Independent Day-Of Coordinator vs Venue Coordinator

Independent Day-Of Coordinator

vs Venue Coordinator

  

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Your wedding day -- it's the most important day of your relationship!  Despite a rehearsal a day or so before, it's an event that you have ONE SHOT at.  So you'd want it to be as stress-free as possible.  Which brings us to the importance of an experienced Day-Of Coordinator. 

If you're a bride who's booked a venue with a Venue Coordinator you may be thinking to yourself, "Gee,  this is great!   I won't need to hire an outside coordinator!"  Well...you may want to reconsider once you learn the difference between the two.  

Venue Coordinators are great!  We, at ANGELIC AFFAIRS, love working with them.  They typically know your venue inside and out, and are a great resource for you as well as us as independent coordinators.  However, they only coordinate what pertains to their venue.  Their main concerns are the times of your wedding reception and cocktail hour, as well as ceremony times if your ceremony is taking place there.  

They care about getting you to your bridal suite, directing guests into other spaces as events shift, as well as what time food is being served, and what time your wedding ends and should be cleaned up by.  IF you're lucky, you may have a venue that will set up tables, chairs, and any materials you provide such as place cards, escort cards, decor, and so on.  But for many couples out there, that's not the case.  

I have personally heard horror stories from couples who said, "I don't need a coordinator.  My venue provides one."  One bride in particular, for example, said that on her wedding day she, her guests, and bridal party had to move their own chairs from the ceremony to the reception space. Another actually had to call friends the day of her wedding to come in early to set up their reception space because their coordinator asked them on their wedding day, "Who's setting everything up?"  Another was told that because their caterer didn't provide a copy of their insurance in advance, they weren't allowed to use their kitchen as previously agreed upon.  

Granted, that stems from poor communication.  But you'd be surprised at how many couples are caught off guard when things go array on their wedding day as a result.  Which is why learning about how much more detail oriented a Day-Of Coordinator is prior to your wedding day is crucial.

Firstly, Day-Of Coordinator is a misleading title in the sense that we don't just show up on your wedding day and assume to know what needs to be done.  Our work comes from months of planning and coordinating with your venue and vendors in preparation for your big day.  Not only do we coordinate the timeline of events of your reception, but our coordination begins at reviewing your hired vendors' and venues' contracts.  

Why is this important?  Because we need to review exactly what they're being hired by you to do and for how much time.  It's easy to assume your rental company will set up  the tables, chairs, and linens being delivered.  But did you know that's not always included in their rate?  This is where having an independent Day-Of Coordinator comes in handy.  Not only will this detail of knowing who's setting up come into question, but if your rental company is contracted to setup at your event, your hired Day-Of Coordinator and his/her team will be the ones to do this for you.   

Essentially, anything that needs to be done due to (pardon my language) half-assed work falls onto the responsibility of your Day-Of Coordinator who's job is to ensure everything that needs to be done gets done, and you're not being bombarded by stress and things gone wrong.  Your day has likely cost a lot of money.  So wouldn't you want the added assurance that someone else is handling stress as mayhem breaks loose?!  

Aside from contract reviewing, independent Day-Of Coordinators create detailed Timelines noting what time hair & makeup is being done, down to what song is playing during processionals and recessionals, as well as what traditional or non-traditional elements need to occur and at what time.  We, at ANGELIC AFFAIRS, go a step beyond that and also include Checklists, color-code our Timelines making it easier for your vendors and venues to follow it (they can be upwards of 7 pages for more intricate weddings), as well as create Design Layouts showing where tables will be setup, how many seats per table, table numbers, ceremony seating setup, and so on. 

You may be thinking to yourself, "Should Wedding Planners be doing this as well?"  Yes and no.  This is certainly a question you'll want to confirm with your Wedding Planner -- whether Day-Of Coordination and Rehearsal is included in his/her package as well.  

