If only one good thing comes out of my life being pretty much completely on hold right now, other than flattening the curve, perhaps it’s that I’ve had the time to put some deep thought into things I’ve had on my to-do list for a while. One of those things was revamping the titles of my service pacakges and creating a beautiful magazine which contains information on each package. Largely the packages stayed the same and the services included in each package also remained mostly the same. However, the biggest change came to my Day of Coordination package. The change being the name. Day of Coordination is now known around here as Wedding Management. 

But like…why? 
It’s simple, it doesn’t fit what we actually do. No one, and I do mean NO ONE, could swoop in on one day and just handle things and expect it to actually go well. Coordinating a wedding day the right way takes planning, it takes work prior to the DAY OF. I start really digging in with our “day of” brides about a month before the wedding.

Additionally, because there are some planning services included in my package, Day of Coordination has never really described what is actually offered. My “day of” clients actually have access to me via text or email from the moment they book until the moment they walk down the aisle to help with those “oh sh*t I don’t know what to do but Amber will know” moments.

In truth I kept this service with the Day of Coordination title for so many years because I felt like couples planning weddings in my market wouldn’t understand what anything labeled something other than Day of Coordination really is. Because I do think couples have been more comfortable with the labels “day of coordinator” versus “wedding planner” and look specifically for services and people with the title “day of coordination” and “day of coordinator” but that just isn’t me. What I do and the experience I have with over 300 weddings under my belt absolutely makes me a WEDDING PLANNER and not solely a day of coordinator. How a client chooses to use me is up to them and does not diminish the level of expertise I bring to the package that they select. There’s always been such a stigma in the upper midwest regarding hiring a wedding planner, something that I am so happy is changing, but I didn’t want potential clients to think that having a professional with them on their wedding day to handle the details and deal with the problems was out of their budget or unattainable and I have felt that in the past putting the term Day of Coordination on things was a way to try to make potential clients feel like they were ONLY getting certain services so it was a better deal and less of an unnecessary item.

So often the things people say are “I only need a day of coordinator”,“we have done all the planning and only need day of coordination” etc, and that may be largely the case, but the fact still remains that DAY of does not exist. At least not in the Amber Terese Weddings & Events world. Relabeling the Day of Coordination service to Wedding Management better describes what I do and what the service actually is. I’m still your coordinator and will be there for you on your wedding day to make sure everything is perfect, but better yet, I’m also your planner. Something I promise you’ll be thankful for. 

Another change I’ve made during this time was the addition of the Wedding Management Plus package. I created this package in 2019 as a custom package for a client and I have found that it fits a lot of couple’s needs. It is right in between my Wedding Management and Partial Planning packages and gives clients extra support in the home stretch of their wedding planning. 

So that’s the “something(s) new” around here. Day of Coordination is still that support you need in place on the day of your wedding it’s just known as Wedding Management now and comes with a little extra help before the big day and the Wedding Management Plus package is also a wonderful way to get a bit more help on the last leg of the journey down the aisle. 

Ultimately having a professional wedding planner on your side coordinating your wedding day is something that is affordable and so worth every penny, or at least that is what my former clients tell me. The sooner we all get rid of the preconceived notions regarding wedding planners being “too expensive” or unnecessary the sooner couples will view planning their special day as fun and not stressful and the sooner every couple will have completely worry free days to make memories that truly matter.

PS- all these stunning photos are from Midwest Lifeshots of Melissa and Bob’s gorgeous Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery wedding. Melissa and Bob were Wedding Management clients that I absolutely adored. Also the team from Midwest Lifeshots, let me tell you, I’d run through vineyards and swat mosquitos with them any day. 

XOXO- Amber

ps. best “dip” photo of all time.