Full Wedding Coordinator
Once you have got over the thrill of being engaged there comes the time when you need to start planning your dream wedding. Not only is the process exciting but it can also be a bit daunting in some cases – the average wedding can take over 250 hours to plan! You may be looking forward to organizing the whole day from start to finish yourself but once you begin, you may find it more difficult, time-consuming and stressful than you thought!
Wedding planners can assist in many ways. They are exposed to numerous weddings and suppliers so may well know the “best” in the local market because they have tried and tested them on many an occasion. You may think you’ve found the perfect venue – but who knows the ins and outs of what goes on at weddings there? Is the catering always to an exceptionally high standard? Does the venue coordinator actually listen to your requirements? Do your chosen suppliers always deliver the products on time, in perfect condition – and to your exact specifications? Not only do wedding planners have a preferred suppliers list – they may also have a blacklist! If a bride has – at her own request – chosen to use a supplier that is unknown to us then we are always interested in hearing feedback. Sometimes (and it’s very unfortunate if it happens to you) but the supplier may not have provided the high quality service you would expect for your wedding day – and we get to hear about it! So if the wedding dress went “missing” or the flowers were half dead then chances are the bride will have given feedback to her wedding planner.
A lot of brides are put off by the cost of a wedding planner. The wedding is an expensive outlay and sometimes anything extra just can’t be budgeted for. But using a wedding planner effectively can cover the cost of her fee and also save you money too. Not to mention the huge saving of your precious time in the run up to the big day. We have databases of information so can recommend and source products and suppliers in a fraction of the time it would take if you were to do it yourself. We can often negotiate discounts with suppliers for you as once we have found a preferred supplier, they are sometimes happy to offer our clients a discount in order to bring the cost within the bride’s budget. Any discounts we negotiate are always passed on to the bride. At Hudson Valley Ceremonies we DO NOT accept referral fees or commission and our recommendations are solely based on proven customer service, quality and value for money services as confirmed by our own research, our clients and supplier competitors.
Benefits from hiring a wedding planner from Hudson Valley Ceremonies:
1. A free initial consultation whereby you can tailor-make a service to suit your budget
2. We can develop a schedule or timeline to work by, ensuring that nothing is overlooked and every detail is checked thoroughly
3. We can ensure your budget is realistic and recommend suppliers within your price range as necessary
4. We can create a spreadsheet of your wedding costs so that you can see at a glance how much you have spent on deposits, what costs are left to pay and when you need to pay
5. We have a database of preferred suppliers, chosen for their excellent customer service, personal and professional recommendations plus value for money services
6. We spend time building relationships with suppliers and are therefore occasionally able to negotiate discounts on services, which are passed on to brides. We do not take commissions ourselves on any recommendations we make
7. We can attend your wedding to ensure things run smoothly. So if a last minute hitch occurs we are on hand to forestall and fix, so that nothing spoils your day
8. You are one call away from a personal “wedding helpdesk”. If you have any questions in any regard just ask – we are here to help and give you as much information as you need.
Day of Coordinator
For those who want to plan it themselves, but need a little help that last month and on the big day, we offer personalized Wedding Day Coordination. And because we like to listen to your needs and those of your guests, we can provide multi-lingual assistants to help communicate with your international guests.
As your Wedding Day Coordinator we will:
Meet with you to discuss how you want your wedding to flow
Create a detailed timeline for vendors and wedding party
Review all your vendor contracts and contact your vendors to confirm all details
Wrap up any loose ends you might have forgotten about
Coordinate your wedding rehearsal
On the day of your wedding, we will:
Be the first on the spot to greet vendors and receive all deliveries
Coordinate and assist with set-up and decorating
Distribute final payments and tips to vendors
Assist guests and wedding party as needed
Pin boutonnieres and corsages
Direct ceremonial processionals
Keep an eye on the timeline
Troubleshoot and act as behind-the-scenes manager
Provide two-way radios for the coordination team
Gather any remaining items at the end of the night — guest book, etc.