Confused already? You're not alone.
Most people outside of the wedding industry don't even realize there is a difference between these different job titles, after all they all sound like pretty much the same, right? Well, just because they have similar sounding titles doesn't mean they provide the same services. In fact, all of three people have different fees, and have different tasks they oversee sso it's important to know who does what and how they can help you.
Venue Coordinators - Free to You! A Venue Coordinator is someone that your Wedding Venue employs to help showcase what their venue can offer prospective couples, as well as oversee the the setting up of the venue for your wedding day. You will meet with this person atleast twice before your wedding to determine the requirements and set-up your event requires (i.e. proof of insurance from vendors, table measurements for decor, building layout, etc). While they do hope your Wedding day goes off without a hitch their #1 priority is the venue and making sure that it is set up to the specifications agreed to in your contract, while maintaining the integrity of their buildings and landscape. They are typically very busy on the day of your wedding overseeing the set up and cleanliness of the venue so don't expect them to oversee the set up of your vendors. Since their job is making sure the venue is set up once that's done they are not always required to stick around. Which is why it is aways good to ask: On our wedding day, will you be at the venue? When will you arrive? When can we begin setting up? How long do you typically stay at the venue on the wedding day? Will you be available to help direct our Vendors so they can set up? You are the one in charge of making sure your wedding vendors know where to go when they arrive so make sure you have all of the important information ahead of time to share with your vendors.
So to summarize: Venue Coordinators are your main contact to your Wedding Venue. Wedding Planners -$$$
Wedding planners are all about the logistics of planning your wedding. From vendor referrals and contract negotiation to day-of execution of your vision, they are incredibly organized and detail-oreinted people. "Planners take the guesswork out of the process, making planning a wedding as seamless and smooth as possible," says Renny Pedersen, owner and creative director of Bliss Weddings & Events.
Some of the duties a Wedding Planner typically oversees are:
Providing vendor referrals and negotiating contracts, schedules and vendor meetings.
Create detailed timelines and reception floor plans.
Help determine and manage your budget.
Attend site tours and menu tastings.
Brainstorm style ideas and coordinate design details.
Coordinate hotel room blocks and transportation.
Manage the rehearsal.
Oversee everything on the wedding day (makes sure everyone adheres to the timeline, handles snafus, manages vendors, and executes your vision on-site).
Wedding Planners are wonderful at removing the majority of the stressful decisions that you may not want to deal with when putting together your wedding. You may want to consider a wedding planner if: you have a demanding job that doesn't give you a lot of free time to put together your own wedding; you don't have any idea of how to plan a wedding; have a very short time to plan a wedding; or you are hosting your wedding in an atypical location (i.e. a destination wedding, museum wedding, etc). You can expect to invest about the same amount in your wedding planner as your photographer for their services. To summarize: Wedding Planners manage all the pre-planning and oversees everything on your wedding day. Wedding Coordinators -$$ A Wedding Coordinator on the otherhand generally comes in a lot closer to the wedding. After you've hired all your vendors, and planned all the details you will hand over the reigns to your Wedding Coordinator about 4-8 weeks before the big day. From here they will confirm your vendor contracts and be the point man for any communication between you and your the vendors. They will create a day-of-the-wedding timeline and make sure that things like payments and your guest count are in order. Then come the day of your wedding they will ensure that everyone knows where to be, is on schedule, and that things run smoothly so that you're free to just enjoy your wedding day. A wedding coordinator is a good option for you if you want to take an active role in planning your wedding, but would like someone else to take care of the last-minute details (and make sure you didn't miss anything) in the last few weeks leading up to, and including your wedding day. Their services can cost up to $2000.
To summarize: A Wedding Coordinator oversees the communication with your wedding vendors the last 4-8 weeks up to and including the wedding day.
To reiterate, these three important (yet sometimes confusing) Wedding Vendors: Venue Coordinators, Wedding Planners, and Wedding Coordinators all provide different services that you may find helpful when preparing for your wedding day. If you forget in the future what they do, don't be afriad to ask!
While there are multiple things that make them different from one another they all have one thing in common = they want you to have a great wedding day!
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