What is the difference between wedding coordinator and planner? (2023)

For a long time, before you got engaged and started organising your wedding, you might have heard the terms "wedding photographer" and "wedding coordinator" and imagined they referred to the same person. Though a full-service wedding planner will double as the day-of organiser, this role is often seen as distinct by DIY brides. Do you feel overwhelmed?

One of the most cutting-edge trends in wedding preparation is hiring a planner to oversee the big day itself. A day-of coordinator, or wedding day organiser, can help newlyweds in myriad amazing ways on their special day. Hiring a coordinator on the day of the event allows you to focus on other aspects of planning and preparation, as well as the actual event itself. The newlyweds shouldn't have to worry about whether or not everything they've planned will go off without a hitch on their wedding day.

The roles of wedding planners and day-of coordinators are commonly confused. There is no overlap between the duties of a wedding planner and a day-of coordinator. Although day-of coordination isn't new, it's essential to outline exactly what it comprises for newly engaged couples planning their wedding.

Depending on how far along you are during the planning process and how many guests you plan to invite, you may have considered hiring a wedding planner. And do you understand the distinction between a wedding planner and a day-of coordinator? Uninformed couples might hire one or both without giving it much thought, only to be let down later. To assist you in making the most informed choice, We will explain the roles of both a wedding planner and a day-of-marriage coordinator, as well as the specific services they provide.

Now, ladies, it's time to discuss the key distinctions between wedding planners and those who handle the logistics of the venue. One of the biggest pet peeves of a wedding is when a venue advertises its in-house planner as a professional wedding planner. Aside from those working in the bridal industry, we've found that most people are unaware of the distinction.

Let's be honest; there's a lot of wiggle room between a day-of wedding coordinator and a full-service planner. The easiest way to locate the right wedding vendor is first to determine which category your big day most closely resembles and then conduct multiple interviews within that category to see who provides the goods and packages that are the best fit for your big day and your budget. First, will you likely require a wedding planner and organizer for your big day? Let me explain it to you in simple terms.

Looking for the Best Wedding Venue in Melbourne? Vines of the Yarra Valley is Melbourne's Iconic.

What Services Does a Wedding Coordinator Provide That a Wedding Planner Does Not?

Although many people use the terms planner and coordinator interchangeably, there is a HUGE distinction between the two in terms of the services a couple may expect. To avoid unnecessary stress and disappointment while you're preparing for and experiencing your wedding, it's important to arm yourself with as much information as possible.

There is a Wedding Coordinator available at several hotels. (You may sometimes hear this role referred to as "Wedding Manager.") This person typically works with the venue's catering and sales staff. Their major duty is to act as your principal contact within the venue. They will coordinate and monitor all the information the wedding venue needs to make your big day perfect. This individual will be there for you from the time you first visit the location until the big day. They are well-versed in the venue's room configurations, guest capacities, and other relevant details.

They work with the kitchen staff to organise and improve the catering and bartending at your event. They also field numerous calls and emails from engaged couples inquiring about the venue.

Most significantly, they oversee a mountain of paperwork pertaining to every wedding event booked at the site. Some of these planners work in destination places, where they may be responsible for the logistics of five or six weddings on a given day. Thankfully, the country has a far smaller population. Still, most locations host at least a hundred weddings a year, and many hosts twice as many on weekends.

The venue's wedding coordinator is responsible for keeping track of each couple's wedding-specific details, such as their menu selections, final guest numbers, accounting, and money collecting. They will ensure that the proposed timetable is compatible with the kitchen team or events workers and handle the logistics of renting any additional audiovisual equipment or procuring any necessary furniture.

Somebody might not be able to make it on the wedding day due to work obligations. (However, the location will have designated someone to be the primary point of contact on a bridal day in the event they are unavailable.) In any case, it's highly improbable that nobody will stick around for your wedding.

Typically, one person will oversee the daytime operations and hand over control to a banquet event manager in the evening. Remember that wedding organisers work for the venue, no matter how hard they try to ensure your clients have a wonderful time there. Their main duty is to take care of all the little things the location requires. Professionals aren't your wedding photographer, but they may provide helpful suggestions. It's unreasonable and irresponsible to ask them to shoulder the same burdens.

