Wedding Planner vs. Venue Coordinator
Your wedding planner business card should express who you are and the work you do simply by the title under your name. For those who are unfamiliar with the differences between a venue coordinator and a wedding planner, it’s important to recognize that they are two different positions, each serving their own purpose in the couple’s wedding preparations.
Remember JLo’s famous role in The Wedding Planner movie where she planned every intricate detail leading up to the wedding day? This person guides the couple through the planning process, from setting the wedding budget to keeping Aunt Sue away from crazy Uncle Ned. The wedding planner works closely with the couple throughout the planning process. The wedding planner answers the couple’s questions, schedules and attends vendor meetings, assists with reviewing wedding vendor contracts, advises the couple on vendor negotiations, helps with event design, and creates a detailed timeline of the wedding day events.
If the wedding planner does all of this, what is left for the venue coordinator to do?
The venue coordinator’s job is very important as well. The wedding venue manager ensures everything taking place at the venue is in order. The venue coordinator usually enjoys organizing weddings, but does not have the responsibility of handling all matters for wedding couple. This person will assist the couple and the planner during the planning process with all details regarding the venue.
On the wedding day, the venue manager will typically handle the set-up of tables and chairs, manage the food and beverage provided by the venue, coordinate placement of wedding items with the wedding planner, handle venue parking logistics, and manage the venue staff.
How can the wedding planner and venue coordinator work together effectively?
As someone who has worked as a wedding planner and as a venue coordinator, I completely understand how it may be hard for either professional to relinquish their own duties to the other or to determine the best way to work together.
Here are a few tips on how to keep this business relationship professional and enjoyable for current and future events:
- From the beginning, establish an open line of communication. Allow one another to speak and to be heard. It will be much easier to cooperate when each side is allowed time to express their needs and expectations.
- Create a plan and stick to it. Write down a list of items that each person is responsible for. Clearly identifying one another’s tasks will make life much easier in the months of planning ahead and on the day of the wedding. Remember, it’s not about you. The couple has hired the wedding planner and venue coordinator to make this process easier, not harder.
Do you have any tips or advice for working successfully with venue coordinators? Please share in the comments.
This is a guest post from Christine Pirkle.
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Marriage is the most important of all earthly relationships. Every couple wants their wedding to be hassle-free and memorable. That is why they hire an experienced wedding planner. Wedding planners know how to execute each task easily and efficiently.
Very true. Thank you for taking the time to comment
[…] I cam across a great article that was written on the fabulous Planners Lounge website by my colleague Debbie Orwat and I wanted to share it with you. I get this question a lot […]
As a planner, I love venues that have their own coordinators! They are the experts on that building from layouts to load-ins to lighting. I think it’s important that brides realize that venue coordinators who are employed by the venue must put the venue first and this means that they cannot leave the venue for any reason. A wedding planner can leave and go pick up that groomsmen’s tie or missing cake cutter. They also are not involved in the timing prior to the couples arrival at the venue and this includes ensuring photographer, florists and families are all timed correctly.
Great points Tanis. Thank you for sharing.
Great article Christine!
Here in Ireland the role of an independent wedding planner is still misunderstood, and it’s further misconstrued by venue coordinators telling couples they don’t need to hire a wedding planner.
In an effort to educate a wedding couple about the differences between a Venue Coordinator and a Wedding Planner I wrote a little piece about it on my blog…
http://www.whitesage.ie/blog/oh-the-venue-coordinator-will-handle-everything-i-dont-need-a-wedding-plannercoordinator
I feel the more we as wedding planners can educate couples on the differences the better equipped they are to decide on whether they need our services.
Cheers!
Claire x
So true Claire. Thank you for taking time to comment!
Thank you Claire! I appreciate you sharing your website as well. It has great information and it’s always interesting to learn what planners are doing all over the world.
[…] I cam across a great article that was written on the fabulous Planners Lounge website by my colleague Debbie Orwat and I wanted to share it with you. I get this question a lot […]
Great article. I was just asked this question the other day. I have worked as both and was asked while wearing my “venue coordinator” hat, “do I still need to look into hiring a wedding planner?” My answer, “yes!” Your wedding planner will assist you, the bride and your family and wedding party on the day of your wedding (as well as the many mo this before.) They will ensure that you aren’t forgetting anything (material or detail,) the day of the wedding. Set up your decor, keep you on your timeline, collect your wedding party and family for photos, toasts, entrances, dances, etc. the venue coordinator is going to be busy supervising kitchen and waitstaff, moving furniture, setting linens, putting up signs, assisting vendors with finding outlets, tables and chairs, keeping your bridal suites and bathrooms stocked and clean and making sure your young guests stay out of the champagne fountain! Both professionals are imperative and will need to work together with open communication. Just one suggestion, less is more, when it comes to questions. Yes, the wedding planner needs to know many details of the venue, catering, set up, etc, so they will need to be present at the final walk through. That meeting, or sometime around then, is a great time to bring a thorough list of questions. Number the questions so that the venue coordinator can reply to all at once, in one email, rather than a thousand emails asking different questions. Depending on how involved the bride wants to be in the planning process, cc her on the email so she knows that the two of you have everything under control and all of her details are being figured out.
Thank you so much for your comment and wise words Katie. You are right on with everything you shared. I appreciate you taking the time to write this!