Image Credit: Terri & Lori Fine Art Photography & Film

I have lost count how many times I am asked to explain the difference between a wedding planner and a venue co-ordinator.

With the roles being both similar and complementary, it’s easy to see where the confusion may lay, but as an independent wedding planner as well as a freelance venue co-ordinator, I’m in the perfect position to clarify the difference between the two roles.

In a nutshell, an independent wedding planner is employed by a couple to work for them in relation to planning their wedding, whilst a venue co-ordinator is employed by the venue in which a couple have chosen to host their wedding ceremony/reception.

Wedding Planner

So, let’s start with a wedding planners role – Depending on the service you choose, as well as the level of assistance you require an independent wedding planner will work with you from the beginning of your wedding planning journey until and including the big day itself.

They will assist, advise and support you with every aspect associated with planning your wedding including but not limited to, designing your wedding day concept, creating and allocating your budget, sourcing your venue, providing suitable supplier recommendations, creating your wedding day timeline, wedding admin duties as well as being with you on your wedding day working discreetly behind the scenes from morning set up until the last guest leaves.

A wedding planner will know every last detail about your wedding from your guests dietary requirements, your evening bands electricity needs right through to whether or not you would like to save the top tier of your wedding cake.

On your wedding day a planner will be aware of details that have been organised in advance, such as the time your car will be arriving to take you to your church or venue, where the ceremony florals will be positioned following your ceremony and what time your grandparents taxi will be arriving to take them home. They will also carry out duties such as keeping your bridal party gifts safely tucked away until speeches and having a bridal emergency kit on standby should a mini disaster occur. Basically they will have everything covered to ensure you can relax and enjoy your special day.

Wedding Co-ordinator

As mentioned above, the level of assistance you receive from a wedding planner will depend on the service you choose. If you have chosen a wedding planner’s On The Day Co-ordination service, you would have planned your own wedding and will begin working with a planner as your wedding day approaches, (normally 4-6 weeks beforehand). This service is popular with couples who have the time available to plan their own wedding and only require assistance with pulling their plans together as well as the running of their wedding day. This is normally because they have chosen a dry hire venue or a marquee reception, both of which would not have a venue co-ordinator.

The majority of independent planners who offer On The Day Co-ordination will include a planning meeting/site visit as well as administration support in the weeks leading up to your wedding within their co-ordination service. This is important as it will ensure they are familiar with your wedding plans, which in turn will help your day run smoothly.

On your wedding day a wedding co-ordinator will then provide the same level of service as they would if they had planned your wedding.

Venue Co-ordinator

Now moving on to a venue/in house co-ordinator (and notice the difference in the job titles Wedding Co-ordinator & Venue Co-ordinator).  As explained above, venue co-ordinators are employed by a venue, so they will be an expert on all things relating to the venue. They will make sure you are fully armed with an abundance of helpful information on your chosen venue to ensure you get the most from their venue on your wedding day.

Throughout the planning process a venue co-ordinator may be able to send you a list of recommended suppliers for you to shortlist. It will however be down to you to contact these suppliers to check their availability, request a quotation and also book their services. A venue co-ordinator will also be on hand to answer questions which are venue related such as, measurements for your florist, sample table plans, access timings for your suppliers as well as wedding day timings that work well at their venue. Basically any questions relating directly to their venue.

On your wedding day a venue co-ordinator will ensure your venue is open in time for your suppliers to begin setting up. However, unlike when you work with a planner, it will be down to you to arrange these timings and confirm they are acceptable with your venue. They will also make sure the venue is all set ready to host your wedding, which will include duties such as stocking the bar (if they are running the bar), ensuring the washrooms are well stocked, checking light bulbs, testing their PA system, setting up your ceremony seating and possibly your wedding breakfast tables (if they provide the catering) and generally making the venue wedding ready.

They will also run your day for you using a wedding day schedule which you will have agreed with them in the weeks leading up to your wedding.

As you will see from the above, the smooth running of your wedding day will require many hands, so if you are working with a wedding planner and your venue also provides a co-ordinator, then they will simply work alongside each other to ensure all runs smoothly. The venue co-ordinator would naturally deal with all tasks venue related whilst your wedding planner would generally deal with the finer details.

As a side note, if a couple have planned their own wedding (ie not worked with a planner throughout their wedding planning process) and are marrying within a venue that includes a venue/ in-house  co-ordinator within their hire terms or wedding package, then generally (but not always) there would be no need to hire a wedding planner to provide their On The Day Co-ordination service. Instead a couple would share as much information with their venue co-ordinator as possible prior to their wedding and appoint a trusted family member or friend to assist with the running of the days events.

I hope this post has successfully highlighted the difference between the two roles and helped you decide whether or not you would benefit from the assistance of a wedding planner, or confirmed that the assistance provided by your venues co-ordinator is sufficient to ensure your day is just as you wish.

If you are considering working with a wedding planner then please do get in touch. I am based in Essex, adore everything about weddings and love to create elegant and classic celebrations. I primarily work throughout Essex and surrounding areas such as Suffolk, Kent, Hertfordshire & Cambridgeshire, however I am able to travel further afield if required.

Image Credit: Terri & Lori Fine Art Photography & Film

It’s inevitable that couples will experience a whole host of emotions throughout their wedding planning journey, ranging from pure excitement through to utter overwhelm.

