These days, many brides can feel spooked into thinking they need a full-service wedding planner—even if they’ve been looking forward to planning their wedding for their entire lives!
While we agree that most brides can use the help of an expert when navigating complicated wedding logistics, this doesn’t mean that everyone needs a full-service planner. In many cases, it’s better to invest in a wedding coordinator instead!
Not sure what a wedding coordinator is (and if you need one)? Keep reading to find out and discover whether you’re a better fit for a full-service wedding planner or a coordination team like JDWC!
WHEN TO HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER
If you’re a hands-off bride who prefers to leave all the work of wedding planning to the professionals, you are a good fit for full-service wedding planning. Your planner will step in from the beginning of your planning, typically 12-15+ months before the wedding. Their services will start right away, and often, the first thing they help you create is your budget. They will also assist you with budget management, touring venues, and selecting vendors. In addition, they’ll help you develop and implement your wedding design and aesthetic.
They can also help plan rehearsal dinners and post-wedding events. And on the day-of, they are of course there to setup the design and coordinate the day so everything runs smoothly (and on time!)
As a wedding coordination team, we don’t create design “vision” boards or help brides source design elements (most of our clients are creatives who prefer to do those things themselves!). However, our background in full-service planning qualifies us to offer input and guidance, when requested, about linen colors/textures, chargers, paper goods, and other design elements that will elevate your décor. This service sets us apart from most other wedding coordinators!
WHEN TO HIRE A WEDDING COORDINATOR
If you’re a bride who feels capable, confident, and excited to plan your wedding, you’re a good fit for wedding coordination! You already know you’ve got this, but you’d still like the help of someone who understands your vision and can ensure it comes to life exactly as you’ve envisioned.
A wedding coordinator is typically booked 9-12+ months before the wedding. However, on average their contracted services usually begin 8-12 weeks before your wedding. This means you will take care of the main elements like budget, vendors, and design. And your wedding coordinator will step in as it gets closer to help you pull everything together during those final few months. Often, they have limited calls that you can book with them, so you may need to pay for additional calls or meetings if you’d like additional support further out.
Like wedding planners, they will be there on the day-of to set up your wedding based on your design, as well as coordinate the entire day.
THE JDWC EXPERIENCE
Guidance on décor selections isn’t the only thing that makes working with JDWC unique! We pride ourselves on our attention to detail and logistical finesse, focusing on providing a quality experience to our brides that they won’t always see but will always feel.
As your wedding coordination team, we won’t just swoop in at the eleventh hour to perform damage control. We care about your special day and will do everything possible to ensure your hard work pays off! Moreover, we place no time limit on our meetings with you—unlike most coordinators who set an arbitrary one-hour limit. Our time is yours for as long as you need us!
At JDWC, we’re all about empowering brides who want to plan their wedding their way! We won’t step on your creative toes or micromanage you. Instead, we’ll help you navigate the logistics, including creating your timeline and ensuring all design and decor elements are accounted for, so you’re never overwhelmed. Moreover, we’ll handle communication with your vendor team and manage setup and deliveries on the day-of to ensure all your planning yields the spectacular result you’re dreaming of. Meanwhile, you’ll be busy sipping a glass of bubbly and making lasting memories with your loved ones!
INVEST IN WEDDING COORDINATION
If you have a gut feeling that you don’t need traditional wedding planning but could still use help managing all the wedding day logistics, we hope you’ve found your solution in the magic of wedding coordination! We love what we do and can’t wait for you to experience our signature service for yourself. Learn more about why you should hire a wedding coordinator and read client testimonials here!
Xo,
JDWC
Image Credit: Jenny Haas Photography
