Today, we're diving into a hot topic in the wedding world: the month-of coordinator. And while you might have been told to run for the hills when it comes to this service (and other BS advice like the only way to make money is by selling luxury), the truth is that you can make good money offering month-of wedding coordination. So, is being a month-of wedding coordinator a niche? Let’s talk about it!
What Exactly is a Month-of Coordinator?
A month-of coordinator is a wedding planner who steps in around 4-8 weeks before the wedding, taking the reins from the couple and making sure everything they’ve planned runs smoothly. You’ll be tying up loose ends, confirming details with vendors, creating a timeline, and being the point person on the day of the wedding. This role can also be called “wedding management” or “day-of coordination.”
It’s a great option for couples who’ve done most of the planning themselves but want a pro to ensure their vision comes to life without any hiccups. Plus, it’s a perfect way for new wedding planners to get their feet wet without taking on the full load of planning from start to finish. It’s also one of the easiest services to book (because the demand tends to be high and the price tends to be low), so it can be a great way to fill holes in your calendar when you’re not fully booked.
The Big Question: Is Month-of Wedding Coordinator a Niche?
Okay, here's the tea: Month-of coordination can be a niche, but it doesn't have to be. What this means is that you can offer month-of coordination doesn’t have to be the only thing you offer in your wedding planning biz, but it can be!
Why Month-of Coordinator Can Be a Niche
1. It Requires a Unique Skill Set
Offering month-of coordination is truly a unique skill set that requires a special kind of talent. You need to be excellent under pressure because you’re stepping in at the last minute to pull together all the moving parts of a wedding. Unlike a full-service planner, you won’t have the chance to select the vendors or shape the planning process from the start, so your ability to adapt quickly and work seamlessly with a diverse group of people is going to be key. It’s one of the reasons that most wedding planners try to avoid this service as they grow their businesses.
2. Defined Target Market
There’s a clear audience for month-of coordination: couples who enjoy the DIY aspect of wedding planning (or don’t have it in their budget to hire for full service) but still value hiring a professional to make sure everything comes together perfectly. By marketing to this group (that, let’s be honest, most other wedding planners are ignoring), you can carve out a specialized niche for yourself.
3. Focused and Efficient Services
By zeroing in on month of coordination, you can streamline your processes and become highly efficient in your business. Streamlined operations are KEY to making this a profitable service for you despite the lower price point. If you’re not sure what a wedding coordination workflow should look like, you can grab my playbook detailing the entire service (from start to finish) here.
4. Flexible Time Commitment
If you’re not interested in lengthy planning engagements, don’t want to book your calendar two years in advance, or have other commitments, month-of coordination can be absolutely ideal. It allows you to work with more couples over shorter periods, offering a better work-life balance while still growing your business.
Being a Month-of Coordinator Doesn't Have to Be a Niche
We’ve just talked about why month-of coordinator can be a great niche, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are three ways that it can fit well into the services you already provide as a wedding planner.
1. It can be a great way to fill your calendar
Many successful wedding planners offer month-of coordination as part of a broader service lineup, including full-service planning, instead of choosing to go “all-in” on month-of coordination. In my experience as a business coach for wedding pros, month-of coordination is one of the easiest services to book, so it’s a good idea to offer it in the early stages of business or if you are having trouble filling your calendar.
2. There are opportunities to upsell
Month-of coordination can serve as a gateway service, where once couples get a taste of what it’s like to work with you, they upgrade their packages or add additional planning hours. By keeping your options open with month of coordination, you can maximize your revenue potential from the service for couples who can’t afford full planning.
3. You don’t need to book as far ahead
Some planners choose to offer full planning services up to two years in advance but only open the doors to coordination services 6 months
before the wedding. There’s a strategy behind this! By reserving those precious Saturday dates for full planning clients, planners make sure that they’re saving their time and resources for higher-ticket services that require more extensive involvement (and might be more of what they prefer to book!).
The Pros and Cons of Making Month-of Coordinator a Niche
Now that we’ve talked about whether or not you should consider making month-of coordinator a niche, let's dive in a little deeper into the pros and cons of the service itself.
Pros
- You become the go-to expert in your niche, making you the person everyone thinks of for month of coordination, which can lead to more referrals.
- Marketing is easier when you’re promoting one clear service instead of a wide range of options.
- Focusing on one type of service allows you to create highly efficient systems and streamline your processes.
- With shorter client engagements, it might be easier to achieve a better work-life balance.
Cons
- There’s less flexibility if a client who initially wants month of coordination realizes they need more help, potentially leading to missed opportunities.
- Full-service planning usually commands a higher fee, so you might earn less per client by focusing solely on month-of coordination.
- If you enjoy the creative aspects of full planning, you might miss out on that experience by offering only month of services.
- The wedding industry’s seasonality can be challenging—offering just month of services could leave you overwhelmed during peak seasons and with little work during the off-season.
