A wedding planner or wedding coordinator?  Do I really need one because my aunt’s best friend has directed some weddings at their church and she really wants to do it for us? It will be fun, she had said. It can’t be that hard, now, can it?

Do you need a Wedding Planner?

Imagine this;  you have scored tickets to a taping of The Office or Game of Thrones.  You have been seated as a member of the audience and waiting for the live taping to begin.  As the producer gives the countdown ” and in 3-2-1- action,” the actors are randomly walking about, waiting for instruction, and looking totally confused.  Where is the director?  Who is going to give them their cues?  Whose responsibility is it to show them how to play out a scene? Which side of the room do you enter? Why are the props and sets not in place?  Who is taking charge?  An extra isn’t on set yet — running late —  so who will step in to take that place? It’s becoming a madhouse, and as a guest observing the actors looking less than professional, you wonder, why is no one taking charge?

In this analysis, the answer might be that the producer (perhaps the lead actor’s mother) has decided that she has watched her son in so many television shows. She is confident that she can direct the actors as to what to do. And so it goes — with all of the egos and “can’t tell me what to do” attitudes, attention to detail that is needed to be an effective stage director, she doesn’t have the understanding of what truly goes on behind the scenes. With all the delays, the cost of adding time to pay all of the actors, crew, production,  and other professionals — the extra time is going to be added to the overall expense.

What is there to Wedding Planning?

So you are planning your wedding — but other than attending other weddings as a bridesmaid, you really don’t know a great deal about wedding planning.  Where to begin? You may understand where this post is going?  And you would probably be right on target.  Most brides have to worry about a budget and weddings on a somewhat smaller scale. A bride and groom would greatly benefit from having a professional director to take care of all of the scenes activity, staging the production (let’s face it — a wedding is a production), managing the time and resources, and addressing issues with the bridal party, family and guests. The result of not having a timeline results in paying all of the following vendors an extra fee for the additional time — the minister, DJ, photographer, videographer, event staff, and catering staff. And that’s never a good thing. Oftentimes, the money saved by not hiring a coordinator does not equal the anxiety and stress caused by not having a professional. Our wedding coordinators do the work of a director.  Each of our coordinators is a professional and, as such, knows by years of experience how to troubleshoot and manage the challenges at Sampson’s Hollow.

What are the responsibilities of a wedding coordinator?

The job description and role of a wedding planner are more involved than a day-of-coordinator.  Depending on where they are located, a professional wedding planner may charge thousands of well-earned dollars for their services. In addition, they may be juggling 30 brides or more at a time. The coordinators on the property at Sampson’s Hollow are professional time managers and troubleshooters. Our coordinators can be the hands and feet of the bride.

She will work behind the scenes to get tables set up, linens, dinnerware, and table decor before the time paid for by the bride and groom. She and her assistant )also a coordinator) will coordinate the staff and assign their tasks before the event. Our coordinator will work on days before the wedding date to confirm vendors, manage resources and make any last-minute adjustments, as needed.  She will arrive several hours before the bridal party does and won’t leave until she and her crew get everything broken down and cleaned up.

An in-house wedding coordinator provides the bride and groom with assurance.

Many of our brides are out of state and cannot visit the venue before deciding to book.  So, they book sight-unseen.  Depending on the package purchased by the bride, a coordinator will consult with the bride several times before the wedding for questions and answers. The bride can email or text the coordinators as often as is needed.  Zoom or Facetime is also a way to connect. The coordinator facilitates communication for the bride and groom to all of the vendors who have been booked. The timeline that the coordinator and bride and groom have effectively engineered will become the plan of action on the day of the wedding day.

It is the job of your coordinator to make sure that your dreams and vision are fully implemented.  If any challenges occur, the coordinator and her staff will do their best to deal with those challenges and protect the joy and serenity of the bride and groom’s special day.

If all goes according to plan, the wedding day will be seamless and anxiety-free. Having a wedding coordinator who knows the venue, understands the options when the weather changes and can respond to challenges more effectively than anyone else — is a priceless investment that allows the bride and groom and their families to actually enjoy the day instead of having to work on that day. So call, text, or email Sampson’s Hollow for more information and to book a wedding!