Why Are Wedding Coordinators So Expensive?

There’s a reason wedding coordinators charge so much.

In fact, their rates don’t seem that high after you learn about all the hard work they put in organizing your wedding day and ensuring it goes flawlessly.

The wedding coordinator’s responsibilities include communication with vendors and contract reviewing, handling logistics, guiding final rehearsals and walk-throughs, resolving last-minute issues, and assisting during the event.

Some couples manage all these questions without any help.

However, a wedding coordinator can take the organizing burden off your shoulders and help you enjoy the day, which is truly priceless.

Discussions with the Couple

The wedding coordinator’s job starts long before the event and often, even before they first meet with the couple.

Endless discussions are a point commonly neglected by couples wondering why wedding coordinators charge so much.

Typically, couples start with an interview to ensure they pick the best person possible to manage their wedding.

Then, the coordinator should find out all the details of the wedding to help anticipate and resolve any issues that may occur.

Communication with the couple doesn’t end after the interview and event discussion. It usually continues over the phone or e-mail for weeks or even months.

Sometimes, couples contact their wedding coordinator to inform them about changes in the plan, arrange the final rehearsal, or make corrections.

And every time, the coordinator should adapt and strive to find the best option to make the clients happy.

And while some may think that answering a phone is easy, it still takes time and effort that could have been otherwise spent on different work.

In other words, you’re paying for the coordinator’s time and customer service.

Communication with Vendors

It’s important to distinguish between a wedding coordinator vs. wedding planner. A wedding planner is a person working hand in hand with the couple to arrange each step of their wedding. They are usually hired months in advance.

A wedding coordinator’s duty list usually doesn’t involve booking the caterers, venue, or music band. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t have to communicate with vendors to ensure your event goes smoothly.

For example, a wedding coordinator may not book the venue or create the decoration design.

But their responsibility is to make sure your wishes are executed as requested. This can only be done through communication and, often, in-person visits.

In other words, all questions related to the vendors are fielded to the coordinator. Like communication with the couple, communication with vendors is a time-consuming process.

The wedding coordinator’s time should be covered, and so should any occurring travel expenses.

One aspect of communication with vendors that often gets overlooked is reviewing the contracts. This is necessary to ensure you’re covered in case of any sudden circumstance changes.

To deal with contracts, the coordinator should have some legal background. This requires time, education, and money. Consequently, coordinators who offer this kind of service tend to charge more.

Handling the Logistics

Weddings are often attended by dozens or even hundreds of guests. Controlling such large groups of people isn’t simple, and that’s where you need a wedding coordinator.

The term logistics, in this case, refers both to any necessary travel and to managing guest movement during the event.

For instance, if you’ve invested 200 guests, the wedding coordinator should ensure there are 200 chairs available at the reception.

And if you host a destination wedding that requires the guests to travel on rented busses, the wedding coordinator should ensure all guests get into the vehicles.

The same applies to any changes of location throughout the event, both planned and unplanned. Even if you hand every guest the wedding program, someone will inevitably get lost or left behind if you don’t hire a coordinator.

Let’s assume that before going to the restaurant after the ceremony, you suddenly decide to do a short photoshoot in the nearest park. The coordinator should give your guests directions and keep them in the loop.

Attention to Detail

A wedding is a one-in-a-lifetime event that requires great attention to detail in everything from the wedding bouquet to the venue decoration.

The wedding coordinator’s responsibility is to make sure that attention to detail is observed at every step of your event.

For example, the caterers should provide a sophisticated serving, and the music band should perform flawlessly. These professionals are responsible for delivering their service according to the highest standards.

Meanwhile, the wedding coordinator should double-check the compliance of every service or product provided at the event with your wants and needs.

The level of attention to detail required from a wedding coordinator is higher than that of any other professional.

Generally, the more complicated your wedding planning is, the more the wedding coordinators will charge for handling the management.

Weddings that involve tricky logistics or are held at untraditional venues require doubled attentiveness.

Final Checks & Walk-Through

The last days before the wedding tend to be the most stressful. Even if you opt out of a final rehearsal, you should go through your wedding planning list to ensure everything has been done.

This also includes the final venue walk-through. The walk-throughout usually involves the couple, the wedding coordinator and planner, and the catering manager.

During the process, you have a chance to ask any remaining questions and make last-minute amendments.

The wedding coordinator should finalize the floor plan, timeline and ensure the venue is decorated as requested. This demands both time and attention to detail, which costs extra.

Rehearsal Management

A wedding rehearsal isn’t mandatory, but it can help you spot issues before the actual event and ensure that everything goes smoothly. It’s usually conducted the day before the wedding.

The wedding coordinator will guide you through every aspect of the ceremony and dinner, from reading your vows to your dance.

This is especially important for large, formal weddings. Of course, additional services come with an extra fee.

Conducting a rehearsal without a coordinator, you risk overlooking major gaps in planning or issue with an existing plan.

You likely weren’t involved in planning as many weddings as the coordinator, so it’s best to trust the professional.

The rehearsal lets everyone involved in the ceremony know what they should be doing, where they should be standing, and at which moment.

Without clear directions and rehearsal, the wedding processional and the ceremony itself may be chaotic.

Last-Minute Challenges

Weddings don’t always go as planned. Numerous things may require last-minute changes, from wedding logistics to the number of seats and plates. Challenges can occur both before and during the event.

For instance, if the DJ gets sick, the wedding coordinator should contact them to quickly find a replacement and deal with contract aspects.

The organization of the wedding ends only when the guests head home and the venue lights go out.

If an unexpected situation occurs during the ceremony or reception, the wedding coordinator should act quickly to resolve it and leave your event unaffected.

Some details may even be overlooked entirely. If two days prior to the event you realize you’ve forgotten to hire a coat check attendant, the coordinator will take the burden away from you and address the issue.

Taking Stress Away from the Couple

A wedding is undoubtedly a happy day, but it’s also stressful.

Even if you don’t handle any planning or coordinating questions, expressing your feelings in front of the audience and being the center of attention can already give you anxiety.

No bride wants to manage the logistics, communicate with vendors, or resolve problems on the day of her wedding.

The price of your inner peace is higher than the price of a wedding coordinator, who will take all the organization on their shoulders.

The truth is, you can skip the event planner if you have enough time to find vendors and communicate with them the months before your wedding. But no one has the time to do that on the actual wedding day.

Wedding Day Assistance

Some wedding coordinators work with the couple for weeks before the event, while others only help to manage the ceremony and reception.

Before the wedding, the coordinator should create a detailed timeline and ensure everyone sticks to it throughout the day.

For example, if your makeup takes longer than planned, the wedding coordinator may step in to hurry up the process and avoid further delays.

They will also ensure that all guests get seated in their dedicated places and get the requested food, the photos are taken in a timely manner, and the band follows the requested repertoire.

The average cost of a day-of wedding coordinator is about $600, and even such a price is reasonable considering the level of responsibility they carry.

In other words, the wedding coordinator manages the event from the very start to end, making sure your special day is impeccable while you’re enjoying it without having to worry about organizational questions.