Planning a wedding can be stressful, time consuming, and overwhelming.  In order to avoid the stress, many individuals turn to a wedding coordinator to help them through it.

As you are contemplating whether or not a wedding coordinator would be helpful to you, keep in mind all of the items that they will be able to take off of your plate so that the process is enjoyable instead of overwhelming.  You can often ask them to do as much or as little as you need (cost will depend on the amount of time requested).

A wedding coordinator can help you...

Find quality and professional vendors (often exclusive vendors that you may not have been able to book on your own or discounted vendors who can give you quality work at a bargain price.) Connections make a huge difference in the wedding industry!
 
Find a wedding site that meets both of your needs and keep you informed of any restrictive policies associated with that site
 
Monitor all of the details of the ceremony, including...

• Who will give the bride away?
• Will the couple have a double-ring ceremony?  Who will have the rings?
• Will the officiant provide the wording for the vows or will the couple write their own vows?
• Will the couple be having a religious ceremony?  What special observances will be a part of that ceremony?
• Who will have the marriage license?  When and where will it be signed?
• With the couple have a receiving line?  If so, where and whom will be involved?
• Who will be responsible for photos, video, and/or audio tapes during the ceremony and reception?
• Who will be responsible for cleaning out the bride's dressing room?  The groom's dressing room?
• If a pre-ceremony buffet is to be served at the ceremony site, who will be responsible for the set-up, serving, and clean-up?
• Who will be responsible for taking the guest book to the reception?  To who home afterward?
• Who will be responsible for transporting the gifts from the reception site?  Where will they go?
• Who will pick up the bride's dress and the groom's tux after the wedding?  Where will they go?
• Confirm the arrival times for both the rehearsal and ceremony with the custodian of the facility.
• Determine and share when the bridal party, photographer, and special guests should arrive and where they should go.
• Make sure that each of the ushers receives a list of his responsibilities at the ceremony site.
• Confirm that the florist has delivered the appropriate number of bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages and that everything is where it should be.
• Cue the musicians for the processional or when appropriate.

Take care of all small emergencies with endless essentials like...

• aspirin
• breath mints
• clear nail polish
• emery boards
• facial tissues
• pins (for flowers or for pinning down the aisle runner)
• small flashlight (for signaling musicians)
• hair dryer (for hair needs and candle wax removal)
• masking tape (for marking the positions of the bridal party)
• matches or lighter (for lighting candles)
• measuring tape (for relocating positions of bridal party)
• scotch tape (for taping gift cards to packages)
• black ink pens (for signing the marriage license)

A professional wedding coordinator will help to take care of all of the small details that can take away from the beauty of a wedding.  They are the event planners for the biggest party you have ever thrown.  They can help to give you the freedom to really enjoy your wedding day.