We hired Jen as our month of coordinator about 10 months before our wedding date. Although she was our "month of" coordinator, she was more than happy to answer questions via email months in advance of the wedding. When we were looking for a caterer, she was more than happy to recommend vendors, and not at all offended if we didn't select her recommendations. She even helped us find a florist to make a garland just weeks before the wedding. She was flexible and allowed us to "add on" a la carte meetings as we needed them.
As per our contract, Jen produced a detailed timeline of the wedding day, contacted all the vendors in advance, and ran the rehearsal keeping all our crazy groomsmen in check. When it started looking like she would need extra hands to help setup (because we did a lot of DIY and there were only a couple hours between when the venue opened and when the wedding started), she was honest about it recommended that we hire more helpers, which we did. She showed up at the wedding with two helpers.
I actually got to enjoy my wedding day. I did zero setup that morning. The whole day was a breeze. Well, except for the emotional part of getting married. Jen kept the day on schedule, letting us know when it was time for the next scheduled event.
It wasn't until afterwards I realized that during setup, the rental company had misplaced some tables (putting them in the reception area instead near the ceremony for a flower bar). Jen improvised the location of the flower bar, and there was an extra table to put sliced cake on! It worked out in the end, and I'm pretty sure guests never even noticed. I only noticed because I was eyeballs deep in the planning.
I feel like no large event goes perfectly as planned, and a good coordinator still makes everything run smoothly as if nothing was wrong. Jen did this. If I were to do it all over again, I might choose a different rental company, but I definitely would keep the same coordinator! read more