But now there are professionals whose whole job is to organise weddings. This person has worked in the wedding industry for many years and has extensive knowledge of all facets of the big day. She must expertly steer the pair through this entire procedure. The couple's unique sense of style and wedding day goals become familiar to the planner. She helps them locate the perfect location and service providers to make their wedding dreams come true. She promises to do her best to adhere to the couple's established financial limits. A wedding planner assists the bride and groom with all aspects of planning the wedding, usually beginning with the initial stages of preparation.

The wedding planner ensures that every aspect of the big day is in keeping with the wedding's theme and colour scheme. This includes everything from the invitations and wedding and celebration flowers to the table settings at every table, the menu, the cake, and the bride's gown.

Most wedding planners will be able to offer suggestions for personalising your big day to reflect your style and preferences, in addition to imparting wisdom on proper protocol. They take a bird's eye view of the situation and function as your go-between with the venue, sifting through the intricacies and assisting you in creating a workable plan for the day. A wedding planner's primary obligation is to the couple being married. She'll be present at the ceremony and reception to handle details on your behalf.

A wedding coordinator works for a certain venue and is in charge of coordinating all the aspects of your wedding at that location. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of your wedding coordinator to oversee EVERY aspect of your big day. We can't expect the wedding coordinator at the venue to act as the organiser for the event.

Hiring a wedding planner is popular because it allows happy couples to relax and enjoy themselves on their special day. Knowing that one wedding planner, who will be by your side every of the way, will be on hand to oversee the day-of events and ensure that each of the vendors is coordinating their efforts to create a spectacular wedding celebration tailored specifically to you will allow you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the day.

You'll start searching for wedding service providers, perusing wedding inspiration boards like Pinterest, and making mental lists of all the details you want to have just right on your big day.

You probably won't be able to complete it all by yourself once you have all those lovely ideas and thorough checklists in mind. You may have the wedding of your dreams, with everything just as you've always envisioned it, but you'll still need some assistance to appreciate it and be in the moment.

A fantastic friend (ideally not a member of the wedding party, who will be rather busy) is one possible source of aid, but professionals in the field of wedding planning can also come in handy.

As the details of your wedding come together, one of the initial tasks you'll want to tackle is finding and scheduling your wedding vendors. However, it may be difficult to track down reliable vendors, especially if you are unsure of your precise requirements.

A wedding planner, organiser, or stylist is a terrific investment for time-pressed couples, but the distinctions between them are not always clear. Despite their apparent similarities, there are important distinctions between the two that will help you select the optimal solution for your needs.

If you're in the middle of arranging for services, continue on, as we'll break down the differences among planners, coordinators, and stylists and their respective tasks and responsibilities.

Too busy with life to really plan your wedding in detail? Have someone else do it for you, and check out our list of Wedding Planners in Melbourne to help take the stress away.

A Wedding Planner's Duties.

A wedding planner acts as your coordinator. All day-of details will fall under their purview to organise and carry out. Hiring a wedding planner may take a lot of stress off of your plate by handling all the details from start to finish.

As a profession, wedding planners are admired for their ability to multitask and their meticulous attention to detail throughout the planning process. Depending on your needs, they might offer a range of services, from full-service preparation to partial planning to day-of coordination (more on this in a bit).

Typical responsibilities of a wedding coordinator who offers a comprehensive range of services include, though this will vary depending on the specifics of your package:

• Helping to choose suitable sites for the wedding and reception
  arranging and attending site visits and appointments
• Locating and reserving all necessary service providers for the day Facilitating the development, implementation, and monitoring of a spending plan (including managing invoices and payments)
• You are handling all of our vendor communication (including managing contracts and documentation).
• Helping you organise your guests and creating a seating chart or floor plan
• Your wedding day schedule was made and distributed by you.
• Setup and day-of coordination (including vendor, guest management, and crisis response!)
• If the two of you want to delegate most of the work for planning your wedding, a full-service planner is your best bet. Couples planning a wedding while balancing full-time jobs, families, and other commitments will find this option particularly appealing.

