The Difference Between an Independent Wedding Coordinator and a Venue Coordinator
Do you know the difference between an independent wedding coordinator and a venue coordinator? The terms wedding coordinator and venue coordinator are often used interchangeably, but when it comes to the duties of each, they are vastly different.
As a wedding planner, I absolutely LOVE when a venue has a coordinator. It completes the ultimate wedding vendor team. However, wedding coordinators and venue coordinators do not cover the same services. Both are very important when it comes to the wedding’s overall success, but they each perform their own separate duties. Today, we’re going to discuss the differences between each role.
WHAT DOES A VENUE COORDINATOR DO?
A venue coordinator is responsible for overseeing everything having to do for the venue - catering, set up, room layout, bathrooms, managing their staff, etc. Typically, this person is either assigned to the couple after a sales team has booked the couple in, however, some venues have the same person who handles the whole process from the initial contact to the day of. More often than not, the person who will be handling the day of your wedding, is someone who you have never met before.
Ultimately, the venue coordinator works for the venue and not for the couple. Because of this, venues are known to have a high turnover rate among these positions.
If you hire an independent coordinator, they are a vendor, similar to your photographer, DJ and officiant, who is hand picked by you and won’t be going anywhere.
WHAT DOES AN INDEPENDENT WEDDING COORDINATOR DO?
An independent wedding coordinator is focused solely on the couple. As a wedding coordinator, I am always looking at the overall wedding plan which includes the venue logistics, but also all of the other vendors as well.
With even my smallest package, The Month of Coordination package, I provide my clients with a Wedding Workbook with a ton of spreadsheets, trackers and checklists to keep them as organized as possible until services start. With the Month of Coordination package, services start 6 weeks out from your wedding date. At this time, I will get caught up to date on everything the couples have planned so far and assess what loose ends need to be tied up and provide any recommendations or changes to ensure the wedding day is seamless.
As well, on the actual day of the wedding, there are a thousand duties that I handle so that my clients can enjoy their wedding day. Whether it be communicating with the vendors and venue throughout the entire day to answer any questions, advise of changes or keep up to date, handling last minute emergencies that may arise or just ensuring my clients receive the best service possible, without a wedding coordinator present on the day of, the couple is responsible for all coordination. This leads to couples becoming stressed and unable to enjoy their day that they’ve spent so many hours planning.
This information is not meant to try and put a negative spin on venue coordinators. I love venues that offer a coordinator and think they are essential to the success of a wedding! However, I want couples to be aware of the key differences between the two roles.
COMPLETE YOUR DREAM TEAM BY HIRING A WEDDING COORDINATOR TODAY!
Hiring a wedding coordinator leads to a less stressful wedding experience as you have the peace of mind knowing there is someone there to advocate for your plans and best interest.
If you want to chat weddings and are interested in learning more about how a wedding coordinator can help reduce your wedding planning stress, let’s book a call and we can get started!