Insights and Advice from a Wedding Coordinator – An Interview with Amy Nation from The Bear Hotel
Wedding coordinators are the unsung heroes of the wedding industry. They’re responsible for bringing together all the moving parts of a wedding, from vendors to guests, to ensure the day runs seamlessly. But do you know what makes a great wedding coordinator?
To give you an insider’s perspective, Amy Nation, Senior Wedding and Events Coordinator at The Bear Hotel, was interviewed by Carys Duckworth, our Sales Manager and Wedding Venue Expert. The Bear Hotel, a stunning hotel in the heart of the charming town of Cowbridge, has been part of the WedPro community since March 2022.
Whether you’re considering a career change or want to learn more about the ins and outs of being a wedding coordinator, keep reading to discover what it takes to become a successful wedding coordinator.
Photo credit: 📸 KEM Radford Photography
“Amy is the absolute best at what she does! It’s been 10 months since my wedding at The Bear, and I would book it and do it all over again with Amy and the team!” – Nicole Rees.
What is your role and what does your day-to-day look like?
As the Senior Wedding and Events Coordinator at The Bear Hotel, I do everything from the enquiry stage for all weddings, and events, that we’ve got going on here and I take that all the way through to the day of release.
What do you love about being a wedding coordinator?
I love that every day is a totally different day. It’s so rewarding to see how your coordination gives a couple and their families such a memorable day. It’s also lovely to meet couples right at the start of their wedding planning journey. I love the excitement!
What do you think are the most important skills to have as a wedding coordinator?
To be a successful wedding coordinator you have to be organised. A key skill to have is the ability to foresee any issues before they happen, and that’s sometimes really difficult. Or if there is anything (bad) that happened, you have to problem-solve all of it without anybody noticing.
What’s your proudest moment?
My proudest moment as a wedding coordinator is probably getting through the pandemic. I laugh now about all of the strangest things we could and couldn’t do. But, we just made it work. I think how we moved through all of these weird and wonderful different things and I’m proud of that, actually, because that wasn’t an easy thing.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve seen at a wedding?
I’ve seen many things over the past four years! Believe it or not but I’ve coordinated a Star Wars wedding, with a death star cake! And not to forget a wedding that had a fantastic entertainer that performed “It should’ve been me!” – I will never forget the look on the groom’s face when he realised his bride had booked a drag artist to be an element of surprise during the wedding breakfast.
How do you handle difficult situations?
I’m quite a people person. I’ll pick up the phone and have very difficult conversations with people, but that’s not an easy thing to do. I think that’s something I have learned from doing this for four years – you’ve just got to come out with it. You’ve just got to say it. You’ve got to be strong, you’ve got to hold your own. And it is difficult.
How would you describe the life of a wedding coordinator?
I always think back to when I first took this job; what did I think it would be? It is different, but I love it because I’ve been doing it for so long. It is definitely not just what it says on the paper. People think you just walk around with a clipboard looking glamorous and they say, “O”, you know, “You have such a lovely job. It’s such a glamorous job.” It’s not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination. Don’t get me wrong, it is extremely rewarding, but there are a lot of things that form part of this role that takes place behind the scenes. You are taking somebody from getting an enquiry to selling to them to then looking after them for sometimes two or three years. Last year for example I had some couples that I’ve walked a road with for the last four years.
View The Bear Hotel’s Wedding Offers Here
How has WedPro by WeddingDates helped your Venue’s day-to-day tasks?
We are able to easily take the information from the dashboard to know how many showrounds and how many conversions we’ve had beforehand, everything was manual, which was really irritating because it meant we’d have to keep track of it ourselves whereas now it’s a click of a button and it’s all there. It is a really welcome addition, I would say!
Photo credit: 📸 KEM Radford Photography
Have you received anything special from a couple as a thank you?
I have received the most unbelievable cards and gifts. I had several international couples last year, which was so lovely, but of course, I only ever met them virtually. One of the couples from Canada bought me some maple syrup whisky. I am quite touched by some of the things that people have bought me. Some of my couples gave me personalised items with my name on them, and that always choked me up. I never know how to react, but people have been really kind.
What is your biggest challenge in the job at the moment?
The biggest challenge at the moment is people are buying differently because of the rise in the cost of living. When you are doing a showround at the venue it’s just a lot more difficult than before. You really have to sell it and it is all about numbers now. Couples are looking closer at the intricate details of everything, and it’s just a little bit of a different feel compared to the way it was before.
Any advice for someone that wants to pursue a career as a wedding coordinator?
I think once you’re in the wedding bubble, it’s very difficult to come out of it. It is a career which I clearly have a passion for. I love the industry and I love the people I work with. I think the people and the role itself have been tested through the pandemic and those who are still doing it just show they really love what they do.
I have many friends that are also wedding coordinators. It can be quite a high-turnover job in terms of people only doing it for a certain period of time because at times it can be a bit much. I think you just have to keep smiling. it can be a lovely, rewarding job.
View The Bear Hotel’s Listing Here
We’d like to extend a special thank you to Amy who generously shared her experiences and advice with us. Your insights and expertise have been invaluable in helping aspiring wedding coordinators understand what it takes to succeed in this industry.
Becoming a wedding coordinator is an exciting and fulfilling career path, but it’s not for the faint of heart. From the necessary skills to succeed to celebrating your success, there’s a lot to consider when entering this industry. By following the advice of experienced wedding coordinators, you can learn how to navigate the ups and downs of the job and thrive in this challenging yet rewarding profession.
Connect with Carys Duckworth, our Sales Manager and Wedding Venue Expert on LinkedIn, book a demo with her or contact her at carys@weddingdates.co.uk. For more news and updates about WedPro by WeddingDates follow us on social media:
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