A wedding planner may put in anything from 80 to 250 hours of labour for a normal couple. The wedding planner's job is multifaceted but mostly involves leveraging his or her skills to remove the element of surprise from the planning process and make the lead-up to the big day run as smoothly and stress-free as possible.

Expert wedding planners take care of just about everything. A plethora of experts helps with the organisation of the many moving parts of a wedding. They can also help the bride and groom by recommending trustworthy service providers. These are people who have been recommended to you by others and have proven themselves reliable and capable in previous jobs.

Wedding planners are also responsible for keeping track of the couple's finances and assisting them in the design of the wedding. Their perceptive minds aid in the day-to-day planning process. In collaboration with your chosen florist, they can bring your ideas to reality. Many wedding planners also provide a variety of decorative items, such as candlesticks, vases, and garlands, for their clients to utilise at their events.

A wedding planner can help you with organising your big day. A planner will assist you at every step of the booking process, including helping you to negotiate prices with the vendors you choose. They will aid you in finding the suppliers you need. As part of their services, wedding planners will accompany you on visits to potential venues and food tastings. They help arrange everything from hotel blocks and floor plans to seating arrangements and seating charts for your big day. In addition to creating a timeline for the wedding day itself and the days leading up to it, they may also help you with the rehearsal and the mailing of invitations. There is no job too big and too small for a wedding planner. Simply put, they are the unseen heroes who tirelessly toil away behind the scenes to make your dream wedding a reality.

A wedding planner will become your new BFF. This person's sole responsibility is to make your wedding day perfect in every way (so pretty much the most amazing best friend ever). It's up to you when you decide to hire a wedding planner, but in general, you should do so after you've established a rough budget (and whether or not couples can afford a wedding, something we'll discuss in a later piece). A wedding planner's job is to take your general (or specific) idea for the big day and execute it down to the last detail, from the location to the flowers to the food to the invitations.

The level of involvement you have going forwards is entirely up to you and will depend on factors like time and money available. They can take over the planning process for your wedding if you're too busy to devote the recommended 150 hours to it. In addition, they can engage with you as little or as much as you'd like, whether you're able to devote time to all of it or only to particular parts. If you hire a wedding planner, they may assist you in not only laying out a comprehensive strategy, but also in keeping to it. And if they're any good, they'll have a wealth of information about the top local providers who can help you realise your dream wedding. Planning for your wedding? Check out our post on How to plan a wedding on a budget?

Just What Responsibilities Does a Marriage Coordinator Have?

A wedding planner's "on-the-day planning" or "day-of coordination" service is normally offered as a separate offering. The ambiguity arises if the wedding venue also provides a "venue coordinator." Some important distinctions are as follows.

A bridal coordinator is someone who takes charge of the planning and execution of all aspects of a wedding. The coordinator, who may also be called a wedding planner, is responsible for keeping the groom and bride in constant communication with all of the wedding's vendors and mediating any conflicts that may arise between the couple and their guests. Planners may also provide advisory services, including assistance with budgeting, as part of their packages.

You and your spouse can hire a wedding coordinator as an independent contractor. Unlike planners who take care of every detail, their main task is ensuring that your wedding day goes smoothly. Notably, they don't aid with the tasks a wedding planner would generally take, such as coordinating with vendors and managing contracts. An alternative is to hire a wedding planner who can start assisting you around a month just before the ceremony.

A wedding coordinator's duties often consist of the following:

• One week before the big day, you and the wedding planner will get together to go over all the details.
• Creating and distributing a wedding day schedule and timeline
• Venue and vendor confirmations, including arrival and departure schedules and duties on the big day.
• Directing preparations and logistics on the actual day (coordinating vendors and attendees, setting up and decorating, relocating equipment, and dealing with unforeseen problems are just some of the tasks that fall under the umbrella of event management.)

