The question, from a real bride in a Toronto wedding group today: she wants to know what a day-of coordinator's role typically includes, with or without an assistant. Her wedding has around 130 guests, and she is wondering whether the coordinator would usually help set up light DIY decor on the wedding day, things like table decorations and medium-sized centrepieces, or whether she should plan to handle that herself.
The short answer: maybe. And that is exactly the problem. There is no standard definition of what a day-of coordinator includes. Two coordinators charging similar prices can offer completely different things. The contract is everything.
Despite the name, most coordinators start 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding, not the day before. The core job is the same everywhere: they turn your plans into a minute-by-minute timeline, become the single point of contact for all your vendors, and keep the day moving so you never have to watch the clock. That part is standard.
On the day itself, most coordinators will:
Here is where it gets murky. Setting out a guest book is one thing. Placing 15 DIY centrepieces is another. Some coordinators include light decor setup. Others explicitly exclude it. We found one coordinator whose contract states plainly that they do not assist with decor, including placing centrepieces, and asks that the florist handle table decor instead. Another coordinator wrote that table centrepieces alone once took her 3 hours to set up at a wedding.
Think about that number. Three hours for centrepieces. A coordinator who is placing your decor for three hours is not confirming your vendors, not lining up your wedding party, and not watching your timeline. That is the trade-off, and it is why so many coordinators draw the line.
This is the question the bride asked, and it matters more than most couples realize. A solo coordinator cannot be in two places at once. If she is at the ceremony venue cueing the processional, she is not at the reception venue placing your table numbers. An assistant means a second pair of hands: one person manages vendors and timeline while the other handles setup details. If DIY decor setup matters to you, an assistant is not a luxury add-on. It is the thing that makes setup possible at all.
Do not ask "do you handle setup?" That question is too vague and every coordinator will say yes. Ask these instead:
Get the answers in the contract, not in a DM. "We will help with setup" means nothing if the contract says otherwise.
If your coordinator does not include full decor setup, you still have options. Recruit a small setup crew from the wedding party and give them a printed diagram of every table. Ask your florist whether they offer setup as an add-on. Or hire the coordinator's assistant for an extra hour specifically for decor. What does not work is assuming it will somehow get done. At 130 guests, that is roughly 13 to 16 tables of decor sitting in boxes with nobody assigned to place them.
The right coordinator is the one whose contract matches your expectations before the wedding day, not the one you have to renegotiate with during it.