Wedding Coordinator vs Venue Coordinator

Do I hire a wedding coordinator or use the venue coordinator?

Having worked both roles, Mary from Joyfully Joined Events would love to educate couples on the difference of both. It all boils down to 2 very simple things:

• The wedding coordinator works for you by making your best interests priority.
• The venue coordinator puts the venue needs first.

Let’s break this down even further:

Venue coordinators handle everything pertaining to the location including, but not limited to:

• The safety and well being of the guests.
• Items that come along with the use of the venue such as tables and chairs.
• Venue coordinators deal with the electrical and plumbing situations from turning on the lights, making sure the sprinklers don’t come on during the ceremony and fixing any clogged toilets.
• Depending on the venue, they may also handle the catering, bar and service staff.

On the other hand, a wedding coordinator will spend their time and energy focusing on all aspects of your wedding! And they may offer multiple options on how involved they can be in the planning process.

During the planning process, your coordinator will communicate with all your vendors, provide etiquette and wedding planning tips, review your vendor contracts, create timelines and layouts and keep you organized and on task. On the day of the wedding, the coordinator is focused on making sure everything runs smoothly and as dictated on the timeline and layouts. 

They are typically the 1st to arrive on the day of the wedding and will oversee all of the vendors as they arrive and throughout the entire event to ensure they are providing the services that were contracted. Your wedding coordinator will set up decorations and your personal items. And then at the end of the evening, they will pack them up for you to take home.

Throughout the wedding day, your wedding coordinator will be there to politely prompt you and your wedding party/family on what the next activities are such as toasts, special dances, and the cake cutting. Your coordinator will stay until the very end of the event and is typically the last person to leave.

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Keep in mind your venue manager is assigned to you. Comparatively, you personally hire your wedding coordinator, so you have more control over whom you are working with. Unfortunately, there are often changes in positions at venues. So you may go through several venue coordinators during the planning process. This would not happen if you hire a coordinator- you get what you hire.

Venue coordinators are awesome! The day could not run smoothly without their part, but keep in mind that their roles are limited. I recommend having all your bases covered when it comes to the most important day of your life!

With Joy~

Mary Allegretta-Butler | Event Planner

JOYFULLY JOINED EVENTS

Phone: 805-286-0688

Website: www.joyfullyjoinedevents.com

Check me out on: FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM

Member of SLO Wedding Planners

Exec. Producer of Central Coast Wedding Channel