1. Build the timeline around your vendors, not just your ceremony
Your ceremony start time is only one point on the day. Work backward from it: when does the florist need access to the venue, when does the caterer need the kitchen, when does hair and makeup actually need to start to leave buffer room? A timeline built only around "ceremony at 5:30" leaves every other vendor guessing.
2. Confirm every vendor twice — once at booking, once the week of
Contracts get signed and then, understandably, everyone moves on. A short confirmation call the week of the wedding — arrival time, load-in access, final headcount — catches the small misunderstandings before they become day-of surprises.
3. Assign someone other than the couple to handle payments and tips
Final payments and vendor gratuities are easy to forget when you're getting married. Assign this to a coordinator, a trusted family member, or a wedding party member ahead of time, with envelopes labeled and ready — not something figured out at 4pm on the day.
4. Plan for weather, even at an indoor venue
Rain plans matter for outdoor ceremonies, obviously — but weather also affects parking, guest arrival time, and photo timing even for a fully indoor event. Build in a 15-minute buffer for guest arrival on any day with rain in the forecast.
5. Give one person — not the couple — final say on last-minute calls
Something will come up: a vendor running late, a seating question, a timeline adjustment. Decide in advance who's authorized to make that call without pulling the couple away from the day. That's the actual job of day-of coordination — not just "being there," but being the person who absorbs the small decisions so you don't have to.
Want a coordinator handling all five of these on your wedding day? See our Event Management package.