Planning an event can be a monumental task. Whether it's a baby shower for 10 people or a 250 person wedding, there is a lot involved in the planning stage. But what do you do after you have the venue, linens, outfits, flowers, food and décor all picked out? You have to start to figure out how to put it all together and make it all flow nicely.Hiring someone to help you in the end stages of your planning can be so helpful, but why? Why wouldn't you want to set up your venue on your own, check a watch to make sure the caterer is getting the food out at the right time, make sure your gifts don't grow legs and run off with someone else? Phew, that makes me tired just thinking about all the nitty gritty details that go into executing the big event day. I've compiled a list of 5 reasons why you want to hire someone (like me!) to help run the show on the day of your event. Oh, and all of these have either happened to me or someone else I know, so keep that in mind as you read on....

1. An event coordinator will make sure your vision becomes reality, and not an alternative reality you didn't want.

The day of my wedding, my husband and I went to our venue early to decorate the best we could before we had to get ready. Our tables were decorated the way we wanted, our caterer was on site prepping food, we thought everything was good to go. Come to find out, when we arrived after our ceremony, we found our lovely tables to be crowded with the water bottles we had intended to stay with the other beverages.Yup, not exactly the look we were going for. Then we noticed that the caterer put out our cheesecake desserts (I'm not a huge cake fan) out many hours before they were to be served. Cheesecake, out of the fridge, for that long....ugh....Did these issues ruin our day? No. Did it change the way our reception looked to guests upon arriving? Yes! Would I go back and hire someone to oversee everything to avoid this? Yes, no question.

2. A day-of coordinator will put out fires you shouldn't have to worry about during your event.

At one of my weddings, the bartender approached me once the reception started to get going with a concern. She said there were some family guests who forgot their IDs and were trying to tell her they were old enough to drink. (Although they looked on the cusp of the legal drinking age) She felt uncomfortable making an executive decision and wanted another opinion. Rather than having to bother the couple, I was there as their coordinator to help reach the decision to not serve anyone without an ID. The couple had no idea we were working on that issue while they were celebrating and were happy the concerns were taken care of during their wedding.

3. An event coordinator will help set up and ensure a timeline is followed during your party.

When you are hosting an event, would you rather watch the clock to make sure your caterer is putting out food at the right time, or would you rather enjoy greeting your guests and socializing? I've seen a caterer try to put food out an hour early when the timeline clearly stated otherwise. Sometimes a vendor gets so wrapped up in doing their job perfectly that they too forget to watch the clock as closely as they should. That's where it's nice to have someone to oversee everything to make sure the pieces fall into place as intended.If you are having a tough time in the end stages of your planning for your event, a coordinator can come in handy to help sort out the last details. He or she will know approximately how long you want to allow for each part of your party and will help put together an idea of how your event can generally flow with your allotted timeframe.

4. A coordinator will allow your other vendors to do what they were hired for.

I have heard from photographers, DJs and caterers that they love working with a day-of coordinator because they can focus on their own job. A photographer once told me that he has been pulled from photographing a wedding to help move furniture during the event. He was upset because he was afraid he was going to miss photographing something.

Kelsey Lane Photography

5. Hiring someone to take over your day of duties allows you to relax and enjoy your event

This, I think, is the biggest reason of all. I love hosting parties: the food, the décor, the smiles and laughter and all the fun that goes along with those. What I don't love, is missing so much of that because I'm more focused on making sure there's enough food out, or that candles that are burnt out are getting replaced, among many other things. Sure, your family or friends can help with those things as well, but don't they want to enjoy the event as well?A day-of coordinator is like having an extra set of eyes and arms. Things will be taken care of and yet you can still enjoy your guests and other aspects of your party. When you hire a photographer for your event, you want them to capture the details, style and shots that you or your guests might not see. That photographer has an easier time capturing said photos when a responsible coordinator is at the helm setting tables and décor up and directing them as to where the key photos will occur.  If you have any questions about this post or how I can help you with your event, please contact me! Let's grab some coffee and chat about your fun event!CALLTEXTEMAIL