We are Millennials. Let’s act like it! We are in an environment today where everything is accessible at the touch of a button. Hungry? Open Deliveroo. Want the answer to a random question? Go to Google. Miss your best friend? WhatsApp them. Everything is available to us NOW. Why do I mention this? Well, because it might just help you when it comes to your wedding planning.
In the past 10 years, we have not only changed the way we think but the way we do everything. With the advances in technology and the ability to think and do things for ourselves instantly, we are more in control of our lives than we have ever been. That is why so many of us are coming round to the idea of planning our wedding celebrations ourselves. And, with the technology at our fingertips, we are more than capable of doing so.
We have so much choice. We want to make sure that we’re getting the best deal around, regardless of whether we’re spending £1,000 or £100,000 on our amazing wedding celebrations. This means we want more control over the way we spend it.
Increasingly, wedding planners are looking for ways to embrace these changes and work with you. My company, Events With Akilah are a perfect example of this. We can help you plan your wedding, whilst still giving you the power to control what you want to. Here’s how...
I'm talking to you!
This blog is for the DIY Bride. You love working full time but having the extra hobbies on the side. Keeping yourself busy is pure BLISS. You only stop to sit down on the sofa so you can book your next holiday.
Firstly, let us clear things up. Wedding coordinators are fantastic and are valuable additions to any wedding (I am a planner myself). Picture the scene. It’s your wedding day, you have your champagne in one hand and your mouth full of canapés. Suddenly, you realise that you haven’t heard your band play your favourite song. They aren’t set up yet as they should be. How are you going to enjoy your champagne now, when the £800 you spent on the band has gone missing?
Fear not! Welcome in your wedding coordinator who knows your day better than you do. You booked them at least 12 months before your big celebration. Together with your venue's operations coordinator, they’re busy saving the day and finding the band in the wrong room.
Drama and surprises will happen on your perfectly planned day, but it’s not your job to fix it. That responsibility falls to your coordinator!
But you still haven’t thought about a planner yet, have you? Because you’re on Pinterest, busy choosing the flowers you want in your bouquet. As a planner, that’s what I love! I love hands-on brides, ones who know exactly what they want. Ones who understand it is all about them and their doting fiancé.
Shout out to those brides!
We are here to assist you! Why do you need a planner if you have everything under control? Well, do you have everything under control? Do we ever really have “everything under control”? Or is there always that small voice in our heads that says “Oh no! Am I doing this right? Let me Google it, just in case. Go to all the wedding groups on Facebook and ask other ‘panicking brides’ what they would advise!”
I’m sure you’ve done that at least once, and if you haven’t, please phone me and teach me how not to!
This brings me back to the title of this blog; Coordinators are amazing value! But how valuable? It is up to you!
Firstly, you must vet your options. Find one that understands what you want from them and how they can help you provide a fun, memorable day for you and your guests. After all, you did put your heart into planning your day and every detail matters. Right?
My wedding celebration was my baby - how important is yours?
It’s vital to find a planner who is flexible to your needs and understands that you want to be involved. At the same time, be prepared for a hand over when it gets tough or when the time is right. All on-the-day coordinators should do the above. Prices will vary, but that is why it is important to have a conversation with all your options, whether it’s over the phone or face to face. This will help to build a relationship with your potential wedding coordinator. You can find one who you click with.
It’s like handing over your baby, who you have nurtured for 12 to 18 months, to your nanny or nursery. You must be sure that you can really trust that person or company with your baby.
So why not give your day to your friends or family, that have volunteered to help? Well, they deserve to have fun too! And they almost certainly will enjoy the day. They don’t need to remember to move your full gift box to the hotel room as promised, or cue the DJ for your bouquet throw. It really does pay to have a professional on the day coordinator. We really do relieve stress and ensure all your suppliers, including your venue, are singing from the same hymn sheet.
The right coordinator
It’s essential to find out when your coordinator will start working with you for your celebration. Will they just take over your plans and do what they do best? Or, do they sit with you and run through every detail and amend where needed, explaining the process so there are no surprises? Which would you prefer?
The right coordinator will:
Save you time
This is so important to remember. In the weeks leading up to your wedding, time really does fly. You don’t want to be receiving calls from your venue for last minute confirmations, or from any of your other suppliers. The last few months should be spent enjoying your hen party, final dress fittings and facial and beauty appointments. On average, 250 hours are spent on planning a wedding. Why not reserve the last 50 hours for your professional coordinator?
