ABOUT ME

Welcome & Congratulations!

Let me share a little about what I do and why. First, I want to start off by saying I'm not an event/wedding "planner" per-say, but rather an event manager specializing in Day of Coordination & some partial planning. Through the years those of us in the industry have found that the word "Day of Coordinator" can really confuse clients, so I decided to use the term "Wedding Management coordinator " We won't just be there for you on the day of but from the moment you hire us (see below for more detailed information).

The purpose of "Your Special Day by Roxanne" is to organize the different individual elements of your event and enable them to work together effectively to create an amazing occasion. When I was planning my wedding Eight years ago, I didn't take the advice from others when they said I should get someone to strictly help on the day of our wedding. I planned and created every decoration, the menu and every little thing that happened that day. I wanted people to have the best time ever! What was the end result?... They had a blast & loved everything! But in the back of my mind, I was saying "why didn't they put out all the cheese and why didn't they create an amazing display, why didn't people know about the picture garden or the yard games? You see if I had someone who knew my vision and who could step into my shoes for a day, I would have enjoyed myself to the fullest. This is what lead me to wanting to help other DIY couples and hostess' who are working with a budget and don't have thousands to spend on a coordinator "yes I said thousands, quite shocking isn't it" With being licensed and a very extensive background in the hospitality business I'm quite sure I can help you with your event.

Roxanne Coffey-Echols

TO HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND THIS PROFESSION

Wedding Coordinating

A Wedding Coordinator

A wedding coordinator is very different than a wedding planner. Below will hopefully guide you in understanding a little more about the differences & terms used when trying to decide what's best for your special day.

First, I want to make it clear that the term ‘day of coordinator’ is not truly indicative of that person’s role. I don’t think there is anyone who can truly do ‘day of’ coordinating and here’s why: if you’re hiring a ‘day of coordinator’ to just show up on your wedding day and magically know what needs to go where, who is who, what your expectations are, what the timeline is (speaking of which, where does said timeline come from when someone is working “day of”?), well there’s really no way this would feasibly happen. For a ‘day of’ coordinator to do their job well they need to come on board to the planning process at least a month before the event to get caught up to speed on everything that’s been done, as well as prepare a plan for the wedding, and get to know all key players involved.

Many coordinators call this service “month of coordinating” which is more appropriate, but I believe this is what “day of coordinating” encompasses; at least a month of work leading up to the wedding day. This is another conversation to have entirely within our industry because there are differing opinions, but I think changing commonly misused verbiage here would help streamline many businesses and ensure clients aren’t overwhelmed, misinformed, or confused with their options.

As for the role a partial planner may play on the wedding day: s/he is typically responsible for managing all involved vendors and companies, handling final payments (not floating money) and gratuities on your behalf, and fixing any problems should they arise. This really just scratches the surface of what a partial planner should do within their coordinating duties. By the time your big day arrives, the person you have hired, whether they are considered a planner or coordinator will know you, your fiancé, potentially your family and friends, and ultimately your wedding day vision in every form and capacity possible. And in my personal opinion if you really find the perfect fit, they will become a friend (or at the very least, a pleasant memory) in your life long after your wedding has come and gone.

Venue-Based Wedding Planning & Management

Venue Coordinator or Manager

Alright! This is a BIG one I want to focus on (and if you’re still reading this, I salute you!)

A venue coordinator is NOT the same as a full or partial service wedding planner. And a venue coordinator is also very different than a month of or ‘day of’ coordinator. While many venue coordinators or managers differ in their level of involvement and attention with each wedding, as a general rule, if there’s anything you take away from this post it’s that. Your venue coordinator(s) or point of contact is NOT a wedding planner even if they have wedding planning experience.

This does not mean a venue coordinator is bad, inexperienced, unprofessional, or not necessary. It’s actually quite the opposite (assuming your venue is at an actual venue and not in a backyard, field, or space where everything is built from the ground up and every staff member is brought in from different companies). A venue coordinator is a crucial piece to ensure a flawlessly executed event, and even more so when this person and your outside planner/coordinator can work efficiently together to serve you best.

A venue coordinator’s role is to service the venue and ensure venue related tasks, problems, and staff are taken care of. Most of the time, their roles and responsibilities end there and things not pertaining to the venue specifically become the client’s responsibility (or an outside planner/coordinator’s responsibility). For example, a venue coordinator is responsible for providing you with a list of rules and policies of the space like noise ordinances, candle restrictions, guest capacity, and more. They also ensure washroom needs are met, venue spaces are ready for vendor set up, help keep the catering staff on schedule when catering is done in house, and so on.

But a venue coordinator will not provide you with opinions on how long hair and makeup services should take in the morning for your bridal party of ten women. They typically aren’t taking phone calls with clients to handle sticky etiquette dilemmas like invitation ‘plus ones’ or trying to help you decide who should cover the rehearsal dinner bill. If there’s something that doesn’t pertain to the venue specifically, it’s happening outside of the venue, or if it’s very personal in nature, it’s typically not a venue coordinator’s responsibility.

Most venue coordinators are a part of a larger team and have a superior to report to. They’re often managing many events in one weekend (meaning a lot of couples to connect with during the work week versus the few an outside planner/coordinator will likely take on), and a lot of the weddings they oversee are like clockwork; in the same place, with similar floorplans, and repeat vendors in the mix. The way they are compensated financially is very different than how an outside planner is paid, especially if an outside planner is self-employed versus working under someone for an outside company.

Again, I want to emphasize that a great venue coordinator is a wonderful asset. Some of my favorite weddings and least stressful events have been ones where a wonderful, helpful, and accommodating venue coordinator and team has worked WITH my team to make the one common goal come to life; and that’s ensuring our couples have a day that exceeds all expectations. My advice to couples who tell me (or think) that they do not need a planner or coordinator because they have a venue coordinator is to be very clear on what your venue coordinator will and WILL NOT do. From there you can assess how much help you believe you will need beyond the venue’s offerings, and then considering my above breakdown of planner roles, can help you better understand what we’re trying to offer you.