Comparing the Role of Venue Coordinator and Wedding Planner
Seriously, what is the difference? Let’s take a closer look!
(for video version, skip straight to bottom)
“Our venue offers a planner as part of their package, why would we need a private planner as well?” It’s pretty common for venues to offer this service (and there’s good reason for that too!) but don’t get confused between a venue planner or coordinator and a privately hired wedding planner. The two roles are actually quite different (and super complimentary!). In this post, I’ll be talking about how the roles differ and why I’d highly recommend you embrace having both professionals working alongside you on your wedding.
Let’s start by looking at the two roles separately –
VENUE COORDINATOR:
A venue coordinator is someone who has been hired by the venue to ensure that all events held at that particular venue run smoothly, are within the morals and rules of the venue, and result in happy clients. Their scope of work exists entirely within the venue, and on matters related to the venue. They are experienced, have many connections in the industry and will be keen to offer advice wherever they can (probably even for some non-venue matters). They’re there to make sure that things go well (and a huge part of that is making sure that you have the best day possible!) but it’s important to remember that they are working primarily for the venue, not directly for you.
WEDDING PLANNER:
A wedding planner is someone who has been hired by you to ensure that your wedding runs smoothly, is within your morals and values, and results in you being satisfied and happy clients. Their scope of work includes absolutely everything that you, the client, have contracted them to do. From budget to styling, research and vendor sourcing, communication, coordination and even the set-up and pack-down. They are experienced and well connected in the industry and hired by you to offer both advice and execution of your dream day. Should any area of work be outside of their scope, a simple contract amendment can be made and ‘ta-da!’ they’re all hands on deck and ready to get stuck into whatever it is that you require.
So what about having both of them on one team?
Simply put, the areas that a venue coordinator can’t help you with are the areas a wedding planner thrives on. Conversely, the areas that a wedding planner can’t help you with are the areas a venue planner thrives on. It’s the perfect team!
While your venue coordinator is getting busy planning the venue related details of your wedding. Your wedding planner will be busy planning all of the other stuff. They’ll be able to rely on each other for all of the information they need and you can rest assured that you’ve got multiple creative minds beavering away and creating your dream day to absolute perfection. No stone will be left unturned, no issue left unsolved. Not only that, but when it comes to the day of your wedding they’ll be able to work together to provide even more efficiency, ensuring everything runs exactly as desired. Never underestimate the power of an extra set of hands!
Keep in mind that this is just one example (and a pretty basic one at that!); both venue coordinator and wedding planner roles can differ greatly depending on your individual contracts, so more than anything, it’s important that you talk to them and read through that small print! Know what you’ve signed up for and check with them about how they can work creatively together. If you keep communications open and introduce them to each other early they’ll be able to make sure everything they’re working on aligns, and can even double check their contracts with you to make sure you aren’t paying for any services twice!
Having multiple wedding professionals dedicated to you and your vision can only be a good thing and I’m so sure you’ll be amazed and impressed with what they manage to come up with. At the end of the day, it’s all about building that dream team of experts who work well together, understand your dream, your needs, and quite simply, can’t wait to get stuck in and make it happen!
Still not quite clear?
Post your questions in the comments!
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Emerald and Ebony – Planning Eco-friendly weddings in Taranaki and beyond.