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BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now),

Olivia

What to Expect from your Day-of-Coordination Wedding Service Package?

     

       Above: An Oliveaire Bride  vs.  Above: Did Not Get a Planner

If you have made the decision to hire a Wedding Planner to manage your Day-of Wedding Coordination, Congratulations, you are now a BLISS Bride.  Today, more and more brides are feeling the stress of their Wedding Day and are opting to let a professional take over to fine tune the details, and to oversee the execution of those details on the day of their Wedding.  By hiring a Day-of Wedding Coordinator, brides can feel relaxed in knowing that the details are handled and all they have to do is completely enjoy the best day of their life.  Since you have decided to give yourself the best wedding present, what should you expect from their Day-of Coordination Planner?  Here are some tips:

Define Expectations:

Remember they are being retained to oversee your day-of details.  This means that you as the bride, will coordinate and plan the details leading up to the Wedding.  A good Wedding Planner will organize all of your details in a flawless execution.  Planners work with a plethora of forms that detail every segment of the Wedding.  Have the planner show you their forms, which will be utilized in executing your event.

Also, a great planner will be there for you regarding your vendors.  There are many aspects with a vendor that you may not realize.  The Day-of Coordinator will contact your vendor & will then be your liaison so you will not have to worry about contacting these vendors before and on the day of.  A Planner will also make sure each vendor has what they need, will schedule them accordingly to your timeline and will make sure they are there on time and completely prepared. 

The best expectation of all is you do not have to worry about a thing on your Wedding Day.  Most Brides do not realize how many intricate details go into planning & executing a Wedding.  By the time it get’s close to the event, Brides who did not hire a Planner seem to want the day to be over with, instead of looking forward to their big day.  This is a day all about you and your new spouse, spending the happiest day of your life with close family and friends and enjoying every single moment of it.  The Planner is to make sure the event goes smoothly, and if there is a small issue, they are to make sure you do not know about it.

  

Hours of Service:

A Day-of-Coordination Package must include at least 11 hours of service.  Typically 1 hour is reserved for rehearsal and 10 hours are for the day of the event.  Use this time wisely!  Planners are extremely important during the beginning of the day.  If your ceremony is planned for 2pm and your make-up/hair, vendor set-up and pictures are scheduled for 11:00am, retain the service from 10:30am to 8:30pm.  If you are not done with the important details by 8:30pm, consider adding a couple of hours to your package.  An Event Assistant is typically included in the package as well. 

How to Choose the Right Planner:

There are some great seasoned planners that may cost more.  And then there are some planners starting out in the business that charge less.  I personally would want the best to take care of my Wedding, especially when so much is invested in it.  I would want someone with experience, so that when it came time to make hard decisions, they will draw from their past events and will make the right decision.  I would also want my planner to have a leadership quality so that clear directions are given to the vendors, and excellent service to my guests.  But most importantly, I would want to make sure that they have a well-trained Event Support team, so that my event is not dependent on just one person.

Cost:

A traditional Day-of-Coordination Package can cost from $2,500.00, for an experience planning company, to $1,200.00 for a novice.  If your event is a sophisticated, detail driven and vendor loaded program, I would opt for an experienced planner.  The $1,300.00 will be well worth paying for, if it means the best are orchestrating your event.  Some ethnic events, with traditions and cultural influence, may require longer hours and multiple days.  For such events, expect to pay slightly more.  The size of the event will impact the price.

What Not to Expect From a Planner:

Planners are there to oversee your vendors, in making sure that they are performing as they have been contracted to do, also making sure Aunt Mae gets her low sodium vegetarian meal, and your Bridesmaid is not lost when it comes time to take pictures.  Resourceful Planners are experts in all arenas of Wedding Planning.  However, they are not florists, photographers, cake decorators, chair cover installers, butlers or bellman.  They are quick to get a team that will deliver these types of services, but cannot be expected to put together your centerpieces on the day of your Wedding.  However, some planners may be able to offer such services for additional cost.  Remember you are paying at least $1,200.00 to your Planner.  If you are using her to add flowers to the table, or move Wedding inventory from the Church to the Reception venue, you are definitely overpaying.  Let your Planner manage the other vendors to most effectively accomplish these tasks.

Your Wedding Day is about you and your Groom.  There should not be any need for a Bride to micromanage her vendors, or stand by the placecard table assisting guests to find their escort cards.  If your budget allows, at a minimum, hire a “Day-of-Coordinator.”  I promise you that you will look back at your Wedding day and know the second most important person on your big day was your Wedding Planner.

An Oliveaire Bride & Groom

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now), 

Olivia

What to expect from your Day of Coordination Wedding Package?

 vs             

Pictures provided by weddingpros.wordpress

If you have made the decision to hire a wedding planner to manage your Day of Wedding Coordination, congratulations, you are now a BLISS bride.   More and more brides feel the stress of the wedding day, and elect to let a professional take over to fine tune the details, and oversee the execution of those details on the day of their wedding.  Service is subjective.  What should you expect from a planner for retaining their Day of Coordination service? Here are some tips:

Define Expectation:

Remember they are being retained to oversee your day of details.  It means that you as a bride will coordinate and plan the details leading up to the wedding.  A good wedding planner will organize your details for a flawless execution.  Planners work with a plethora of forms that detail every segment of the wedding.  Have the planner show you her forms, which will be utilized in executing your event. 