For some, a brand new venture that they can project manage is beyond exciting.  Gathering inspiration, creating spreadsheets, reaching out to potential wedding suppliers and fine-tuning logistical detail is second nature to them, and they wholeheartedly submerge themselves in the wonderful world of weddings.

Whilst for others, the mere thought of spending every non-working waking hour, (and this includes train journeys and lunch hours), discussing all things weddings will raise their stress levels through the roof.  And, for these couples, working with a wedding planner could be the antidote they need to keep them on track and ensure they enjoy their wedding preparations.

Image Credit: Kelsie Low Photography

Why work with a wedding planner

There are a whole host of reasons why couples choose to work with a wedding planner.  For some, hectic workload and or busy family lives prevents them from dedicating the estimated 250 hours required to plan a wedding.

Couples that have chosen to host their wedding within a venue which is not local or familiar will often call upon the professional services of a wedding planner.  Relying on their local knowledge and relationships with local wedding suppliers to ensure their wedding planning journey as well as the day itself runs smoothly.

Top on the list for hiring a wedding planner are couples who have chosen to host their wedding within a marquee or dry hire venue.  This is mainly due to the complex nature of planning a wedding within venues such as these.

In fact, it is often under estimated how many suppliers will be involved with a wedding of this style, as well as the extensive logistical planning that will need to be in place prior to the big day.  Hence the reason for many couples reaching out to a planner a few months into planning a wedding within a non permanent structure or dry hire venue.

At what stage should I begin working with a wedding planner

The majority of wedding planners will offer a selection of wedding planning services which allows them to begin providing assistance at every stage of a couples wedding planning journey.

The services offered by each wedding planner will vary depending on their particular style and skill set.

Style lead planners will often originate from an interior or fashion design background, and will therefore base their planning services around the design aspect associated with planning a wedding.

Whereas planners from a corporate or administrative background such as myself tend to offer logistical planning services which will include lots of lists, spreadsheets and schedules.

Image Credit: Terri & Lori Fine Art Photography & Film

Services offered by a wedding planner

Full Planning:

Full wedding planning is a bespoke service which is often tailored to meet the requirements of your wedding day and will provide assistance with each element associated with planning your special day.  When you begin working with a planner they will inform you of the support that you can expect to receive from them within their Full Planning Service.  But, as a guide you can expect to receive assistance with budget creation and management, supplier sourcing, wedding administration, RSVP and dietary requirement management, venue set up, wedding day co-ordination as well as a constant flow of advise, support and guidance when required.

Partial Planning:

Partial Planning is perfect for couples who have laid the foundations for their wedding, but now require assistance as their wedding day approaches.  This service will often include full administrative support for each element of your wedding, reviewing and complimenting your existing plans, taking care of any final arrangements as well as co-ordinating your wedding day.

On The Day Co-ordination And Management:

Working with you in the weeks leading up to your wedding day, On The Day Wedding Co-ordination & Management service is ideal for couples who have planned their own wedding but require the assurance of working with a planner as the countdown to their wedding begins.

Ensuring that no detail has been overlooked, a planner will review your plans, contact each of your suppliers, offer advice and assistance when required, as well as being with you on your wedding day working discreetly behind the scenes ensuring that your wedding day runs smoothly.

Image Credit: Terri & Lori Fine Art Photography & Film

As you will hopefully have seen from the above, a wedding planner is so much more than someone who will turn up on your wedding day looking busy with a clipboard, and we are in fact dedicated members of the wedding profession who will work long unsociable hours and will undertake any task needed, (well most), to ensure that your wedding day is everything you dreamed of and more.

So in answer to the question in the title of this blog post “Do I Need a Wedding Planner”?  I guess, if you would like to work with a wedding professional who understands the wedding industry, will work tirelessly to understand the vision you have for your wedding day, will go above and beyond to ensure that your vision is delivered and most importantly care about your wedding as if it were their own, then working with a wedding planner could be just what your looking for.

If you are considering working with a wedding planner and are planning your wedding within Essex, Suffolk, Kent, Hertfordshire or Cambridgeshire, please feel free get in touch, I would love to hear from you.

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Photo Credit: Kelsie Low Photography

The number of couples choosing to reach out to a wedding planner has increased considerably over recent years.  In fact, an article recently published on Hitched suggests that 26% of couples planning their wedding are now choosing to work alongside a planner.  Considering that hiring a wedding planner was once thought of as a luxury reserved only for the rich and famous this rise in popularity is immense.

One reason for this increase is probably down to the variety of planning services now offered by wedding planners.  Services such as “Partial Planning” & “On The Day Co-ordination” offer greater flexibility to couples, and allows them to choose at what point they would like to start working with a wedding planner.

Another contributing factor is time, or to be more precise the lack of it.  For some brides juggling planning a wedding alongside their existing work and family commitments means that the assistance of a wedding planner is an essential investment to ensure that their wedding day is as wonderful as they hope.

How much support you receive from your planner will depend on which service you opt for. However, below is an example of tasks that you can expect a planner to undertake:

• Venue search
• Supplier sourcing and management
• Budget creation and management
• Creating a wedding planning timeline
• Sending invitations, RSVP and dietary requirement co-ordination
• Wedding day schedule creation
• On the day co-ordination and management
• Styling advice

As well as all of the above your planner should also be your first port of call should you require any general advice throughout your wedding planning journey.

If you are considering hiring a wedding planner then do take a look at my website and if you have any questions about the planning services that I offer please feel free to contact me to discuss further, or to book a complimentary consultation.