Wedding Designer, Planner or Coordinator?

I’m so confused!!

As you’ve begun planning your wedding have you realized that there is an entire vocabulary or language of wedding-speak?  There is a wedding designer, wedding planner, and possibly a wedding coordinator. Say what?

A planner is almost always a coordinator, but a coordinator is not always a planner. A planner can be a designer as well, but a designer is not always a planner or a coordinator. And some are all three. Totally confused now? Although each one of these knows what their role is and possibly know how to do all 3, each has a specific job that goes with their title.

A wedding designer is responsible for the overall visual aesthetic of the wedding. Designers think in terms of the big picture and what your guests will see. Designers work within your theme, developing the concept, creating an overall visual effect and paying close attention to the visual details. Each detail of the decor has a purpose within the overall concept. They are creative and concept designers. Often they will work in conjunction with florists, lighting technicians, and photographers to create the look and feel of the event. Many are florists themselves.

A wedding planner is responsible for planning the details and elements that bring your wedding vision to life and is involved from the very beginning of the planning process. Depending on the level of service you want to commission, a wedding planner will assist with budget creation, management, venue selection, vendor referrals, wedding day timeline, seating arrangements, etc. They can also act as an advisor on everything wedding related such as etiquette and the best way to handle difficult family situations!. A wedding planner will also coordinate the day as well, since they are highly involved with the planning. They can work closely with the wedding designer too.

A wedding coordinator is not involved with planning the wedding. Their primary duty is to be there on the day and ensure that it runs smoothly and according to plan. Sometimes they are referred to as day-of-coordinators. Many jump in a month before the wedding to finalize the last minute details, confirm vendor obligations, create a timeline, and oversee the set-up of the decor. Many wedding planners offer wedding coordination to their clients as part of their service package.

A venue coordinator is on site for the venue.They may help with your timeline but more often than not they will not help you with set-up or troubleshooting. Most importantly, a venue coordinator works for the venue; their job is to answer your questions about the venue and assist you with your venue layout. They are someone you may contact if you need extra reassurance about the details of your wedding venue, however, their loyalty is to the venue. Their job does not include all the other details that go into planning your wedding.

Often your wedding planner or wedding coordinator will work closely with the venue coordinator to make sure everything runs smoothly. But hire your own coordinator if you want them to make sure everything runs smoothly for you, not just the venue.