Do I Need a Wedding Coordinator? An Honest Self Test

Maybe not. Plenty of weddings run fine without a coordinator, and we would rather tell you that than sell you something you do not need. If you are asking yourself, do I need a wedding coordinator, the answer usually comes down to one question. When something goes wrong on Saturday, who handles it?

Ten questions to ask yourself

Answer these honestly. They are rough guides rather than rules, and every yes adds a little to the case for getting help.

• Are you expecting more than about 75 guests?

• Is the ceremony in one place and the reception in another, or does one room have to be flipped between them?

• Do five or more vendors need to arrive at set times and find their way in?

• Are you or your friends handling any of the decor, food, music or setup?

• Is your venue a place without staff of its own, such as a backyard, a farm or a park?

• Are many of your guests or family members traveling in from out of town?

• Is there a family situation that needs careful handling, such as divorced parents or relatives who should not share a photo line?

• Do children or older relatives have a part in the ceremony and need to be somewhere at an exact time?

• Do you tend to take on everyone else's problems, even on a day you should be enjoying?

• Would it bother you if your mom, your maid of honor or your best man spent your wedding working instead of celebrating?

So, do I need a wedding coordinator? If you said yes to one or two, you can probably manage with a good written plan. If you said yes to several, the day has enough moving parts that someone should be dedicated to it.

When can you skip a wedding coordinator?

Some weddings really do not need one. An elopement, or a short ceremony with a handful of guests, one or two vendors and a venue that looks after most of the room, can run on a one page schedule and a calm friend. Even then, write the plan down. Give it to everyone involved, and name one person who is not you to field questions on the day.

If you are headed that way, our Augusta Officiant sister business offers an Elopement Ceremony for $200.

Doesn't my venue already have a coordinator?

Some do and some do not. A venue coordinator works for the venue and looks after the venue's rooms and rules. That is a real job, but it is not the same one. So do I need a wedding coordinator if the venue already has one? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and the answer depends on what theirs does on your wedding day. Ask. Will they run your ceremony lineup? Will they contact your florist and DJ? Will they be in the room with you, or in an office on the other side of the property? Whatever is left over is what you either handle yourselves or hand to someone else. We cover the gap between a planner and a coordinator in our post on wedding planner vs day of coordinator.

Can a friend or family member do the job?

A friend can do it if they want to, and if they have the timeline weeks ahead of the wedding. The thing to weigh is that the person running your day is not at your wedding the way a guest is. They spend it with a phone in one hand and a list in the other. If your mother, your maid of honor or your best man would love that job, wonderful. If they would simply say yes because you asked, that is worth knowing before you ask.

What would a coordinator take off your plate?

With Augusta Day of Coordination, that means we build your wedding day timeline, confirm and follow up with your vendors, and make sure everyone knows where to be and when. We run the rehearsal lineup and the ceremony cues, and on the wedding day we are the point of contact for vendors, handle the problems that come up and carry and move things. Our work begins two to four weeks before the wedding, so the load comes off in the final stretch, when it is heaviest.

Nick and Jasmine work as a pair, and we serve Augusta, Evans, Grovetown, Martinez, North Augusta, Aiken and the rest of the CSRA. If one of you is in the military and your time in town before the wedding is short, handing the vendor follow up to someone local is worth weighing.

Questions couples ask about hiring one

Do I need a wedding coordinator for a small wedding?

Maybe not. A small wedding with one location and few vendors needs a plan more than a person. The questions above still apply, so run through them. If you are unsure, ask us what your wedding needs.

Do I need a wedding coordinator if I already have a planner?

If your planner runs the whole wedding day, including the vendors and the ceremony lineup, you may not. If your planner's work ends before the wedding, or ends at the ceremony, you probably do. Ask the planner exactly who is on site and until when.

How far ahead should I decide?

Before the final month. Our work begins two to four weeks before the wedding, and the timeline and vendor confirmations need that stretch to be done properly.

If you answered yes more than no

You do not need to decide alone. If you are still stuck on do I need a wedding coordinator, tell us about your date, your venue and your guest count, and we will give you a straight answer, even when the answer is no. Day of coordination starts at $800 and goes up from there depending on what your wedding needs and how many staff we bring. Read about the day of coordination service or reach us through the contact page.