Wedding coordinators are available to orchestrate the varied details associated with a successful Michigan wedding and reception. The cost of a coordinator varies greatly and depends largely on the amount of time spent on your wedding.
How to Tips for Event Planners
By using articles and expert advice, you can handle the wedding preliminaries yourself, but it is still wise to use
event planners to help keep your wedding day organized. A coordinator can smooth the wedding day's progression and so help provide the relaxed and enjoyable day you desire. A relative or close friend may be able to do the wedding day coordinating for you. Many churches have wedding hostesses who know about church facilities and policies.
How to Tips for Wedding Coordinators
- Acquaint yourself with the ceremony site.
- Discuss with the bride and groom any wedding policies of the ceremony site.
- Be available to assist the bride and groom by answering questions, offering suggestions, and having names of available resources for services.
- Be as organized as possible, with all wedding day information in one place.
- As you assist the bridal couple in planning their big day, know the following;
(1) Who will be giving the bride away?
(2) Will the bridal couple be having a double-ring ceremony? Who will have the rings?
(3) Will the officiant provide the wording for the vows, or will the bride and groom be writing their own?
(4) Will communion (the Eucharist) be observed? Who will participate?
(5) Will the lighting of the unity candle be included?
(6) What other special observances will be a part of the
outdoor Michigan ceremony?
(7) Who will have the marriage license? When and where will it be signed?
(8) Will the bridal couple have a receiving line? If so, where? Who will be involved?
(9) Who will be responsible for cleaning out the bride’s dressing room? The grooms dressing room?
(10) Who will be responsible for audio and/or videotapes of the ceremony? of the reception?
(11) If a preceremony buffet is to be served at the ceremony site, who will be responsible for setup? Serving? Cleanup?
(12) Where will the reception be? How soon will it follow the ceremony?
(13) Who will be responsible for taking the guest book to the reception? To whose home afterward?
(14) Who will be responsible for transporting the gifts from the ceremony site? from the reception site? To whose house?
- Confirm your arrival time for both the rehearsal and ceremony with the custodian of the facility (or other designated person). This time should be early enough to accomplish any necessary advance preparations: unlocking doors, setting up equipment and accessories, turning on lights, heating or air conditioning, etc.
- Confirm with the bride the arrival times of the bridal party, the brides and grooms parents, and grandparents, special others, the officiants, musicians, florist, photographer, DJ, etc. On the wedding day be available to greet each one, to answer any questions, and to give any last-minute instructions.
- At the rehearsal, review the wedding day arrival times with the participants who’s to be where and when - and indicate to them the importance of being on time.
- If possible, have all the decisions concerning the ceremony made prior to the rehearsal. If any unexpected changes do occur, they should quickly be addressed to the bride.
- Make certain that each of the ushers receives a list of his responsibilities at the ceremony site. Also, take time at the rehearsal to demonstrate exactly how they are to usher, and allow them to practice. Don't assume they already know what to do.
- As the wedding coordinator you will probably be responsible for collecting any fees or honorariums from the bride and groom. These may be disbursed either at the rehearsal, before the ceremony, or after the reception, as previously indicated by the recipients.
- Determine how many seats (or pews) need to be reserved for special seating, and who will be sitting where.
- Before the florist leaves the premises on the wedding day, count the bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages to make certain all the needed flowers are there.
- Know when and where the photographer will be taking pictures.
- When an aisle runner is being used, make certain it has been firmly pinned and taped in place. Tape the end of the runner down once it has been pulled up the aisle to keep it taut.
- If the facility is not equipped with a signaling system, a small flashlight may be used to cue the musicians for the start of the processional and for any other special timing needs.
- Be prepared for possible emergencies with a special bag that includes these items: aspirin, breath mints, clear nail polish, emery boards, facial tissues, hair spray, iron, sanitary napkins, scissors, sewing kit, spot remover, static spray, and straight and safety pins.
- Another bag may contain: pins (for flowers and for pinning the aisle runner in place), small flashlight (for signaling musicians), hair dryer (for hair needs and candle wax removal), masking tape (for marking the positions of the bridal party), matches or lighter (for lighting candles or candle lighters), measuring tape (for locating positions of the bridal party), scotch tape (for taping gift cards to packages), black ink pens (for signing the marriage license).