Details Made Simple Can Make Your Wedding Day A Breeze

Wedding days can be stressful. They are a special way to celebrate a major milestone with family and friends, but there’s no denying that all the details and scheduling can be overwhelming — especially when you’re the bride. Figuring out where to direct your great aunt who showed up two hours early while you’re in the middle of getting your makeup done is the last thing you need on your special day. 

In an ideal world, both future spouses are involved in the wedding planning process and are equally as attentive to the needs of the day itself. Both partners should communicate and delegate responsibilities in the process of planning and executing the wedding itself. This isn’t always the case, however, and it can be difficult to be the partner who picks up the slack. 

If you’re finding yourself overwhelmed with a plate full of wedding responsibilities, hiring a day-of wedding coordinator can make that plate a whole lot easier to balance. 

All you should be focusing on during your celebration is soaking in every moment of love and having fun with your loved ones. A wedding coordinator makes sure that is the case by managing the small details — down to the timing of the speeches and making sure there is enough ice behind the bar. 

Details Made Simple is an award-winning team of wedding coordinators serving the NYC, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Metro DC areas. As an all-woman and woman-founded company, DMS understands the importance of setting couples up for success, especially as it pertains to the bride and her vision.

Carla Friday founded DMS 13 years ago with this vision in mind. Her goal is to help couples enjoy their day with peace of mind knowing that she and her team of day-of wedding coordinators are there to help everything run smoothly and on time.

The Perfect Guide for a DIY Bride

One of my sisters got married earlier this year, and watching her go through the wedding planning process taught me so much. Researching, contacting vendors, and setting up everything from the venue to the DJ is almost a full-time job in itself. While a wedding planner is an amazing resource to simplify and streamline this process, they aren’t necessarily accessible to everyone planning a wedding — especially in 2023.

Between rising inflation and the ripples of post-pandemic economic hardship, weddings are pricier than ever. Earlier this year, CNN reported that the average cost of getting married reached $29,000 in 2023. This doesn’t always include the expense of hiring a wedding planner — a person who, as the name suggests, handles the planning of your wedding through the day itself. 

Spending over $30,000 on a single day isn’t an option for everyone, especially when that cost may or may not involve a day-of coordinator. Following a budget is usually top of mind for DIY brides who are doing most of their own planning.

Without a professional onsite during your wedding day, the chances of things going awry or important details being forgotten are notably higher. You and your betrothed will be occupied and likely pulled in all different directions throughout the day — it’s safe to say that you won’t have the time or energy to light the floating candles on each table or make sure the DJ gets all the names of your wedding party correct.

“It’s nice to have someone like us,” Carla said. “Think of us like your very own wedding day insurance policy! We get started around the three-month mark, as you should have most of your planning done by then. We’ll jump in and say things like ‘You still need to do this, we recommend you do that, etc,’ because that’s important for the day to go smoothly and on time as well as produce an iron-clad and detailed timeline.”

Carla continued, “At the end of the day, we work for the couple, not the venue or hired vendors. Our job is to be the couple’s personal support system day-of and ensure that everything they’ve planned goes as planned. ”

Hiring a wedding day coordinator surely will be the best money you spend out of the whole wedding!

During my sister’s wedding, our youngest sister and I noticed that the water vases were becoming empty at each guest table. Rather than alert the bride while she and our new brother-in-law had their first few moments to breathe, her day-of coordinator jumped right in with us and made the necessary refills happen. She was a lifesaver in many ways throughout that day, which made it possible for my sister to truly enjoy it with as little stress as possible.

No Detail Left Behind

As you’re going through the initial planning process for your wedding, bigger elements like choosing the venue, the dress, and even the type of cake you want tend to take precedence over other details. For some couples, this may cause some important considerations to fall through the cracks. 

“Timing is always a big thing. A general rule is that hair and makeup should be wrapped up about 30 minutes prior to the photographer arriving. So when the photographer gets there, we’re not waiting on bridesmaids holding up the timeline because every vendor is there for a certain amount of time — then they get to work,” Carla said.

“I think a lot of brides sometimes feel like they can organize this day on their own,” she continued. “However, ideally, you need to know how wedding day logistics work and how the venue works. Not fully understanding this can have lots of couples making mistakes on the timing of their day.”

Wedding Day Coordinators like Carla and her talented team at DMS pay attention to the little things, the “details,”  throughout your special day so you can focus on making memories and celebrating in the company of the people who love you.

“I self-titled myself as ‘The Master of Logistics,’ as I love to make sure everything goes smoothly and on time,” she shared. “Your vendors are there, doing their thing, providing the services and design you envisioned. I’m focusing on timing and making sure everybody’s where they need to be, and everything you’ve planned is going to perfection.”

An Intersectional Approach to Cultural Celebrations

If you’ve been to a few weddings in the past few years, then you know they can sometimes become all-day affairs. Whether you’re a guest or a member of the bridal party, having any involvement in a wedding can consume significant time and energy. This tends to be amplified when a wedding event is specifically catered to a certain culture. 

Multicultural weddings often have traditions that are considered sacred and meaningful to couples who come from those backgrounds.

Carla and the team of Coordinators at DMS understand how important it is to honor the traditions of a couple when they come from a specific culture or background. For example, Carla shares that they have coordinated many weddings for Jewish couples who uphold the breaking glass tradition and Ketubah signing and even Indian weddings where the groom rides in on a horse during the Baraat.

“It’s really important to have a coordinator or a full planner who is making sure these traditions are understood as many of these traditions are very important to get married in some cultures,” Carla explained. “Knowing this, we ask lots of questions to understand the cultural pieces in detail, and then we make them happen. You have to know what’s going on. And in the end, they are so much fun and beautiful, it’s really neat learning different cultures.”

The sensitivity and care with which Carla and the DMS team handle each wedding in unapparelled — whether it be a three-day Indian extravaganza or a traditional Catholic celebration in a cathedral — it’s obvious judging by the hundreds of reviews by the happy couples they’ve served. The wedding coordination packages they offer are sure to fit any type of bride or groom and cover any and every day-of detail you can imagine.