I had been researching the local event planning companies right along wtih my venue searches... And, the only reason I waited until after choosing my venue was because several of the reception spaces came with a built-in co-ordinator of sorts.
I figured that if we got married somewhere like the Heinz History Center, we wouldn't need much help decorating, etc. But, once we picked the conservancy, I knew we'd need some serious help.
I reached out to two companies for more information... For the life of me, I can't remember the name of the one I didn't choose. So, I'll tell you a bit about my experience meeting with and hiring my month-of coordinator.
To start, I may be a bit of a sucker for a well put together, well written, clever website and/or company name. When I started reading the details on A Wish Come True's website, I was impressed and felt like the "As You Wish" package (a.k.a. month-of coordination) was created just for me. It included a lot of the things that I was most stressed out about (to think I thought that was stressed... if only I would have known what it was like 3 months out from the wedding, lol):
Review of vendor contracts - I don't know much about wedding planning or contracts. Another set of eyes looking things over would be a great relief.
Working out details of the day - What time should the cake be delivered? Did the DJ remember our "first dance" song? How in the world would all the people I hired manage to get where they needed to be when they needed to be there? These worries were ones I'd gladly hand off to someone else.
Setting up a day of schedule (and making sure it's stuck to) - Picking the order and timing of when we cut the cake or have our first dance seemed so foreign (I haven't been to that many weddings in my lfie). Knowing that we'd have someone keeping us on track was another relief.
Dealing with all the decorations - Making sure that all the details I've
After reading through the package details, I reached out for more information. A few emails later and we had set up a time to meet and talk through things.
Honestly, I was pretty sure that I wanted to hire Teri before I even met her. But, that meeting at Panera cemented what I was feeling. She was bubbly and warm and the exact kind of person who can put you at ease. We talked about the venue and my (very hazy at that time) vision for the wedding. She also went over the details of the package a bit more and gave me some more information on her background.
The day after our meeting, after a very brief conversation with the FI (who didn't care too much about this decision), I wrote Teri to say that I'd like to hire her as my month-of coordinator.
I know the wedding hasn't happened yet, but this is a decision I haven't questioned once. It's been great to have another resource when I have questions (like when exactly should the Save the Dates go out for a holiday wedding?). Plus, she's checked in on me pretty regularly, which has provided some motivation to get a little more productive when I wasn't quite feeling it.
Later this month, we'll be meeting to review the details and projects I've been working on. I can't wait to get her opinions on everything and see how she envisions bringing the whole plan together.
Did you hire an event planner? For all of the planning or just month-of/day-of coordination? What was your experience working with a planner? Or, did you go it alone and wish you'd had some help?
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