Wedding Planner vs Venue Coordinator: What’s the difference?
Are you newly engaged and starting to plan your wedding?
Or perhaps a Mother of the Bride helping navigate the wedding planning process? Today, we’ll clarify the key differences between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator to help you understand who does what.
One of the first questions after getting engaged is often about the date and venue. While finding the perfect wedding venue is exciting, there are crucial steps to take before you even start venue shopping. Do you know the essential questions to ask yourselves first?
Laying the Groundwork: Key Questions Before You Start Wedding Planning
- What’s your estimated wedding guest count?
- What’s your overall wedding budget? (How much are you spending?)
- Will any family members be contributing financially to your wedding costs? If so, how much?
- What is your desired wedding style or overall vibe? (e.g., rustic, modern, classic)
- Do you have a preferred wedding season or specific dates in mind?
Simplify Your Venue Search: Our Time-Saving “Venue Selection Package”
Love every detail of planning, or are you a busy professional with limited time for endless venue research and tours?
At Raise A Glass Weddings and Events, our convenient “Venue Selection Package“is designed to help! We provide personalized wedding venue recommendations based on your style, budget, and personality. Our experienced wedding planner will even accompany you (virtually or in-person) on tours of potential ceremony and reception/cocktail hour locations.
This service is particularly invaluable for couples planning a Boston’s North Shore destination wedding or event. In fact, many of our out-of-state clients find us through Google specifically for this support, making North Shore, MA destination wedding planning a key area of our expertise. We’ve proudly assisted couples from Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New York, California, Utah, Colorado, and Missouri.”
Why a Wedding Planner is Still Essential (Even with a Venue Coordinator)
When visiting venues, you’ll often find that their packages include a venue coordinator. This might lead you to believe a wedding planner isn’t necessary – but that’s incorrect. There are significant differences between the two roles, which we’ve outlined in a helpful graph created by our intern, Katie Daniels, a senior at Gordon College.
| Who’s Responsible For: | Wedding Planner | Venue Coordinator |
|---|---|---|
| Creating the floor plan | Creates the floor plan | Picks it up on-site |
| Opening the doors and turning on the lights | X | |
| Helping the couple find vendors and booking them | X | |
| Supervise vendors arriving on time and setting up | X | |
| Organizing access to the loading dock | X | |
| Handles the family drama | X | |
| Provides security and deals with wedding crashers | X | |
| Supervises the setup of rentals and florals | X | |
| Sets up the guest book and personal items | X | |
| Set up the tasting for the couple | X | |
| Reviews vendor contracts with the couple | X | |
| Deals with heat or air conditioning issues | X | |
| Creates timelines for the couples, their wedding parties, and all the vendors | X | |
| Handles staffing for food and bar service | X | |
| Creates the design | X | |
| Organizes the wedding party for the ceremony time | X | |
| Cuts and plates the wedding cake for guests | X | |
| Plans the wedding with the couple | X | |
| Cues the speeches, first dance, and parent dances | X | |
| Ensures dinner service is running smoothly | X | |
| Cues the speeches and works with the MC | X | |
| Deals with meal choices and allergies | X | |
| Stay with the couple and their family throughout the night | X | |
| Books the couple a guest room | X | |
| Bustles the bride’s dress | X |
While the distinctions between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator are clear, we firmly believe that both are essential for a smooth and successful wedding planning process. As experienced wedding professionals, we highly value our partnerships with venue coordinators in orchestrating a flawless event. We look forward to raising a glass to your special day!”
Now that you have a clearer understanding of the distinct roles of a wedding planner and a venue coordinator, and know the important first steps after your engagement, are you wondering where you could use some extra wedding planning guidance? Take our free and easy “Wedding Planning Help Quiz” to pinpoint the areas where you need the most support!. Click here to take the quiz!
