Day of wedding coordinator and DIY decorations

That's pretty high for one day. if you really want someone for just one day, maybe ask friends/family if they know anyone or even if they'd do it. other than that, i'd hire a real planner for that amount.

My venue takes care of all of the day of stuff- the banquet manager doubles as the DOC... check with your venue.

Against DIY? my DOC was all about my DIY and is setting things up for me. she was $1100 , i would keep looking.

1. A day of coordinator should have no problem setting up DIY decorations. There are MANY running around who would be more than happy to help you set up your decor. My own DoC set everything up with her assistant without any complaint.

2. Depending on where you are located, DoCs generally cost $1000 and up. $2000 does seem high for Texas (I paid just under that and I'm in NYC), so I'd probably suggest to keep looking. I think hiring a full planner isn't necessary if you're main task for them is to set up decor-- full planners generally help find vendors, help PLAN/CREATE decor, help with guest lists/budgets/other logistics, etc-- all things that would be wasted if you really just need someone to do decor and day-of stuff.

If you're a member of a church, they might have wedding director or something like that you could hire for the day. Or they may be able to recommend someone who'd be willing to do it. I'm looking for a DoC too, but a thousand bucks is out of my price range. My mom found a lady who has some experience with event planning, who agreed to help with DoC duties, for less than what I've been quoted so far.

Great idea about check with your church @Sara.

I had my friends and family do it....I would not recommend it. My friends and family did an awesome job and went all out, but they were tired and stressed!

I'm actually getting married in New Orleans. I talked to one DOY and he was $1000 but would only come in 2 weeks before, which I feel like I need them to come in at least a month ahead. One planner I talked to said she would email me a quote, I have emailed her and called, no answer. Someone did mention making a time line from the time a wake up to the send off. I like that. But I can't see myself paying 2000 plus for that.

My situation is weird, since I'm having our wedding at mine and FH's college alma mater. I teach there part-time (in the Communication Studies Department) so I know a ton of students, some of whom are interested in event planning and coordination as careers. I've got a handle on most things and I'm DIYing a lot, plus we'll be able to do all of the set up the day before the wedding. But, there will be a few things going on the morning of the wedding (cake delivery, for example) that I don't want to coordinate. I'm paying two of my highly-motivated students to serve as DOCs for me (they'll also set up signage and do break down after the reception). They get "real-world" experience, I'm close by, it's a lower pressure situation, I trust them, and there are two in case one freaks out. FH was convinced we didn't need a DOC, so this was a good compromise. I wouldn't want to put pressure on my wedding guests.

This situation works for me and *might* be an option for someone else, but I'd seriously vet the students. Just a thought. (And yes, I realize I could kick myself for this decision later.)

Most DOC's are really month of coordinators and shouldn't have a problem with DIY. They check in with vendors that month, create a timeline for your wedding day and do all the setup for the wedding along with other things depending on the DOC.

My family will all be flying in from out of town so I've been looking for a DOC so they don't have to do much after traveling. I found two that were under $800, I think that's about as cheap as I'm going to get for a professional in Nashville.

I am not feeling very lucky and a but discouraged. I talked to one today, she listened to what I was looking for, I asked her how much it would cost, she basically said it depends, and she would send me an email with a quote. I have a feeling I will never hear back from her, because another coordinator said the same thing about 2 weeks ago, still nothing.

I actually struggled with this for awhile. I actually found all my vendors and one of them, my decor vendor (drapes, lighting, etc) offered DOC. I asked how much she would charge and she is doing it for under $400! I was so shocked, because I was getting quotes at a minimum of $1000. I suggest finding your vendors and who knows, maybe if you have already hired them for a service they will give you a discount. Plus, if you are already working with them, they will know almost everything about the wedding anyway!

Amy & Dan, thanks. How much of the wedding are you planning and are you doing any DIY?

UP DATE: I talked to another wedding coordinator. She does month of service for 1600 and 2500 if I get her to design, however I would have to use outside vendors for flowers and also a backdrop.