Why do couples keep asking planners "Do you offer just a Day Of package?"

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Most of the time, this question is a major red flag to experienced planners. First, couples usually ask for this service for two reasons:

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- They are just looking for the cheapest possible option - which tells the planner that this

    isn't likely going to be the kind of wedding that aligns with the work they produce.  

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- They think they have a full grasp on wedding planning - which is rarely ever the case in the

   end, leaving a coordinator with a mess to clean up.

 

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Think about it- are you seriously asking someone to show up on your wedding day knowing little about what you have spent the last year or more planning - and even less about you? Definitely not, right? 

 

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What's more, unless you are very quick to trust someone you just met - how comfortable are you going to be handing over such an important day? Trust takes time to build and not something that comes in a 1 hour debrief phone call prior to wedding day.

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Planners and coordinators don't feel comfortable with any of the above either which is why the term Day-Of can cause a lot of confusion for couples and can misrepresent the scope of the service the planners/coordinator offers.

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Month-of coordination or Wedding Management 

 

These certainly aren’t new concepts, because they are pretty much how the former “day-of” coordination services have been re-vamped for some time. Even still, experienced planners understand that it takes more than a couple of weeks to successfully pull all the pieces of a wedding together...especially when someone else has been doing (or is supposed to be doing) all of the planning!

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Are you a fit for Event Management or Month-of Coordination?

 

In order for either to be possible, many key factors have to be in place. 

 

Can you:​​

• Complete all the planning tasks on your own and on schedule

• Establish a realistic budget based on current costs and your guest count

• Manage all of the details

• Pull together your design concept and ensure every element is cohesive 

• Research, vet and book all of your own vendors - and book them at the right time

• Identify the differences that make a vendor equipped to service a wedding...not just an event

• Navigate venue & vendor pricing comparisons and confusing contracts

• Resolve pre-existing issues with vendors

• Handle all of the communications leading up to the time the planner takes over

 

Are you:

• Knowledgeable about all of the fine, commonly forgotten, details in the planning process

• Highly disciplined to stay on track with the necessary planning timeline

• Knowledgeable on what pricing is typical when it comes to vendors

• Extremely organized and task oriented

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Do you:

• Have LOTS of free time

• Have a LOT of patience

• Have connections or relationships with top vendors

• Have a planning support system within friends or family that respects your wishes and vision

• Know what vendors should and should not have in their contracts

• Possess strong negotiating skills

 

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If you answered yes to ALL of the above...you are a fit for Wedding Management!

 

Now you just need an experienced wedding planner that offers Wedding Management services to handle finalizing details such as venue layout, vendor confirmations, creating your timeline, creating a production schedule for vendors and then making it all flow on your wedding day - all of these are definitely things that you want done in the final months before your wedding day, not a few weeks before!

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Now on the flip side, if you answered no to ANY of these....you are likely going to need more assistance over the long term and should consider a planning package that is going to ensure everything is handled in a timely, efficient, organized & professional manner.

 

Many couples embarking on the wedding planning process initially feel like they have a firm grasp on what it takes to successfully plan a wedding. When in reality - most quickly find themselves overwhelmed because they grossly underestimated the demand on their time and the toll it takes in their lives.

 

This is why Full Planning is so popular for couples that decide early on that they they don't want to spend their entire engagement sacrificing all of their free time being consumed with wedding planning stuff!

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