My experience as a staff wedding coordinator

opinion and story ko lang.

i'm jam, dati akong day one project staff for a few years. i met boss (owner of d1p) during a spiderman / marvel event wherein nagstaff ako to assist kids, fans, and parents to meet and greet spiderman. after that event, i got an invite to try staffing for her wedding events.

most of the time, nasa tech / reception team ako. cover ko ung paghandle ng games, songs, videos to play, led / projector testing, usb and files testing, surprise performances, lights and sounds team, gift sa sponsors, pag lineup ng mga guests introduction, photobooths, lineup sa photo op with the couple, queuing sa food, comms with the host, program flow hanggang sa mag end sa same day edit video. marami ako namiss. basta anything related the reception na maiisip mo, probably covered namin ng partner ko sa reception team.

masasabi ko lang, one of the most tiring jobs ung being a staff for a coordinator pero ito ung isa sa mga pinakanaenjoy kong jobs ever. ung pag dating sa end ng wedding kahit hindi ko naman kilala ung mga newlyweds or family sa event, i feel genuinely happy na i was able to serve them. baka ako lang pero i get teary eyes sa mga SDE lagi. ung mga jokes ng mga host and mga family member sa mga speaches lagi ako napapatawa. i miss it sometimes.

andun parin ung mga moments na... hindi nagpplay ung SDE, may problem sa usb, nawawala ung place cards ng sponsors, gusto na kumain ng guests, mataray na hosts, diva na family member, malamig ung meal ng newly weds, party poppers na hindi pumuputok, malilikot na bata na pinaglalaruan ung confetti na galing sa party poppers sa center stage, and a whole lot more. all of these things happen and honestly, it is the coordinators fault but only to a certain degree. sometimes fault ng staff, sometimes ng other suppliers, and sometimes fault ng couples / family members. pero never intentional and sometimes unforeseen talaga.

come 2019. i got married, ung wife ko na nagd1p staff rin of course got d1p as our coordinators. i remember boss giving talks sa mga bride and grooms nya sa morning on the day of the wedding about how the day will go. it goes something like, there might be concerns and issues and things possibly going bad, but we'll do our best to control the situation but try not to worry or think about it that much kasi by the end of the day ang important thing is ikakasal ka parin and your family is here to witness it. true enough, my wedding was magical. it went according to plan, stress free, and marami natuwa and impressed na guest sa wedding namin. later on ko nalang nalaman na may mistakes parin na nangyare but very minor lang and not even worth stressing over.

maybe dahil sa experience ko with d1p staffing experience ko kaya naging smooth ung event, maybe because of d1p took control of everything, maybe it was the videographers dahil ganda ng sde namin, maybe ung host dahil sobrang pro na nya? maybe ung food? maybe ung vibes that we put out sa crowd? maraming maybes. pero in the end kinasal parin kami.

after that, slowly na ako nagstop taking jobs sa d1p because kasi naging busy sa work and nagkaroon lang ng other opportunities plus the pandemic.

recently, i heard there was a negative post about d1p. while harsh, i respect their opinions because un naexperience nila and wala ako dun to witness it. I never talked to d1p about it. hindi na ako in touch with them. when i see them around i greet them. some of them I see na regular sa feast worship, which i go to sometimes.

i have nothing bad to say about the d1p team. nag grow ako as a person sa experience ko sakanila and napaganda ko ung wedding ko because of the learnings. i knew what it's like to be on the other side. i met a lot of good people, friends, and suppliers na pwde ko irecommend sa friends and family.

sa experience ko naman, nakakapagod. may mga days na i would question myself waking up early in the morning para sa mga preps. the job starts mga 5-6 am then ends at mga 9-10 pm. pero masaya sya for me. parang slow burn type na movie. all worth it in the end. all smiles ako lagi pag tapos na work. and hindi dahil tapos na ang trabaho, dahil mission success. makikita ko sa mga couples na happy sila. at least sa experiences ko. oh and we're fed good meals. same meals ng mga guests lalo na kung may tira. if not crew meals naman which is ok parin. boss picks the best crew meal suppliers. i can safely say na more than 25 events ang tinrabaho ko with d1p.

and kay boss. she's a good person. boss tawag ko sakanya pero never nya ako binoss around. she never scolded me once sa mga fuckups ko. straight to the solution lang lagi. also, lagi may milktea after the events and the pay was fair. kung may extra tips, she will share it.

super kalog nya and funny. calm or laughtrip lang lagi interaction ko with her. she takes good care of her staff. i was able to attend some of the xmas parties ng team. napakagalante. parang she's the ate i wanted but never had.

i know in my heart na mabait sya na tao. she single handedly started d1p . single mom pa sya nun. sometimes we would arrive early sa house nya to get our equipment for the event and i can see ung pagod nya sa mata nya dahil walang tulog kasi marami concerns sa suppliers, sa family, sa church, last minute changes, and ung mga ibang wedding na parating pa. minsan parang zombie. pero pagdating na event nabubuhay parin sya. kaya never ko binalak mag-own ng wedding coordinating business dahil i can never do what she can. i can just imagine the stress. bilib tlga ako sakanya. i'd like to think na that's why we call her boss. boss woman talaga.

we haven't seen each other in years. come to think of it, i never thanked her personally sa mga tinuro nya sakin and for the experience. thank you boss, i wish you, your family, and d1p all the best.

sa mga balak ikakasal in the future, try nyo rin mag staff sa wedding coordinator. you'll never regret it.