You’ve finally sat down and decided to plan your wedding, but you’ve also realized that you might need a little help pulling everything together. The question is, do you hire a wedding coordinator or a wedding planner? Well, we’re here to lay out some fundamental differences between wedding coordinators & wedding planners to help you make the best decision.
To answer that question, it all depends on how much guidance you and your fiancée need.
Day-of Coordinator: Despite the name, a day-of coordinator usually gets involved in the planning process anywhere from 3 months to 4 weeks before your wedding date.
If you’re the kind of bride who has no trouble sourcing your wedding day vendors, enjoys creating spreadsheets, is highly organized, and wants to play an active role in planning your wedding, then a wedding coordinator might be best for you. Once you meet, your coordinator will take your carefully laid-out plans and discuss your overall wedding day vision to help you create a final execution plan. They will be present the entire day of your wedding and serve as the main point of contact for your vendors. Most importantly, they will be the ones responsible for putting out any fires that may come up and answer any questions your vendors or guests might have the day of your wedding. Talk about a sigh of relief!
Wedding Planner: A wedding planner’s involvement typically begins right at the start of the planning process.
We know that not everyone is a type-A kind of bride, and that’s okay. Whether it’s a demanding job or the requirements of your daily life, it can sometimes be challenging to dedicate the time needed to plan an entire wedding thoughtfully. So, if you need someone to help guide you throughout your whole wedding planning process, a wedding planner will be your bridal dream come true. Among a myriad of things your wedding planner they will take on, you can expect your wedding planner to help you set & keep your budget, review your vendor contracts, and manage all the logistics of your big day, start to finish. Wedding planners thrive on details and exist to help those brides who may be too busy to handle wedding planning demands themselves. They take on the stress of planning for those brides who prefer a more hands-off approach to wedding planning.
No matter how organized you might be, hiring a coordinator or planner is always a good idea if you have the budget for it. Beyond providing services to help you & your fiancee, a wedding pro will also ensure that your loved ones are free to enjoy your celebration WITH you. No matter how much your mom or best friend may offer to take on a wedding day task, the last thing you want is for them to miss out on those special wedding day moments because they are pre-occupied with a job instead of fully present with you. If you don’t have the budget to hire a coordinator or planner of your own, ask your venue how much involvement their staff or venue coordinator will have on your wedding day.
Some venues include coordination services in their rental fees or have the option to add them if needed. Whatever the case, be sure to get a detailed breakdown of exactly what the venue’s coordinators will be responsible for before and during your wedding. Trust us; they are not all the same. Understanding these differences will help you determine if you need to hire an outside coordinator or if the venue’s services are just what you need to ensure your big day runs smoothly from start to finish!
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