The death of “Day-of-Coordination”

For years in the wedding planning world, there has been a lot of discussion on not using the term “Day-of-Coordination.” “Day-of” suggests that a wedding planner will come in on the day of your wedding and magically work his or her magic, without ever learning or assisting with the details before the actual day. And the fact is, that’s not how it happens. Because in all actuality some of us come in a week prior, a month prior, or even two months before to start assisting with a wedding. More and more planners are using “Wedding Management” to replace “Day-of-Coordination” or in my case, I use “Wedding Direction.” After I book a client whether it be full service, partial, or a wedding direction, I set them up with a planning software called Aisle Planner. Aisle Planner lets me create checklists, timelines, notes, a budget, and guest lists and caters it to my client’s specific wedding date. I ‘ll get notifications on their progress throughout the pre-planning process, and all my clients have access to me during the pre-planning phase to seek advice and questions. About a month before the wedding, I’ll reach out and send them a little cheat sheet of information that I will need for our final meeting which usually takes place the week of their wedding. At this final meeting, I’ll learn about all the details from A to Z. I then take that information, contact all your vendors and execute the final details for your event. So, as you can see there is a lot more time involved than just the “Day-of.”

Another good point that was brought to my attention by Renee Dalo (Talk with Renee Dalo Podcast) is that when you use this term, prospective clients are looking at your package price and thinking that your fee is just for the day. And we all know that when Brides start planning their wedding and hiring vendors, they can sometimes get sticker shock from the pricing. So, if your package price is $2,000, it’s a lot to swallow if you are in the mindset that it’s only for the wedding day, but it’s not. That price includes what you bring to the table before the wedding day. By dropping the “Day of” you are showing how much value they are getting from your package.

So, if you are reading this and you’re a wedding planner, I highly encourage you to consider not using the term “Day-of-Coordination.” And if you are a Bride looking for a wedding planner, consider this a teaching moment…there is no such thing as “Day-of-Coordination.”