I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this question or just the statement: “I don’t need a wedding planner. My venue has a coordinator.” Let’s talk about why! I’ve been thinking about this post for a while and my colleague Jenna (a venue coordinator) at the fabulous Vintage Villas wedding and event center encouraged me to go ahead and write it!
We love venue coordinators; we really do! They can be so wonderful and they’re very knowledgeable about their venue. They can tell you all the best practices at their site and everything the venue and their staff can do for you. Venue coordinators may be responsible for everything at the venue, from renting out the venue to food and beverage sales and being present on the wedding day. Or….they may do the venue sales role and be responsible for turning on and off the lights on the wedding day….and that’s it!
So what does a venue coordinator do? First and foremost, they work for the venue, not the bride. His/her job is to look out for the best interest of the venue. Of course they want a happy bride, but they don’t have time to be with her throughout the whole day. They have to make sure the venue needs and responsibilities are taken care of. This could include managing an entire catering staff in addition to the unique requirements of their building. Wedding and event venues have historically high turnover. Therefore, that person who sold you the space, may not be there by the time your wedding day arrives. The last point I want to note is that a venue typically has at least one wedding per weekend. That venue coordinator is likely managing 50-100 events for the venue throughout the year.
Nine Photography
We’ve established who the venue coordinator works for, but let’s talk about who an independent planner works for. It’s YOU, the bride! We are not locked into one venue or even a group of venues. We work everywhere and therefore, we keep our client’s needs and desires as priority. We work hand-in-hand with the venue coordinator and the rest of your vendors as the team lead. We are with you throughout the day to execute the day to YOUR wishes and to make sure YOU are taken care of. We have no other priorities besides the plans you and I make together.
Now, you may or may not need a full-service wedding planner. You get the benefits of a professional wedding planner with our minimum package, which is “month-of” coordination. From the start, we will give you personalized vendor recommendations and an online planning system to do your own planning. If you just don’t have time, we can do more and will be happy to help you.
The last thing I’d like to tell you is about is that some venues do offer a more in-depth coordination options. My advice is to compare what they offer to that of an independent planner’s package. You can see the details of all our packages here. Make an informed decision!
I hope this has helped educate you regarding your wedding coordination options. We pride ourselves on being our brides’ champion! Our goal and passion is to take the stress out of your wedding planning process, no matter what level of service you choose. To learn more about how we can help you, click on the button below…and Jenna – thanks for the push in writing this post!