The short answer:
If you would prefer to have a professional to keep you organized throughout your planning process, someone to lean on often, take care of every detail, and ensure your family + friends don't have to help on your day, consider a coordinator!
If you feel confident in our staff, hire a good team of vendors, are good at managing details, accurately share your wedding details as part of your planning, then weddings at The BRIX go smoothly without a coordinator.
It's a personal choice -- about half the weddings at The BRIX have coordinators.
The long answer:
We think this is best answered by, "Will I feel more relaxed on my day if I have one?" If the answer is yes, we think that's the best reason. Or, if you know you are not a detail person, then the answer is also yes.
Do you need one? It's not necessary if you visit with our team, document your info in our questionnaire, have a great caterer & DJ, are organized and do a great job sharing your final plans with your vendors too.
When couples have a coordinator, we always enjoy working with an organized, collaborative coordinator. And many coordinators are very helpful in setting up your personal items and knowing your small details.
In addition, we also think if you are having a lot of "moving parts" such as people needing to be greeted and/or set up (i.e. mariachi, live painter, special guest performance), then helpful. And for when the wedding is not at The BRIX, we find that they are very helpful for the church service. We won't be there to help :), but we will be at The BRIX greeting all your vendors and making sure everything looks great!
If you choose to have a day of coordinator, look for one that will be your partner, not one that just shows up on the day of the wedding and sits in the background. It's always frustrating to see a couple who invested in a coordinator, have him/her continually ask our team for information and just sit around. It is actually more difficult for us to manage your day when that happens as we always confirm with your coordinator throughout.
In our list, we have names of coordinators and planners that will do a great job. If they are not on that list, feel free to ask our team about them before hiring. We will be glad to help you find a great leader for your day.
Still not sure?
There are lots of things that happen on your wedding day before you and your guests start arriving at The BRIX. A coordinator should help with organizing the hair and makeup timeline, photo timeline, and make sure all your vendors have the same information. Some will help review agreements.
Décor setup/breakdown can be done or supported by coordinators. Other people that you can enlist if you don't have a coordinator are your family members, friends, a spirited team of groomsmen, etc. if you are planning a large DIY event. If you have minimal decor setup (<30 mins), our team will help if asked beforehand, and the items are there at the beginning of the day.
Coordinators should take care of every detail during wedding day- fielding vendor questions, making sure your shuttles arrive on time, the late-night pizza gets delivered, grandma gets her corsage before the ceremony, etc.
As noted, with all off-site ceremonies, we recommend a coordinator. With several locations and details, they are very helpful with coordinating these logistics. Many have a second person at the venue working with our team and your vendors while you are getting married.
Most coordinators will start with you anywhere from 1-3 months out depending on their services. We have a few coordinators on our list that are here often and we love partnering with!