What Does A Month-Of Wedding Coordinator Do?

If after asking yourself “Do I need a wedding planner?,” you made the smart decision to hire one, the next step is to determine which level of service is right for you. There are a variety of different wedding coordinators to choose from, each with varying levels of responsibility. To help make your decision easier, here’s a breakdown of a month-of wedding coordinator duties compared to some other common coordination options.

Month-of Wedding Coordinator Duties

A month-of wedding coordinator will be by your side for at least a month before your wedding and take on all of the last-minute details, including anything you may need right down to the final hour. Here are some of the services you can expect from a month-of coordinator:

• Pre-wedding consultations
• RSVP management
• Seating chart assistance
• A wedding-day timeline
• Vendor communication
• Vendor contract assistance
• Rehearsal management
• Help with any last-minute issues

Is a Month-of Wedding Coordinator Right For You?

You Are Extremely Organized

If you are organized and comfortable managing the majority of the wedding planning process, you may only want a month-of wedding coordinator. This is a great option for couples who are extremely hands-on and don’t want—or need—outside input. Keep in mind, you will be in charge of all of the logistics and design choices.

Your Venue Is All-Encompassing

If you fell in love with a wedding venue that does it all—ceremony, reception, catering, rentals, dessert, valet, and on-site coordination—you may only need a month-of wedding coordinator. In this case, there won’t be as many vendors for you to source or communicate with, and fewer moving parts overall. A month-of coordinator can come in at the very end to help you tie-up any loose ends.

Conversely, if your venue is relatively bare-bones and doesn’t offer these services, you may want to bring in someone much earlier. When working with a coordinator for a longer period of time, they can help you source the items and vendors you may not even know you need, like lighting, tableware, restrooms, and cleaning crews.

Photo Credit // Sarah Kuszelewicz

You Have a Flexible Schedule

Wedding planning is time-consuming. It requires research, email and phone correspondence, payment planning, venue visits, and vendor meetings. It is a part-time job, so if you don’t have the extra hours in your day to commit to planning or the time-off saved up to make dress-fitting appointments, cake-tastings, and venue walk-throughs, you may want to hire a more full-service wedding planner rather than a wedding coordinator.

If you do have the room in your schedule to take on the work of planning and the flexibility to make appointments, then you may not need a coordinator in the early stages of your wedding planning process. Also, if you have a long engagement and can spread out decision making and meetings, you can alleviate the hourly burden per week or month, making wedding planning more manageable on your own. In either of these cases, month-of wedding coordination can be just the level of service you need.

You Have a Modest Budget

Month-of coordination costs more than day-of coordination, but less than full-service packages. If you have set your wedding budget and have a little wiggle room, this level of service is a great option.

But if you have a loftier budget, consider hiring a full-service coordinator, or tacking on a few more months or additional services to a month-of coordination package. The more time you have with a coordinator, the more they will be able to understand your needs and wishes, and the more you will be able to take advantage of their resources and expertise.

You Aren’t Stressed Out… Yet

If you can juggle the many facets of wedding planning without blinking an eye, you may not need to hire a wedding coordinator right off the bat. But, even the most unflappable brides will encounter scenarios that test her patience. Bring in the big guns the month before your wedding by hiring a month-of wedding coordinator to keep you calm and collected when it really matters.

But if you are stressed out by the idea of planning a wedding and unsure you can confidently bring your design vision to life, while staying on top of all the planning tasks, a more full-service coordinator may be a better option for you.

Why You Should Seriously Consider a Month-of Wedding Coordinator

No matter how together you are, the final weeks leading up to your wedding can be demanding. The RSVPs start flooding in, the vendors need details finalized, and the family inevitably has tons of questions. It’s enough to send even the most organized bride over the edge—and that’s before you add final beauty appointments, packing for the honeymoon, and wrapping wedding party gifts to the mix.

Leave the details to a coordinator, so you can do the things only you can do, such as write your vows, figure out who to put at what table, and get some sleep. A month-of wedding coordinator can do the rest.

Photo Credit // Jieru Weddings

For more resources, lean on Zola to help you set up a wedding website and create a guest list seamlessly. Or, see more of our articles below:

• Do You Tip Wedding Coordinators?
• Are Wedding Planners Really Worth It?
• How Much Do Wedding Coordinators Cost?