If you're anything like most of my couples, you haven't planned a complex event before and you'll have no clue what a wedding coordinator might be able to do for you, or what sort of information I might need from you straight off the bat.
If you're anything like me, the idea of a phone call or Zoom meeting with someone you don't know will also fill you with The Fear. So let's chat through the process together and take away the Zoom scaries.
Initial Consultation
After I receive your enquiry and do my little happy dance, I'll get in touch to confirm if I'm available on your date and to book in an initial consultation with you and your partner. This sounds dead official, but it's just a little Zoom meeting so we can have a first chat and I can gather some information about your wedding, so I can provide you with an accurate quote.
I'll ask you about the vibe you're looking to create at your wedding, the suppliers you have booked and any areas that are causing you worry. This is absolutely not to judge your choices, or so I can pick and choose which weddings I work based on your supplier team, it's so I can gauge how many suppliers I'll need to coordinate with, as well as any extra tasks I might need to be responsible for that might mean I need one of my assistants with me on the day.
It's also a chance for you to get to know me a little bit too and get a sense of whether I'm a good fit for you both. If I absolutely get on your nerves on a 30 minute Zoom, chances are, I'm probably not someone you want close by on your wedding day! It's really important to me that all of my couples feel like I'm the right coordinator for them, I would never want to make anyone feel uncomfortable on their special day.
To finish off the consultation, I'll talk you through the next steps, such as when you'll receive your quote from me and how you can book in if you'd like to. I will never ask you to make a decision on that call and I will always encourage you to sleep on your decision before you book.
The Middle Bit
Most of my couples tend to book at least 9 months to a year in advance of their big day, so once you have paid your deposit, signed your contract and are officially booked in, we won't have any scheduled meetings for a little while.
However, this does not at all mean that I'm not here for you in the mean time. My inbox is always open if you have any worries or niggles or questions - I've had everything from requests for supplier recommendations to 'Soph, one of our suppliers wants to be paid in cash, is that normal?' to emergency meetings because a venue is potentially closing.
I'm here for you, chat to me about anything you need.
Final Details Meeting
About 8 - 6 weeks out from your wedding, I'll get in touch to book in our final details meeting. I tend to run these over Zoom or the phone, and they're usually at least an hour long.
I'll check in on how you're both feeling and see if there are any wiggly bits that I can help with. We'll then run through the supplier list that I have from your initial consultation, just to check if there have been any changes to your team (it's absolutely normal for this to have happened!).
We'll also go through your timeline and work out any sticky bits where you're not sure on how long to allocate for the different sections of your day. I'll ask you a few questions about the finer details of your day, such as your music choices, who will be making a speech, the order that you'd like your wedding party to walk down the aisle, if you'd like to be announced in for your wedding breakfast, that sort of thing. if you haven't decided these details by the time of our meeting, that is totally, totally not a problem - from the final details meeting onwards, I'll be making amendments to our plans and keeping things updated as we go.
After our meeting, I'll pull together all of that information into an event plan (a general outline of your day), my set up notes (essentially a checklist so I can make sure everything is out in each space and set up as you planned), and my timeline (the main document I refer to throughout your wedding day, which looks a bit crazy and intense at first glance, but it makes sense to me and I won't scare any of your other suppliers with it!) You'll have a little read through these documents just to make sure you're happy that everything is correct, and we'll be all good to go.
I'll also get in touch with each of your suppliers, just to say hello and make sure they have my number in case they need anything ahead of your wedding. If there's anything they need to know about accessing your venue or parking, I'll make sure they all have that information in advance too.
On Your Wedding Day
Your big day is here! We most likely will have been in touch on WhatsApp or email in the days before, but if I'm travelling to your wedding the night before, I'll drop you a message when I'm tucked up in my hotel, just to confirm I'm nearby in case you need anything early doors the next day.
On the day of your wedding, I'll arrive typically 2 hours before your ceremony time and start working through the areas we've agreed on my timeline. Usually this involves checking in with your suppliers that are onsite, lending a hand with any final bits of set up, doing a final check that everything is as you planned for your ceremony and popping my head in with you and your partner to see how you're getting on (and check that you've had some breakfast and a drink of water!)
Throughout the day, I'll be close by, checking that everything is ticking along nicely, lending a hand to speed things along where needed, giving gentle nudges to you both if we're likely to run late for any of the key timings, moving decor from space to space, dealing with any problems that crop up, finding solutions when something inevitably runs late (it happens at every wedding, if your supplier team are any good, you mostly likely won't notice). I'm also there for running up to your room for lipstick, popping speech cards at your seat for the wedding breakfast, pinning on buttonholes, fluffing of dresses and veils, grabbing you both a drink and any other little bits and bobs.
I'll be with you until after your first dance, when your evening celebrations are well under way. I'll always pop and say goodbye before I go, and make sure that there's nothing else that you need before I leave.