policy to leave it in better condition that you found it!  Have someone else go with you to visit the venue that you trust will be your eyes on the wedding day looking out for your interest and the venue's interest.  Don't be afraid to use signs that can be put in picture frames to set on a counter, or on a table where everyone will see the rules.  The venue should do this, but often they don't!

6.  Plan ahead and anticipate everything you will need for your wedding.  It's very frustrating to find that something crucial has not been purchased.  Listen to suggestions and act on them as soon as possible to avoid any last minute rushes.

7.  Handle those chronically late people differently (and gently).  Tell them you need them 30 minutes to an hour earlier than you tell your other guests!  You know better than anyone who these people are.  If they do show up early, that's okay.

Wishing you the greatest of days!


Greatest of Days 
Event/Wedding Planning
Decor Design and Officiating




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What Happens When You Hire a Wedding Coordinator? Part 3.

Okay!  Let's create a wedding!!  By this point in time you have determined what is most important to you and your fiance'.  Also at this point in time, you will run into the biggest "What comes first, the chicken or the egg?"  I would say that usually it is the dress and venue or the venue and the dress.  

With full planning, your Wedding Coordinator will meet with you on all of the various types appointments that you will have during the planning process.  Their job is to ask the questions you don't know to ask and do their best to make sure that your interests are addressed.

If you already know that you're getting married in your grandmother's rose garden, you don't have to worry about the location.  You will soon find out that not having a venue, where they are not used to having events, comes with its own bundle of challenges.  Without going into all the details, I have counted 39 questions that I have in my head when I visit a venue!  You might think that that is overboard, but that is really just covering the basics.  If you have your heart set on a venue you might actually want to set your wedding date according to that.  It just depends on how long you want to wait for your wedding.  Your Wedding Coordinator will be able to suggest others venues, some of which you have never heard of, that might just make you forget all about the venue that you had your heart set on!  Your coordinator can help you get through many disappointments or incorrect assumptions, but don't worry.  If he/she knows your vision of your wedding, there are ways to make it happen no matter what!

You must also have some kind of a "guestimate" of the number or people who will likely come to your wedding.  Your Coordinator will discuss with you what the challenges might be with setting a particular wedding date such as seasons, holidays, weekends or weekdays, evening or daytime hours for a wedding.

On average, right up there with finding a venue is finding the dress!  With some designers it can take many months to get the dress you chose delivered to you and you still need to leave time for alterations if necessary and then the final fitting.  At any rate even if you get a dress that is delivered in a very short time, you will need a fitting or two as your wedding date gets closer.  This isn't the time to put extra pressure on yourself to lose that 50 pounds you have been going to lose for a few years now!  The important thing, if you can do it, is to be healthy and fit so that you stay well.  There are many ways to take a lot of the frustration out of the process of finding the right dress and there are options other than finding a dress at a bridal shop.  Don't be surprised if your Coordinator tries to get you to steer clear of some types of bridal stores.  We care again about your style, personality, budget and your priorities for quality.

With all appointments it's great if you know what you want, but having an open mind is almost just as important.  Sometimes, just like shopping for your regular wardrobe, it helps to know what looks best for your coloring and your body type.  However, you might miss out on that perfect dress if you are zeroed in on one particular type of dress.  You should allow yourself to think outside the box, be more daring and have fun.  If you have heard that a bride has found her dress when she cries tears of joy, I think that it is quite true.  Another sign is if she takes much longer to get back to the dressing room, does many more turns in the mirror and the repeats with a couple more poses or angles!  I love the look on the bride's face when she finds that dress!

So in summary, venue and dress or dress and venue?  There are no rules set in stone, but this falls within the average.  Stay tuned for Customizing Your Wedding and Dual-Purposing to Save Money!

As always, wishing you the greatest of days!

http://www.greatestofdays.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkKIjSu9dbA

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