Small wedding. Doc?

First off, congrats! I recommend against having your family and friends move chairs. If you get any catered food, a lot of caterers will move tables and chairs for you. Having family help with other elements like music and decorations is more acceptable. And I don't know what DOC stands for.

Omg Day Of Coordinator. Yes still a good idea. But you still have time to think about it and get quotes from different people. A friend of mine got a DOC who was a lot newer and therefore cheaper, but she did a great job. DOCs are just great because you don't have to worry about anything or direct anyone or deal with any problems that pop up.

View Quoted Comment Thank you!! I do plan on getting quotes and making a choice prior. I have to realize that I cannot DIY the entire thing 😅

Absolutely worth it! We had 53 people at our wedding and our DOC was spectacular! She did ALL of the setup, she met vendors as the arrived, and kept our timeline for the entire day (like when we took too long taking photos during cocktail hour), among other things. I honestly cannot imagine our day going half as well without her numerous contributions. But I cannot comment on cost as she was included in the cost of our venue. If you can fit it into your budget, I highly recommend.

View Quoted Comment That makes perfect sense! I know I still have time, but I feel like as time gets closer, I’m going to save stressed over the little things. 😅

Are you planning on having a dj? Our dj handled the ceremony music, music during cocktail hour and the reception. He also provided the microphones for us, the officiant and our reader to use during the ceremony. We did have to pay extra for him to be there for the ceremony, but for us it was worth it especially because I then didn't have to worry about how our guests would hear us talking. I also wouldn't expect your guests to move tables and chairs. They are there to enjoy themselves and relax. Also if they are nice attire like suits, dresses, or heels they aren't going to be comfortable moving heavy stuff around. Our venue included a coordinator and she was amazing. If we didn't have one included with the venue, I would have looked into hiring someone separately.

At minimum, a day of coordinator is vital regardless of how small your wedding is. Your loved ones are there to celebrate you and fiancé, not to work. And many people don’t know what the couple’s vision is, who their vendors are and how to smoothly and professionally fix snafus on the spot behind the scenes. Especially when you have a time crunch as so many venues do with little to no wiggle room, you can’t risk having a friend or relative throw off the day because they are looking to you for guidance instead of alleviating your stress.


Browse Yelp and Instagram for coordinators. Contrary to popular belief, you can ask them (and any vendor) to customize services to what you need, not what generic couple wants.

I want to say thank you all for the advice!! My fiancé and I discussed the shortened time. The venue is a small event center that typically can host 2 events in 1 day. To book the full day to remove the “rushed” feeling is honestly very cost effective and fits into our budget! That way the DOC doesn’t feel rushed!
We will not have a hired DJ as the venue is slightly smaller, but has an amazing system for a wedding playlist and a microphone if needed.
You can tell I’m used to regular events and not weddings 😅. I have looked at a few already, and have spoken with my fiancé, we both agree it will be worth the money to book a DOC! While it is a small event, we don’t want to stress about decorating. Although I am DIY decorations, I want to just hand them over and be able to relax prior to my big day!
Again, thank you so much!

I am in a very similar situation. We are only having about 40 to 45 people at our wedding and are also not having a wedding party. We were only going to have a flower girl and a ring bearer. I was thinking of doing a day of coordinator just because I want to make sure everything is done correctly and both sides of the family are already fighting over who does what. I'm also DIYing most of the wedding. Congrats!

If you don’t hire a DOC, I would highly suggest appointing a trusted person as the contact person for vendors in case something happens. That way you don’t have to get stressed with every small thing!

View Quoted Comment Congrats to you as well! That’s what I’m doing as well 😅. They decorations, bouquet, even the favors are DIY. I feel like that’s the only way we can get exactly what we want!

View Quoted Comment That’s perfect as well!

View Quoted Comment Me and my fiance are planing a small weeding 30-40 people any small weeding venue you would recommend new york,new jersey area?