I get questions alllllll the time about Weddings. Being in the business in some form or other for almost twelve years has afforded me a bank of knowledge that’s now invaluable on Wedding Day. I mean how many Wedding Photographers do you know who automatically have corsage pins, safety pins, bobby pins, even clothes pins, in their bag of tricks ready to go on Wedding Day?
I once heard a male photographer get asked (a wedding I was IN long before I was photographing) “Do you know which side we put the boutonniere on?” to which he just had this befuddled look like “what’s a boutonniere?” and quipped “no, not really”. At another wedding I was actually photographing a friend of the family was acting as “Planner” and “Coordinator” was asked to “Please go grab some corsage pins?”, as somehow they weren’t with the corsage and bout. flower boxes, and she replied “What’s a corsage pin? What do they look like?”. Without missing a beat I produced a pack of said corsage pins, and we carried on without missing a step.
I’ve put out more fires before anyone knew there was an ember smoldering ready to ignite than I care to count, but that’s my job…that’s why I was chosen, picked, hired…to help their day go off without a hitch…well…when possible. It IS still a wedding after-all, and something always goes wrong, BUT the couple, Bride especially, does NOT need to know something’s going south.
So, in honor of that tid-bit here’s a freebie for Terrific Tip Tuesday…HIRE.A.DAY.OF.COORDINATOR…even if you do nothing else!
You’re not always guaranteed a Wedding Photographer, Venue Liaison, Florist, etc… who’s going to bend over backward, step outside their normal duties, or even be equipped to handle those “fires” I’m speaking of…technically it’s probably not even their job.
The vendors you hire are there to provide a specific service, in a specific amount of time, and they have other tasks to complete besides finding out where Aunt Janice is with the shoes, or where the Best Man ran off to when we’re about to start pictures, or even how to steam the dress, lace the corset back AND how to tie the tails and TUCK them in because you don’t want a bow below your bum…let’s not forget the ever baffling task of how to bustle the gown for the reception.
NO! Let me cut you off here…it’s absolutely not your maids, Moms, Aunts, cousins, etc… responsibility. It’s not just your day, they need to be able to enjoy it too…especially mom. Unless they’re a seasoned, paid, professional no one usually likes to have that much pressure thrust upon them…especially knowing that if something goes wrong you’ll blame them, and then they have to hear about it at every.single.family.function from here to eternity.
A Day of Coordinator is an invaluable asset not just to you, but to the wedding vendors you’ve hired. I speak from experience that none of us like having to hunt down the Bride in the Bridal Suite on Wedding Day, and interrupt getting ready to ask questions like “Where does the cake go?”, “Where’s the arch I’m supposed to decorate?”, “Where are the fellas getting ready?”, “Does anybody know how to pin on a boutonniere?”…the list goes on.
I also know that you, the Bride, don’t want to be bombarded with questions and thinking when you’re already ready to cry, or just “can’t take ONE.MORE.QUESTION!” A day of coordinator doesn’t just tell people when to go during the Ceremony, but they can steam that dress, whip stitch a hem, tell everyone where they’re supposed to be or where they are, grab people for photos, send out for, or go get, black socks when a groomsman brought brown by mistake, give lost guests or vendors directions, and basically stop any and all last-minute problems, questions, tasks, from ever reaching the Bride.
Trust me the last thing you want on that big day is more stress, more things to think about, when you just want to get gussied up, don that gown, and walk down the aisle to forever be united with your fella…and snap some killer photos in the mean time 😉
So, research and hire a killer Wedding Planner or Day of Coordinator if you opt to forgo a Wedding Planner. You will not be sorry you spent a little extra on someone who’s paid to be the “Bad Guy”/”Fire-Fighter”/”Gopher”/”Director”/”Dictator ad-litem” so you, and your loved ones, can kick back a little more and really enjoy the day!
COMING SOON: The BJP Wedding Day Survival Workshop! “From Bustles to Boutonnieres, and Everything In Between!” Contact BJP for more info on this upcoming Wedding Day Need to Know Class.
BraskaJennea Photography | Destination Wedding & Curvy Boudoir Photographer 