Wedding Planner vs. Venue Coordinator

One of the biggest questions that many brides often have while planning their wedding day is “Do I need a wedding planner?”. While the short answer is yes, there is a lot that goes into the why factor.

Your wedding venue provides you with a coordinator? That’s great…but you still need a wedding planner or at the very least a Month Of coordinator, hired by YOU!

So, what exactly is the difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue Coordinator provided by your venue?

A Venue Coordinator works FOR the venue. Their job is to make sure the events at the venue are taken care of and run smoothly. But their #1 priority is to keep the venue’s best interest as their first priority. They aren’t responsible for ensuring all of your vendors arrive on time, your napkins get folded exactly how you envisioned, or wrangling your crazy family member that needs to be kept on a short leash (we all have them). Most won’t touch your personal decor items, gifts or even offer on-the-second decisions when something goes awry with one of your contracted vendors.

 A Wedding Planner or Month Of Coordinator is someone hired by YOU, that is the advocate for YOU, the couple. Their #1 priority is to make sure that your event and your vision is executed exactly as you had envisioned. If the venue promised you something in their contract, and isn’t delivering on the day-of, then your planner will deal with this allowing you the time to ENJOY your day. Your planner, is exactly that, YOURS. She (or He) will be your best friend throughout your entire planning process, will know your vision better than even you, and will make sure that those dreams you planned to implement actually become reality. Your Wedding Planner will also already know the stressors that have been plaguing your wedding planning and will work to make it all seem like a breeze so that your memories of the wedding weekend are not plagued with disaster, disruption and our enemy, disappointment.

It’s important for couples to understand the difference between these two, while an on-site coordinator is always great to have, it’s always best you have your own planner on your side for such an important event. Your wedding planner will work with the on-site coordinator to plan your day, but bottom line is that the on-site coordinator is always there to protect the best interest of the venue, not the couple.

Do yourself a favor and hire an experienced wedding planner to assist you with the most important days & events of your lives.