4 Reasons to Hire a Wedding Coordinator

Advice from your wedding photographer

Can I let you in on a little secret?? This may be news to you, but your wedding photographer, in fact, ALL your vendors, WANT you to hire a coordinator for your wedding day! To share with you 4 reasons to hire a wedding coordinator for your big day, I’ve asked my friend Erin to guest star on the blog today!

Hey all, Erin Marton here! I’m a wedding photographer based in Los Angeles serving all of Southern California. I specialize in cultivating genuine relationships with my couples to identify their needs and focus their photography experience on connection and exceptional service. The more weddings I shoot, the more I realize the importance of having an experienced wedding vendor staff to ensure each piece of the puzzle fits well to create a seamless wedding day both for the couple and their guests. One major part of this is, of course, a wedding coordinator! I highly recommend that every single couple hire a wedding coordinator for a few reasons.

Planning + Vision

Wedding coordinators are kind of like personal trainers. They help you stay on track to conquer your objectives while also giving you a vision for the future. At a certain point, it’s important to commit to one idea or concept. No one wants to try and change an intimate wedding in the forest to a beach wedding with 200 guests once you’re 3 months out from the wedding day. Coordinators know when to give you tons of ideas and inspiration to consider and when to stay focused on a singular vision for your wedding day so it’s actually possible to execute.

As a photographer, this type of support from a coordinator is really useful! It gives me an idea way before your wedding about exactly what to expect. Weddings are so different from each other because each couple may have slightly different priorities and personalities. You may want lots of photos of your guests hanging out in a relaxed atmosphere, or you may want a chunk of pictures really focused on all the personalized details added to your wedding day. Either way, knowing the vibe of the wedding (especially as it gets closer) helps me prepare well to serve my couples even better.

Timeline + Logistics

One of the biggest pieces of coordinating a wedding, and an important reason for hiring a wedding coordinator, is constructing a realistic timeline for the wedding day and managing all the many logistics that will inevitably surface. Have you thought about what time the cake is being delivered and who is planning to greet the delivery person and then place the cake at reception? You probably won’t have time to handle this job in your wedding clothes while you’re supposed to be taking family portraits. Wedding coordinators make sure that multiple events can run simultaneously by coordinating with your vendors and making sure there is a schedule of events that all vendors have agreed to.

This is especially important to note because some couples occasionally get confused and assume their photographer is helping with their wedding day timeline. Experienced photographers will help couples create a wedding photography timeline, but not an entire timeline for the wedding day. Some photographers offer this service to make sure there is enough time budgeted in the schedule for portraits, but they cannot be held responsible for executing all other events on your wedding day and making sure they run smoothly. They’ll be busy taking pictures, not managing vendors or moving guests from ceremony to reception!

For me, I know that having a complete timeline from a coordinator is really helpful to double-check and make sure that our schedules are matching up. Without a coordinator or a clear timeline for the day, you might assume that I’ll be covering all the events at the reception, but if you don’t have me booked for enough hours, things could get missed! Hiring a wedding coordinator can fill that gap and make sure everything is seamless with a schedule.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

For many couples, this is their first time ever planning a wedding! This is a huge industry that requires some thoughtfulness to approach in a way that makes sense (both time-wise and in a financial sense), and hiring a wedding coordinator can help bring that to light.

Coordinators can help educate you about what vendors you will need to hire and provide recommendations on vendors they love working with!

Wedding coordinators are also great at educating couples on cost, the timeframe needed to get it all done on your wedding day, and all sorts of other tips and tricks. Sometimes wedding planning feels a little bit like you’re in the middle of a fog, but coordinators help clear up confusion and set the record straight.

I try to educate all of my couples regarding wedding photography by telling them all about the importance of lighting, discussing the best placement and time for the ceremony, and providing direction on what it will be like working with me and my camera. As much info as there is to share about wedding photography, there’s even more about the rest of your wedding! Trust your coordinator – they’re the expert, and they want to help you.

You Need a Cheerleader

Wedding planning can get super stressful – take it from someone who’s done it before! Your family and friends might have a million questions about the wedding, or even worse, a million opinions they feel like sharing. A wedding coordinator helps deflect some of this because they can step in as an objective party to help clear out the noise. They can objectively tell your parents “no, we aren’t doing that” and help you navigate disagreements by taking the heat for you.

It is not a coordinator’s job to constantly navigate family dynamics, but they can definitely help by cheering you on to stay true to your plans or helping you make difficult decisions when you aren’t interested to hear input from others. When hiring a coordinator, look for one who is a little more objective than your friends and family. Someone who genuinely wants the best for YOU, rather than what they personally want to see executed on the day-of.

I love to hype my couples up and make them feel validated throughout the wedding planning process when it comes to photography, but I also am not intimately involved with them when it comes to other details like the flowers, decor, and music. A coordinator knows exactly what you are going through because they are present for all the decisions. I promise you won’t regret having them on your team!

I really can’t recommend hiring a good wedding coordinator highly enough!

Beyond all I’ve mentioned above, wedding coordinators are so helpful at tying up loose ends and making sure all sorts of logistics are handled. Many venues require certificates of insurance – your coordinator will make sure these are collected in time. Worried about your bridal party missing a cue at the wedding ceremony? Hire a wedding coordinator! They will run through a detailed rehearsal and stand by your side on the wedding day to make sure it all flows smoothly. If you’re on the fence about hiring a wedding coordinator, lemme tell ya, they are SO worth it.

Good news! Sarah is a fantastic choice, and you’re just steps away from being able to talk more with her about the process. Be sure to send her a note to hear more about her services! Thanks for reading these tips, and I hope they’re helpful as you’re making a decision about your wedding coordinator. 

Erin Marton is a Southern California wedding photographer who focuses on cultivating genuine relationships with her wedding clients to provide them with exceptional service and natural, romantic photos to document their wedding day. She has a fun, colorful style and loves the candid moments that unfold throughout each wedding. Erin loves exploring Los Angeles with her husband and reading books at home cuddled up next to her tuxedo cat. Contact her if you’re interested in more details!