June 8, 2021
With COVID restrictions easing up in Canada, weddings are back on in full swing; and you’re ready to plan your epic event! You’ve picked your venue and they have a Venue Coordinator/ Specialist/ Manager to help you out – yay! So why would you need to look any further for a Wedding Planner / Coordinator also?
I share this topic as I come with experience from both sides – having worked for several years as a Venue Event Manager, and as a Planner / Coordinator outside of venues.
What you prioritize in your wedding will matter. Especially when deciding if you should hire a Planner, in addition to your Venue Coordinator. On the most basic level, both can help you with the planning process, but it will be very different levels of assistance.
So, let’s dive into the important distinctions and responsibilities of each:
Venue Coordinator: The masters of their space
A Venue Coordinator/ Specialist/ Manager is responsible for managing the logistics of the venue’s spaces, including accommodations if it’s a hotel, and of the catering if they have an in-house culinary team. Their job is an integral piece of your overall wedding production.
Here’s what their job includes, in relation to your wedding:
- A Venue Coordinator works for the venue and their goal is to ensure that the venue operates at maximum efficiency
- They are your liaison to their culinary and banquets teams – they know their Chef’s best and can help advocate your food and beverage desires
- They will advise you on what is achievable within their venue spaces
- Their timeline will cover catering of when the food will be prepared & served, and they’ll work together with your Wedding Planner on parking requirements and when load-in/load-out is required for vendors
- They will help to manage the run of show, timeline of the period at the venue
- Their internal team will help set-up the tables, chairs, and any included linens and tableware
- They manage their banquets team in serving and clearing tables for dinner
- They will manage your hotel room accommodation for you and your guests
Wedding Planner: From to-dos to “I do’s”
A Wedding Planner is usually the go-to person for so many soon-to-be-wed couples. As Wedding Planners, we are your planning partners from the moment you hire us, to the last call on that dance floor. We will work with you throughout the entire production process – and believe us, planning a wedding can be a production! We will plan, organize, and execute your perfect day through every detail. If you want your wedding planned from the ground up with ease, hiring a Wedding Planner is the best choice.
Here’s just some of what our job includes:
- Getting to know you, who you are, what you like and dislike, your family, and VIP guest
- Putting in an average of 250 hours on planning your wedding
- Helping you realize your desired details for the wedding – who, what, where, when, why
- Understanding the scope and priorities for your wedding
- Helping you establish and manage a realistic budgeting
- Helping you conceptualize the event’s design and experience
- We are the liaisons to your vendors and venue, and advocate for you
- We work with your vendors to ensure that your vision is executed by them
- Planners work in tandem with your venue coordinator in regards to food & beverage, parking, load-in/out
- We create and detail out the logistics: production schedules, timelines, run of the show – that cover everything from the time the couple wakes up on event day, to the time the last vendor’s items are delivered back to them
- Planners are the ringmasters on your event day(s). Managing the set-up of each vendor, ensuring the design and flow are just right, keeping the day running on time, putting out any fires that may occur, and making sure that your experience is just how you had always imagined it to be; perfect and representative of you!
- We will do our absolute best to ensure that your experience is stress-free and that on your wedding day you will focus on your job as the Hosts!
It’s not one vs the other, but them working together!
Wedding Planners and Venue Coordinators have different positions and scopes of responsibilities. But their main goal is the same, to give you the best wedding experience possible!
We are an extension of each other. To ensure that you have the best experience on your wedding day, we work together to coordinate all of the fine details coming together from each side. As a Wedding Planner, the Venue Event Managers are invaluable, amazing, and an asset to us for the planning of your wedding.
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As you can see, a lot of time and effort goes into planning your event(s). This is why it’s important to seek professional help for your event so that it’s a stress-free and smooth sailing process for you! Emani Events would love to work with you to create that epic wedding that you’ve always envisioned. Check out what some of our past clients have to say about working with us!
