Understanding the Roles: Wedding Planner and Venue Coordinator
Understanding the Roles: Wedding Planner and Venue Coordinator
Planning a wedding is like orchestrating a symphony. Your symphony will include as many as 14 different vendors. Every element, from the placement of the center pieces, the location of the bar, the location of the ceremony, bouquets, to the timing of the bride's entrance, and so many other fun details that play a crucial role in the experience for all in attendance, creates harmony for the day. Among the maestros of this symphony are two lead roles that often get misunderstood or confused about who does what. This includes the wedding planner and the venue coordinator. While both are essential for a flawless wedding day, their roles and responsibilities, including areas of focus, vary significantly. Some wedding venues do offer wedding planning service as an additional and distinct service.
At the heart of it, your wedding planner is your go-to person, working for you. The venue coordinator is all about making sure the venue's side of things is taken care of. Let’s delve into a few important details:
Your wedding planner is your right-hand person. Here's what they do:
Wedding Vision and Design: Your wedding planner is there to understand your wedding vision and bring it to life. Wedding planners often help with details like the design and the look and feel of your wedding, from color schemes and themes to floral arrangements and lighting.
Floor Plan/Seating Chart: Wedding Planners are typically involved in choosing the option that best aligns with the flow and function of your event. The Venue Coordinator is most familiar with fire code and best practices. We are happy to lend our experience to optimize your priorities.
Vendor Coordination: Wedding Planners will coordinate with all your wedding vendors. This includes photographer, caterer, florist, DJ, deliveries, additional furniture delivery including food and beverage and any other service providers.
Wedding Timeline Creation and Management: They execute the timeline for all involved. The timekeeper is very important as all vendors rely on a flawless schedule. No one wants food served 45 minutes late and the joy of the day can cause the schedule to be overlooked.
Photo Credit: Molly Margaret Photography
Your wedding planner will design and execute a detailed timeline for your wedding day, ensuring everything runs smoothly from the get ready in the wedding suite to the grand exit.
Day-of-Coordination: On your wedding day, your wedding planner is the director of the event. Mostly behind the scenes, and sometimes front and center, including solving problems, keeping everything on schedule, and ensuring that every detail is in place so you and your guests can enjoy your day without a hitch. The best events are the most well planned and choreographed.
The Venue Coordinator is the guardian of your wedding venue. Their responsibilities include:
Venue-Specific Details: Venue coordinator provides information and guidance on the venue's floor plans, capacities and best practices. They will let you know what is possible in their wedding venue and what the wedding venue’s policies are for the best possible wedding.
Venue Setup: They oversee the setup of the venue and furniture for the following functions: wedding ceremony, cocktail hour area, and wedding reception area in the wedding venue. This ensures that the wedding setup is in accordance with the layout and best practices.
Day-of-Venue Management: On the day of the wedding, the venue coordinator ensures that the venue is set up correctly, bathrooms are (re)stocked, and doors are open for your vendors to load in, lights are managed for each part of the event, heating and air conditioning are set up properly.
Collaborative Harmony
Understanding these roles can help you set realistic expectations and make informed decisions when planning your wedding. You can ensure a harmonious collaboration that brings your dream wedding to life, allowing you to savor every moment of your special day without worry.