Wedding Manager/Coordinator vs. Wedding Planner
What’s the difference between a Wedding Manager/Coordinator and a Wedding Planner? Is there a difference?
Yes, there is!
Simply put, a wedding planner is someone who helps the Couple plan their wedding. They are very involved it the process, usually from the beginning stages of the couple’s planning. A wedding planner assists and supports the couple with the following aspects of wedding planning:
vision/theme support
budget management
invitation management - the design, wording, and distribution of invitations to guests
guest list management - managing RSVPs and providing guest list updates
vendor support - recommendations, negotiating contracts, site visits, managing payment schedules
timeline creation
design + decor research/planning - collaborating with decorators to bring the couple’s vision to life, floorplan design, sourcing vendors for decor items
set-up and take-down
rehearsal coordination
day-of coordination
post-wedding tasks - return of rented items to vendors, final budget/payment support
other optional tasks - honeymoon planning, accommodation and transportation coordination, etc.
A wedding planner does a lot of the background research and planning. Often, the Bride and/or Groom want to take on this role and other times, they don’t have the time or ability to take this on, so they decide to hire a wedding planner. Geography may be a factor in a couple’s ability to take on all the planning; for example if they are getting married in a different country, province/state, or city than where they live.
A wedding manager/coordinator, often referred to as a “day-of” or “month-of” coordinator, focuses on the execution of the wedding plan and ensures everything runs smoothly on the couple’s big day. Typically, a wedding manager jumps into action 4-6 weeks prior to the couple’s wedding. Obviously, a wedding manager is less involved than a wedding planner. The couple has done all the planning and the coordinator’s task is to ensure that everything goes as the couple has planned. A wedding manager assists and supports couples with the following aspects of their wedding:
timeline review and finalization
vendor coordination - confirm details with vendors, be a point of contact on the wedding day, ensure vendors arrive on time and fulfill their responsibilities as per their contracts, deal with any issues that arise
rehearsal coordination
day-of coordination
problem-solve any issues that arise
provide support to guests as needed - answering questions, guiding them to where they should be, managing the flow of the timeline
oversee the take-down and clean-up of the venue
A wedding manager’s main goal is to ensure that everything runs smoothly on the couple’s wedding day so that the couple and their loved ones can relax and enjoy the celebration of love.
Wedding managers usually put in about 25 to 40 hours per wedding with approximately 15 of those hours being on a couple’s wedding day.
When creating my business, I wanted to blend the Manager/Coordinator and Planner roles to create my job description and the packages that I offer my clients. If you’ve looked at my wedding packages, you can see that I’ve taken aspects from the planner list and the manager/coordinator list. The blending of these two roles not only benefits my clients, but also helps me to provide the best service possible. It’s really important to me that I know EVERY detail of your wedding, so that I can make sure it’s exactly as you want it. Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life, and it should be a dream come true!
Thanks for reading! I hope this information was helpful.
- Danielle
