• Hiring a co-ordinator can be particularly useful for the busy bride and groom or for those of you who would like a short engagement.
• Co-ordinators ease your stress and save you time. Their knowledge and contacts with local suppliers can be invaluable when it comes to getting discounts and quickly negotiating contracts.
• Co-ordinators may also think of things that you or your families have not thought about and can therefore save you from some embarrassing or difficult situations.
• A good co-ordinator will also know the latest wedding trends and will be your personal diplomat for difficult relatives or members of bridal party, scheduler, financial planner, negotiator, organizer, creative expert and if you require it, errand- runner!
• Before approaching a co-ordinator, you need to have an idea of your budget and also which elements of your day are most important to you e.g. attire, reception etc.
• Although you may prefer to delegate tasks to family members and friends, remember that you would also like them to enjoy the day as well !

How do you know if the co-ordinator is right for the job?

• Meet the co-ordinator personally, in order to gauge whether you feel comfortable with him/her.
• Do not work with someone who imposes his/her ideas on you. Choose someone who gives you constructive advice.
• Hire someone who can work with your budget
• Is the co-ordinator readily accessible or too busy with other jobs? Be warned if you find that your calls or emails are not being returned in a timely fashion.
• Be sure the co-ordinator takes note of your preferences and does so by recording these details. Be wary of a co-ordinator who commits everything to memory!

What to ask when hiring a wedding co-ordinator?

• What is the fee structure like? (hourly, percentage of total expenses, by project)
• What payment options do we have? (installments, retainer, when is last installment due?)
• What are your professional qualifications?
• How many years experience do you have in this business?
• How many weddings have you done for past clients?
• May we have some references?
• What is your full range of services?
• Can we see a sample contract?
• How many weddings do you do in a month?
• Do you co-ordinate more than one wedding per day?
• What is your specialty? (e.g. sourcing decorators)

How do wedding co-ordinators’ charge?

• Some co-ordinators charge hourly rates for consultations, some charge a flat fee by project, some may even charge a percentage of the total cost of wedding expenses or suppliers’ costs.

Celebration Savers

• Hire the co-ordinator only for a particular project you are having trouble with e.g. sourcing good rates for flowers or photography.
• You can even hire a co-ordinator just for the day of your wedding. Naturally, the co-ordinator should be involved before the wedding, in order to get acquainted with suppliers, the bridal party, relatives and friends.