A lot of brides and grooms think that a wedding planner and an on-site venue coordinator are one and the same. Presented with a “free” on-site coordinator by their wedding venue, they don’t see the need to work with a wedding planner anymore, thinking it’s duplicating work and an unnecessary expense.
But a wedding planner and an on-site venue coordinator play different, but complementary roles. Let’s take a look at what each of them can do for you, and know why you need to have both working with you.
On-site Coordinator
With an in-depth knowledge of the venue, its layout, staff, and food options, the venue coordinator is the main source of information about your wedding venue, including all the policies that need to be followed. He or she is the one who will quote rates for different items and services, and will make sure that you make your payments on time to the venue.
On your wedding day, the on-site coordinator will focus on delivering the services that you have contracted for, ensuring that the venue is properly set up for the event, that the vendors are following their rules, that service proceeds on time, and that tear down is completed smoothly.
And since the on-site coordinator works for the venue, keep in mind that this person’s loyalty is with the venue.
Wedding Planner
Wedding planners work closely with the bride and groom, building both a personal and professional bond right from the start of the client-service provider relationship.
Wedding planners are involved in every step of the wedding, from choosing vendors and venues, budget management, theme development, decor arrangement, and travel arrangement. They’re responsible for all the wedding details and supervising the wedding itself. They keep everyone and everything organized by creating a plan for the event and following up with everyone involved to make sure everything goes well.
One important contribution of wedding planners is their network of trusted suppliers that they can call on. Not only will they be personally acquainted with the vendors’ work, but they’ll also customise their recommendations based on your budget, style and personality.
Wedding planners are tough negotiators, working hard to give you the best deals and pass on any savings from preferential rates. In the long run, a wedding planner can save you not only time, but also money.
Why You Need Them Both
So it’s not unusual to have both a wedding planner and an on-site venue coordinator working on the same wedding. The venue coordinator is the point person on all matters regarding the wedding venue, while the wedding planner assists the bride and groom in all other aspects of the wedding. The wedding planner gets to assist the bride and groom in more areas compared to the on-site coordinator who focuses solely on the wedding venue.
Now that you know the specific tasks done by an on-site coordinator and a wedding planner, you will realise that you need to work with both in planning your wedding.
