Wedding Coordinator Duties

A few decades back, planning and organizing the wedding was something that the couple did themselves, with the help of their friends and family of course! Planning a wedding, as everyone knows, is not a mean task. The stress of organizing the wedding, coupled with the fear of getting tied down, can really take its toll on the one getting married. This is where wedding coordinators entered the marriage market - to relieve the couple and their family of all worries pertaining to organizing the wedding and to ensure that they have the most happy and memorable day!

A wedding coordinator, dressed in formal wear, instructing everyone around to do a good job, may seem like someone who is authority and glamor personified, but if you go into the details of the work they perform, you will see a completely different side of this much publicized profession today. Let's check out their duties and responsibilities.

Meeting the Clients
Upon getting hired, the first thing that a wedding coordinator does is to meet up with the couple and get a brief idea of the kind of wedding they want. Their budget, the scale at which they want the wedding ceremony to take place, the number of invitees they expect to invite, any wedding traditions that should be compulsorily included, etc. all these things are noted down by the coordinator. Afterwards, taking them into consideration, he starts working on the details of the wedding reception.

Deciding the Wedding Theme
A wedding coordinator, along with the couple, visits various probable venues for the wedding reception. The venue can be a church or a hotel's ballroom or the couple's own house. Once the venue is finalized, he suggests various themes, around which, everything, right from the decorations, menu, dresses of the bridesmaid, wedding flowers and centerpieces, music, invitations, amongst other things, are planned. The couple may choose any of the themes suggested by him or they may suggest something of their own choice. The wedding coordinator at this point shows the photographs of some of the theme weddings that he/she has organized previously. In the end, after a lot of discussion, the wedding theme is finally selected, and then, the coordinator starts planning for other things to bring out this theme in the most amazing manner as possible.

Performing Numerous Tasks
Here is a list of some of the important jobs performed by this professional:

• Sending out the wedding invitations and making note of the people who have sent their confirmations.
• Hiring services of various vendors for photography, flowers, food menu, decorations, etc. and explaining them the theme of the wedding. Then, sitting with them to arrive at the kind of product/service that is required of them for the wedding.
• Accompanying the bride and the groom for their wedding dress trials. Deciding on the dresses of the maid of honor, best man, bridesmaids and groomsmen.
• Arranging for a beautician for the bride and the groom.
• Providing vehicles for the families, friends and the couple, to come to the venue and to go back, after the ceremony is over.
• Deciding on the wedding music. The kind of songs to be played and the band, DJ to be hired.
• On the day of the wedding, overlooking everything and ensuring that all things are going in accordance to the plan is an important part of a wedding coordinator's job.
• If there is an emergency at the wedding such as a parking problem at the chosen venue, he should be prepared to deal with it.
• In some cases, he may be asked to choose and arrange for the honeymoon destination and bookings.
• After the wedding, a wedding coordinator is the one who ensures that each and every vendor gets paid in time.

Qualifications and Skills

To become a successful wedding coordinator, more than any degree or diploma, on the job training is what a person needs. So, anyone contemplating a career in this profession, should work for a few years under a wedding planner, learn the secrets of this trade and then think of going solo. As for education, after the bachelor's degree, one can do a diploma in wedding planning and learn a thing or two about this profession, though it in no way makes up for the hands-on experience. Good communication skills, interpersonal skills, listening skills, organization and planning skills and confidence - these are some of the things that will carry a person through this profession and are a prerequisite to perform the duties well.

A wedding planner's main job is to see to it that the wedding day becomes the happiest and the most memorable day for the bride, groom and other invitees. For this, they sometimes take on the job of an organizer who ensures everything is in place, sometimes of an artist who coordinates colors and styles in decorations and sometimes may become a punching bag for others if something goes wrong! So, only those people who are ready to wear so many hats, who can keep cool in stressful situations, and can work hard and long hours, should think of entering this profession.