Weddingbee boards

I'm jumping on the day-of-coordinator bandwagon after discovering that my "event coordinator" at my site really does nothing to help the bride (like setting up the centerpieces). And I will not be setting up centerpieces in my fancy dress!

SO, the question comes in - what's a "good deal" as far as a DOC goes? I have quotes starting at $300 and ranging all the way to . . . well, whatever you can imagine.

All I need is for someone to set up the ceremony, take down the ceremony and set up the reception, then take down the reception decor at the end of the night. And maybe pick up my flowers at the florist (I'm not paying $50 to have them deliver 4 bouquets and 9 boutonierres/corsages a mere 3 blocks).

I just interviewed someone getting her business up and running (the $300) and she'll be there for the whole day (12 hours) and the rehearsal dinner, and do whatever I need on those days. She seems competent, and much less expensive than everyone else I've gotten quotes from. But she's new (she has 1 wedding under her belt, and 3 more already booked before mine). How much of an issue might that be?

Thanks! I've added a poll to get more opinions (I love the colored bars )

I'm doing something similar.  I'm "hiring" a friend of my godmother's who is looking to get started doing stuff like this on the side for extra cash.  She works in my godmother's office as an event coordinator so she definitely has relative experience.

I'm planning on paying her about $300 for about 5-6 hours.

I'd go with the cheaper one, but I'm ALL about the budget.  She may not have a lot of experience, but she could end up wowing you.  And if she doesn't, it is doubtful the whole day could be ruined because of it. 

Be VERY upfront about your expectations and you should be fine.

I don't think it comes down to if you're a DIY bride or not, just what the expectations are for the day. I'm not having an elaborate wedding set-up, I really just need someone to set up the centerpieces (table runner, mirror tile, potted plant and some scattered loveliness) and take everything down at night.

Our room has a wall of windows that overlooks the lake - that was enough decoration for me!

And I need someone to act as a vendor contact (which the facility event coordinator will also do, but I want someone acting on my behalf, not the facility's behalf). I think that if others have had success with family and friends helping out for about the same cost, I'll take the plunge and support this lovely person that I met today by being one of her first clients (and theoretically getting a pretty sweet deal in the process).

In Conclusion . . .

After much deliberation, weighing the pros and cons of all possible decisions, we elected to take a chance on the new wedding coordinator and help her build her business. One key element was that FH said "no" to paying $600 for a coordinator, since we hadn't budgeted for one in the first place.

And, after talking with several other DOCs on the phone yesterday, I was completely underwhelmed with what paying for experience would get me (basically, just inflated egos and inflated sense of how much their time is worth on an hourly basis - $200 per hour, seriously?).

So, maybe going the less expensive route will bite me in the you-know-where, but I have good feelings about newbie DOC and think she'll do the best job because she's eager to please.