Every wedding is a learning experience! Every time we step into a venue on our clients' wedding day we are bringing all of our previous experience to the table, and taking note of all of the new things we can learn to help this company grow! In our journal, we share some of those insights with you!
A ‘Wedding Planner vs Venue Coordinator’ Nóbl blog is a long time coming, and its a long one. I apologize in advance!
First I’d like to give a shout out to all the venue event managers and venue coordinators I have worked with! You guys are amazing, and my team and I wouldn’t be able to do our jobs without you!
As a couple you’ve probably had this exact thought: “We don’t need a planner, our venue comes with a Venue Coordinator/Specialist/Manager. We’re good.”
These are valid thoughts, and I completely understand why couples believe there isn’t a difference between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator. Weddings are usually a once in a lifetime experience. Which also means a lot of first-time experiences. There is no way of knowing if the decisions you’re making are the “right ones” or if they will go over smoothly.
Most venues have a sales team and an event management team on site. Once you’ve signed your contract and officially begin working with the venue. You are assigned to your wedding/event coordinator who begins talking about all things wedding at this venue. Depending on the venue, they may even help you figure out decor through their internal suppliers. Or direct you to their preferred vendors. This could even mean special pricing and discounts based on the agreements between the two companies.
I’ll be honest with you, that’s what I did. When I got married I had a wonderful venue event team. They were kind and met with me a couple of times throughout the process to help me finalize day-of plans. And truly they were wonderful and helpful, especially when tragedy struck my family. My grandmother passing away a month and a half before my wedding, subsequently creating financial and emotional hardships. I would not trade where I got married for anything, but despite that, I wish I’d hired a wedding planner.
I learned in real time what a venue coordinator does and does not do. Their job is to manage the logistics of a wedding as far as it affects the venue. Their goal is to make sure the venue operates at maximum efficiency. She or he helps run the show on the day. Making sure the internal team is helping with the set-up of tables, chairs, and any included linens and wares. Depending on the parameters of their role they can also make sure that the kitchen works on time, with serving and clearing the tables. If you don’t have a planner they will step in and help where they can. They make sure that the venue runs like a well-oiled machine, which is honestly invaluable to everyone involved.
Your venue coordinator’s job begins and ends with the venue’s performance. While they are dedicated to you throughout the process, at the end of the day they work for the venue.
A wedding planner’s job begins and ends with you. Our job is about advocating for you, managing your expectations and seeing that your vision is executed by all of your vendors, including your venue. Our work should begin months in advance of even choosing a venue, so we can be a part of every meeting, and details you invite us into.
It’s not either-or, it’s teamwork. We need each other – planner and venue coordinator – to make sure you have the best experience on your wedding day. We are an extension of each other, working together to serve you.
The Wedding Planner is responsible for the emotionally motivated essentials on your wedding day “must-have list”. We are the ones chasing a late cake delivery. Or checking on the ETA of the bridal bouquet that was supposed to arrive at your house before the first look. It is our job to stop the DJ from playing that surprise song you scheduled to honour your late uncle, while you’re with your photographer or using the bathroom.
While we’re caring about the little details. Your venue coordinator is supporting us by setting up the tables, putting linens out, making sure the allergies list is up to date. Not to mention working with our assistants to place linens, making sure internal AV is working, floors are swept, on-site flowers are pristine, and the venue staff is where they need to be.
Most venue coordinators are happy to work with a planner they can trust. It means they can focus on doing their job to the best of their abilities. Especially when they have serval different events happening at the same time.
Wedding Planners are happy to work with an efficient venue coordination team to create a seamless customer service experience.
I do my job so that they can do their job, and they do their job so I can do mine. Together we produce an ideal day for our couples.
This is why building relationships are crucial! For more information about Nóbl’s Philosophy around building relationships check here.
For a look at what vendors feel about hiring a planner, Toronto based photographer Kayla Yestal gives some awesome insight in her blog post here.
“Wedding Planner vs Venue Coordinator”, Kirsten Rezek, “Nóbl Essentials”, Copyright ©2020, Nóbl Events, Nóbl Journal