I always like to say, "A Day-Of Coordinator and Wedding Planner is the glue that holds your event together."  And having a professional who has had years of experience is important.  Good questions you might want to ask your potential Coordinator / Planner prior to booking is, "Have things gone wrong at your weddings?  If so, how did you handle them?"  Having someone who's seen the good, the bad, and the ugly are important.  You want someone who's had all of those experiences and learn how they were handled.  Those experiences have tested them and shown them what they need to watch out for in the future.  And, heck...if they've gone through the worst and are still doing what they're doing, they must really have a passion for their career!  Haha!  #ThisGirlRightHere

In summary, I'll leave you with this.  If you forget the difference between an Independent Day-Of Coordinator and a Venue Coordinator, remember this:  Venue Coordinators ONLY coordinate the venue.  An Independent Day-Of Coordinator coordinates your entire wedding as a whole down to the nitty-gritty details.  And just because your venue has a Venue Coordinator, it doesn't mean you can't have an independent Day-Of Coordinator, if they allow it.  Most venues allow them.  But the few that don't...be sure to confirm with them what their coordination services include.  

Best of luck on your wedding planning adventure!  For more information and a complimentary quote & consultation with ANGELIC AFFAIRS, please feel free  to visit our website for more details at:  www.Angelic-Affairs.com
                          - Kelly @ Angelic Affairs

                                                                                                 Kelly@Angelic-Affairs.com
                                                                                                Event Planner  |  Designer  |  Florist

Shannan & Damion: FUSING VINTAGE, NEW ENGLAND AND NEW ORLEANS IN SIMPLISTIC ELEGANCE

Shannan & Damion

  

FUSING VINTAGE, NEW ENGLAND AND NEW ORLEANS

IN SIMPLISTIC ELEGANCE

Online match-making sites - though sometimes tainted by negative perspectives by some - have become the norm this day in age.  How better to find your soul mate than through searching through thousands of options out there in the sea of love whom you would’ve otherwise likely never have met?  As a professional Wedding Planner of 15+ years and getting to know our couples in order to design custom weddings around who they are, I’ve found an increase in couples having met via online dating sites and apps.  And that’s fantastic! 

In the debut of "ANGELIC AFFAIRS:  Couples' Blogging”, I’d like to proudly introduce you to Shannan and Damion.  Their stunning and romantic engagement photo shoot at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, RI in -15 degree weather with wind chill was the inspiration for the start of this blog series.  Typically camera-shy Shannan shined in the arms of her beloved as he warmed her lovingly in this shoot.   (Photos below)

Nearly three years ago, Shannan and Damion met on Match.com.  A spark triggered an exchange of texts leading to a coincidental potential meeting in the same part of town on the same day -- her birthday, of all days!  Bravely, Shannan offered to meet while Damion, “Thankfully had the sense to realize that was going to be a bad idea for a first meeting.”, says Shannan. 

Eventually, they met at Shannan’s vintage boutique, Junction, in Washington, DC and proceeded onward by foot to a local bar.  When placing their order, they unknowingly discovered they both share in the same favorite drink.  Three to four hours of discovering their mutual love of vintage items among other commonalities, they called it a night and the rest was history!  They now make estate sales and vintage merchandise hunting a weekly standing, and are fulfilling their obsession of estate sales by owning their own estate sales business.   

On a vacation together in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve, Damion’s love for Shannan whisked them both away into love land when he proposed to her.  “There wasn’t some big planned hoopla (which I had always envisioned is what I would want.)”, states Shannan.  “But I wouldn’t have asked for it to have happened any other way.  It was very heartfelt and sincere.  I was completely surprised.”  Now doesn’t that just melt your heart?  I know mine’s oozing with gushy-ness!  From that point onward, wedding planning preoccupied their busy lives, as it does among all engaged couples. 

Shannan, a New England ocean-side native, and Damion, a New Orleans gentleman, met and live in beautiful Washington, DC.  When deciding upon a destination for their wedding, they both felt Newport, RI would be most ideal for their guests to travel to, and engage in a weekend celebration with their loved ones.  Knowing it would be a challenge planning a destination wedding, they hired ANGELIC AFFAIRS to research venues and vendors, and to custom-design their wedding. 

Upon researching multiple venues in the Newport area, their venue of choice became Belle Mer on Goat Island just steps away from Downtown Newport.  This oceanfront, blank slate venue enabled them to begin visualizing what their wedding day could look like - simple, clean, and elegant with a JFK, Jackie-O vintage feel.  With a color scheme of navy blue, slate gray, white, and soft yellow in conjunction with anchor embellishments representing Shannan’s New England ocean-side and the fleur-de-lis representing Damion from New Orleans, this is certainly set to be an elegant and fun wedding! Daffodils are also a must have for Shannan to commemorate her deceased grandmother as it was her favorite flower.  Hence the spring timing of their wedding -- during daffodil season when they're in full-bloom publicly throughout Newport.    

