A Wedding Day Coordinator is a must for a smooth and successful event - that’s my opinion, of course!
What is the difference between a Venue Manager and a Wedding Day-of Coordinator? My venue comes with a coordinator, do I really need a Wedding Day Coordinator? I can answer these questions perfectly being that I was a Venue Manager prior to being a Wedding Planner and offering coordination services.
Photo: Lisa Houlgrave Photography
The Venue Coordinator
The Venue Manager or Sales Manager is typically the person that gave you the tour of the venue initially, reviewed the contractual details, and sold you the package for your big day. The manager usually supervises the many departments and staff that play a part in making an event successful at the venue. Usually once the contract is signed, your wedding details get handed over to someone else on the team who will be there day of.
A lot of the time, your venue manager is not there the full day, if at all on the day of your wedding. Their main role is to get you setup with the venue details leading up to your day, then have those contracted details taken over by the Venue Coordinator that’s assigned to your wedding that week. If this is a concern for you, having a Day-of Coordinator for your big day will ensure a lot of those contract details get carried out, as they will be there the whole day working alongside all your other vendors making sure everything is going smooth.
A lot of time the venue will say that the Venue Coordinator can handle a lot of the tasks that a Day of Coordinator would normal take care of, however this is outside of the scope of their role and they will always take care of the venue responsibilities first. Something I experienced first hand in my days at Water’s Edge Resort & Spa.
While the onsite venue staff can surely handle setting up your wedding items, they don’t really know you on a personal level like your DOC does. So they may not understand exactly how you want something set up and styled for example and have it set up just like the wedding the night before.
The Wedding Day-of Coordinator (DOC)
A Wedding Day Coordinator is hired to work the day of the wedding and guide you through the planning process prior to the big day. The nice thing about DOC’s are that they work for the couple, not the venue. They are responsible for everything on the day of giving you the Peace of Mind that you need so you can ultimately enjoy your day. The DOC is the person who keeps the wedding as stress-free as possible ensuring that all emergencies or mishaps are taken care of so the day is seamlessly brought together. The DOC is the person who ensures that the VIP wishes are carried out and oversees everything from the ceremony to the reception, directs the vendors, answer the guests’ questions, and makes sure that all your concerns are tended to.
Some of our responsibilities as a Wedding Day Coordinator are, but are not limited to: setting up and styling the venue, setting up your place cards and gift table, adding any extra decor elements that you planned all the way to making sure everything is ready for the ceremony. Some other responsibilities include making sure all the vendors are onsite on time, prepared and fully briefed of any important wedding day details (even the last minute changes and updates), directing guests to their seats, distributing the bridal flowers to the bridal party and family, lining everyone up for the ceremony processional, giving your musicians queues, wrangling up family and friends for photos, bustling the bride’s gown, facilitating the formalities of the event, packing up all of your decorations and gifts at the end of the night and making sure all guests safely leave for the after party…. and the list goes on! We do this all while making sure the day is going according to plan and taking care of any issues without bothering the bride and groom. We become the point person on the wedding day for vendors and other staff. and hand out final payments and tip envelopes as well.
The biggest myth about a Wedding Day Coordinator is that “you don’t need one”. This is simply not true and can actually be the best investment you make for your wedding. Many couples don’t realize how many large and small details come together to make a wedding day a complete success. A wedding coordinator is there to ensure that all is well!
Having a Day of Coordinator by your side and through the wedding planning process is seriously the way to stay sane! We come in handy for non-traditional venues like vineyards, barns or private homes that don’t have traditional wedding staff. Also for church ceremonies – hey, who’s going to get you all down the aisle and on time?? Having a DOC also means you don’t have to assign family or friends to help out day of. They should enjoy the day too, right?
To all couples getting married – if you are planning the wedding yourself (Ie; no wedding planner) then having a Wedding Day Coordinator is ESSENTIAL. They will know your wedding better than you do by that point, so day of they work hand-in-hand with the Venue Coordinator and other vendors, carrying out your vision as if it were you!
Hopefully this post is still helpful in explaining the difference between the roles of a Venue Manager and a Wedding Day Coordinator, and why having just the venue staff sometimes is is just not enough in the end. The Wedding Day Coordinator is a vital role when it comes to your wedding day and provides many benefits beyond just the day-of.
If you had any questions or want to chat more about day of coordination stuff, just give us a call or shoot us an email!