Wedding planners often prove to be indispensable, aiding many couples in seamlessly executing their special days. However, many newlyweds-to-be opt to make such arrangements on their own, either by their own choice or due to a limited budget. However, you still may need help just to ensure that you and your future spouse enjoy yourselves. Your same-sex wedding might benefit from another type of professional: the day-of coordinator.

What Is a Day-Of Coordinator? 

Wedding planners typically focus on helping couples craft a wedding completely from scratch. This includes scheduling the order of events, deciding on the day’s aesthetics, hiring vendors, sending the invitations and even booking the honeymoon arrangements. One major aspect of a planner’s job usually entails managing logistics on the day itself. This includes coordinating activities such as vendor setup, food and drink service, deliveries and even the involvement of performers and officiants.

Nevertheless, those who have elected not to use a planner might still need assistance managing all these intricacies. That’s where a day-of coordinator comes in. Bridal Guide’s article about day-of coordinators gives a brief explanation of what they do. They oversee day’s events by sticking to a pre-planned timeline, managing vendors and minding all the minutiae that could give newlyweds-to-be a huge headache. Generally, you’d hire this individual around a month or two before the ceremony to allow him or her enough time to finalize arrangements, deal with the schedule and have the logistics well in hand.

Besides taking a load off your shoulders, the day-of coordinator can provide other useful services that you might not realize you need. He or she will be the “go-to” person to handle the unexpected on your wedding day. For example, what do you do about unruly guests and wedding crashers? What happens when the lights in your venue stop working? What if someone forgets part of his or her attire? These are all unforeseen emergencies that you’d contract a day-of coordinator to solve so that your festivities don’t fall apart.

Hiring a Coordinator

Just as you would diligently vet any other vendors for your affair, you need to make sure you hire the right expert to handle your day’s logistics. One blogger at A Practical Wedding tells a horrific tale of what happened when she and her sweetie rushed into hiring a coordinator without an adequate amount of research. An untrained intern was sent in the professional’s place, causing no less than two meltdowns and discomfort among their guests. As for the rest of the story, you can read all the messy details for yourself.

Her cautionary tale proves why it is always a good idea to research vendors and meet with them before parting with any greenbacks or signing any contracts. You might be able to find information on your coordinator from review websites such as Yelp!, but it doesn’t hurt to ask the person for references. Also, you should search specifically for a day-of coordinator who handles or specializes in same-sex weddings. The prospect of finding the seemingly perfect professional only to be given the bad news that he or she is backing out due to “reasons of personal beliefs” can be devastating. You might be able to get back any hard-earned money you’ve paid, but it’s best to steer clear of this debacle to begin with.

A Coordinator Can Help Your Special Day Go Smoothly

While not every single unexpected problem is preventable, a day-of coordinator can handle much of the stressful last-minute details and unforeseen foul-ups. If you’ve decided to go it alone on planning your big day, it still might not hurt to bring a coordinator on board to assist. Do your homework to ensure you’re selecting the best person for the job, and your celebration of love should go as smoothly as you’ve planned.