Planner vs. Wedding Consultant vs. Venue Coordinator
Updated: Mar 2, 2020
Planning a wedding comes with a whole new set of lingo, some you have probably used interchangeably at some point. Wedding planners, wedding consultants and venue coordinators are all very different roles. I’m here to tell you today the distinctions so you can best plan and budget for the person who will most suit you and serve you best.
Wedding Planner Overview
This is a full-service position, a person who will work with you from the very beginning from venue selection to planning your farewell brunch and everything in between. A wedding planner will educate you and give advice and direction so that you have the wedding you’ve always dreamed of. Here’s what it looks like at a glance:
Puts in 100 to 200 hours depending on the scope of work.
Provides vendor referrals to match your aesthetic, personality and budget.
Attends all vendor appointments and tastings.
Negotiates contracts.
Creates detailed timelines and floor plans.
Helps determine and manage your budget.
Brainstorms style ideas and coordinates design details.
Arranges hotel room blocks and transportation.
Leads the rehearsal.
Assists with rehearsal dinner plans.
Manages the entire wedding day.
Wedding Consultant Overview (aka Wedding Coordinator, aka Day Of Coordinator)
A wedding consultant is often referred to as a Day Of Coordinator, which in my opinion, this term should be eliminated from our vocabulary. There is no such thing and if someone tells you there is, they’re doing you a disservice. This simply isn’t possible for someone to show up the day of the event and expect things to magically happen, it takes legwork and familiarization with your vision and expectations.. This is where a wedding consultant comes into play, there are lots of things a consultant will do leading up to your big day. When I do Consulting jobs, I generally start a minimum of 30 days prior. At that point I collect all vendors contracts and review all the details up to that point. Here’s a list of what happens after that:
Puts in at approximately 30 hours.
Meets with you four to eight weeks before the wedding to get a handle on what you’ve planned thus far.
Checks in with your vendors to review the signed contracts and confirm logistics.
Creates detailed timelines and floor plans.
Completes a final walk-through of the ceremony and reception sites.
Addresses any overlooked details.
Manages the rehearsal.
Oversees everything on the wedding day.
In House Venue Coordinator Overview
An in-house venue coordinator role is simply to coordinate from the venue’s perspective. The Venue Coordinator may be the person that gave you the tour of the venue initially and sold you the package for your big day or perhaps you will be meeting this person for the very first time on your wedding day. A lot of time the venue will say that they can handle a lot of the tasks that a Wedding Consultant would normal take care of, however this is outside of the scope of their role and they will always take care of the venue responsibilities first.
If this is a concern for you, having a Wedding Consultant for your big day will ensure a lot of those contract details get carried out, as they will be there the whole day working alongside all your other vendors making sure everything is going smooth. Venue coordinators are often offered at a much lower price point that a consultant or planner, buyer beware. Make sure you are educated when making this decision and not confuse the roles of each distinct position.
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Eventfully Yours.
xoxo
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