The services of a venue organiser are typically included in the cost of renting the venue. In contrast to an outside wedding organiser, their duties are typically limited to managing the venue's end of the event's logistics. Most of the time, they won't supervise the rest of your vendors or respond to issues outside of the office (for example, if your wedding ceremony is being hosted in a separate location).

The main difference between a wedding planner and a bridal coordinator is the shorter time frame within which the latter must work. On average, they'll put in 25 hours for a couple, starting around a week before the big day, to help them get ready.

As an alternative, wedding coordinators, sometimes known as wedding consultants, share some responsibilities with traditional wedding planners but have important distinctions worth emphasising. These businesses are contracted largely to handle logistics and are often only retained for a brief period throughout the wedding's planning process. However, some couples hire a wedding planner exclusively for the big day.

A bridal coordinator is the "go-to" person who makes everything run smoothly behind the curtains on the big day, and they often start working with the happy couple a month before the ceremony. They will work to verify your suppliers, handle and arrange any remaining payments, double-check vendor headcounts, and develop a day-of timeline for the event's logistics.

Think of this service provider as a partner in the smooth running of all the deliveries and pickups on your wedding day. These people will be available to accept flower deliveries and to return rented furniture. Having them around is a terrific way to ensure that nothing gets forgotten on the big night. The wedding planner is more than just a hired hand; they are a trusted ally who will take care of the details and logistical issues that arise on the big day so you can relax and enjoy yourself.

Due to their late involvement in the process, wedding organisers are unable to provide much assistance with vendor booking and negotiation or recommend additional suppliers. In addition, they are not as helpful in developing the event's general theme as planners. They would miss important details like stuffing invitations and attending site visits.

Depending on the location, a venue coordinator's duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinating and managing all on-site services
  developing an in-house timetable and managing the venue's employees
• Providing access to the venue and overseeing delivery and pickup procedures for vendors.
• Implementing all aspects of the venue setting
• Monitoring the event's safety measures
• Be sure to double-check all of your references. For this reason, it is important to know what to expect from your location coordinator before writing off the notion of a wedding planner altogether, as the latter's remit may be more narrow.

A bridal planner is a godsend on the big day. A wedding planner is an unseen hero who ensures that your big day runs without a hitch so that you may enjoy every moment of it. These aren't the first person you should contact after becoming engaged for assistance in selecting a wedding location, chef, flower, or even other design aspects; instead, they are the ones who will put your hard work and study to use in creating your dream wedding.

A wedding coordinator is someone you meet with weeks or months (depending on the level of service you choose to obtain from them) ahead of your marriage to discuss logistics like the wedding schedule, guest list, and venue.

It's a good idea to double-check with your wedding venue to make sure they don't offer any wedding planning or coordination services you already have. A wedding venue coordinator may or may not provide the same services as a regular event planner, so you should compare the two before deciding whether or not to engage additional support.

Conclusion

Hiring a coordinator for the big day can free you up to deal with the finer details of event planning and execution. A wedding planner's responsibilities and those of a day-of coordinator do not intersect in any way. A couple lacking enough information to make an informed decision may hire either partner without much consideration. In this article, we'll go over what sets wedding planners apart from those that manage the venue itself. The services of a Wedding Coordinator can be arranged at a number of local hotels.

Usually, this person collaborates with the venue's catering and sales teams. The wedding venue can count on them to plan and keep track of all the details leading up to the big day. Those who work in popular wedding destinations may be responsible for as many as six ceremonies in a single day. The wedding organiser at the venue is in charge of remembering all of the little details that are unique to each couple. They'll make sure the proposed schedule works for the catering staff and event staff.

A wedding planner is there to help the bride and groom with every step of the wedding preparation process. Everything from the invitations and table settings to the flowers, cuisine, cake, and bride's dress is planned out in detail. A wedding coordinator is an employee of your chosen wedding venue, and it is their job to ensure that every detail of your big day runs smoothly. The couple getting married is the planner's first priority. They can see the big picture and act as a liaison between you and the venue, sorting out the details and helping you formulate a strategy.

