I’ve known Victoria Canada for nearly 9 years and in that time I’ve seen her grow into one of Arizona’s most sought
after wedding coordinators. We’ve shared a lot of personal experiences along the way, from helping host bridal
bootcamps, wine tasting in Sonoma after one of our joint weddings, and documenting her family through my lens
for the holidays, but the majority of our meet ups are at the weddings she coordinates. I usually find her hiding
behind the scenes with her hands-free walkie talkie looking like a secret service agent for the bride. Which in a lot
of ways, she is….protecting her couples from unnecessary drama.

9 years and 200+ weddings after my first encounter with Vic, I’ve learned quite a bit about the coordinator’s role in
weddings. One of the biggest and most surprising lessons is that the success of my photographs is directly linked
to the quality of the team behind the scenes. I used to think of myself as a solo artist, showing up to document the
day and all that comes with it. But my images are best when there is a solid timeline and the coordination runs
smoothly. If my bride is worried about the details and the drama, then she’s not smiling. And if she’s not smiling,
then she won’t want to remember her day, no matter how fabulous the photos turn out. When I know a wedding is
going to be coordinated by someone who is qualified and experienced, I know it’s going to be a good day for my
couple and my photos are going to benefit from that.

It’s important to note that not all coordinators are good. Some are great and some are not so hot. Most often, you
get what you pay for, and if you’re working with someone who is experienced you’re more than likely in good
hands. I have had the pleasure of working with a few GREAT coordinators, and Victoria is at the top of the list.

I am always so excited for the opportunity to work with her. Not only does she help the bride’s day run seamlessly,
but she helps mine as well. My job is so dependent on ensuring my couples are happy and their day runs on time so
it’s always a godsend when Victoria or one of her associates are on board helping move the day along and picking
up any stray pieces.

Victoria and I took some much needed time to catch up the other day and she helped answer some questions I
thought may be beneficial to some of my couples who are debating on hiring a coordinator. Her answers are
refreshingly candid and, not-surprisingly, hilarious!

Victoria as the secret service agent.

What are 5 of the biggest red flags you see before a wedding?

#1: Knowing the role of the Catering Manager: The Catering Manager is NOT a wedding planner – he or she
manages the food and beverage. So if a bride is wanting a wedding with a TON of set up (and we do those all the
time) know that the catering manager cannot, and should not, do that. If you envision
a wedding that you saw in Style Me Pretty, know that there were many hands involved to
get it to that level.

#2: Price haggling. Negotiating is fine to a certain extent. Many vendors run on slim margins when it comes to
running their business, so a little haggle is ok. However, if you love a certain vendor, and you are looking to book a
prime date, you need to know that they will book that date to someone who understands that the price is firm.

#3: Not getting a guest list done first. That is the foundation for your event and will dictate your budget, location,
and many other factors.

#4: Leaving the last minute details to the very end. If you do not have time to pull all the little details together you
have some choices: become a raging bridezilla and have the bridal party fear you, abandon them (what wedding
guest really needs cupcake mix in a jar?), or pay someone to complete the tasks for you realizing you want those
items and you know what your time is worth.

#5: Knowing your audience. A big problem is that many brides want their fiancé to be as excited about the wedding
as they are. Ladies, just because your man is not mulling over the linen selections or floral does not mean he is
excited. A good rule of thumb is guys want to be involved in Food, Booze, and Music.

What advice would you give a bride who has her mother, friend or another family member planning the
wedding?

As wonderful as it is to think that you are going to have a friend or family member help “plan” your wedding- think
about the wedding day itself.

Your Mom- do you want her hanging out with you and enjoying your wedding day, or do you want her putting out
place cards, checking that the band is here, finding the iPod that the best man has that the groom gave him with the
first dance. The list could go on and on.

Friends planning weddings- I love going to a friend’s wedding as a guest. But it is really hard to relax and enjoy
as a guest and be responsible for planning it. So If you have a friend who wants to assist you, be prepared to lower
your expectations. Your friend is probably fabulous, but is not a wedding planner. I had a person tell me one time
her friend is really organized and would help her with her wedding because she planned events…. golf events. Not
to discount what her friend does- I personally do like to attempt to plan golf events- you can catch me with a beer
riding around in the cart. The reason? It is a whole different animal! On Top Chef all the Chefs FREAK out if they
have to bake or do pastry- why? It should be simple- you are making food for people right? Well my lovelies, it
is because baking and cooking although similar are quite different. The same with event planners- so know the
strengths of your parent, planner, friend and at least you will have a realistic outlook on how the day may run.

What are some of the things you do behind the scenes that the couple or family never know about both during the day and before the day?

