Your wedding day will be one of the biggest celebrations you will organise in your life. You want it to go as smoothly as possible and want to enjoy every moment without having to stress and worry about all the details throughout the day. That’s where hiring an On The Day Co-ordinator can help.
Picture this… on the day of your wedding, numerous suppliers will be arriving to drop off items such as flowers, cakes and some will arrive to set up such as caterers and entertainers. Usually there are a lot of questions such as where the is the cake and guest book to be placed? or where can I plug the speakers into? Can we serve the first course? or what time will the music begin? As your wedding co-ordinator, not only will we know the layout, timings and set up of your whole day, we will communicate details to all suppliers so they know what’s happening ahead of time. We will be on hand all day at the venue answering any last minute questions from suppliers so that the bridal party do not get interrupted throughout the wedding, whilst they are relaxing and enjoying every moment.
Our On The Day Co-ordination (OTD) Service is aimed at couples who may require a little assistance during the lead-up to their wedding particularly if they are having a DIY, marquee/tipi/barn or hall wedding at a venue that doesn’t have an on-site wedding co-ordinator on hand through the day and they need someone to oversee the main event so that the day runs effortlessly.
In this blog post, we delve deeper into our On The Day Co-ordination Wedding Planning Service and how we will help you in the final months of your wedding planning journey…
How are we different to venue co-ordinators?
Wedding co-ordinators are entirely different to venue co-ordinators. We love working alongside venue co-ordinators ensuring that your day is everything you envisaged and more. Below are just a few examples of how we differ.
Your venue co-ordinator is responsible for making sure everything is handled at the venue. It is important to note that they work solely for the venue and not you, the client. SB Events works for you and we have a vested interest in every aspect of your wedding. We spend time getting to know you and key members of your bridal party.
We create a timeline based around your whole day (and the day before) from the moment you get up. Whereas a venue co-ordinator will only provide a timeline from when you arrive at the venue until you depart.
We will liaise and contact all of your suppliers to make sure they know where they need to be and when, we will know what service they will be providing for you on the big day. Venue co-ordinators usually only provide you with supplier recommendations.
You can contact us whenever and however you like. We do not have ‘business hours’ like venues do, so if you have a burning question you quickly want to ask we can get back to you sooner.
When to get in touch?
You can get contact us anytime during your wedding planning journey, most couples get in touch with us to enquire about our OTD service usually after they have booked the venue, others get in touch around 6 months before the big day to book us in.
We only take on a select number of OTD Co-ordination clients each year, alongside our other wedding service, events and celebration that we plan so that we can focus our time on our clients and give a full dedicated service that they deserve.
Initial wedding consultation
Following on from an enquiry, we will arrange a complementary consultation with yourselves at a time and location to suit. Whether that be face-to-face, over the phone or Zoom. We will ask each couple to fill out a pre-consultation questionnaire to help us to begin to understand your current wedding plans. During the consultation we will discuss in depth your wedding details and how we can assist and support you on your journey down the aisle. It’s the perfect opportunity for us to showcase how we work and deliver events to exceptional standards. Following on from our consultation, we will provide you with a detailed proposal outlining what was discussed; how we will deliver your event, a quotation and the next steps to make your dreams become reality.
The final countdown
We would first meet with you both around 6 weeks before your wedding date and go through all the little details, run through timings of the day, find out who the wedding party are and what expectations you have for your big day. You will pass over a detailed list of all the suppliers involved and venue details. It will be a great opportunity to catch-up and discuss anything that needs to be carried out and how you envision how your wedding will look.
Wedding walk through
Shortly after our 6 week planning meeting, We will arrange a site visit at your chosen venue with yourselves to take a look at the space available. You can show us how you envisage your day to look and see how the day will flow from day to night. You can decide what each different area will be used for, Eg, seeing where the drinks reception will take place, where the food will be served to where the evening entertainment will begin, It’s also a good opportunity for us to discuss any back-up bad weather plans – if you have your heart set on drinks on the lawn but the weather doesn’t play fair then we will have a back-up weather plan ready to put into place quickly and efficiently if it is required. We can also identity all access and exit points for all guests and suppliers to ensure that there are no restrictions or constraints that will cause issues.
Point of contact
We will contact all the suppliers and liaise with them and your venue or tent structure provider throughout the lead-up to the wedding day on your behalf. We will provide a detailed schedule of the day’s events of timings, who’s who and where everyone needs to be and when, design floor plans and seating plans showing the key areas of the venue which will help with the catering suppliers/photographer/band/entertainment and so forth.
