Wedding Planner v/s Wedding Coordinator: Which One You Need?

Planning your wedding may seem easy until you get deeply involved in the preparations. One major distinction you have to make before hiring someone is the difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator. Let’s jump into it…

Wedding Planner

Wedding planners are all about the details, from vendor recommendations to contract negotiations. These experts take the uncertainty out of the process, making it as easy as possible to organize a wedding, by managing the logistics and keeping track of your budget. Many people can learn this talent, but only the finest planners have the years of expertise and qualifications that set them apart from the competition.

Some wedding planners also provide design or style services, assisting you with the creative elements of your wedding day. In contrast, others prefer to leave those details to a wedding designer, requiring you to engage two experts to create the day you’ve imagined. Check with your planner ahead of time to see whether they provide design services.

Role Of A Wedding Planner:

• Assisting in the search for venues for the ceremony and reception.
• Arranging and assisting with site visits and appointments.
• Researching and booking all necessary vendors for the day.
• Helping you create, delegate and monitor your budget (including invoice and payment management).
• Manage all vendor correspondence on your behalf (including contract and documentation management).
• Manage your RSVPs and assist in the creation of the seating chart and seating plan.
• Creating and distributing your wedding day calendar.

A full-service wedding planner is best suited for couples who want to leave the bulk of their wedding planning to a professional.

This option is also ideal for busy couples who are short on time and need to balance wedding planning with a full-time job, family and other commitments.

Wedding Coordinator

The wedding coordinator is nothing less than a Godsend on your wedding day. While they are behind the scenes, they make sure that a wedding goes as smoothly as possible. However, they do not choose the venue, caterer or florist; you choose those with the help of your wedding planner. Instead, coordinators make sure everything goes as planned. Some venue comes with its own wedding coordinator; they are called the venue coordinator. The wedding coordinator is responsible for everything on the D-day, while the wedding planner is responsible for everything before the wedding. They do not interfere with the booking process; they make sure the person you booked does the job right.

Some wedding planners may provide the external service of ‘coordinator’ or may refer you to a coordinator if you want.

Role Of A Wedding Coordinator:

• Make sure that the wedding timeline is going as planned.
• Distribute the different roles.
• Managing the day of the wedding: supervising the suppliers, the setup and deliveries, taking care of emergencies and calming down those who need to be calmed down.
• Acting as a spokesperson and communicating the bride and groom’s every wish to the suppliers.
• Helping the bride and groom to organize the day after the wedding for the return trip for every rental.
• Make sure that the seating chart is respected.
• Details management.

You can hire a wedding planner without hiring a coordinator or the other way round. It depends on your budget and the different packages they are proposing. If you have the time to prepare everything and have the help of friends and family, you may want to ditch the wedding planner and concentrate on a wedding coordinator. I recommend choosing a coordinator; since all of your close ones will want to sit back to enjoy the ceremony and party. You do not want to stress them by giving them the role of coordinator. Lets us know in the comments which one would you prefer to hire?