Is Your Wedding Coordinator Actually a Venue Manager?
How to tell. Five questions you can ask today!
It happens almost every week: I am on a call with a floral client and I ask them if they have a wedding coordinator. “Yes, we do; the venue actually comes with one.”
It’s at this point that I simply can’t help myself but to dig a bit further. Yes, some venues have exceptional wedding coordinators that are included within their venue package. Separk Mansion, based in Gastonia, North Carolina and Whitehead Manor in the heart of Charlotte are two such venues. But the additional service is a rarity.
“I’m venturing away from the flower talk for a second,” I’ll say. “I just want to be absolutely sure that you have a true wedding coordinator.”
In many cases it is revealed that what the couple believed was their provided wedding coordinator is actually simply the Venue Manager. And why the industry hasn’t demanded that these titles be more clear, is another topic all together.
Now don’t get me wrong. Venue managers work incredibly hard and they have their own unique list of tasks that help a wedding day run smoothly. But they are in no way a wedding coordinator, and ignoring the signs that your “wedding coordinator” is actually a venue manager could leave you stressed and disappointed come wedding day.
Five Questions You Can Ask to Determine if You Have a Wedding Coordinator or a Venue Manager:
Will you be contacting all of my vendors prior to the wedding and helping them determine their arrival times?
Will you be attending and running my rehearsal?
Will you create a detailed Day-Of Timeline and provide it to me, the wedding party and all of my vendors?
Will you be on site for the duration of the wedding, helping me as needed with things like keeping the timeline on track and bustling my dress before my first dance (HINT: you may have already planned for Mom or your MOH to do this, but the answer to the question will be telling so ask it anyway).
Will you be setting up the decor I provide and what parts of cleanup will you handle?
If the answer is no to more than one of these questions it is very likely that you have a Venue Manager, not a true coordinator, and the more “nos” you get, the more absolute that becomes.
The Roles of a Wedding Coordinator vs. Venue Manager
In order to understand why these questions are so telling, it is important to first understand the difference between the two roles. It comes down to focus: wedding coordinators are focused on the couple while venue managers are focused on the venue.
A wedding coordinator’s job is to fully take over the plan that the couple has imagined for their wedding day. The coordinator learns the ins and outs of their vision, the detailed dynamics of their wedding party and families and, most specifically, the day of timeline and how the vendors will all contribute. A coordinator contacts all the vendors and works with each of them to ensure the day runs smoothly. She is on site throughout the day, starting first by setting up all the couple-provided decor, assisting the bridal party during HMU and making sure all the vendors know where to go and what to do. She then leads the ceremony processional and the flow of the reception, and at the end of the night she’s doing everything from lighting sparklers for sendoffs, to decorating the honeymoon suite and cleaning and packing up all the decor.
A venue manager, on the other hand, is on site to ensure the wedding flows properly within the venue and that the venue serves it’s client well, but is also protected from damage and abuse. The venue manager knows where the light switch dimmers are and which plugs can handle the DJ’s sound system. The venue manager is not, however, running the rehearsal or the ceremony or sewing a bridesmaid into a ripped dress.
So while it is absolutely possible that your amazing venue comes complete with a wedding coordinator who is going to serve you on leading up to and on your wedding day, the only way to know is to start asking questions about his or her involvement.
If you uncover that a coordinator is not provided after all, we absolutely recommend you have someone for this role.
Heatherly offers two services: Wedding coordination or our “Audit My Wedding” is a virtual package designed for those who don’t intend to hire a wedding coordinator. Learn more about each below.