All this information will be presented in a detailed Event Plan which every couple and each supplier will receive before the big day so they have all the information at hand. Our couples still have full control and the final say in the wedding planning, SB Events will provide you with the tools so you can enjoy the planning process without all the stress.
Communication
From the moment you become a client, we look out for your best interests and ensure your dream becomes a reality. We are available to answer any questions you may have, provide advice where required. Our clients have unlimited telephone, email, WhatsApp and Facetime/Zoom communications with us along with face-to-face meetings as and when needed.
Set up
The day(s) before the wedding, we are on-site at your venue assisting with the set-up with your suppliers, take collection of items, setting up the tables and chairs, decorating with props. Putting out your personalised items such as a guestbook, cake knives, place cards and special gifts for guests. We will arrange that all the little details you want to include throughout your day are unboxed and ready ahead of your day and are in the correct places. We will also make sure that any keepsakes such as your own place cards are kept safe so that you can take them home and treasure them forever.
Rehearsal
If you are holding a rehearsal at a church or would like a run through of your ceremony, then we can be on-hand to assist and answer any questions over etiquette with the wedding party, go over processional/recessional music choices, timings and help the bridal party look out for their cues as to when to walk down the aisle and where to stand. It’s a great opportunity to alleviate any nerves and prepare you for the nuptials you are about to undertake so that everyone is relaxed and comfortable ahead of the wedding ceremony.
The BIG day
On the day itself, we are not only there to set up, we are also there for you, calming any last minute nerves, helping you get into your wedding outfit and can fix any fashion emergencies that might occur. We always come prepared with our special ‘SB Events kit’ – full emergency kit from scissors, spare face masks, sewing kit, chalk, tissue, gum, tampons, screwdriver, first aid kit and floral tape just to name a few items. If something needs fixing we may just have the thing to help fix it.
We usually meet with you during the morning before heading off to the venue. We typically focus mainly on the venue(s) and make sure the timings run to order and that each suppliers know where they need to be and when. We are there to make sure that all the little details such as drinks are chilled, making sure candles are lit, background music is on and that it is all ready to welcome you and your guests. If you have floral arrangements and props that need to be moved around during the day we can move them for you. We will also move furniture such as tables/chairs to make space for a dancefloor area if required. If there are any outstanding monies that need to be paid to suppliers we can manage that too.
If timings do run over with speeches or food service then we work closely with your photographer, catering team and venue so that any of the planned activities and special moments aren’t missed.
We are there all day or for as long as required. We are there to assist you both and stay in the background overseeing the day’s events so that you both and your guests can enjoy the day hassle-free. As a wedding planner, we are only there to guide you. You still have full control and make the final decisions; SB Events just deal with all the admin, logistics and organisation on your behalf.
Investment
As all our weddings are unique just like our couples we can only provide you with a bespoke cost and package once we have conducted an event consultation with you. Pricing is based on the location and distance from our base here in York, the type of venue, the size of the wedding, number of guests, number of suppliers involved and the amount of time it will take to plan and co-ordinate your special day.
What our couples say
“Steph was a life saver, we couldn’t have managed without SB Events. It was a long distance wedding which had to be planned with the bride, groom, and their families living away from York. It was such a relief to be able to relax and not worry about every little detail” – JAMES AND SARAH, YORK, 2018
“I cannot even put into words how huge Steph’s impact was or even begin to cover the things she did to help make our day special…she met with us numerous times at our venue, she co-ordinated with suppliers, she advised us on how to save money, she helped with the set up the night before the wedding, she replied to emails rapidly – no question was a silly question, she had a plan B/C/D/E for anything that went wrong in the lead up and on the day… the list could go on and on. I honestly could not recommend SB Events more. We absolutely made the right decision trusting Steph with our big day. If you are even second guessing whether you need SB Events – DON’T… Just book! It’ll be the best decision you make – it was for us!” STEFAN & LOTTIE, YORK, 2017
“SB Events were a godsend to us on the run up to our wedding and on our wedding day. Steph went over and above to help us with everything. I cannot imagine organising and running this wedding without Steph. She has kept us sane during the last few months running into the big day and handled everything effortlessly and carried so much of our stress. 1 in a million” – JACOB AND CLARISSA, YORK, 2021
“Dear Steph, we just wanted to say a huge thank you for everything you did to make our wedding so special. We couldn’t have asked for the day to go more smoothly or perfectly and still talk about the incredible attention to detail you put in to everything – it was just mind blowing!” – ALEX AND HENRIETTA, WETHERBY, 2019
Further testimonials can be found on our homepage
If you would like to find out our 2022/2023 availability or would like more information about our On The Day Co-ordination Service and would like to receive a copy of our wedding brochure, please email hello@sbeventsplanning.com .