Take the stress away
During the last few months, as you start to focus on your big day, some elements of the planning can become overwhelming. Maybe your maid of honour’s dress no longer fits, or your mother is still yet to find the right outfit. And then, the natural excitement of the countdown begins. Wedding planning is so emotional, but we don’t want to see your tears wasted on stress. Save it for the best man’s speech, when he is embarrassing your groom and you are howling with laughter!
Solve it all
You have double checked and triple checked your guest list numbers. Then you check again, and an aunt has popped up who hasn’t been included in the table plans. The last thing you want to do is count again. Call your coordinator, let them check. It may just be an oversight, but a fresh set of eyes cannot hurt. And, if you did miss that aunt, your coordinator will save the day and stress by working with your venue to help solve it.
Clear up your vision
Not because you are not capable, but there are so many finer details that get overlooked so easily. We really do tie everything together. Making sure all the minutes of your day accounted for, and ensuring all suppliers and your venue, know everything they need to know.
Organise key details
Place names. Menu choices. Favours. Gifts. Final payments. Access arrangement for delivery. Your coordinator is your third eye at the venue, confirming everything is going exactly as you planned. After all, you cannot be in two places at once.
How to make the most of a coordinator
If you’re thinking ‘wedding coordinators are an expensive cost that I am trying to avoid, that is why it’s called DIY!’, I understand. But that is why you need to make their time worth it. Coordinators offer consultations that allow you utilise their time to help you. Speak to us and find out what we can offer you hourly. And when you do find the perfect coordinator for you and your guests, make sure you are ahead of the game and have the below ready for each meeting.
Gather your questions
It is so helpful when a client has a list of questions that we can fire through and investigate in more detail. Instead of contacting your coordinator for lots of one-off questions, write them down and save them for one big conversation.
Gather mood board and photos for styling queries
Maybe you have a favoured style for your bouquet, but cannot find a florist to help? Gather visual representations of your ideas to present to your coordinator (that way you can do more of the fun stuff).
Email everything that you would like your coordinator to review
You should ensure you do this in advance. For example, you may want to send over supplier contracts, supplier options and questions (etc).
Were you set homework from your last conversation?
Make sure you do your homework; it means you can tick things off your planning list, and get through it faster than you had anticipated.
Obviously, you cannot help the last-minute appointment. Remember, your coordinator is there to provide the information that you don’t have. Your coordinator saves you time – let them do that. That way, you can get the most out of your one-hour appointment, and clear up everything you need to get you back on track.
An insight into me - Akilah
I’m not just a Millennial bride, I also consider myself as a Millennial planner.
As of recently, a new mummy and wife to a wonderful, handsome husband. My favourite colour changes as frequently as the weather, I love dancing and I have a passion for all events. So, hopefully, we may meet again when I coordinate your baby shower or a milestone birthday! I aim to build a relationship with you, so if you want a friendly, engaging business relationship, I am your woman.
I offer a service that allows you DIY wedding planning brides to do just that. We set up monthly conversations not consultations, where you get to offload anything you need. This is an advice service only. As I said at the beginning, I know you love planning your celebrations. I did and still do! So, you do the planning and I do the enhancing- the perfect partnership. I help transform your plans with a little sprinkle here and a little sparkle there. Starting from £200, you can have your fairy “wedding mother” on your shoulder whenever you need her. I work at your speed (although if you haven’t booked your dress appointment, I might give you a little nudge) but the point of this service is, I am here when you need me, offering all sorts of advice, (because we all need that little help once in a while). It’s a hands-on hands-off approach, so, when you need a break, tag-in your planner. When you get stuck, call me and we will swap so you can catch up on that Killing Eve show on BBC One!
Trust me, a wedding coordinator is worth it. I wish I had something like this throughout my whole planning process. It would have made the last-gasp venue changeover - 3 months before my big day - so much easier. I would have saved all my holiday entitlement from work for endless meetings and telephone calls.
And if you need me on the day, from only £1000, Events with Akilah can offer you wedding and event planning support, and on-the-day coordination, saving you thousands on your budget that you can use towards a higher tier dessert or your wedding dress or fiancé’s suit.
Want more information?