frequently asked questions

The way we look at Compass Rose Coordination is as an investment that invests in you. To our clients, we become confidants, advice-givers, and advocates. We provide an authentic experience for couples who know what they want. Our goal is not to take anything from you, but to help you transform your vision of your wedding day into the color scheme, details, and experience of your thoughts all while hyping you up and leaving you with time to enjoy the truly fun pieces of wedding planning. Bottom line – if you’re hoping to leave the details and logistics with a friendly team that will support you every step of the way so that you can throw yourself into engagement paradise, we’re the planners for you!

Ideally, as soon as you know you want a planner, or when you know your venue requires a coordinator. We have tons of resources made just for couples like you in the midst of all the wedding planning crazy. The sooner we get chatting the better prepared you will be.

Love is love - period. Compass Rose Coordination is LGBTQ+ event certified and we love celebrating whatever traditions you have planned for your wedding. Old, new, cultural, whatever you want or need, we are here for you!

Our bags are already packed - we don't have a travel limit! Our home base is Virginia, but we love designing weddings at new destinations, so contact us today! We do have travel fees like mileage if we are driving, airline tickets if flying, and hotel or Airbnb accommodations when we stay overnight.

Heck yeah, we will! We’re in it to win it! The way we look at it, we’re here to provide you with the options — when you start talking about table rentals, we mention looking at tables that might not require linens, for stationery we offer sustainably sourced suggestions, and so on and so forth.

Truly, it happens very organically in our planning process and we won’t be offended if you don’t use any of the options. Because the average wedding produces 400 pounds of trash and emits 63 tons of CO2 into the planet per wedding, we see it as our responsibility to provide you with the options you might not have been aware of in the first place.

Technically yes. Here’s the thing, some people refer to this package as “day-of” or “month-of,” but it’s so much more! We hit the ground running at four months out to work on a timeline, floor plan, packing list, etc to make sure you have the peace of mind that your wedding day will be smooth sailing. Not to mention, we’ll make sure all your vendors are on the same page and have all the info they need to do a phenomenal job for your big day.

Venue coordinators are absolutely essential and add phenomenal value to your wedding planning experience. They know the venue to a T and give excellent advice based on the specific experiences at their location. However, on the day of your wedding, a venue coordinator’s focus is typically on maintaining the venue and upholding the venue’s standards.

Ultimately we work in conjunction with a venue coordinator to make sure everyone has what they need to succeed. Read our full blog post here on the difference between a venue coordinator and a wedding planner and coordinator.

At Compass Rose Coordination, we believe that everyone has a different budget and that no budget amount is better or worse than any other; they're just different. Due to that, we assist you in finding vendors and suppliers that fit into your budget. It may not be negotiating, but we still get you in your target budget to fit the vision you're looking for!

Yes. We highly recommend having a ceremony rehearsal, whether that is at the wedding venue or another location. We make introductions, get lined up where you'll be standing for the ceremony, run through the highlights/cues of the ceremony, practice recessing out, and practice processing in. At the end we hit some crucial timeline reminders and we leave y'all to have a blast at your rehearsal dinner, welcome party, etc.

Your lead coordinator produces only one event on a weekend. While we may have multiple events per weekend as a company, your lead will be focused solely on your wedding.

We like to call this “Day of Styling!” On the day of the wedding, we place any non-floral centerpieces, your wedding signs (bar sign, seating chart, welcome sign, unplugged ceremony sign, menu cards), layout your guestbook, and prepare your gift table, set up ceremony chairs if needed, and so much more. When it comes to drapery, lighting, floral installations, and anything of the like, we leave that to specialized professionals.

We love furry four-legged friends! If dogs are allowed at your venue, we'd love to help incorporate your pets into your wedding. If they aren't, we are happy to provide ways you can include them if they can't be onsite. We must note that we are not dog sitters, but we can help you find someone to be responsible for your pup on your wedding day (cleaning up after any messes, feeding, providing water to them, etc.).

The decision to hire a planner is sometimes tough. We recommend choosing someone you truly vibe with. Trust is the key ingredient to working with any wedding vendor, but especially your planner. Everyday we use our values of sustainability, authenticity, intentionality, and collaboration to guide our services and client interactions and we look for these same attributes in potential CR Coordination couples.

Ultimately our goal in working with our clients is excellent service coupled with the peace of mind that every detail will be arranged and managed. For extra measure, we sprinkle in some laughs and maybe an impromptu dance party for a relaxing, stress-free process and to build authentic relationships with our clients. If this sounds like your kind of vibe, shoot us a message!

Check out our About page or come hang with us on Instagram. We love chatting with people, so the best way to get to know us would be on a discovery call! You can get that process started here.