How to prepare for your first wedding coordinator meeting

You've been planning this wedding for months. Every vendor is booked. Every decision is made. The caterer knows the count, the florist knows the palette, and the photographer knows the shot list.

Now you're hiring someone to run it. You're hiring a wedding coordinator in the Metro East because you know that without one, you'll be working your own wedding instead of living it. The first meeting with your coordinator is where the handoff happens. You've built the plan. They're going to execute it. The cleaner that handoff, the smoother your day.

Here's exactly what to have ready.

Gather your vendor contracts and contact info

Your coordinator needs to know who's showing up, when they're arriving, and how to reach them if something changes.

Pull together a list of every vendor you've booked. Name, service, phone number, email, and the primary contact person. Include your venue, caterer, florist, photographer, videographer, DJ or band, officiant, baker, hair and makeup team, and any rental companies. If you booked transportation or a photo booth, add those too. Your coordinator will introduce themselves to each vendor in the weeks before your wedding, confirm arrival times, and become the single point of contact on the day. If the florist is running late or the DJ has a question about the timeline, they'll call your coordinator, not you.

Contracts matter because they spell out what each vendor committed to deliver. Your coordinator will review them to catch any timing conflicts, setup requirements, or deliverables that require coordination. You don't have to send copies of every signed agreement, but have them ready to share if your coordinator asks. At Events By Klay, Klea reviews contracts as part of the coordination work that starts two months before your wedding.

Build a draft timeline for the day

Your coordinator will create the final timeline, but you need to give them the bones.

Start with the ceremony time. Then work backward for hair and makeup, getting dressed, and first look if you're doing one. Work forward for cocktail hour, reception entrance, toasts, first dance, cake cutting, and last dance. Note any cultural traditions, special moments, or non-negotiable timing windows. If your venue has a hard stop at 11 p.m. Or the Jewel Box in Forest Park has a strict ceremony window, write that down. If your grandmother is giving a blessing before dinner or your best friend is performing a song during cocktail hour, your coordinator needs to know.

The draft doesn't have to be minute-by-minute. Rough blocks work. Your coordinator will tighten it, add buffer, and distribute it to every vendor so the day runs on a shared clock. The goal is to give them your vision of the flow so they can turn it into a production schedule.

List any ceremony or reception details that need setup

Every detail you selected for your ceremony and reception will be placed by your coordinator on the wedding day.

Walk through the ceremony space in your head. Is there a welcome sign at the entrance? Programs on chairs? A unity candle or sand ceremony table? Aisle markers or petals? Write down where each piece goes. Do the same for the reception. Place cards, guest book, card box, table numbers, centerpieces, favors, photo display, seating chart. If you're bringing anything from home or having a family member drop off décor, your coordinator needs to know what's coming, who's bringing it, and where it lives during the event.

This is also the time to surface any tricky logistics. If the ceremony is outdoors with a backup indoor plan, explain the call time for that decision. If you're doing a sparkler exit and need someone to light and distribute them, say so. At Events By Klay, setup and décor placement are part of the coordination scope. Klea has coordinated weddings at SIUE Gardens, The Ink House, and venues across the Metro East and St. Louis, so she knows what setup looks like at spaces couples in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon already use.

Name your wedding party and family VIPs

Your coordinator will be cueing people all day, so they need to know who's who.

List your wedding party by name and role. Maid of honor, best man, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, ring bearer. Include parents, stepparents, grandparents, and anyone walking down the aisle or being seated during the processional. If someone is doing a reading, offering a toast, or playing a role in the ceremony, note that. Your coordinator will use this list during the rehearsal and on the wedding day to make sure the right people are in the right place at the right time.

If there's family dynamics your coordinator should know about, this is the moment. Divorced parents who need separate seating. A stepparent who's walking you down the aisle. A grandparent who'll need extra time getting to their seat. Your coordinator can't manage what they don't see coming.

Decide how you want to handle the ceremony rehearsal

Most coordinators include rehearsal coordination, and it's one of the highest-value pieces of the service.

Confirm the rehearsal date, time, and location with your coordinator during your first meeting. Rehearsals typically happen the night before the wedding and run about an hour. Your coordinator will walk the wedding party and family through the processional, positioning, vows, ring exchange, and recessional. They'll answer logistical questions, assign roles, and make sure your officiant and your coordinator are aligned on timing and cues.

If your ceremony includes cultural or religious traditions that need explanation or practice, let your coordinator know ahead of time. The rehearsal is where everyone learns the plan so the ceremony can be calm, not chaotic. Klea runs rehearsals for up to two hours as part of Events By Klay coordination packages, giving couples and their families the time to walk through everything until it feels second nature.

Talk through your biggest wedding day worry

Every couple has one thing keeping them up at night. Tell your coordinator what yours is.

Maybe it's the fear that your vendors won't show up. Maybe it's the seating chart and making sure your divorced parents are comfortable. Maybe it's the timing, because your venue has a hard cutoff and you're worried the day will feel rushed. Maybe it's the weather, because your ceremony is outdoors and the backup plan stresses you out. Your coordinator's job is to hold that worry for you. They'll confirm every vendor two weeks out. They'll manage sensitive family seating. They'll build buffer into the timeline. They'll make the weather call and execute the backup without you lifting a finger.

The first meeting is where you name the thing you're anxious about, and your coordinator explains exactly how they'll handle it. That exchange is what turns logistics into peace of mind. At Events By Klay, coordination work starts two months before the wedding specifically so Klea has time to confirm vendors, finalize the timeline, and address the gaps that would otherwise become day-of problems.

Confirm what's included in your coordination package

Not every coordination package covers the same scope, so use the first meeting to confirm what you're getting.

Ask if your coordinator reviews vendor contracts. Ask if they handle setup and teardown of personal décor. Ask if they manage the rehearsal, and for how long. Ask when coordination work begins. Some coordinators show up the morning of and wing it. Others start weeks or months out and manage the entire lead-up. At Events By Klay, day-of coordination begins two months before the wedding and includes final timeline creation, vendor confirmation, contract review, rehearsal coordination, and full day-of management. Setup and breakdown of personal décor, vendor oversight, and problem-solving are all part of the scope.

Pricing varies by package, and most Metro East couples working with Events By Klay invest between $1,600 and $2,500 depending on the size and complexity of the wedding. If your package includes month-of or partial planning, clarify what decisions your coordinator will help with versus what you'll handle yourself. The clearer the scope, the fewer surprises.

Let's celebrate

If you've already booked every vendor and made every decision, you're ready for a coordinator. The first meeting is where you hand off the plan you built so someone else can run it, and you can be present at your own wedding instead of managing it. Let's celebrate.