Venue Coordinators vs. Wedding Planners: What's the Difference?

Greenpoint Loft wedding reception setup

PHOTO BY KATIE OSGOOD

Our team is made up of several former venue coordinators, so we’ve got firsthand experience. Let’s walk through it.

Understanding the Differences between Venue Coordinators and Wedding Planners

We get questions about this topic all of the time. Do you need to book a venue that comes with a coordinator? What exactly does the coordinator do? Do you need a wedding planner if the venue comes with a coordinator? Don’t they do the same thing? Why is this so confusing?

All fair questions! The bottom line: venue coordinators represent venues. Wedding planners represent you.

The Responsibilities of a Venue Coordinator

Venue coordinators are likely among the first vendors you meet in the wedding world, as they often lead venue tours. There’s a reason why so many go on to become wedding planners: their roles require that they execute a high volume of weddings and represent their team with friendliness, professionalism, and grace. When we say high volume, we mean really high: some venues host weddings (and other events) every single day of the week, and even more than once per day in some cases. That’s a whole lot of couples. Venue coordinators work so hard to take care of them along the way and at their weddings — making sure that floor plans are finished, the temperature is comfortable for dancing, and no one leaves anything behind at the end of the night that they might need the next day.

What a Wedding Planner Does

Wedding planners, on the other hand, oversee everything. The best venue coordinators out there will send you vendor recommendations, and maybe even a planning timeline to help keep you on track. It’s up to you to connect the dots, unless you have a wedding planner to hold your hand through the process. Here at Davis Row, we get to know our couples for a bit and work towards matching them with the best possible vendors…all while guiding them to every milestone. We get into details that are far beyond the scope of venue coordinators’ responsibilities: choosing invitations, gathering inspiration for ceremonies, arranging hair and makeup trials…the list goes on and on. And on wedding day, while venue coordinators take care of you while you’re at the venue, wedding planners take care of you from start to finish.

Venue Coordinator or Wedding Planner? You Want Both

So which one do you need? We’d argue that you need both. See below for some real life examples from our experiences on wedding days:

  • Need someone to hold your brother’s phone before he walks down the aisle? That’s the wedding planner.

  • Your floral design team got to the venue early and wants to know if they can sneak in and get started? Call the venue coordinator.

  • Your beauty team needs to know what hotel room you’re in, but your phone is on silent? The wedding planner can help.

  • Bathroom door is stuck with someone inside? Grab the venue coordinator.

  • Need a safety pin? Ask the wedding planner.

  • Want to turn all the lights on so the last stragglers will finally go to the after party? The venue coordinator knows where the switch is.

  • Don’t see the buses that were supposed to take you to the after party? The wedding planner probably has them on the phone already.

Weddings have tons of details that go beyond the four walls (or open fields) of the venue. Make sure you’ve got them all covered.

Allison Davis