Venue Manager vs Day-Of Coordinator vs Wedding Planner: What Every Bride Needs to Know
episode
Wedding Planning Experts | Wedding Planning Tips, Budget, Vendors & Advice for Brides
12 min
2 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Why are brides confused about venue managers, day-of coordinators, and wedding planners?
Hey brides, have you ever been told, don't worry, the venue has a coordinator? It's time to clear up the confusion a bride feels with vendors using all these different titles. Our goal in this podcast is to provide clarity. Welcome to the Wedding Planning Experts podcast, hosted by Dan and Andrea DeWard, owners of Full Circle Weddings. After 25 years in the wedding industry, owning and operating multiple wedding venues, hosting hundreds of ceremonies and receptions, we provide tips to help brides and grooms plan their wedding stress-free and on budget. So let's dive in and talk about all things weddings. This is a perfect time of the year to sit down and discuss this topic, the differences between a venue manager, a day of coordinator, and a wedding planner.
We're rolling into the new year, bridal shows are coming up, we're in the engagement season, so we're excited to talk about this topic.
So to get started, why do couples seem to be so confused about these different roles?
lot of it i think is the industry we use overlapping terms for example venue managers they'll use that differently some venues will just provide a venue manager that opens the door and doesn't really do anything else and then some venues will utilize more like a coordinator where they're more hands-on so a lot of different variations there sometimes brides assume that someone's handling everything, but don't really ask the questions and find out more details about what that person's role is. And also the phrase that you hear often, oh, don't worry, you'll be fine, we have staff on site.
How do venue managers typically serve the venue versus the couple?
Okay, now you're talking that pertains to venues.
Yeah, with the venue staff I'm talking about, there's a lot of confusion with that, but there's also a lot of confusion with day of coordinators. Day of coordinators and event managers is where most of the confusion lies.
So venue managers, what would be their typical roles?
It depends on the venue. You know, venue managers typically are just there overseeing the venue itself. They work for the venue. They don't work for the bride necessarily. The venues hired them versus a bride hiring them like a day of coordinator or an event planner. So they're pretty much overseeing all the logistics with the venue. Now a bride and groom need to ask the venue, what do you cover? what don't you cover because a venue manager or coordinator typically doesn't handle outside vendors they're not going to do timelines typically they'll help with organizing the floor plan depending on the final count but that's about it so it's really important for a bride and groom to talk with the venue and understand thoroughly what they're going to handle some venues
What specific tasks do venue staff usually handle or leave out?
that person's just there opening the door and making sure they have everything out by the end of the night and that's it. Others are gonna be more hands-on and more involved in orchestrating things.
Okay, that makes a lot of sense. Let's go ahead and talk about day of coordinators. What are their typical roles?
Day of coordinators, I see this all over social media and I talk to brides, they're confused all the time about this because a day of coordinator is really not just a day of coordinator. That person is coming into the mix typically four to eight weeks prior to the wedding to go through the details and execute what a bride and groom has put into place up to that point. It should really be called more like a month of coordinator versus a day of coordinator. They're going to take the vendors that the bride and groom have contracted and they're going to go through those, help the bride and groom with the timeline, tightening that up. And typically that's more of a one page timeline. They're going to assist with the ceremony rehearsal for the processional, the recessional, and also the ceremony on the day of throughout the wedding day into the reception.
Think of the day of coordinator or month of coordinator as someone that executes.
What does a 'day-of' or 'month-of' coordinator actually do and when do they get involved?
They don't design or plan from scratch like a wedding planner would.
Would there be any circumstance where a day of coordinator would just come in the day of?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why are brides confused about venue managers, day-of coordinators, and wedding planners?
0:00–1:37
2
How do venue managers typically serve the venue versus the couple?
1:37–2:42
3
What specific tasks do venue staff usually handle or leave out?
2:42–3:55
4
What does a 'day-of' or 'month-of' coordinator actually do and when do they get involved?
3:55–5:44
5
How is a wedding planner different from a day-of coordinator in scope and timing?
5:44–7:38
6
Why shouldn't planners or coordinators be doing hands-on setup instead of overseeing?
7:38–9:22
7
What questions should couples ask to choose between a venue manager, day-of coordinator, or wedding planner?
9:22–11:17
8
How can couples decide which level of planning support fits their budget, time, and wedding complexity?
11:17–12:50
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Wedding Planning Experts | Wedding Planning Tips, Budget, Vendors & Advice for Brides
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