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The Difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue Coordinator

26

Mar

Dear brides,

I get it, the venue comes with a venue coordinator, so what’s the point of hiring a wedding planner?  Speaking as a photographer, when there is no planner the timeline is left to us, which really takes us away from capturing your moments. Read on to find out the difference between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator from the top planners in Washington, DC.

The Difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue Coordinator

#1 The venue coordinator works primarily for the venue

Aimee from A. Dominick Events

“First and foremost, a venue coordinator represents the venue. They may also be willing to do things for you (like set out your escort cards), but they will never be 100% your champion. How could they?  Their job (depending on the venue), is first and foremost, to protect the venue from being damaged or lead the catering team. Either way their allegiance will naturally be to their employer and main job, rather than the bride and groom. A planner’s entire job is to do exactly what the bride and groom have asked for, in every instance. Period”

#2 You get to actually enjoy your day

Amanda from Beacon and Berkeley Events

“Trusting your planner with your timeline allows you to kick back and truly enjoy all of your family, friends and of course your new spouse!  Planners truly know how long hair and make up will take, how much buffer time you will want around getting in your dress, how long first course will take- because that can definitely differ between caterers and hotels- to helping avoid overtime hours with your photographer by crafting the perfect flow for the big day!”

The Difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue Coordinator

Cristina from Cristina Calvert Signature

“For us, the main difference between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator is that a wedding planner will be with you throughout the entire day. We begin with checking in on you and your ladies with your hair and makeup and making sure that your groom and the groomsmen are fed and taken care of. We love working with venue coordinators, but their main focus is to execute a seamless event at their venue from mostly a catering perspective and once guests arrive onsite. Wedding planners are with the couples from the beginning of the wedding day until the last guest leaves”

The Difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue CoordinatorThe Difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue Coordinator

#3 Planners work on Design and Vision

Pam from Pamela Barefoot:

“A wedding planner ensures your whole day has a cohesive vision, from invitations and welcome gifts to escort cards and party favors”

Julie from Kruse and Vieira

“Compared to a venue coordinator or a month-of coordinator, a full service planner typically should include a robust design component to their services.  We start by getting to know our couples, their likes dislikes, what they want for their wedding, their story and all the little things that make them who they are. From there we work to curate a mood board full of images that help define the aesthetic for their wedding along with a proposed color palette. This is then used as a great tool to communicate the overall design to other vendors.
The Difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue Coordinator
We then begin to work through a full design plan, strategically thinking through how the guests and couple will experience the day from save the dates all the way through to the end of the night and coming up with design ideas that speak to all five of the senses.  We also work to create “wow” moments that highlight the venue and our couple creating bespoke vignettes during each portion of the event. Typically a coordinator is primarily concerned about the logistics of the day and will not offer design support”
The Difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue Coordinator

#4 Hiring a planner takes the stress out in wedding planning

Laura from Grit and Grace

“The quantity of choices for vendors that we have here in the DC Metro area is so impressive! We are so fortunate to have dozens and dozens of talented photographers, interesting venues, amazing caterers, etc. But how do you choose whats right for you as a bride and groom without making wedding planning for your full time job? We always encourage clients to utilize our services to be able to narrow down choices so you don’t have to spend all-day every-day, calling, googling, reviewing and wasting time. We like to present a few options to our clients and provide concrete pros and cons for each, so the decisions are theirs, but we can provide insurance behind any choice because we took the time to qualify them ahead of time”
The Difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue Coordinator

#5 Planners are your advocates

Laura from Grit and Grace

“Could you buy a home without a realtor? Sure! But would you feel more secure in spending that amount of money on such an important choice with a personal advocate on your side? YES! Thats what we would liken ourselves to a full planning event planners….not to mention we would also be your interior designer, psychiatrist and friend through the whole experience and beyond”

The Difference between a Wedding Planner and a Venue Coordinator

Vendors:

Planners: Soco Events, IDA Rose Events, Kelley Cannon Events

Makeup: Arielle Lewis, Carl Ray, Claudine Fay, Amie Decker Beaty

Flowers: Toulies, Sophie Felts

Catering: Heirloom

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