Wedding Planner vs. Wedding Coordinator - What's the diff?
One of the most commonly asked questions we get is “What is the difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator and why should I hire one over the other?” It all comes down to your personal preference.
You’re newly engaged and just starting the planning process. You’ve heard of wedding coordinators, you are very familiar with wedding planners, but you aren’t sure what the difference is between full planning vs. coordination.
Call me biased, but I truly believe that if you are electing to plan your own wedding solo (or with your partner) and don’t find a planner to be within your budget, at the very least, you must hire a coordinator. Let’s go over the differences between the two.
Wedding Planner
Your wedding planner is going to come on board shortly after your engagement and will be involved in the planning process from start to finish (with a few exceptions). Your wedding planner will assist with venue scouting and recommendations, creative partner [vendor] recommendations, scheduling appointments, working through each and every wedding detail - from design to decor to miscellaneous details, timeline creation, vendor management, day-of execution, menu selection (dinner and desserts), seating layout, RSVP management, and so much more.
Your wedding planner is, just as the title states, the person you are hiring to plan and execute your big day. This alleviates the stress of planning and the overwhelming feelings that surface when planning an event - especially if this is your first time. Many of our clients are career focused individuals with busy work and travel schedules who just don’t have the time to plan and execute a wedding. We also have several clients that have brought us on board for the sole purpose of having a professional guide you through the process to ensure that no detail is missed.
Any experienced wedding professional knows that hiring a low-budget DJ is going to get you low-budget results. They know that cutting corners with certain aspects will end up costing you in the long run. They know how much food is appropriate for your guest count to ensure you don’t have guests leaving hungry. They know a proper flow of events to ensure peace of mind on your wedding day. Let me tell you; that is worth every penny.
Wedding Coordinator
A wedding coordinator doesn’t come on board until about a month prior to your wedding day. This varies by coordinator to be sure to ask all of the right questions when going through the pre-booking process.
With a coordinator, you are planning your wedding; booking your venue, vendors, menu selection, floral design, miscellaneous details (placecards vs. seating cart or both, centerpiece accents, welcome table, guestbook table, dessert table, etc.). Your coordinator is going to build up your timeline and ensure a smooth, flawless execution on the day-of your wedding. Our team checks in 90 days out, 60 days out and at 30 days out, we send a questionnaire that kicks off the timeline building process - we refer to our coordination services as “month-of coordination”.
When your coordinator officially comes on board to start the timeline and day-of layout, you will begin to hand everything over. This includes contracts, cc’ing your coordination team on emails to vendors, and appointing them as your main point of contact. Once you schedule your timeline planning call (approx. 30 days out), your coordinator will build up your timeline and reach out to each of your vendors to introduce themselves and iron out any unknown details. They will also make suggestions if something you have in place might not work.
Again, these are industry professionals who have seen the highs and lows of weddings. They know what works and what doesn’t.
On the day of your wedding, your coordinator will arrive in the morning or early afternoon (depends on set-up time and when your venue allows us in) to set-up all of your decor, manage your vendors as they arrive, handle any unforeseen mishaps (they almost always happen), and manage your timeline throughout the day.
Our team will scope out the reception space throughout the night to ensure your guests are all well taken care of, the space is tidied up and ensure you are hydrated, comfortable and catered to. This gives both you and your guests a luxury experience.
When the event ends, our team packages up all of your decor and loads in into a vehicle or delivers it to your home or a hotel room so you don’t have to worry about a thing at the end of the night. Once you’ve said goodbyes to your guests, you grab your bag and shoes and off to the after-party!
Long Story Short…
Your planner is going to plan your wedding from start to finish, while your coordinator is going to jump in a month before and ultimately act as the project manager to your wedding.
We hope this clears things up in regard to the differences. If you have additional questions- we would love to hear from you!
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