What’s the difference between a Wedding Planner and an On-Site Coordinator?

   What’s the difference between a Wedding Planner and an On-Site Coordinator?

It is becoming the industry standard for most wedding venues to have an on-site coordinator as part of their staff and to include them in their wedding packages. On-Site Coordinators are great sources for the venues they represent, but they aren’t available to help with things outside of that.  Since venues are including a coordinator in their packages, it’s getting more and more typical to hear the phrase “but the coordinator at my venue says I don’t need a wedding planner!”  Red flag!  If your on-site coordinator is telling you don’t need a wedding planner it may mean that they don’t want an expert looking out for your best interests!  There are a few huge differences between an on-site coordinator and a wedding planner; very important differences.  We’ll discuss a few of them and lift the mystery here.
 
Who is the boss?
The first distinction to be made is whom the coordinator works for vs. whom the planner works for. 

A wedding planner is hired by the couple to fulfill their vision for their wedding in its entirety.  They build a relationship with the couple and assist with such elements to planning a wedding such as budget structure, style questions, etiquette, scheduling, as well as a plethora of other things.

An on-site coordinator is the liaison and sales person for the venue at which the wedding is taking place.  They assist the couple with questions relating directly to the venue and the elements of the wedding that are specifically intertwined with their venue.  Unlike a wedding planner, they don’t contribute to the planning process outside of their specific location.  A couple might not even hear from the on-site coordinator until a short time before their wedding.

A wedding planner will see to it that every single detail of the wedding is in place throughout the planning process, all the way until the last vendor has packed up their goods.  An on-site coordinator sees to it that the venue is prepared to accommodate your wedding, however if the venue has multiple weddings taking place that day {as is fairly typical} they may not be available the day of your wedding to answer specific questions like an independent wedding planner would be.

Who do they know?
The second distinction to be made is the vendors that each person chooses to work with.  Generally, a venue has a preferred vendors list that they direct couples towards.  This list can include everyone from photographers to parking attendants.  However, vendors can pay to be on this list {and often do}, or this list is simply comprised of vendors that the venue has previous contracts with, thus eliminating tons of qualified vendors. 

A wedding planner maintains relationships with a multitude of vendors and makes it a point to match couples with a vendor that meets their needs style-wise, budget-wise, and perhaps most importantly, personality-wise.  They know which photographer’s style will mesh with their couple’s vision for their forever photos. Or which baker will produce the couple’s dream desserts.

Wedding professionals frequently collaborate on projects other than weddings such as styled shoots or charity events and it gives planners an idea of what each vendor can bring to the table, independent of a wedding.  They don’t have a specific list that is strictly based on a vendor’s work at one location; they spend hours scouring portfolios and building relationships with vendors to match each couple with the perfect vendor to meet their needs.

The day of!
The big day has finally arrived.  The day of the wedding the wedding planner’s main focus is on the couple.  Their responsibilities include knowing the schedules of the bridal party and family, setting up for the ceremony and reception as well as tending to all of the little details of the special day.  For the on-site coordinator, ‘the day of’ is about the performance of their venue and often times this can mean juggling multiple weddings on the same day.  It is also entirely possible that the coordinator that may have done the tour of the venue or the food tasting is not the coordinator that is present the day of the your wedding.

The wedding planner will remain throughout your entire event from the time the linens are delivered to your venue all the way until the last guest leaves.  Oftentimes, making multiple trips back to the venue in the days following to make sure all the vendors have received their materials back to fulfill your contracts.  The on-site coordinator will sometimes check in with you but might leave before your event is over, leaving you responsible for coordinating with your vendors post-wedding.

In a perfect world:
Every couple would have a wedding planner to work with and every wedding planner would have an onsite coordinator to collaborate with.  An independent planner knows the needs of the couple and an on-site coordinator knows the ins and outs of the venue {they see it every single day!}  Working together they have the ability to bring the needs of the couple and the amenities of the venue together to create a perfect day.  Knowing the differences between these two wedding professionals and what to expect from each of them will certainly make for a smoother planning process for each couple.

Happy Planning!
Mindy