Wedding Planner vs. Venue Coordinator
Wedding Planner or Venue Coordinator - does it really matter?
You have just picked the right wedding venue for you and they have offered the venue coordinator onsite to help you with the wedding.
Be careful! Oh yes! I need to tell you this. Don't mix these two figures because they have different roles and responsibilities. Trust me, I do have the right to state this because I have been there. For those who don't know me yet, I have been a venue coordinator for 3 years and now a wedding planner running my own business.
Who is their client?
A venue coordinator works for the benefits of the venue, whilst a wedding planner works for your wedding's sake. Venue coordinators are of course a very helpful figure if present, but she or he will not certainly have the chance to stick with you throughout the entire day and taking care of every details of your wedding at 360° (deal with setbacks or coordinate all the vendors and guests or simply assist you during the preparation or the first look...).
As a wedding planner I give my full attention to the couple and ensure that everything runs perfectly smooth and seamlessly, making sure the timeline-of come together as planned. I am the first person arriving onsite and the last person leaving the party.
What are their responsibilities and what are they accountable for?
The venue coordinator takes care of the venue staff and makes sure that all the spaces needed during the different wedding moments are all ready and set us per contract and agreement. He/she coordinates the different departments (housekeeping for the guests' rooms and cleaning; porters for the set-up and dismantle; food and beverage staff for the food and drinks - if there is a restaurant onsite; maintenance for the parking spaces and energy supply).
The wedding planner ensures that the venue coordinator follows the project and timeline. Not only! He/she coordinates all the other vendors to make sure that they are all following the project concept and design (musicians, DJ, celebrant, florists, make-up and hair-dresser, photographer and videographer). So the wedding planner is responsible of everything, making sure that everything and everyone is in the right place and in the right time. He/she is the director of the orchestra!
What can I expect with communication?
The venue coordinator is reachable during office hours and sometimes you need to fix an appointment over the phone of personally to be able to discuss about the wedding details.
Your wedding planner is always at your disposal every time you need to talk to them about anything. Me for example, I always create a Whatsapp group with the bride and groom where we can easily reach out to each other for any news or communication (of course important stuff is communicated via email).
Do you need a wedding planner?
If your priority is to arrive at the wedding day with no frustration and have all under control, then I would highly recommend to rely on a wedding planner. No one, more than this figure, will be able to make your dream wedding come true. And of course, a perfect wedding is to have both the venue coordinator and the wedding planner! With these 2 professionals, your day will be even more memorable than what you would have expected!