Weddings are expensive, why should you spend even more of an already thinly-stretched budget for a person that can do things you could handle on your big day? I thought the SAME thing until my Aunt (who worked at a venue in Florida at the time) stepped in as my coordinator and was a LIFE-SAVER!! I promise you, there are things that you either (a) won’t think about, (b) won’t have time to do, or (c) won’t want to deal with on your day.
For example: if you are having any sort of candle décor, real or LED, who is going to light them for you, and when? This is something your coordinator can easily do either immediately prior to or during your ceremony! Who’s going to make sure, when it’s time to start toasts, your photographers aren’t in the middle of eating and your DJ didn’t just take a break to run to the restroom?
It’s GREAT to have someone there to keep you on track throughout your wedding day because, believe me, things get busy and it's easy to get swept up in the excitement and lose track of time and what needs to get done!
A coordinator can also step in to defuse sticky situations when necessary. When an issue arises (ex. your not-so-beloved old Auntie is INSISTING on X when we've already decided on Y), I always like to tell my couples that I would much rather be the “bad guy”. Your coordinator only has to deal with your family/friends for the rest of the day, whereas you have to deal with them for the rest of your life! Your coordinator is going to make sure your day is 110% what you want it to be, not what your family members or friends think it should be.
Plus, at the end of the night, when everyone is tired and ready to go home, your coordinator is there to make sure everything is going home with the right people and nothing gets left behind.
Even if you can't find it in your budget to hire a professional day-of coordinator, appoint a family member or friend to do it for you. Believe me, it's a great way to make sure that you really get to relax and enjoy your special day!
Happy planning!