Recently, one of my best friends got engaged and asked me to be a bridesmaid.
I am so thrilled for her and SO honored to be included, but most of all I'm excited to support her adventures in wedding planning.
Since she's very kindly letting me chill as *just* a bridesmaid (rather than a professional one, but let's be honest...will I still have a clipboard in my tote bag? Maybe.) I'm going to get to enjoy her wedding week a little bit more than I might otherwise.
But the other night she posed a very good question about wedding management:
"The ceremony location has a venue coordinator and the reception venue has an AMAZINGLY detail oriented coordinator. Do I still need a Day-Of Wedding Coordinator?"
I get this ALL the time and it's a completely legitimate question.
Weddings are expensive, so why spend more money on YET ANOTHER vendor who seems to be redundant?
Here's why: you need someone to be your brain on your wedding day so that you can experience it with your heart.
A wedding manager is your wedding day advocate and proxy.
("Wedding manager" is so much more accurate than "wedding coordinator", which we still often use so that people might know what we're talking about.)
She/he will make sure that everything you've worked on for months or years is executed as perfectly as possible, so that you can focus on marrying the love of your life rather than on worrying about flower deliveries or making sure that table numbers are on the correct tables.
Venue coordinators work for the venue.
Of course they want to keep you happy, but ultimately their top priority is advocating for the interests of their employer: the venue.
Trust me, my mom has two wedding venues. Working a wedding FOR her is very different than working a wedding with her.
So yes, Virginia, you do need a wedding manager who will advocate for you and for your vision on the day of your wedding. That way you can relax and actually ENJOY one of the most important days of your life, just as you should.