Please join me in congratulating Shannan & Damion in this special time in their lives as they join together as one this May, 2016.  Stay tuned for photos of their certain-to-be Simply Elegant Vintage New England & New Orleans Wedding in Newport, RI.  Stationery, planning, and floral design are all handled by ANGELIC AFFAIRS -- your go-to in custom event planning and design.  

Kelly Teves
ANGELIC AFFAIRS
EVENT PLANNER  |  FLORAL & STATIONERY DESIGNER

Crediting Vendors

In planning events, most people are aware that it's a collaboration of the client/host, the event planner they hire, as well as any other vendors hired.  What I've found, in my 15 years of event planning, is that not all vendors are always credited for their hard work for the events they're hired for -- particularly the event planner who produces the most work and refers clients to the vendors they're in need of.  


Event planners are responsible for referring their clients to talented vendors that fit their clients' requirements for their event.  With the thousands upon thousands of choices of vendors we have out there, there is no shortage of photographers, videographers, florists, musicians, etc. that we can refer our clients to.  What many (not all) vendors fail to recognize is that the event planner that sent them work, can and will continue to send them more work in the future should the experience be a pleasant one.  What makes a pleasant experience between an event planner and the vendors they work with?  Cooperation, teamwork, friendliness, professionalism, and accreditation.  Due do the high number of vendors we can refer our clients to, it's very easy for an event planner to stop sending a particular vendor more work for failure of crediting and recognizing the event planner in the event that they're advertising on their sites.  


Professional, top-notch event planners who are the ring leaders and producers of the events they plan, highly appreciate and enjoy working with vendors who not only provide excellent services in their field, but who are also team players prior to, during, and after the events they collaborate on.  The way we see it, is that we're working together to create a memorable event for our clients, and no one's hard work in their participation of that event should go unnoticed at any point.  


Hopefully this article will inform many vendors out there who fail in this department.  


| Angelic Affairs |

About Angelic Affairs

Angelic Affairs is a worldwide full-service, event planning company based out of the beautiful city of angels - Los Angeles, CA. Whether you're planning to share the love you feel with your soul mate amongst your family and friends, welcoming in an angelic miracle to the world, raising the funds needed to bring awareness and strength to your cause, or celebrating one of life's many milestones, Angelic Affairs is here to assist you every step of the way! As a model and interior designer, Kelly of Angelic Affairs brings her exquisite taste for beauty as well as a detailed, perfectionist eye to ensure your event takes off as flawlessly as possible with the highest level of discretion and confidentiality.

Angelic Affairs brings your dream event to life by incorporating your tastes, desires, and personality in accordance with your budget. Angelic Affairs is a hands-on, creative company that not only custom designs your event providing you with visual art to assist you in visualizing your event throughout the planning process, but also custom designs and creates Swarovski and silk ribbon-adorned candles, favors, invitations, diaper cakes, place cards, menu cards, poetic wedding vows, papier mache stomach molds, etc. Anything your event requires, Angelic Affairs will find a way to make it come to fruition!

Angelic Affairs has an extensive database of local vendors specially chosen to help create your dream event. Whether it be floral, transportation, photography, videography, etiquette knowledge, etc. Angelic Affairs is able to guide you in the right direction to fit your budget and personal needs. With 10 years of event planning experience in the Northeast, as well as being professionally trained by the ACPWC, Angelic Affairs has the creative and organizational skills, as well as an assertive yet down-to-earth personality to create well-planned out events with you, your chosen vendors, and your guests. As a proud Portuguese descendant, Kelly at Angelic Affairs is fluent in the Portuguese language with some speaking and understanding skills of the French and Spanish languages.

Angelic Affairs handles events worldwide while catering to all budgets. We are pleased to meet with you personally for a complimentary consultation to review the services we can provide for your event.

For more information regarding our packages, services and pricing, please check out our website and Facebook pages at:

http://angelicaffairs.carbonmade.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Angelic-Affairs/116162688418142

Sincerely,

Kelly Teves
Angelic Affairs
Wedding/Event Planner