* Sewing a bride into a dress

*Sewing a bridesmaid into a dress

*Catching dogs that are in the wedding as they run away

*Asking the drunk groomsmen to slow down on drinks because he will be toasting soon

* Finding the iPod that was given to the Dad, then to the Groom, then back to the Dad who have it to the Best Man
and now it is in an unknown hotel room without a key

* Moving the bride and groom’s items from their hotel room to the bridal suite

*Calling room service to pick up the hotel room or cleaning it up ourselves before the bride and groom arrive

*Bringing gifts from the ceremony to a hotel room or a parent’s car- a LOT of gifts

*Giving the bride foot pads so she can keep dancing in her 5 inch heels

*Giving mints to the bridal party before they walk down the aisle

*Holding the bouquet, purse, lip gloss, shoes, mom’s purse and veil while photos are being taken

*Having to break it to a parent that their child does not want them to do a toast at the wedding- heartbreaking and
awkward on our end

*Having to the threaten the DJ (*who we did not hire) within an inch of his life that if he does not play what the
couple asks him to play, it will not be pretty

*Holding the hair of a guest who drank too much while her friends abandoned her to go dance and party

*Picking up shoes from the Tux Shop for a gentlemen who did not try them on and they ended up being too small

*Fielded calls at 6:30 AM from bridesmaids who have now decided they wanted to switch all of their hair and
make-up appts. around

*Carried away a crazy ex-girlfriend that the bride was afraid would show up before she made a scene- we are
planners and security!

*Driving 3 groomsmen to The Coach House after the wedding so I could finally go home at 1 AM! That was a good
one- one of the groomsmen remembered me and hired me for his wedding because he thought that was so nice!

I feel like a lot of brides try to do their own timeline and it ends up being a simple half page list of times and events. I know that you spend quite a bit of time working your timelines which are incredibly extensive and detailed. Why are the details in the timeline so important?

Timelines are so important because it gives you an overview of the day. If you think your wedding ceremony is
going to be 30 minutes and it ends up being 15, will the staff be ready for your cocktail hour? If photography is
important to you, you need to give it more time. We even factor in the location- is it large and will take everyone

awhile to get around? Do you have a pregnant bridesmaid who is going to need more consideration and time to rest?

This comprehensive view is what allows us to have a smooth day. I am not going to say every day is perfect, but if
you plan a tight timeline and anyone is late, the stress factor can amp up quickly.

I think the biggest fear for brides is that they can’t afford a coordinator, or it may be a waste of money if they want to “coordinate” their own day. Is there any danger in this thinking and can a bride save money by hiring a coordinator?

We get this a lot. Think if it this way: Many weddings cost more than a really nice new car. Would you drive that
car off the lot without insurance? That is what we are to you – ensuring that you have a smooth day. We have
relationships with many vendors that will allow us to get the best pricing or at least make choices that will gain you
value in the end. Of course this is what I do so I understand our value. Think about it – the “average” wedding takes
over 250 hours to plan. That is a lot of time. I am assuming if you are reading Hollye’s blog, you do not want your
wedding to just be average.

What are some of the wedding trends you are seeing right now with the detailing and styling of weddings?

Personalization is so big right now. I am seeing a bit of the vintage vibe slowing down a bit. Purple is back! Bright
pops of color are popular. We are seeing all white or tone on tone weddings with tons of sparkle making their way
into the receptions again. Family style meals are huge. One of our couples is doing a Micro-brew bar. Love it!

Who are your favorite couples to work with?

I love couples that understand that we are working HARD for their best interests. I wake up in the middle of the
night with a great idea for a client’s wedding so I love when a client can trust that this is what we do for a living. We
love confident decision makers. That does not mean you have to make a decision right away. You can mull it over,
but when you make the decision, stick with it. We love couples who are trying to make the wedding their own. They
are not trying to please everyone or keep up with the Joneses. Couples who understand that, although this is their big
day, many people involved have a stake in this day and there has to be some flexibility on all their parts.

If you have some questions for Victoria yourself, you can find her or one of her fabulous associates here.  Happy planning!

A woman came up to Picasso and asked him to sketch something on a piece of paper.
He sketched it, and gave it back to her saying: “That will cost you $10,000″.

She was astounded. “You took just five minutes to do the sketch,” she said. Isn’t $10,000 a lot for five minutes work?

“The sketch may have taken me five minutes, but the learning took me 30 years,” Picasso retorted.

Of course, when I make an image, it takes milliseconds…or more precisely and depending on your fstop, about 1/500th of a second.  But it’s not so much the microsecond of time that it takes or the hour and a half that is spent with the client, but it’s the 8.5 years of working as a professional and nearly 18 years of making images in high school and college, the 3 years working as an intern, the mistakes and the critiques, the hours at the bookstore pouring over images, the hours in the darkroom inhaling toxic chemicals, the expensive competitions, the pages of editorial images (mainly from Vanity Fair) ripped out and delicately placed in my inspiration album, the countless dollars spent on equipment, insurance, and operating costs that exist to set up and run the business that are all in play when we photograph a session.

There is something in my heart that aches when that is taken for granted.  And I know that it’s not my clients fault for asking.  I would be doing the same thing if I were on the other side of the camera…beacuse it seems natural to want to have an archiveable copy of an image that can be reprinted at ease years down the road.  I totally get that.  But unfortunately, I think the digital world has begun to devalue the real cost of photography which is again, why we don’t just offer disks in the sessions.  So I always hope that my clients aren’t offended when I explain that the digital files for sessions (other than weddings) are not for immediate sale with out at first getting something tangible.

The touchable, tangible, print for me is alive and is the fuel for what I do.  It’s the print on the wall or in a book that I know will truly go the distance.  It will be passed around, shared, possibly graced with a frame, and viewed not only on facebook, but by real LIVE friends.  I don’t care so much if people know that I shot the image, so much that it serves to put beauty in the world that is not so limited to the computer screen…and I’m so hopeful that people understand when I tell them that I don’t give away my digital files.