As a wedding planner and wedding coordinator, I have heard many brides and grooms state they do not need to hire a wedding coordinator because their venue comes with one. With over six years in the wedding industry and the owner of a wedding planning company, I have found two articles that differentiate these two vastly different vendors and explain the benefits of hiring both for your wedding.
In the first article, “Wedding Coordinator vs Venue Coordinator” by Lauren Grove of Every Last Detail the focus is on educating brides and grooms on the differences of wedding coordinators and venue coordinators. The article provides examples as what a typical venue coordinator is responsible for on the wedding day as well as the longer lists of the responsibilities of a wedding coordinator. Lauren Grove, stresses the importance of hiring both types of vendors as their job duties are different and both benefit the couple in various ways. She points out the many newlyweds are often regretful of not hiring a wedding coordinator before their wedding day.
Image courtesy of Richard Harrell Photography
In the second article, written by Carly Chaney titled, “Venue coordinator vs. a day-of coordinator: What’s the dif!?” was featured on OffBeat Bride. It radiates the same message that Lauren Grove’s article portrayed in highlighting and educating the differences between wedding coordinators and venue coordinators. Carly stresses that wedding coordinators works for the family while venue coordinators works for the event venue. This is a key point as typically venue coordinators do not attend dress fitting, recommend vendors, nor create timelines. These duties are typical of a wedding coordinator. The article recommends hiring both vendors for a successful wedding.
Image courtesy of Richard Harrell Photography
After reading these two articles along with my experience as a wedding planner and coordinator, I have listed three action items I would recommend you should take if you are contemplating whether to hire a wedding coordinator in addition to your venue coordinator:
- Ask Questions – Ask questions to your venue coordinator to understand their capabilities and limitations. For example, what will happen if my wedding dress bustle breaks, will you be there to assist me?
- Plan Accordingly – You will want to know early on in wedding planning if you need or desire to have a wedding coordinator so you can budget accordingly.
- Set Expectations – Be fully aware of what the venue coordinator will provide to you in terms of service so should you choose not to hire a wedding coordinator, you are confident in your decision.
In your current stage of wedding planning, determine if your venue coordinator will fulfill your needs and desires on your wedding day. If not, you need to hire a wedding coordinator