What’s the Difference Between a Wedding Planner, Venue Planner, and Coordinator?
Among all the new wedding verbiage you’re learning, now that you’re engaged, you’ve probably heard terms like “venue planner”, “wedding planner” or “day-of coordinator” being thrown around a lot. So, who are they and what do they mean to you? This is one of the most important things for you to understand while prepping for your big day. Because, while these people are very similar, they’ll play very different roles in your planning process.
Let’s Break It Down:
A wedding planner is someone you’d hire to provide a personal planning service. This person typically runs their own planning business, and you can book their services to help you envision your wedding and arrange all the details, from the venue to the invitations and everything in between.
Your wedding planner will assist you throughout the whole planning process, attending vendor meetings with you, coordinating RSVPs, and seeing it all come to fruition on the wedding day. Having a personal planner is great because their expertise can guide you through the very foreign world of planning a wedding, helping you set and manage a wedding budget. When you have a question or feel torn between options, your wedding planner’s got you covered.
A venue planner is someone provided by your wedding venue to assist you with your venue-specific needs. This person typically works for your venue and is assigned to you to help with details pertaining to the venue specifically. An example could be helping you select in-house enhancements or answering your questions about any venue restrictions.
At Los Willows, we have multiple venue planners on-site to help you arrange your venue needs! Once you’ve booked with us, you’ll receive a welcome email from the planning team within ten days so that you have your point of reference for anything venue-related.
A day-of coordinator is someone who’ll be with you on your wedding day, making sure everything is running smoothly and on time. Your day-of-coordinator can address any issues or last-minute changes that occur. This person is sometimes provided by the wedding venue, but you might have to hire this person yourself. Like wedding planners, there are lots of professionals out there who run their own day-of-coordination business, making it easy for you to find one.
What Are the Major Differences?
Scope of Work
Wedding planners handle everything from start to finish; venue planners focus on the specifics of the venue; day-of coordinators concentrate on the execution of pre-made plans on the wedding day.
Timing of Involvement
Wedding planners are involved from the beginning; venue planners work continuously at the venue; day-of coordinators step in close to the wedding date.
Focus
Wedding planners manage the overall vision and planning; venue planners ensure the event aligns with the venue’s capabilities and policies; day-of coordinators ensure that the wedding day runs smoothly according to the plan.
At Los Willows, we provide your day-of coordinator for you! We believe in providing you with a flawless, stress-free wedding so your day-of coordinator is there to make sure the hard work is taken care of. That way, you get to enjoy the day and soak up the memories!
Planning a wedding is a lot of work. And chances are, this is your first time doing it! So, it’s only natural that you’ll need expert help along the way. Your venue planner and day-of coordinator at Los Willows are here to help!
