What is the Difference Between a Venue Coordinator and a Wedding Planner?
“My wedding venue comes with a coordinator, so I don’t really need a wedding planner….“ Several of us have heard couples getting married use this phrase. I am here to tell you as a person who has worked as a hybrid of this role, that your venue coordinator is not what you are thinking he or she will entirely work out to be.
Let me explain…..
There are several key differences between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator, but sometimes it’s not immediately clear from the start of your wedding planning experience. The difference between a venue coordinator and a wedding planner lies in their main responsibilities leading up to and during the wedding day. While the exact duties can vary depending on the service provider and package chosen.
Let’s start with the Wedding Planning Process
When planning a wedding, wedding planners work closely with couples to ensure everything runs smoothly. This typically includes helping create a comprehensive budget and guiding you in-depth when securing vendors. Wedding planners often attend meetings with vendors, review contracts, and ensure every detail aligns with your vision.
In contrast, a venue coordinator may only provide a list of approved or recommended vendors for you to research on your own. While having a list of potential vendors is helpful, it requires more effort on your part to determine if they fit within your budget and are available for your date.
Ultimately, a wedding planner works with couples to execute their unique dream wedding day, providing updates through regular meetings. A venue coordinator, however, offers more generic guidance and support related to the venue itself.
Moving on to the actual Wedding Day
On the wedding day, wedding planners represent the couple’s wants and needs. Venue coordinators, on the other hand, represent the property and focus their time on the venue. It’s important to remember that your contract is with the venue and not the venue coordinator, so their main focus is maintaining the venue rather than prioritizing your needs. Here are some key differences between wedding planners and venue coordinators on the wedding day.
The Wedding Ceremony
If included in your service package, wedding planners will attend and direct your off-site wedding ceremony, including the rehearsal. Venue coordinators typically wouldn’t handle an off-site ceremony.
During the reception
During the reception, wedding planners ensure the couple is happy and kept informed throughout the day’s events. They also set out personal items for the couple, such as the guest book and special toasting flutes, and pack them up at the end of the night along with gifts and cards for safekeeping. Wedding planners also ensure that everything, from wedding party introductions and toast to cake cutting and bouquet toss, stays on track.
Meanwhile, the venue coordinator focuses on logistical aspects such as parking, restrooms, power, table and chair setup (if included), the temperature of the room or the volume of the music. Venue coordinators usually stay until dinner is underway, whereas a wedding planner remains for the entire event, including cleanup.
Other things to consider – Oftentimes, a venue coordinator position is held by someone that does not necessarily have experience with wedding planning and can also end up being several different individuals over the course of your planning process. This means that they most likely have not had to anticipate the challenges that may come up throughout the day or how to quickly handle those circumstances ensuring your wedding day continues to move forward as you are envisioning without interruption. This is not to say that they don’t want your day to be great, it is just that their priority is different than the wedding planner that is working directly with you.
In summary, the key difference between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator is their relationship with you, the couple and their overall goal in making your day as amazing as possible. A wedding planner’s focus is on ensuring your wants and needs are met, while a venue coordinator is focused on maintaining and representing the venue.
