I had a wonderful interaction with a Groom recently who is working on the wedding plans with his fiance.  They are having their wedding at a beautiful venue in the area on next year.  Early on, they decided to handle the planning process themselves because the “venue coordinator” for their wedding mentioned that they can handle everything for them.  Naturally, the light bulb in my head went off because I have heard this from prior couples before.   It is really important for Couple’s to make sure they are clear about what the “Venue Coordinator” is really offering.  Many venues are confusing Brides with this concept of “taking care of everything.”  Therefore, I thought I would share a snapshot of the difference of most “Venue Coordinators” and having a “Wedding Coordinator” work for you!

“Venue Coordinator”

• Some will have a preferred vendors list to pass along to you for you to research and reach out too.
• The venue could possibly have an in-house catering division to handle all aspects of the menu, chinaware, and servers.
• Most venues will provide a diagram(s) or layout of the space to give you ideas of the configuration for your set up.
• Share pictures of past events to give you ideas on how to decorate the space.
• Set-up their tables and chairs for the wedding.
• If you have chair covers, they may set it up for a fee.
• If applicable, some will have white, ivory, and/or black linens that you can rent from them.  Some venues do offer white as apart of the rental price of the space.
• There are some venues who may even have votives and mirrors to compliment your centerpieces.
• They will normally provide a Banquet Captain or Site Coordinator to manage their staff and servers on the day of.

“Wedding Coordinator”

• Review all Vendor contracts with you to verify all services guaranteed for the wedding.
• Design a detailed logistical timeline/itinerary of the entire wedding weekend.  This document is provided to the venue and all vendors.
• Schedule a final walk through prior to the wedding to make sure all details are covered and accounted for.
• Plan and execute your rehearsal and direct your ceremony.
• Deliver and set-up additional decor items provided by the Bride & Groom for the wedding.
• Run last minute errands the day before and day of the wedding.
• Place centerpieces on the tables if applicable.
• Verify each Vendor has arrived according to schedule and troubleshoot as needed.
• Make sure the Bride, Bridesmaids, and Mothers have their flowers.
• Pin boutonnieres on the Groom, Groomsmen, Ring Bearer, Dads, etc.
• Facilitate the flow of the Wedding Reception and make adjustments to the schedule as needed.
• Deliver any tip envelopes provided by Bride and Groom to various wedding vendors.
• Pack all gifts and submit to designated person.
• Breakdown and pack up any additional decor provided by Bride and Groom.

Venue Coordinators and Wedding Coordinators can work together to make sure every detail is covered and everything runs smoothly.  We both have a different job to do for the Bride and Groom.  The Venue’s primary focus is execute the venue commitment.  As a Wedding Coordinator, my primary job is to execute the direction and needs of the Bride and Groom.

I hope this was helpful information in your planning process when you meet with your venue coordinator.  Especially, when it is stated that “We can take care of everything.”  To discover something different as you get closer to the wedding day can be extremely stressful, when you should be getting closer to a peaceful and relaxed place.

Happy Wedding Planning Couples!
Nishaka