You are thinking about hiring a Toronto Wedding Coordinator because you have heard that having someone there to do your Day of Coordination can be invaluable but what can you actually expect and how much does it cost?
Your Toronto Wedding Coordinator will really start becoming involved with you about a month before your wedding. This is why often “Day of Coordination” is called “Month of Coordination”. These two terms are interchangeable. At this time, she will sit down with you and discuss all the details of your wedding. She will review all your vendor contracts, she will look for potential risks and issues and will discuss with you ways to mitigate them. She will offer you suggestions and advice. The goal of this meeting is to finally bring all the pieces of the puzzle together, to come up with a list of final “To Dos” that correct/mitigate any problems, to create a complete list of vendors (contact names, deliverables, timing, numbers, etc.), to create a very detailed list of your instructions for the décor and other items that are going to be personalizing your wedding and to create a very detailed schedule/itinerary for the day.
It is usually that last month that causes the most stress for people (understandably) and it is really interesting how when we leave these meetings with our clients, you can literally see the weight taken off their shoulders. They are so relieved now that they can see the end goal and now have a clearly defined path to the altar!
The week before the wedding your Toronto Wedding Coordinator will contact each and every vendor. She will confirm the details of the services they are providing, confirm the timing of their arrival/delivery and will make sure they have her contact information to call if there are any issues. Certain vendors (such as the photographer, DJ and venue catering manager) will be sent a copy of the itinerary to ensure that everyone is on the same page with respect to how the day will go.
Your Day of Coordination package always includes your wedding coordinator at your rehearsal, and in some cases, couples opt to save money and have the wedding coordinator actually run the rehearsal, if their officiant charges extra for this service. This is where your Toronto Wedding Coordinator will get to meet all the key members of your family and bridal party and where the logistics of the wedding ceremony are worked out. Generally speaking, couples will usually bring any items that their wedding coordinator will be putting out for them such as place cards, guest favours, photos, etc. so that they don’t need to worry about these items on the day of the wedding.
On the day of the wedding, your Toronto Wedding Coordinator will be onsite at least two hours in advance with as many assistants as would be required for that size of wedding (the more guests, the more hands are needed for set up in the allotted time and the more assistance guests might need in finding their seats, etc.) She would be the main point of contact for the venue and all the vendors, acting like the conductor of a large orchestra, each professional playing their role but needing one person overseeing it all.
Along with her assistants, she will ensure that all the set up and décor has been done according to your instructions.
When the bridal party arrives, she will make sure that everyone is ready to go… pinning on boutonnieres on the men, lacing up dresses, etc. Whatever it takes to get you married! She will coordinate timing with the bridal party, the officiant and the ceremony musicians to ensure that those walks down the aisle go as planned.
She will also be watching the schedule throughout the day, and working with the banquet captain and the MC throughout the reception to make sure everything goes smoothly.
She will have an emergency kit on hand to avert small disasters. For example, at almost every wedding, there is some minor sewing to be done (a button falling off a tuxedo to literally the entire zipper coming away from the Maid of Honour’s dress!).
Finally she will ensure that important items have been accounted for and are locked away in the Bridal Suite for you to take home such as rented cake stands, your engagement photo, family heirlooms that were used, etc. That way you don’t have to go scavenging around at the end of the night looking for these things or trying to contact the venue the next day to see if they have seen your item (they never have).
These are the basic things that any good Toronto Wedding Coordinator will do for you. There are often things that are done which are “over and above” but that is dependent on the wedding and your requirements.
Generally in Toronto this service costs between $800 – $1500 depending on the size of the wedding primarily but also the day of the week, the time of the year and the experience of the Toronto Wedding Coordinator. Some consider it a small expense for the peace of mind knowing that they are handing over the stress to someone else! And quite frankly it is the job of your coordinator to worry about things for you!
My couples have all felt the cost was well worth it!
