“Day of Coordinator” To hire or not to hire!

I initially didn't think I needed a day of coordinator. However, my husband and I changed our minds and ended up booking one, and it was the best decision!! She helped with a lot of things: she coordinated our rehearsal and wedding day ceremony, she was the contact person for our vendors throughout the day, received the flowers and cake deliveries, handled setup/tear down, prevented people from constantly interrupting me while I was getting ready, setup beverages and appetizers for my husband and me to enjoy in a separate space after the ceremony and before our grand entrance into the reception, kept our timeline on track, signalled to the DJ when it was time to play specific songs, recorded all speeches and spotlight dances on her phone to send to us immediately after the reception, helped gather people for photos (and ensured that they didn't wander off while waiting for their photos), gathered up all cards and gifts and stored them in a secure location, made sure the venue was keeping our dessert table stocked, etc.

However, I've also attended weddings that didn't have day of coordinators, and they still went smoothly! If you're OK with handling a lot of the tasks yourself or if you have family/friends that offer to help (receiving any deliveries, setting up, communicating with vendors throughout the day to keep everything on track, etc), then you could certainly save the money and skip the coordinator. Otherwise, hiring a day of coordinator will ensure that you don't have to worry about anything except marrying your future spouse and enjoying the day, and will also ensure that your friends and family don't have to work while at your wedding. You may be able to find someone for cheaper than $1,000, especially if you limit the tasks that they're responsible for and/or find someone who's just starting out as a coordinator.

There's a difference between planning and executing. Whatever your budget, I would recommend an external pro or a valued family member or friend who can manage the execution of your wedding schedule and coordination of vendors and guests experience.

Having a DoC was one of the best decisions we made. She kept everything on schedule, made sure vendors and guests were where they needed to be (when they needed to be there), and just made sure that neither we nor our families/friends were bothered with small details.

We hired a company that offered month-of coordination, a day-of coordinator, and they also handled floral and décor. The floral and décor were beautiful, and the girl who did the month-of stuff was a rockstar. Both of them I'd hire again in a heartbeat. The day-of coordinator wasn't the best, but I did really appreciate that there was someone who would be in contact with any of the vendors, handled the setup/ tear down, and would be able to handle issues without me needing to be involved.