

Day of Coordinator vs. Venue Coordinator?
I hear this all the time ..... "Our venue comes with a Coordinator."
While that may be true, there are distinct differences.
1. A Day of Coordinator is with you all day; a Venue Coordinator may not be.
Depending on the number of hours you book a Day of Coordinator for, they are with you throughout your day. That includes when your ceremony is at a church, in a garden, or simply at another venue. A Venue Coordinator may help you coordinate your ceremony when it is at that particular venue but be sure to double-check that lining up your bridal party and helping you with timing is included in their services.
2. Day of Coordinator will confirm details with vendors; Venue Coordinators confirm arrival timing and load in instructions.
A Day of Coordinator will confirm details with all of your vendors to ensure all of the details are correct. For example, if you had last minute cancellations or additions to your guest count, our team will make sure your rental company is bringing enough chairs or your florist has the correct number of centerpieces.
Whereas, a Venue Coordinator will confirm arrival and departure timing of each vendor and give instructions to vendors on how to park and get into the building along with any rules they'll need to follow at the venue.
3. A Day of Coordinator will set up your decor; a Venue Coordinator generally will not.
Our Day of Coordinators can set up place cards, decor items, picture frames, memory tables, ready-to-go centerpieces, guest favors and numerous other decor or needed items. Venue Coordinators usually have very specific rules about what they can and can’t set up and the majority of what they are focused on are venue items like tables, chairs, linens, etc. Every venue is different so check with yours on what your coordinator will set up.
4. A Day of Coordinator is with you all day; a Venue Coordinator is usually not.
Depending on the number of hours you have booked, your Day of Coordinator can be there with you all day, including clean up. No one should be cleaning up in that beautiful dress (and neither should your mother!!). With a day full excitement and celebration, your family and friends will be ready to retire at the end of the night. A Day of Coordinator can absolutely be hired to stay until the end of the night and take care of everything you need.
Venue Coordinator positions are all set up differently. Sometimes the person you work with throughout the planning process is not actually there the day of because they have a different staff member execute the events. Other times, the Venue Coordinator is there until dinner starts and then passes it off to a banquet manager. It just truly depends on how your venue is set up, so be sure to ask during one of your earlier planning meetings so you are not surprised as you get closer to your wedding.
Again, check with your venue but generally speaking, Venue Coordinators do not clean up your personal items. Their role is to make sure the tables, chairs, linens, and venue that your guests just used are cleaned up and ready for the venue's next day event. This means you’ll need to have someone clean up your decor items, centerpieces, guest books, gifts, pictures, etc. PLEASE do not make a friend or family member do this ..... just hire a Day of Coordinator!
5. A Day of Coordinator is focused on other vendors and bridal party; Venue Coordinator is focused on venue set up and catering staff needs.
We want to make sure you have an amazing day. In order to do that, your vendors need to be in the right place at the right time. We don't want a photographer missing the first dance because they're in the bathroom, right?! We'll ensure that the vendors are where they need to be for key moments.
Similarly, we want to ensure that your parents and bridal party, the most special people in your lives, are able to focus on celebrating the day with you. We'll be sure to wrangle groomsmen, let bridesmaids know the plan and ensure that Mom and Dad have a drink in their hand when they can't get to the bar due to chatty friends!
A Venue Coordinator is really there to ensure that the venue is set up, things are changed over when needed, and that catering has what it needs to do their job. All of this is super important to ensuring your day goes smoothly at their venue, so they can't always be keeping track of other vendors and the bridal party.
All of this will honestly vary from venue to venue, so be sure to ask your venue exactly what their Venue Coordinator is in charge of.
Return to: Wedding Day Management