Brittany & Keahi’s Playful Spring Wedding – Photo Credit: Amelya Jayne Photography
When I started my business as a wedding planner and coordinator, I heard that some venues have on-site coordinators. At first, I was disappointed to think that meant I would never work a wedding at one of those venues, but shortly after, I assisted a wedding coordinator on a wedding, and there was also a venue coordinator on site.
It left me wondering: What was the difference between the wedding coordinator and the venue coordinator? Was it beneficial for a couple to have both during their wedding day?
With these questions in mind, I jumped at the opportunity to assist a venue coordinator for two weddings so I could see the differences firsthand. During those weddings, one had a wedding coordinator on-site, and the other did not, so I also had the opportunity to experience the difference when both were hired, versus when only the venue coordinator was on site.
The Role of a Venue Coordinator
The main difference between a wedding coordinator and venue coordinator is their priorities. Even if you pay for the services of a venue coordinator, they ultimately work for the venue and prioritize the venue’s best interest, while a wedding coordinator works for you and prioritizes your best interest.
A venue coordinator is responsible for the venue and its role in your wedding day – this may include setting up chairs and tables that the venue owns, ensuring that the facilities are properly clean and functioning, and working with in-house staff.
The venue coordinator may provide a simple timeline for your wedding, but this typically only happens if the venue is providing food service. A timeline created by the venue will be as simple as possible, often containing little more than the start time of the ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and foodservice. It probably won’t include your first dance, cake cutting, or getting ready photos, and they also won’t keep you on track with the timeline you’ve developed.
When it comes to vendor interactions, the venue may provide you with a list of preferred vendors, but they won’t help contact those vendors or give you recommendations that match your style or budget. On the day of, the venue coordinator will let the vendors in to set up and then leave them to do their work. There will likely be little communication between the venue coordinator and the other vendors through the planning process or the wedding, even if something goes off schedule.
All tasks, even when they benefit the couple, are directly related to the property and staff of the venue, and their direct role in your wedding. They are the go-to person for making sure the power, plumbing and air conditioning are working; they’re there to make sure they hold up their end of the contract and the other vendors don’t break the venue rules. They may clean up messes throughout the night, like if a guest spills a drink or breaks a glass, and they will do their best to ensure everyone stays safe while on site.
Dan & Kellie’s Spirited Vintage Wedding – Photo Credit: Radiant Light Photography
The Role of a Wedding Coordinator
A wedding coordinator, on the other hand, is responsible for making sure that all of your vendors, including the venue, are working for the couple’s best interest. Even if you don’t hire a planner to help you choose and communicate with your vendors before the big day, the wedding coordinator will be in contact with all vendors during the final weeks leading up to your wedding. On the day of, the wedding coordinator will check in with all of your vendors to ensure they know where to set up, how to meet the client’s expectations, and when things need to happen according to the day-of timeline.
If any of the vendors are running late or have an emergency on the day of the wedding, the wedding coordinator is the main point of contact so that the couple doesn’t have to worry. The wedding coordinator will work with the schedule to make sure everything still goes off without a hitch, even if it includes finding a backup vendor to step in that day if the originally hired vendor is unable to make it. The wedding coordinator will review all vendor contracts to know exactly what services are expected, and will ensure that the vendors complete all work that the client pays for.
One of the major roles of the wedding coordinator is to work with you to develop a detailed day-of timeline that covers all events of the day, as well as vendor responsibilities for setup and tear-down. We work with your photographer to schedule when photos will be taken, with your DJ to schedule the first dance and cake cutting, and with the venue to schedule the send-off so that everyone is out when the venue requires it.
Stephanie & Roscoe’s Celestial Wedding – Photo Credit: Kivus & Camera
And then, when things don’t go quite according to the plan, the wedding coordinator works with all of your vendors to make changes happen so smoothly that you and your guests don’t even notice.
Wedding coordinators know the intimate details of your wedding day and are there to set up your personal decor, ensure that you and your families are able to relax and enjoy the day, and take care of the unforeseen issues that are sure to arise.
A Few Final Details to Consider
Your venue coordinator may not be required to stay on-site through your entire event. Many leave after dinner is served, or they might oversee from a distance to ensure nothing happens to the venue. A wedding coordinator, on the other hand, is with you throughout the entire night and is often the last person to leave at the end of the night.
The venue coordinator on the wedding day isn’t even guaranteed to be someone you’ve talked to before. Some venues have multiple venue coordinators, and they may not assign someone to your event until the week of. Even if you’ve worked with a venue coordinator since you booked the venue, they may choose to leave the venue and someone new will step in. If you hire a wedding coordinator, they work for you and will be with you throughout the planning process and on your wedding day. If they assign another coordinator on their team to your wedding day, they will notify you of this beforehand and give you the opportunity to get to know your day-of coordinator.
The wedding coordinator is solely focused on you and ensuring that you have the time of your lives. They’re flexible, focused and willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that you’re happy with how the day goes.