I am interrupting my final wedding recap to talk about an issue that is really crucial when it comes to weddings: DOCs (day-of-coordinators). I, like many brides, thought I could go without. But as the weeks neared our wedding date and I started to visualize a timeline for the few days before the wedding, I couldn't figure out when I would have time to set up all of the our DIY projects in our reception barn pre-wedding.
I had two trains of thought: 1) a stressed out bride, racing the clock, delegating projects, and ultimately, barely taking a breath before walking down the aisle, or 2) going hiking with friends, enjoying our rehearsal dinner, waking up rested the morning of the wedding, and possibly having a chance to go for a run or do yoga in the hours leading up to the ceremony.
Needless to say, option 2 seemed much more appealing. Our wedding salesperson at Devil's Thumb Ranch had two recommendations for day-of-coordinators and one, she said, was fairly new to the business. Her name was Danielle Odil of Something Classic Events. We talked a few times for a few months before the wedding and, eventually, I caved. But not without combing through her set package and customizing it to my needs (including slicing the price tag to my budget). To see what I did to her package, head here.
On the day of, Danielle went above and beyond. The best example I can think of was her obliging to my last-minute request to get an off-road vehicle to take our photographer, Mr. CB, and me back on a trail to some old mining shacks. I'd seen them the day before and thought they'd make an awesome backdrop for images. Minutes later, Danielle showed up in a utility vehicle, rambling over log stumps and boulders to make sure we got what we needed.
While watching our wedding video recently, I watched as Danielle ran to make sure a door didn't slam as my dad and I made our way down the aisle. Prior to this, though, she set up the barn to make sure our DIY projects and decor looked perfect. During our cocktail hour, she came to me when we ran out of appetizers to see if we wanted to order more.
The transitions from first dance to father-daughter dance to swapping pie all went smoothly because of her. She also plated my dinner (so I didn't spill on my dress) and made sure I had a delicious beverage with my dinner.
She supplied the pens when we forgot our own for the guestbook. There were moments when I still felt like I needed to take care of things (like when the playlist was on its last song with time to spare), but every time I went up to Danielle to nudge her about something, it was already taken care of.
We only had her stay until 8 pm (once everyone had enough booze and food to feel like all was going smoothly regardless) but, in the end, I'm thrilled we had her at all. The level of stress that would have been there without her would have been through the roof. Thus, I urge all of you to book a DOC. It may sound frivolous, like a wedding-factory thing, or unnecessary but it did not make our wedding feel like it came off of a conveyer belt at all.
The only thing it did was act as insurance to make sure that we had the best time we could.
Are you booking a DOC?
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