Hours of service:

A day of coordination package must include at least 11 hours of service.  Typically 1 hr is reserved for rehearsal and 10 hrs are for the day of event.  Use the time wisely.  Planners are extremely important during the beginning of the day.  If your ceremony is planned for 2pm and your make-up hair, vendor set up and pictures are scheduled for 11:00a.m., retain the service from 10:30a.m. to 8:30p.m..  If you are not done with the important details by 8:30p.m. consider adding a couple of hours to the package.  An Event Assistant is typically included in the package.

How to choose the right planner:

There are some great seasoned planners, that may cost more, and then there are some planners starting out in the business that charge less.  I personally would want the best to take care of my wedding, especially when so much is invested in it.  I would want someone with experience, so that when it came time to make hard decisions they will draw from their experience and make the right one.  I would want a leadership quality so that clear directions are given to the vendors, and excellent service to my guests.  But most importantly, I would want to make sure that they have a well trained event support team, so that my event is not dependent on just one person.

Cost:

A traditional day of coordination package can cost from $2500, for an experienced planning company, to a $1200 for a novice.  If your event is a sophisticated, detail driven and vendor loaded program, I would opt for an experienced planner.  The $1300 will be well worth paying for if it means the best are orchestrating your event.  Some ethnic events, with traditions and cultural influence, may require longer hours and multiple days.  For such events expect to pay slightly more, the size of the event can impact the price.

What not to expect from a planner:

Planners are there to oversee your vendors, in making sure that they are performing as they have been contracted to do, also making sure that Aunt Mae gets her low sodium vegetarian meal and your Bridesmaid is not lost when it comes time to take pictures.  Resourceful Planners are experts in all arenas of wedding planning. However they are not florists, photographers, cake decorators, chair cover installers, butlers or bellman.  They are quick to get a team that will deliver these types of service, but cannot be expected to put together your centerpieces on the day of your wedding.  However, some planners may be able to offer such services for additional cost.  Remember you are paying at least $1200 to your planner. If you are using her to add flowers to the table, or move wedding inventory from church to reception venue, you are definitely overpaying. Let your planner manage the other vendors to most effectively accomplish these tasks.

Your wedding day is about you and your groom.  There should not be any need for a bride to micromanage her vendors, or stand by the placecard table assisting guests to find their escort cards.  If your budget allows, at a minimum hire a “Day of Coordinator.” I promise you that you will look back at your wedding day and know the second most important person on your big day was your Wedding Planner.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now)

Olivia

Vendor Agreements, Do you Need Them?

When entering into an agreement with wedding professionals, as in any business relationship, where there is an exchange of money for products or services, expectations must be clearly defined.  Weddings are a costly business.  Every bride and groom spend thousands of dollars to make their Big Day perfect.  They all rely on surrounding themselves with people that they feel can deliver that to them.  But before entering into a relationship with such person or company, here are some tips on what to expect.

Agreements or contracts must include:

• Full company name, address and phone number of the vendor
• Names of the bride and groom
• Date and time of the wedding and reception (if you don’t have this information at the time of signing, it should be noted that the information will be added at a later date)
• Services or products being provided should be specified, with as much detail listed as possible. (For example, on a floral contract, instead of “ ten centerpieces,” a better idea would be to have “ ten centerpiece arrangements with white miniature Calla lilies, red roses, and seasonal greenery, sized in a pilsner vase with submerged orchids”)

For Services:

• Set- up time, start, finish, and break-down time should be listed
• Name of the person or persons who will be performing the service
• Any electrical or special requirement of the venue
• Additional charges for night pick up or above ground ballrooms.
• Any delivery of products after the wedding (such as photographers or video) should be listed, with a date by which you will receive the product

Regarding prices and payments:

• Amount that is refundable should be listed, with the charges as detailed as possible
• Each item should be priced separately unless it is part of a particular package
• In the case of packages, content should be listed in detail
• If there is the possibility of adding on services at a later date, those prices should be listed so that you have the pricing guaranteed—particularly the pricing for photos and albums.
• Set-up fees should be included in the contract. If they are not listed separately, it should be clear that the price includes set-up and break- down

Taxable products or services:

• All applicable taxes should be listed.
• All rental taxes should be listed.
•  Required gratuities should be listed , and if they are not required but encourage, this information should be included

Special requests:

• Should be noted somewhere in the contract (such as no “Hokey-Pokey” played by the DJ, or         Vegetarian meals provided by the caterer upon request).
• Parking or travel fees
• Overtime fees
• Restriction on lifting and moving of equipment, products, furniture etc must be clear.

Payments:

• Schedule should be listed in detail, including the acceptable forms of payment and applicable penalties (for example, if a personal check is returned.)
• Due date of such payment(s) must be included
• Final payment date and amount must be listed.
• Charges, or penalty for making changes after the final order is placed, must be clearly stated.

Policies:

• Cancellation policies should be included in the contract, with specifics regarding cancellation by either party.
• Deposit requirement and the refund policy must be clear
•  If there are other relevant policies that the vendor follows. They should also be included in the contract.

You should be presented with an original copy of the contract, with two sets of original signatures- yours (or the person responsible for paying) and a legal representative of the vendor. In order to make the contract binding, you will need to present compensation at the time of the signing.

If the contract lacks any of these items, don’t hesitate to request corrections, additions or verification of details. It is in everyone’s best interest to have everything listed in advance. If the vendor hesitates to provide you with a detailed contract, perhaps you should consider a different vendor.

If expectations change, make sure to record the changes in writing.  This will protect you, and validate accepted changes by the vendor.  After all, it is your one and only day.  Surrounding yourself with an event team that understands your vision, and enhances your wedding experience, that is the right team for you.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now), 

Olivia