Have you ever thrown a party or event, had everything perfectly planned, but then not enjoyed the day because you have to manage all the details?
Well, that’s where a lot of Bride and Grooms find themselves with their own weddings.
Often, they’ve planned and organised everything down to the meticulous tiny details to ensure the day runs perfectly. But on the morning of the wedding, instead of enjoying getting ready for their big day with their friends and family, they find that they are running round coordinating suppliers and arranging the final details.
On the day Wedding Coordination is the ideal solution for couples who have planned their wedding from start to finish but need a hand on the day to ensure they can step back and enjoy every minute.
We highly recommend having someone oversee the set-up so that you can relax and be sure that everything is the way that you have planned for it to be when you and your guests arrive. Even the most relaxed/low key weddings have a lot of important factors that need to be considered.
There are 6 key areas you need to consider to ensure everything runs smoothly on your big day.
1. Church or Civil Ceremony Set Up
Whether you have chosen to have your wedding ceremony take place at a church or a venue, you will need to ensure this is set up the way you planned and envisioned on the morning of your wedding.
Many people forget to check some of the more logistical details - for example, have the toilets been well-cleaned and re-stocked? Is the heating within the church, hall or room at a comfortable temperature? And is the presentation of the site the way you would like it to be when your guests arrive?
This may include items that you have sourced yourself, such as flowers or decorations. But it will also include other basic details - is the lighting is how you wish? Are the chairs and plinths are set up correctly and evenly spaced? Have the correct seats been reserved for your nearest and dearest? Is there anything in the room that could ruin an important photo-opportunity?
2. Wedding Venue Set Up
Depending on what you are expecting from your venue, you could find yourself with a list of things to check in the morning. You may have asked that your venue set things up in a certain way, but it's important to confirm that they have correctly brought your vision to life.
If you’re hiring in fresh flowers, you may have asked your wedding venue for any of their own vases to be removed ahead of the day ready for your florist to arrive. Similarly, you might have requested an easel to be provided by your venue for your table plan, or that they remove certain items of decor that don't work with your theme.
You have probably spent hours (if not days) looking over your seating plan to ensure the correct people have the best views and are closest to you on the day. We always recommend checking that the table configuration is correct at your venue and that your larger/smaller tables are in the correct position. Another thing that venues often forget is to ensure the most important person on each table is facing the top table, rather than with their back to you.
With popular wedding venues, there is always a chance that there has been a wedding the day before yours, especially during the summer months and weekends. If this is the case, clean ups will have happened overnight but there’s always a chance that something could be missed. It’s always a good idea to check all areas of the venue that you and your guests will be using - in particular things like toilets and hallways that can sometimes be missed.
We always advise that you run through timings for the day with your venue on the morning, to ensure everything goes as planned. In some cases, you may have a different on the day venue coordinator to the person who has been your contact in the lead-up. Running through timings is key to ensuring everyone is on the same page and that any changes have been noted.
3. Wedding Venue Décor
Decorating your venue on the morning of your wedding is often the tricky part if you are supplying any items yourself such as favours, name places, flowers, toilet boxes etc.
Some venues will have a venue wedding coordinator who will offer to put these elements out for you on the day. This will often entail you supplying the items to the venue in the lead up to the day and labelling each item. Even with this venue assistance, we would always recommend having someone there on the day who can check this done exactly as you wish. Often, by the time the Bride and Groom arrive at the main venue area after the ceremony, the guests have already seen the details and there isn’t time to correct anything.
We are slight perfectionists here and will you’ll always find out titivating the tiny details to ensure they are just right! Ensure that you have someone on your big day that can make sure every little element is picture-perfect.
Your wedding venue décor is likely to be a huge part of the day and so it’s important that after all the hard work and planning, the venue looks exactly how you envisaged.
4. Managing Caterers
How frequently you will need to check in with your caterers on the morning will vary depending on how you have hired your venue and caterers (dry hire, package, ala carte, for example). If your caterers are in-house, then you may only need to check the menu and final numbers (including any children and dietaries).
However, if your caterers are external, either recommended by the venue or sourced elsewhere, then you will want to check they have arrived and are set up with everything you need. We will always ensure caterers are running to time as well as confirming menus, numbers, dietaries etc. It can often be a good idea to ensure that they are still set to run with the agreed number of waitresses and that they are not going to be short-staffed.
How service is going to run is also something that we will always double-check on the day, although we will have a note of this anyway. Will be serving table by table? Will the children receive their meals first? Or would you like them to take a different approach?
5. All other Suppliers
With any wedding, you’re likely to have a fair few suppliers that will be arriving on the morning of your wedding. Managing these can feel like a big responsibility and having no one on the ground to check that each supplier has arrived with what they are supposed to can feel daunting.
For example, if you’re hiring items such as chairs or even centrepieces: We will always check that each supplier has arrived with the correct item or equipment, that they have the correct amount, that nothing has arrived damaged, and that it’s set up correctly.
Most weddings will have multiple suppliers and having someone there on the day to coordinate and ensure everything is going to plan can make it a much smoother and less stressful process. We usually have a whole team of people there on the morning who will ensure each supplier deliveries and sets up any items exactly as agreed.
Even with service-based suppliers such as photographers, it’s important to ensure that they have arrived at the agreed time, that they have everything they need and that other suppliers are set up ready for them to capture the day on time ahead of you arriving.
6. The Pre-Wedding Checks!
In the final two weeks in the lead up to any wedding, our time is always filled with calling suppliers and checking in to ensure that they have the correct details of what we expect them to be providing. We will always confirm location and timings within 2 weeks of the event to ensure that there is no confusion and any changes have been updated.
We will also provide a little bit more information about the day so that they know what to expect when they arrive and what is expected from them. This includes the venue and all suppliers.
On the day of your wedding, you want be concentrating on getting ready for your big day and spending time with those closest to you as opposed to worry about suppliers. By hiring an on the day coordinator, you can be reassured that everything will run as smoothly as possible, and you’ll be arriving to your wedding of dreams. Contact us today to find out about our Wedding Coordination services.
And remember, even if you haven't started planning your wedding yet - it's never too soon to consult the experts!
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