WHAT’S A “DAY-OF” WEDDING COORDINATOR?

When discussing Chestnut & Vine with potential clients, I am often asked (1) exactly what is “day-of wedding coordination,” and (2) what made you decide to focus solely on “day-of” services?   What better place to address these questions than here on “The Corner of Chestnut & Vine”?

“Day-of Coordination” is wedding industry lingo for when a couple hires an organizer to implement their wedding plans for them.  In other words, the bride and groom choose their theme, colors, venues, vendors, menus, entertainment, decorations, etc. themselves, but then they hire a coordinator to handle all of the event details the weekend of the wedding.  “Day-of” is a deceiving description because the coordinator actually begins working on the wedding details well before the big day arrives.  For instance, I meet with my clients 6 weeks before their wedding day to discuss timelines, exchange contact information for vendors/venues, review transportation plans, and identify details that they may have overlooked.  In the weeks leading up to the wedding, the day-of coordinator drafts the wedding weekend schedule, contacts all of the vendors, and confirms that all of the details will be conducted as planned.  When the wedding weekend arrives, the day-of coordinator oversees the set-up process, keeps the wedding timeline on schedule, handles last minute emergencies, distributes gratuities, and then sees that the gifts and centerpieces are transported to a designated location.

As a recent DIY bride, I relate well with engaged couples who develop their own wedding day vision and want to be in charge of the planning process.  Many DIY brides and grooms find themselves in a last minute panic and are unable to fully enjoy their wedding day because they didn’t hire a professional to handle the final details for them.  A friend once confided to me that she should have hired a day-of wedding coordinator because it wasn’t until the end of her reception that she realized there was no one to pack-up the centerpieces or load the gifts into the car.  Instead of having a big send-off at the end of the night, she and her bridesmaids were scrambling frantically around the hall in their formal gowns collecting centerpieces and carrying large gifts to the parking lot.  This is taking DIY to an unnecessary extreme and is a guaranteed buzz kill for the bride and groom, the wedding party and their guests.  Hearing numerous stories like my friend’s made me realize that day-of wedding coordination is an untapped niche that I am excited to serve.

Welcome to “The Corner of Chestnut & Vine”

Chestnut & Vine’s newly designed website is finally here! This project has been months in the making, but I think you will agree that it was well worth the wait! This blog, “The Corner of Chestnut & Vine”, is where you will get my perspective on various wedding trends and planning tips, as well as meet my amazing clients. In case we haven’t had the chance to meet yet, I’m Erin McCauley – owner and founder of Chestnut & Vine Day-of Wedding Coordination. I moved to Raleigh, NC over six years ago on a complete whim that turned into the best decision of my life because it is here where I met the love of my life, became a wife, a co-parent to my step-daughters, and started my own small business. It also doesn’t hurt that the weather is much better in North Carolina than it is in the Midwest.

Even as a kid growing up in Springfield, IL, I’ve always been a planner who loved to make lists and work on projects. I honed my planning skills as a student at Indiana University (GO HOOSIERS!) where I was on the Steering Committees of the two largest campus events, IU Sing and the Little 500 bicycle race. During my time at IU I learned the importance of teamwork, compromise, leadership, and being organized. It is also where I realized my passion for event planning.

Over the years I ventured down a number of paths that enhanced my event planning skills. I was a training coordinator for the Walt Disney Company; an event coordinator for the Indiana University Foundation, and a campus activities director at several universities. Through a twist of fate, I was presented with an opportunity to venture down a new career path as a paralegal for a large law firm. As someone who embraces change, I decided to go for it. My legal career has improved my organizational skills, expanded my understanding of contractual agreements, and given me the flexibility to volunteer for organizations that benefit from my event planning abilities. However, it was during the planning of my own wedding that I realized how much I missed planning events on a regular basis and working with vendors to create an unforgettable experience. In fact, I had such a great time planning my own wedding that when it was all over, I found myself eager to help others plan their weddings. Hence the creation of Chestnut & Vine.

I love helping couples identify the little things that make their weddings uniquely them and then handling all of those details so that they can fully enjoy the biggest day of their lives. Engaged couples can also depend on my legal expertise to help them better understand and negotiate vendor contracts. My ultimate goal as a wedding coordinator is to make sure that my clients and their guests have as much fun as my husband and I did on our wedding day, and our guests will testify that we all had a blast.

Hopefully this gives you some insight in to who I am and how much joy I get from coordinating weddings for my clients. If you have any bridal related questions or come across interesting wedding articles, send them my way, and please keep an eye out for more posts on “The Corner of Chestnut & Vine.”

P.S. A huge thank you to Drew Schlosser and his talented team at Solution Design for the outstanding job they did on Chestnut & Vine’s logo and website. I could not be more pleased with how it all turned out. If you are in need of professional branding and/or web design, please check out their portfolio at yoursolutiondesign.com. Their work does not disappoint.