Venue Coordinator vs Wedding Coordinators/Planners
I was talkng to a close friend of mine about her wedding in reference to her timeline. She stated her timeline does not start until her ceremony start time. When asked who created it, she told me she has a coordinator through her venue who created her timeline. I asked if she had a day of coordinator not through her venue and she said no her venue has all she needs. This is a HUGE misconception and many brides do not realize their venue coordinator is not the same as an actual wedding coordinator. If your venue provides a "coordinator" and you're wondering if you need more, continue reading. Also, this post is 100% built on general experiences. There are many venue coordinators and owners who go above and beyond the call of duty, and on the flip side many wedding coordinators who leave much to be desired. If you want more clarity on what exactly the folks at your venue are willing and not willing to do ask them.
Here we go...
Venue Coordinators work for THE VENUE wedding coordinators/planners work for YOU
What does this mean? Venue coordinators do not coordinate anything before the venue. Example, if your ceremony is at a church and your reception is at the venue, that venue coordinator is not having anything to do with the church. Your wedding coordinator, however, will be there through it all. Your venue coordinator is not going to handle coordinating your transportation to the venue from where you're getting ready or ensure all the correct men receieve boutoneirres. Your venue coordinator will not coordinate any part of your timeline before you activities at the venue (examples, getting ready, set up etc.). There's a very high possibility your venue coordinator is managing multiple weddings on the same day as yours, this also means whatever face you've had meetings with and talked about your day with, may not be the same face helping you on wedding day. Your venue coordinator is a liason between you + the venue staff, nothing more, nothing less. This brings us to our next point...
Venue Coordinators & All Your Other Vendors
One of the biggest things wedding coordinators/planners do is touch base with all your vendors well in advance of your actual wedding day (usually around two-three weeks and then again a few days before). We make sure everyone is on the same page as far as arrival time, expected set up and break down and overall plan for the day. Your venue coordinator has little to no interaction with your vendors. They may tell them where to set up when they arrive but they will not tell them what time to arrive or finalize any plans. The venue coordinator deals exclusively with the vendors that are in house which is often the caterer, they ensure any of the responsibilities in the VENUE contract are done seamlessly. They do not act as a point of contact for your other vendors. This means, if you do not have a day of coordinator, that contact will fall on YOU. You will have to direct your vendors and ensure they know all the details of your day, you will also be their point of contact for any questions that arise or God forbid any emergencies.
Venue Coordinators and Day of Design
Venue coordinators will often do a walk through with you and explain where you can hold what events and possibly give you a lay out for table set up. If the tables are provided through them, they will likely set those up as well as linens IF they are provded by the venue.
The venue coordinator will not be setting out your personal decor or coordinating with the florist on exactly where each arrangement will go. They will not assist with ensuring your table scapes are exactly as you envisioned. The venue coordinator will simply ensure the responsibilities of the venue are executed according to contract. They will not make sure the responsibilities of other vendors are done. The rehearsal is also not coordinated by the venue coordinator. Rehearsals are a huge responsibility of wedding coordinators, its our last shot at ensuring everything is planned exactly as the couple expects and the last chance to put in any changes. The venue coordinator will not ensure that your party is lined up in order and that your ceremony begins on time. The venue coordinator will ensure the in house catering is served on time and after that typically will leave.
At The End...who does what?
When you're ready to leave and the night has ended who does what? At this point, the venue coordinator has already usually left. A venue coordinator will not pack up your personal belongings or coordinate your transportation. A venue coordinator is also usually not responsible for clean up beyond what the venue provided (most often the tables, chairs and possibly linens). They do not take care of making sure your gifts and cards go into the correct vehicle or that all of your flowers are stored or tossed according to your wishes. That is the responsibilities of a wedding coordinator or YOU if you choose to not hire one.
In Conclusion...
Venue coordinators can be worth their weight in gold and can be super helpful. I had a coordinator for the venue and a day of coordinator for my own wedding and in my case, they both worked equally for my wedding, just in different ways. I have coordinated weddings with great venue coordinators and others where the venue set up the tables and then left. It is important to make sure you fully understand who is responsible for what and plan for the unexpected. Most unexpected "emergencies" are things wedding coordinator is needed for. A vendor running late, a bustle button coming undone, a missing boutonneire, a stain on the groom's shirt, coordinating clean up, managing the time line is just a short list of responsibilities that can fall onto a wedding coordinator that a venue coordinator wouldn't touch. Regardless, you NEED someone to manage your day other than yourself. Make sure, if you have a venue coordinator that they are exactly what you think they are. If you want to know more about services I provide couples leading up to and on wedding day, email me at tatiana@simplycharmedevents.com.