Have you ever been a guest at a wedding and felt bored because certain parts dragged on? Or have you felt lost because there were no signage or staff present to tell you where to go? Have you ever experienced/seen a wedding disaster? We have been there too! Over the past 15 years of wedding planning, we have had our share of guest experiences as guests! Don’t get us wrong, we have seen so many absolutely beautiful and perfectly planned events too, but it’s when we are guests that we have witnessed the majority of the mistakes or struggles that could have been avoided with the proper planning and coordination! Here are 7 planning and coordination mistakes we have seen and ways to avoid them straight from our professional eyes to yours:

Setup Struggles

Remember, as a bride and groom, you will be busy with hair, makeup and photos during the setup process, so it is pertinent to delegate someone to set up all those items that you worked so hard on! (Spoiler: don’t make that person your maid of honor or your mom because they won’t have time either) Get a team of professionals who are not invested in enjoying the event as a guest. We make sure every space is ready for the guests before they even enter the space. When we were wedding guests, we have seen bridesmaids in heels carrying kids while trying to place out forgotten seating charts halfway through the cocktail hour (we had to relocate our party since we had already decided to settle down at a random spot because we didn’t see a chart… oops!). We have seen boxes of favors go in the trash because they didn’t get placed out and were forgotten under a table. Don’t let these things happen to you! Get a coordinator so you can have smooth event transitions and properly executed setup!

2. Emergency Kit Needs

We never attend a wedding without our giant emergency kit! Even as guests, we use it all the time and have been known to grab things when we see an emergency happening. One time, a family member broke her shoe just before the ceremony started, so I ran to my car, pulled out the crazy glue and sewing kit, and quickly made a repair. Her shoe lasted the night! Other events, I have pulled out our card box, our scissors, extension cords, back up sound system, and so much more. What are our most important emergency kit items? Scissors, steamer, glue, bobby pins, and fashion tape (that’s special tape for skin and fabric)!

3. Missed Details in Action

We try to sit back and enjoy weddings when we are guests, but sometimes, there are things we see that make us cringe! We have seen a bridesmaid chomping gum while walking down the aisle, and a bride carrying her train all the way to the altar! They had a friend coordinating and walked right past her without being corrected. When you are in a high adrenaline moment, you don’t see these details. As a bride, you are like a horse with blinders on. You are on sensory overload and are laser focused on the task at hand, so you do silly things like leaving your veil back at the hotel or starting to cut your cake without the photographer being ready or even present. Don’t make these mistakes! Our team is extremely experienced and detail oriented, so we will see these problems before they arise and fix them before they end up in your photos.

4. Sloppy Detail Setup

As experienced coordinators, we adjust every chair, count every place setting, and tweak every favor to perfection. Even the tablecloths are placed with the seams going the same direction! We have been that guest who arrives at their assigned table and realizes there aren’t enough seats. How akward! No vendor is perfect, but with a coordinator, they will be cross checking everything, catching those mistakes in advance and then fixing them before the timeline gets put on hold wait for the staff to fix the place settings. We don’t want anything holding up the grand entrance if we can help it!

5. Timing issues

Speaking of timing issues, there is nothing worse than cocktail hour dragging on forever because there was no plan for family photos, so they took 30 minutes longer than expected. THEN, because there was no coordination team working in the background, the family took an extra 15 minutes trying to get the grand entrance organized because they were doing photos. So now your guests have been in cocktail hour starving for almost two hours?! Oh, and they still need to sit through four toasts before dinner begins (which can take 45 minutes for the final table to be served). Yikes! That last table has been waiting for food a VERY long time! We have also seen guests leave early because the timeline was so far behind that the champagne toast was unused on the table for hours (and flat), the dancing hadn’t commenced, and it was already 10pm. Events like that end in unhappy guests with brides in tears because the event must end, the photographer is scheduled to leave, even though the cake never got cut! A professional coordination team will get you to the dance party on time!

6. Backyard Logistical Nightmares

Backyard weddings sound easier, right? Wrong! It is a common misconception that backyard weddings are easier. Don’t forget that you will need additional vendors like restrooms, lighting, tenting, rentals, parking, staffing, and more! But most importantly, you will need a manager of it all as there is no venue coordinator! But getting to my point, you need the proper setup to make logistics smooth and easy. Ever been to a wedding where the bar and the guest book was too close together so there was a massive back up of guests in that spot? No one knows what is going on and how to get past it. We have been there too! Where you put things on the floorplan matters. The sweetheart table should be at the photo focal point as it is the backdrop of most of your photos. The DJ should not be anywhere near there, but near the dance floor. The bar should be on the opposite side of the cocktail hour area to draw folks into the space. The seating chart should be near the entrance to the reception. Good placement means good flow of guests and events.

7. Cleanup

When the party ends, don’t forget to delegate someone to assist with taking items home or cleaning up the space. Please note that it shouldn’t be the bride and groom. Delegate family and/or friends to take your gifts, guest book, toasting flutes, cake cutting set, leftover cake, etcetera home! Having a coordinator to assist with cleanup will also make it a smooth and quick transition because they can prep for it while the dance floor is still hopping, and they know what items go where. Professional coordinators will also be clear-headed at the end of the evening, so you know your items are in good hands and you can truly enjoy your event like a guest from beginning to end. I mean how into details would you be after four hours of dancing... and drinking?! Don’t let your cousins load your leftover champagne into the same box as the guest book because you might find a soggy mess in the morning! (true story)

We hope these tips will help you keep your wedding fun, easy, and enjoyable! Don’t forget to download our free wedding checklist on our website! Happy planning!