Wedding planner. Wedding coordinator. One in the same, right? Eh, noooooot exactly.
Wedding planners are all about the logistics, from vendor referrals and contract negotiation to day-of execution of your vision. They can provide design or styling services, helping with the creative specifics of your wedding day. Wedding coordinators make sure everything you've done up until they start services is properly planned. They make sure everything is in order, nothing is forgotten, and you're free to enjoy your wedding day. Hiring a coordinator to take over the month before your wedding gives them time to tweak any details and follow up on loose ends. Many companies, such as ours, offer both services to suit the needs of different couples. Click here to learn more about our package offerings.
A wedding planner is very hands-on with all aspects and plans all the details of the wedding start-to-finish starting far in advance of your actual wedding day. This typically includes wedding styling and design, venue and vendor selection, timeline creation, guest management, budget management, etc. All of the responsibilities does come with a significant price tag. Wedding planners are very involved and essentially handle all aspects and logistics of a wedding with your wedding goals and priorities in mind. A wedding planner is ideal for couples who feel overwhelmed by the idea of having to plan their own wedding and/or have very high expectations for their wedding and don’t want to leave it to chance trusting themselves to pull it off. You can think of your wedding planner as a project manager in charge of making your dream wedding possible and engagement relaxing!
A wedding planner's typical responsibilities:
Plan the scope and design of the wedding event, including time, location, & budget
Source and secure venues and vendors and obtain bids for services
Handle all logistics of the event
Deal with any difficulties pertaining to the event, making sure things go smoothly
Coordinate additional services such as transportation, and catering
Monitor wedding event activities to ensure that the couple and guests are satisfied
Is a wedding planner for you?
Do you want the least possible amount of wedding-related stress?
Do you have no free time?
Do you have no clue where to start when it comes to planning?
Are your organizational skills not the greatest?
Do you have a very short time frame for planning?
If you answered yes to any of these... a wedding planner would be a great fit for you!
A wedding coordinator manages all day-of related logistics and their process usually begins about a month before the wedding date. They execute and oversee what a couple has already planned to relieve stress on the wedding day itself. Work starts months before the wedding date, reviewing all of the wedding aspects, creating the timeline, and finding and fixing details that were missed during the planning process.
For the wedding day, the coordinator is the contact person for all parties involved in the wedding day, executes the timeline, manages any unexpected hiccups, etc. Hiring a wedding coordinator is perfect for couples who want to take the reins in planning their own wedding. A coordinator will ensure everything runs according to plan as you’ve envisioned and make it so that you and your partner don’t have to lift a finger and have a beautiful stress-free day.
A wedding coordinator’s typical responsibilities:
Managing vendors -This doesn’t include choosing or hiring vendors.
Creating and executing timelines
Final walk through of ceremony and reception
Orchestrating and managing the rehearsal
Orchestrating and managing the wedding day, ceremony, and reception and handling any issues that may arise
Setting up and tearing down of personal items
Is a wedding coordinator for you?
Do you want to play an active role in planning your wedding but would like someone to take care of the last-minute details?
Do you need someone to help make sure you haven't missed anything?
Are you extremely organized and detail-oriented and need a good ringleader?
Do you want to be able to be fully relaxed on your day and know that everything is being handled just the way you want it?
Do you want to walk down the aisle not worrying if your cake was delivered? If you answered yes to any of these... a wedding coordinator would make your day so easy!
You're convinced you need either a planner or coordinator? Here's a couple tips!
1. Book Ahead of Time - Secure as soon as you know your wedding date—even if they aren't getting involved until the month before.
2. Consider the Cost - Planners and coordinators are ultimately an investment in the peace of mind on your big day.
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