In a follow-up call I made to a bride a few days after our initial meeting, she informed me that she was no longer interested in my coordinating services. Her reason was that she had secured her venue, and they had a coordinator, so she was going to use her instead. When I tried to explain to her that the venue coordinator did not do the same thing that I would do for her, she pretty much dismissed what I had to say.
Many brides misunderstand the difference between a venue coordinator and a wedding coordinator. Some clarification I would like to offer is as follows:
Venue Coordinator:
Employed by the venue and specializes in the services the venue offers, i.e., food, beverages, banquet rooms, hotel rooms, etc. They will service your needs as it pertains to the venue ONLY, and the venue is their main priority.
A venue coordinator's sole responsibility is to the venue — to book it, ensure that all the policies and procedures are adhered to and that things go without a hitch – FOR THE VENUE. Of course, they are concerned about you as their customer as it relates to the venue. Although they may have a preferred vendor list that they give out in their information packet or brochure, this preferred vendor list is not indicative of any commitment to you to coordinate your wedding. In some cases, the vendors are on the list because of their reputation of working with the venue. However, do not rule out the fact that they may be paying for that consideration.
The venue coordinator's job is to sell the venue to the bride, assist with room layout and other aspects that pertain directly to the venue. It is possible that they may have several weddings on the day of your wedding. On your wedding day, the coordinator you work with while planning your wedding may not even be the one who is present for your wedding. They will not be with you every step of the way in your planning process or on the day of your wedding. If the venue coordinator that you have been working with is indeed available that day, she will only deal with issues that pertain to the venue.
Now, before you make the mistake of choosing a venue coordinator and drop the idea of hiring a wedding coordinator, let's clarify what the wedding coordinator does.
Wedding Coordinator:
Works with you every step of the way on all phases of your wedding. They are essentially your personal assistant, handling all of the details, advising, running interference, negotiating, researching and looking ahead to avoid costly errors. They have your best interest as a priority.
The wedding coordinator will work with you on everything from the budget to the flowers, photographer to the DJ, caterer to the cake, and you guessed it – YOUR VENUE. Your wedding coordinator will handle every aspect of your wedding planning, alerting you to possible problems that may be costly. Wedding coordinators also have relationships with vendors in the industry, possibly encouraging discounts and/or negotiating terms that you would not be able to do on your own. They can keep you on budget, on target and focused. They can help with event décor and design. They can help you with etiquette questions, creating a budget and payment schedule for vendors, creating timelines for your event, researching vendors, scheduling appointments with vendors and attending them with you, reviewing contracts, and much more. Pick any number of these items and ask your venue coordinator to handle them, and she will probably direct you to the wedding coordinator section of their preferred vendor list!
Many brides feel that a wedding coordinator is something they do not need and that is not in their budget. Honestly, you cannot afford not to have one. They will save you time and money and do everything they can to make sure your day is a wonderful one. Everything will run smoothly, and you will be able to focus on your guests and family.
Regina & her husband, Christopher Hare on their wedding day!
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