Lots of venues offer an on-site coordinator. I have had a lot of brides ask me how that differs from an independent wedding coordinator and if you need to hire a coordinator if your venue offers an on-site coordinator.

 

An on-site coordinator is employed by the venue. Their first responsibility is to the venue and to make sure nothing goes wrong with the venue or venue staff. Sometimes when you are touring venues it is the on-site coordinator who will show you around and tell you about what is offered. If you have questions about the venue after you have booked this is generally the person you will talk to and you may meet with  them one or two  times before your wedding. On your wedding day they will be there to open the venue, make sure it is set up properly, and  to direct the venue staff. You will not generally see them to much during the wedding day as they are making sure the venue staff is doing what they are supposed to and set up is complete. The on-site coordinator will work with you to set up a time line for the wedding day in regards to the venues roles and responsibilities. They can also be a great resource for vendor referrals as they see first hand how vendors perform during a wedding.

 

An independent wedding coordinator (or wedding planner) is not employed by a venue, we are employed by the bride and groom.  We work closely with the bride and groom during your engagement to make sure all details are taken care of. Like an on-site coordinator a wedding coordinator is a great resource for vendor referrals as we also see how vendors perform during a wedding. A wedding coordinator works with the bride and groom on all aspects of the wedding, not just the location aspect. We will work with the bride and groom to set a time line for all the days events and coordinate this with all your vendors, including the on-site coordinator. We know what time you are having hair and make up done, when your photographer needs to arrive, and what time your cake and flowers are being delivered.

 

A wedding coordinator knows the big picture and all the small details. We know how many tables are supposed to be set up and what the centerpieces look like. We will make sure you look perfect in your dress before you walk down the aisle. We know what your first dance song is, what family members are supposed to be in pictures and who is going to take the gifts home at the end of the evening. Often with out a coordinator as the point of contact all your vendors have separate time lines that may not match up; your DJ has his, your on site coordinator has one, the photographer has their own, the cake baker doesn’t know when to set up, the florist doesn’t know what time to deliver the flowers, etc. With a wedding coordinator involved all vendors go by the same time line that includes all details they need. The making of this time line can be somewhat of collaboration of all your vendors and usually the wedding coordinator will ask for the vendors input ahead of time to make sure they’re successful with the time line provided. If the wedding gets behind, which can happen, the coordinator makes changes and updates all you vendors to make sure we are all successful in our roles.

 

I love working at venues that have an on-site coordinator. They have detailed knowledge of the grounds and  facility. They have seen hundreds of weddings done in hundreds of different ways and can offer advise on what works best in the space. Yes there is some overlap as to what an on-site coordinator and wedding coordinator do but as you can see the roles are completely different. An on-site coordinator will help you with on-site catering and venue logistics and a wedding coordinator will help you with your every aspect of your wedding. They can compliment each other nicely and work together to make your wedding day perfect, but one can not and should not replace the other.