To most Brides a Venue Coordinator and a Wedding Planner sounds similar, but in reality it is tremendously different.

The Venue Coordinator

Venue Coordinators work for the venue NOT the couple. They are the liaison between the couple and the venue staff. Their responsibilities are those that highlight the venue, like show casing the venue through walkthroughs, working on your room layout, arranging menu tasting and working with you to formalize your catering need. On wedding day their main focus is on your contracted service with them are executed correctly. They will make sure their staff is aware of your wedding plans to ensure your food is out in a punctual manner, and that your tear down happens seamlessly and in a timely manner. The venue coordinator may help you with your rehearsal but most wouldn’t. They will not cure the DJ when bride is ready to walk down the aisle or line the bridal party up for their grand entrance. In addition, a venue coordinator often times departs once the meal is served.

The Wedding Planning

The Wedding Planner works for the Bride and Groom, they are the couple’s personal consultant with a wide focus one every detail involving their wedding. As a wedding planner we are there from the beginning planning stage to lead you in the right direction and make sure your vision is brought to life. We are there from the venue selections, to selection the color of the napkins. It is our job as the wedding planner to ensure that our client get what the contract state from ALL of your vendors including the venue, as well as make sure your vendors are prompt and setup on time, (DJ, Baker, Florist, etc.).

These rules apply to wedding management i.e “day of” planners as well; while this service may start any were between 6 – 8 weeks in advance; we still work exclusively for the couple. Think of us as a project manager in charge of your big day, on wedding day we oversee the timeline to make sure everything flows seamlessly from your ceremony, cocktail hour, reception and everything in-between. Lastly, a wedding planner will offer you valuable tools to better guild you along the way, such as vendor contact forms, floor plans and be the troubleshooter to ensure you receive quality service and a person touch to your wedding.

The Bottom Line

To sum it all up a venue coordinator’s job has boundaries, they work for the venue to make sure the venue always produce quality service and get a great review. While your wedding planner duties are limitless, we will always go up and beyond the call of duty to make sure every detail is flawless and as beautiful as the client.

That being said, there are some great venue coordinators in Maryland and they are a pleasure to work with and it makes the process run more effortlessly. Taylor Made Event Planning love working with venue coordinators and have partnered with venues to make sure the client needs are best served. It is so important that the couple really understand what they are getting into and the service provide that comes with each title so they can avoid some hardship, frustration and disappointment on wedding day.