~From Martha's Mouth to Your Ears

Hiring a wedding coordinator was once a luxury. Today, for many couples, it's a necessity. Planning a wedding is more complicated than ever, now that most brides and grooms don't meet and marry in the same hometown. Both the bride and groom usually want to be involved with the arrangements but are often preoccupied with work or school. They have high expectations of their weddings, but are novices at organizing such big events. Not only can a wedding coordinator handle the time-consuming, stress-inducing details, but he or she can also help make the planning itself an enjoyable experience. "Many couples have tremendous wedding days," says Elizabeth K. Allen, a planner with offices in New York City and Atlanta. "But looking back, they realize how stressful it was to get there. A wedding coordinator helps to make it an enjoyable process all around, so the couple has great memories of the engagement and the celebration."