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WishQuiz: Do I Need a Wedding Coordinator?

1. Do I have a break between my ceremony and reception?

• I’m not sure.  I don’t have a venue selected yet.  4 points
• No.  Everything is at one venue.  3 points
• No but my guests will need to travel between two places. 2 points
• Yes.  I have a couple hours in between the ceremony and reception. 1 point

2. Am I a DIY-er? Maybe I’m making my own invitations, place cards, favors, or programs? At the extreme, maybe I’m even purchasing my own tablecloths, arranging my own flowers, or using my friends as vendors?

• We haven’t gotten this far yet.  Why would we need invitations?   6 points
• We’re doing almost everything ourselves! Weddings are so expensive and it’ll be nice to save some money. 5 points
• I have some medium-size projects but am mostly relying on professional vendors for the wedding day. 3 points
• I’m not crafty and those things aren’t important to me. I’d much prefer to skip the accessories. 0 points

3. Am I planning on asking my friends or family to help set up on the wedding day?

• Uh oh, I’m not sure.  What am I going to do with all these DIY projects?  5 points
• Of course! That’s what the bridal party is for, right? 4 points
• My caterer or hotel person said they’d do this – 3 points
• I’ve thought about it but am not sure I want to ask my family or friends. 2 points
• No, I’d much prefer to trust the vendors I’ve hired. What could go wrong with Grandma’s heirloom cake topper? 1 point

4. Who have I asked to clean up at the end of the evening? My guest book, toasting flutes, cake knife, and wedding gifts need to make it home somehow!

• I don’t know but don’t like the idea of asking a guest to stay late. 6 points
• My mom, my maid of honor, or I will be staying late after the reception to gather up my personal items. 5 points
• Doesn’t my caterer or hotel  representative do that? 4 points
• I won’t have any personal belongings at the end of the wedding.  No guests are bringing cards or gifts and everything we’re using will be rented. I don’t even want to keep the top of my wedding cake . 1 point

5. Do I trust the vendors I’ve hired for the wedding day?

• I’m not sure — I haven’t hired a lot of my vendors yet. 6 points
• I am relying mostly on friends and family for the catering, photography, venue, flowers, and music. What could go wrong? 5 points
• No, I booked most of my vendors through the yellow pages or through bridal show promotions.  I’m not confident that they’ll all show up. 4 points
• Yes, most of them are great. One or two companies are hard to get in touch with but I’m sure they’ll be fine. 3 points
• Yes, entirely!  I relied on personal recommendations from friends and have been very happy with the service I’ve received from everyone. 2 points

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Add up your points and see how you scored!

0-5 points: I probably don’t need a wedding coordinator. Not all engaged couples need someone around on the wedding day.  Since my wedding is at a full-service hotel or catering facility and I’ve hired top-notch professional vendors, I’m probably alright on your own.  I don’t mind being distracted by questions from vendors in the morning and during the wedding reception

6-9 points: I should consider a wedding day coordinator. At the very least I can assign a friend to the setup/cleanup duties at my wedding.  I’ve done that for many of my friends and am sure they wouldn’t mind working for a few hours.  It’s the least they can do for the four-hour open bar, right?

10-16 points: I should absolutely hire a wedding day coordinator. I’m pretty organized and have things planned well but don’t want to deal with last-minute emergencies and setting up the decorations on the wedding day.  After spending so much on the whole wedding, I’d much prefer to invest a little bit more and ensure I’ll be a guest at my own party.  Having a Wedding Day Coordinator will take care of all the little details so I don’t have to worry about them.  It’ll be nice to relax and have fun with my new spouse.

17-22 points: I probably need some assistance with the rest of the wedding plans. Maybe I have a few more vendors left to book or I haven’t thought all the way through the details.  A Partial Wedding Planning package might be the best fit for me so I can wrap up the loose ends and create a solid plan for the day.  It’ll be nice to know that I’m covering all my bases.

23-27 points: OMG! HELP! I don’t know what I’m doing and really need the advice of a professional.  If I can’t afford Full Service Wedding Planning, I should at least seriously consider some Hourly Wedding Planning Help on an as-needed basis.  This will give me the education I need to get organized and on track with the wedding plans.  It’ll be here sooner than I think!