So, What's the Verdict? Is Month of Coordination a Niche?
Here's the thing, wedding pros: there's no one-size-fits-all answer. The beauty of this industry is that you can shape your business to fit your skills, passions, and lifestyle. If you love the idea of swooping in and helping couples during the final weeks, then make month-of coordination your niche! Own it, market it, and become the go-to pro in your area.
But if you're like most of the wedding planners I coach and you love the variety of offering different service levels, then keep that month of coordination as part of your wedding planning toolkit (and book it when it best serves you). Use it to attract clients who might later upgrade to full service or to fill in gaps in your schedule.
If you want to dive deeper (and build your business as a month-of coordinator), make sure to grab my Month-of Coordination Playbook where I walk you through everything you need to know (and do!). And, if you really want to grow your wedding business, make sure you hop on the Planner’s Playbook waitlist for the next time doors open! I’d love to support you even more inside!
Want more? Check out this video on my YouTube channel ↓
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It’s official - the new candicecoppola.com is now live!
This website overall was completely inspired by my recent brand shoot with @c10ike and @theluckyshare (whose work you see ALL over it!). I really felt inspired after that experience to switch things up, and the creativity these two ladies brought to the experience definitely influenced how I gave my brand a refresh!
On the podcast this week I am talking about what I learned during this process. There were a few fun lessons along the way I wanted to share - so go listen to episode 151!
Because I know you care about the details…
> I used the gorgeous Fitzgerald template from @tonicsiteshop! So easy to customize and I love how different it looks than the original - but I honestly didn’t change much except my branding!
> I brought in a few new colors (hello lavender) and switched up the color hierarchy of my brand. Sometimes that’s all you need - a new POP of color and a change up of how you use color.
> I also switched up the fonts to Editors Note from @jenwagner.co and Poppins, a perfect combo.
I really did this in a weekend (and a day!). I did spend the next weekend with the website live testing it and making sure shit didn’t look crazy. But it was so easy to do and I’m so glad I carved out the time to do it.
One thing I know for SURE about marketing is that if you’re not excited to talk about it - then you’re not gonna talk about it. We need to feel GOOD and PROUD of what we put out there.
SO, if you’re not excited about your branding, website, or marketing collateral I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that you’re not marketing your business very well right now. What to do? Get yourself a refresh or a rebrand and fall back in love with the visual assets of your of your brands personality. It’s going to breath new life into your business and how you talk about who you are and what you do.
OK - go to my website and check it out!!
Do you plan out your business strategy by quarter? I’m a huge fan of this method - and this week on the podcast I’m giving you a peek behind the curtain at my quarterly business planning process.
I’ve used this process for years in my business and I even work 1:1 with the women in my mastermind group on this exact strategy to prep for sales season.
If you’ve entered the forth quarter feeling a little lost on what you should be doing before the year ends - this episode will give you a complete roadmap. We cover:
✨ How to fine-tune your sales funnel
👀 How to figure out what to adjust in your sales process to attract new couples
🙏🏼 Why this season is key to filling up your calendar for next year
I consider this episode to be one of the best strategy sessions I’ve ever given outside of my paid programs. Comment STRATEGY and I’ll send you the link!
#weddingpros #powerinpurposepodcast #powerinpurpose #weddingbusiness #weddingstrategy #weddingpodcast #weddingindustry #weddingpro #weddingindustryexperts #weddingeducation #weddingbusinesscoach #weddingbusinessbosses #candicecoppola #weddingproinsiders
I have to admit - I haven’t always been convinced running ads is the right move for wedding pros.
Our buyer journey is SO different from other businesses and there’s a lot of marketing techniques that work great for others - and not for us.
But after talking with @learnwithelisabeth from @elisabethstuckeydesign about her experience, my mind has been officially changed.
I was so excited to sit down with her and hear about her experience running ads for her luxury stationery business. We dig into the data and details of her campaigns, including her investment and how much revenue she generated from ads.
She also shares some EXTREMELY valuable tips on how you can run ads and some of the things you need to do behind the scenes to nurture leads that come from ads.
It’s an amazing episode and you need to hear this before engagement season. Comment 149 and I’ll send you the links to Apple, Spotify, and our blog!
Did you tune into this episode? What did you think??
#thepowerinpurpose #thepowerinpurposepodcast #weddingpros #weddingindustry #weddingblog #weddingbusiness #weddinginvitations #weddingmarketing #weddingpro #weddingpodcast #weddingindustryexperts #weddingindustrypodcast #weddingprofessionals #weddingpropodcast #candicecoppola #elisabethstuckey
Me in a nutshell 🥰
I think I should have “probably won’t text you back” written on my tombstone. It’s so bad my friends text my husband to make plans with me 😂😂
What’s one thing you’re really bad at?
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