Why did you/ didn't you hire a planner?

Our main reason for getting a coordinator was so we wouldn't have to set up or tear down any decor, that way we could enjoy the day and not have to worry about staying late to clean up or getting up at the buttcrack of dawn to set up.

But the pros went so much further than that! (And there were NO cons whatsoever!) Our DOC went above and beyond, she was our favorite vendor we hired, hands down. We enjoyed working with her from day one.

She:

-took care of all set up (and making it look AMAZING) and tear down

-she even set up things like our favors and the cocktail area

-made a timeline for us and all the other vendors

-touched base with all our vendors in the few weeks leading up to the wedding

-let us borrow pieces from her decor inventory free of charge

-took care of rentals--making the reservation, picking them up, AND dropping them off after the wedding for us

-got us an amazing deal at our rehearsal dinner restaurant (she saved us over $600!)

-helped us find deals on decor and made countless suggestions on how to tie our theme together

-went to the reception venue for me to check out their linens when I couldn't make it up there to do so

-laid out my train and veil before I walked down the aisle to make sure it would look right in photos

-cued all the music and other events during the ceremony

-set up the ceremony decor

-held an umbrella as I walked into the church so my hair wouldn't get wet

-dried off my skirt with a towel she had in her car when the train got wet from the rain

-cued the DJ and photographers for all the important events at reception (first dance, etc.)

-fixed my bustle when someone stepped on my skirt and it broke

-cut the cake for us for free so we didn't have to pay the per-slice fee the venue charged

-put away and saved the top tier for us

-took care of and stored our wedding decor for us until we got back from our minimoon

-she offered to hold my dress if I needed it while I used the bathroom (I declined because I didn't think I needed it--and I didn't, but it was still impressive that she offered lol)

-recommended various vendors within our price range when we needed them

-handled mishaps like a rockstar--through power outages, road blocks, rain/storm, and lateness she still made sure everything stayed on schedule and our guests never suffered

-answered COUNTLESS emails I had with questions about the wedding from the moment we hired her; even though she was a DOC she helped us SO MUCH the entire time

Honestly, I had zero stress the day of the wedding and that was all because of our DOC. She was SO WORTH IT. My dad, mom, fiancé, AND grandma were skeptical of hiring a DOC and didn't think it was worth the cost, but after the wedding they were all singing her praises and said it was ABSOLUTELY necessary to have hired her. They all agreed she made the day 1000x easier. Our DOC was the best investment for our wedding, we have ZERO regrets! Definitely worth it to hire one!

I also want to add, there is a difference between a DOC and a coordinator that comes with the venue. An independent DOC will do all of the aforementioned tasks and more, but a venue coordinator will only be in charge of the venue's employees, inventory, and services. We had a venue coordinator that came with our package but she informed us venue coordinators are not the same as a DOC, despite calling them the same name. A venue coordinator will set up the things that belong to the venue (like tables and chairs) and oversee their employees (like servers and chefs) but once dinner is over they generally retire to their office. They hang around until the end of the event, just in case you have questions or need anything, but their job is basically a venue manager. It's not the same as a DOC.

We didn't hire one, but I am a control freak and couldn't stand the thought of someone else doing all of this!!! Also I'm a teacher and I'll have the summer off so it will give me something to do so I don't go stir crazy lol!!

I hired a doc. Best $700 ever spent. My venue was not all inclusive. I had 10 separate vendors. There was no way I could have coordinated them all on the day of. My wedding would have been a disaster without her.

My venue includes a DoC. I didn't want to spend money on a planner. My event is pretty low-key, so I figured I could handle it.

Not hiring either. I want to have the fun of planning the wedding. Plus it's going to be pretty simple and casual.

The DOC (the day off the wedding) was part of the package at our venue. So far we have everything under control so far.

We hired a partial planner. With a partial one, she's there the entire step of the way but I have majority control. I'm in grad school 3 hours away from the venue so she picks up all the slack and is making sure I'm on schedule. She has been amazing so far. She also has good connections and has been getting great discounts. I also hired one so family wouldn't feel like they have to help out Day of and can just enjoy it. Also if anything goes wrong, I don't want to know about it

It was required by the hotel. 1800 waste.

I hired a DoC (although they tend to me more like Month of Coordinators) and I'm already thrilled about it. I didn't want to have to be the one fielding questions and calls on my wedding day after I had already spent so much time planning it. Also, she keeps me organized and reminds me of important due dates. Like you OP, she also has amazing discounts on vendors. Overall, a great use of $1500.

I hired one because I didn't want to drive myself crazy over tiny details. Not to mention I really had no idea what I was doing and neither did my mother. I needed someone to guide us.

I hired a doc ... so that nobody had to come decorate lol my fmil actually seemed hurt by this but it's her only child's wedding ... I was at a wedding where people came to set up and every one argued and it was just ok decor wise

I didn't hire one because I am an event planner (corporate, not wedding) and am very organized and I enjoyed most of the planning. However, my venue supplies a DOC and every one of the revues for my venue has mentioned how amazing she is, so I am confident everything will be handled well. I'm also having a relatively smaller wedding (inviting 91 and expecting about 70-75) with just a very small wedding party and minimal decor so everything was very easy and manageable.

OG Alecia - Out of curiosity (because I know we both live in Northeast Ohio), do you mind sharing who you hired for your DOC? I am really kicking myself in the butt for not hiring one.

The venue I went with told me they had a venue coordinator for the day of and that I didn't need to hire a DOC or anything like that. I'm glad I still had one anyways because the venue coordinator didn't really do much and had a bad attitude the whole day. I never thought of hiring a planner before but went back and forth with hiring a DOC. I was already maxed out in my budget but DOC was well worth it. You need someone at the venue before you get there to make sure all the vendors are there, everything is decorated how its suppose to. You also want someone there to collect your stuff for you at the end of the night. Things can get pretty hectic on the wedding day.

@Amanda is exactly right about the role of the venue coordinator

My venue will have a DOC, which is an absolute blessing.

The bottom line is I can't afford a wedding planner, but thankfully I didn't really want to. I have most things booked already and my venue will let me set up the reception space before the rehearsal, so I don't have to worry about anything morning of.

We didn't hire a planner because I'm a huge planner myself..not professionally but I just love doing things like this. FH and myself were confident we could handle it ourselves and it has been such a breeze! We have a DOC coordinator though!

Both FI and I are lawyers in our regular life so we have extremely packed work schedules. However, doing what we do, it also takes us no time at all to look at contracts, plan, and ask the important cover our ass questions. We never even thought of going with a planner. But we are also the type of people that make decisions quickly and decisively. I will say this though, I wish we had a professional to deal with family related wedding drama. That's the most stressful part of wedding planning and if anyone ever wanted to start a wedding mediation business doing that, they would make the big bucks! Our venue does have a DOC to set up and clean up etc.

Having at LEAST a DOC was a must have for us. A large portion of our guests are from out of town, including my parents. I didn't want any to have to worry about taking care of things & i knew i wanted to enjoy the day! It will make things so much smoother & less stressful!

I hired a wedding coordinator because my venue is out of state and she works directly with the venue so she knows it like the back of her hand and the owners recommended that I hired her and went to her directly with all of my questions and concerns.

I like planning events and I am Picky so I didn't want a planner...waste of money for me...i am required to have a DOC which only cost me 500