Hiring a wedding planner to take care of everything from the initial planning stages to the reception could be a huge relief. A wedding planner's duties are many and varied, but they all centre around using their expertise to eliminate surprises. A full-service planner is the way to go if you want to hand off the most of the responsibility for organising your wedding. Those who are trying to organise a wedding in addition to working full-time and taking care of a family may appreciate this alternative. If you need assistance organising your wedding, consider hiring a professional.

They're in charge of the couple's budget and providing input on the wedding's aesthetics. When you decide to hire a wedding planner is up to you, but in most cases it should follow the creation of a basic budget. A wedding planner is someone who organises and oversees all of the nuptials. Your future engagement is totally up to you and will be determined by things like your available time and resources. There's also the option of hiring a wedding planner who can start helping you out about a month before the big day.

Their primary responsibility, in contrast to planners, is to guarantee a problem-free wedding day. In most cases, the services of an event planner are built into the venue's rental fee. A wedding coordinator is the unseen hero who ensures everything goes off without a hitch. A wedding planner is a professional that is hired by some couples to organise their wedding. Having them there is a great method to guarantee that no important details will be overlooked on the big night.

A wedding planner is someone the bride and groom meet with weeks or months before the wedding to negotiate the wedding's arrangements, such as the ceremony time, guest list, and location. The services offered by a wedding venue coordinator and those of a typical event planner are not always interchangeable. It is important to confirm with your wedding venue that they do not provide any kind of wedding planning or coordination services.

