Master Certified Wedding Planner vs. Venue Coordinator: What Will Each Do?

Hiring a Master Certified Wedding Planner and utilizing a venue coordinator both offer valuable support during the wedding planning process, but they have distinct roles and responsibilities. Understanding the benefits of each can help you make an informed decision based on your specific needs and preferences.

Here are the advantages of hiring a Master Certified Wedding Planner compared to relying solely on a venue coordinator:

1. Comprehensive Expertise

A Master Certified Wedding Planner possesses comprehensive knowledge and expertise in all aspects of wedding planning. They can assist you with everything from creating a budget, selecting vendors, managing logistics, designing the event, and coordinating the overall flow of the day.

A venue coordinator, on the other hand, primarily focuses on the venue-specific details and logistics, such as setup, layout, and coordination with in-house staff.

What does this mean?

This means the venue coordinator manages their, in-house staff but they DO NOT manage your outside vendors.

2. Personalized Guidance

A Master Certified Wedding Planner works closely with you to understand your vision, preferences, and unique requirements. They can help you translate your ideas into a cohesive wedding design and ensure that every detail aligns with your vision.

In contrast, a venue coordinator typically concentrates on venue-related aspects, such as coordinating with caterers, managing venue policies, and addressing any facility-specific concerns.

What does this mean?

Your Master Certified Wedding Planner will help you with all 5,000 details of your wedding and design.

The venue coordinator MAY give you options and some direction if they are providing, linens, florals or food. However, they will only give you the options THEY provide. They will not help you design and plan your wedding or help with ANYTHING that is outside of what their venue is providing you with.

3. Extensive Vendor Network and Negotiating on your behalf

Master Certified Wedding Planners have an extensive network of trusted vendors and industry professionals. They can recommend reputable vendors based on your budget, style, and preferences. Additionally, they can negotiate contracts, review proposals, and handle vendor communication on your behalf.

A venue coordinator may provide a preferred vendor list, their focus remains primarily on the venue-related aspects, and their vendor recommendations might be limited to those already associated with the venue.

What does this mean?

Your Master Certified Wedding Planner know's your budget, they know who you have already booked and they will work with you through the process. They will connect you with amazing vendors within your budget. Your Master Certified Wedding Planner will negotiate for you and will ALWAYS maintain your interests as their top priority.

The venue coordinator wants you to have the most magical day but their job is to work for the venue's best interest and to maintain their policies and procedures. This may not always line up with the best interest of our couples.

4. Time and Stress Management

Planning a wedding involves numerous tasks, timelines, and deadlines. A Master Certified Wedding Planner can help manage these aspects, ensuring that you stay on track with your planning process. They handle the logistics, vendor coordination, and troubleshooting, allowing you to focus on enjoying the experience and reducing your stress levels.

A venue coordinator can assist with venue logistics, they may not be available to provide guidance or support throughout the entire planning process.

What does this mean?

Your Master Certified Wedding Planner starts working with you as soon as you book them. Depending on the wedding planning package you book, they will have a number of meetings and be available throughout the planning process.

The venue coordinator will assist in discussing venue logistics and options for what they are providing.

5. Creativity and Design Expertise

Master Certified Wedding Planners are educated extensively and offer a creative flair. They can offer unique and innovative ideas to make your wedding memorable. They can help you with overall event design, decor selection, theme development, and other creative elements.

A venue coordinator may provide suggestions for layouts and setups within the venue, they may not offer the same level of creativity and design expertise as a dedicated wedding planner.

What does this mean?

Your Master Certified Wedding Planner can help with anything from invitation wording to venue recommendations and more! From the most minuscule details to the largest most impactful selections for your wedding day, your wedding planner can help.

The venue coordinator does not help with invitations, design, and anything the venue is not providing for you.

6. Day-of Coordination

One of the most significant benefits of hiring a Master Certified Wedding Planner is their involvement on the wedding day itself. The Master Certified Wedding Planner and team oversee all the logistical details, coordinate with vendors, ensure the event runs smoothly, and handle any unexpected issues that may arise.

A venue coordinator primarily focuses on venue-specific responsibilities, such as managing the facility and coordinating with the in-house team, but may not be available to provide extensive assistance during the event.

What does this mean?

Your Master Certified Wedding Planner will manage and oversee every aspect of your day. They will arrive several hours before your event is scheduled to start and will make sure that things are on track to the best of their ability. The wedding planning team will set out your personal items, favors, etc. and direct your vendors.

The venue coordinator MAY help with setting out your personal items, on rare occasion. Even the best venue coordinators I have met DO NOT make sure the photographer is ready when it is time for speeches. They DO NOT package all of your items at the end of the night. They do not make sure your drink is filled and you are able to eat hot food. Their priority is keeping things going seamlessly at the venue.

In summary, hiring a Master Certified Wedding Planner offers a broader range of services, personalized guidance, vendor recommendations, and dedicated support throughout the entire wedding planning process. While a venue coordinator is valuable for managing venue-specific logistics, they will not provide the same level of comprehensive assistance and expertise that a Master Certified Wedding Planner can offer. Ultimately, the decision to hire a Master Certified Wedding Planner or rely solely on a venue coordinator depends on your budget, wedding size, personal preferences, and the level of support you desire.

However, from experience as a Master Certified Wedding Planner, I will ALWAYS suggest you hire a reputable planner who is committed to YOU.

The truth is: Hiring a Master Certified Wedding Planner can save you money and time.

In just one catering contract, we saved a client $4,000.

With just one venue negotiation, we were able to leverage 2 hours of use of the space at a cost of only 1 additional hour of rental time.

Saving these clients: $5,500 in the first two contracts we were able to review, after they booked our service for partial planning.

Thankfully, these vendors allowed us to make changes.

This is not always the case.

HIRE YOUR Master Certified Wedding Planner TODAY and watch the savings pay for our service.