Content Summary

• Hiring a planner to handle the big day is one of the most modern trends in wedding planning.
• Hiring a coordinator for the big day can free you up to deal with the finer details of event planning and execution.
• Often, people will mistake the duties of a wedding planner and a day-of coordinator.
• A wedding planner's responsibilities and those of a day-of coordinator do not intersect in any way.
• While wedding day coordination is nothing new, it is important to define what it entails for engaged couples.
• In order to help you choose the best option, we will describe the functions of a wedding planner and a day-of-marriage coordinator.
• The differences between wedding planners and those who manage the venue's logistics are important to discuss, so let's get to it, ladies.
• Venues that falsely promote their in-house planner as a full-fledged wedding planner are a common source of wedding-related irritation.
• Let's be honest: the line between a day-of coordinator and a full-service planner is quite fuzzy.
• Once you've narrowed down the type of wedding you're having, it'll be much easier to choose a vendor who fits your needs and your budget by conducting many interviews within that category.
• One question to ask yourself is whether or not you'll need the services of a wedding planner and organiser.
• The services of a Wedding Coordinator can be arranged at a number of local hotels. (This individual usually collaborates with the venue's catering and sales teams.
• The wedding planner at the venue is in charge of recording and tracking all of the information unique to each couple's wedding, including but not limited to: the couple's chosen menu items, final headcount, billing information, and collected funds.
• They may be unavailable on the wedding day, but the venue will have a backup contact person.
• It is important to keep in mind that the wedding planners, no matter how hard they work to ensure your clients have a fantastic time at the venue, actually work for the venue.
• Their main responsibility will be to see to the needs of the location.
• The wedding planner will get to know the couple's style and vision for the big day.
• With the help of a wedding planner, the bride and groom can focus on enjoying the process of arranging their big day.
• The wedding planner oversees the event to guarantee that the chosen theme and colour scheme is reflected throughout.
• The couple getting married is the planner's priority.
• A wedding coordinator is an employee of your chosen wedding venue, and it is their job to ensure that every detail of your big day runs smoothly.
• However, your wedding coordinator should manage EVERY detail of your special day.
• Unfortunately, we can't rely on the wedding coordinator at the site to also serve as the event's organiser.
• It's common practice for newlyweds to hire a wedding planner so that they may kick back and enjoy themselves on their big day.
• You'll probably start thinking about all the little things you want to have perfect on your wedding day and actively seek out vendors to help you achieve those goals, as well as browse wedding inspiration boards like Pinterest.
• Finding and booking your wedding vendors should be one of the first things you do as you plan your big day.
• Couples that are short on time might be wise to invest in a wedding planner, organiser, or stylist; yet, it can be difficult to tell the differences between these professionals.
• Despite sharing certain similarities, there are key differences between the two that should be taken into account when deciding which option is best for you.
• Hiring a wedding planner means relaxing and letting someone else handle the logistics.
• Hiring a wedding planner to take care of everything from the initial planning stages to the reception could be a huge relief.
• They might provide everything from full-service planning and preparation to partial planning and even coordination on the big day (more on this in a bit).
• Depending on the details of your package, your wedding coordinator may be responsible for more or fewer of the following tasks:
• Assisting with the selection of appropriate ceremony and reception locations
• planning and attending site visits and scheduled appointments
• Finding and scheduling each service provider you'll need for the day Assistance in creating, executing, and keeping tabs on a budget (including managing invoices and payments) All of our interactions with suppliers are now being directed by you (including managing contracts and documentation). Facilitating the construction of a floor plan or seating chart to facilitate the management of a large number of guests You planned and disseminated the schedule for your wedding day.
• Assistance with preparation and event day management (including vendor and guest management and emergency procedures!)
• Hiring a full-service planner is the best option if the two of you want to hand off the bulk of the responsibility for organising the wedding to someone else.
• Professional wedding planners handle nearly every detail.
• They can also assist the bride and groom by suggesting reliable vendors.
• If you need assistance organising your wedding, consider hiring a professional.
• A wedding planner may handle any task, big or small.
• One of the wedding planners will quickly become your best friend.
• A wedding planner will take your broad (or narrow) vision for the wedding day and carry it out meticulously, from the venue to the flowers to the meal to the invitations.
• If you simply cannot dedicate the minimum of 150 hours to wedding planning because of other commitments, they can take over for you.
• The "on-the-day planning" or "day-of coordination" supplied by a wedding planner is typically sold separately.
• Any time a wedding venue offers a "venue organiser," the meaning becomes clouded.
• A wedding planner is someone who organises and oversees all of the weddings.
• A wedding organiser is someone you and your partner can employ separately.
• There's also the option of hiring a wedding planner who can start helping you out about a month before the big day.
• The following are the common responsibilities of a wedding coordinator:
• You and the wedding planner will meet one week before the big day to review the final preparations.
• Planning and overseeing the day-of logistics (coordinating vendors and attendees, setting up and decorating, relocating equipment, and dealing with unforeseen problems are just some of the tasks that fall under the umbrella of event management.)
• In most cases, the services of an event planner are built into the venue's rental fee.
• Their role is often limited to overseeing the venue's side of event logistics, in contrast to that of an external wedding planner.
• A majority of the time, they will not act as a supervisor for your other vendors or attend to emergencies when they occur outside of business hours (for example, if your wedding ceremony is being hosted in a separate location).
• A bridal coordinator's key difference from a wedding planner is the shorter time constraint she must work.
• On the other hand, some couples employ a wedding planner for only that one day.
• Consider this vendor a collaborator in coordinating the pickups and deliveries for your big day.
• They also aren't as useful in creating the event's overarching theme as planners.
• The responsibilities of a venue coordinator range widely depending on the setting but typically involve but are not limited to the following:
• Management and oversight of all services provided on-site
• Making an internal schedule and supervising the venue's workers
• Facilitating the vendors' entry and exit from the venue and managing their deliveries and pickups.
• Consequently, before dismissing the idea of a wedding planner outright, it is crucial to understand what you can anticipate from your location coordinator.
• On the big day, a wedding planner is a lifesaver.
• Meeting with a wedding coordinator for weeks or months (depending on the degree of service you want to acquire from them) before the wedding is when you discuss the wedding's practicalities, such as the wedding schedule, guest list, and location.
• Make sure your wedding venue doesn't provide any services you currently have, such as planning or coordination, by asking them directly.
• Before deciding to hire extra help, it's a good idea to see if the services offered by a wedding venue coordinator are the same as those offered by a standard event planner.