6 Reasons A Wedding Manager or Co-Ordinator Is Needed

You’ve spent weeks planning months worrying so much of the time has gone into choosing the right colour palettes the perfect place settings and colour matching the bridesmaid’s dresses to the napkins your day is about to roll around but it’s your wedding dates of course you’re going to want to sit back and enjoy it!

Maybe you have hired a venue which is a dry hire venue which means that you just hire the space so you don’t have another co-ordinator or manager on site, maybe the team at the venue you have hired are only there in terms of your planning and you don’t actually have the venue coordinator on your day, it could be that they just have a duty manager on site on the actual wedding day and you want somebody that you know familiar face and that has been with you along your planning journey.

That’s what hiring an on the day manager or wedding co-ordinator is all about, having somebody that is completely unbiased a venue that will be there for you on your day so you can sit back relax and enjoy your day. Some couples even hired me as an on the day manager even though they have an event manager/co-ordinator also on site, because they want somebody that is unbiased to the venue, somebody that I can call upon during the planning process if they need a one-off session and also somebody that will work with the venue coordinator to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect.

Here are 6 regular questions which come up when hiring a wedding manager/wedding co-ordinator and tips when searching for one!

What is the difference between a Venue Coordinator and a Wedding Planner/Manager?

A venue coordinator is very different to a private wedding/event manager/coordinator – I’ve done both and each have their differences! Being a venue co-ordinator is an extremely busy job, and whilst you are focused on the wedding happening that day, the main considerations are for the venue itself, plus assisting other weddings coming up and new enquiries coming in. When I was a co-ordinator, on a wedding day, I was still having meetings in the morning, so my full attention wasn’t on the wedding itself. Also, as a general rule of thumb, as a venue, you are unable to sign for cakes, flowers etc as we aren’t generally aware of what you have ordered. At some venues, it may not even be the co-ordinator you have been communicating with, it could be a duty manager or operations team on the day, so someone you haven’t met or spoken to before.

When you hire your own co-ordinator, they are working purely for you on the day, no other couple so you are the only focus. When booking through myself, you will always meet the person who will be there on your day in advance. We are also able to sign for any orders as we would have communicated with your suppliers in advance. We will also be present for your ceremony and will see you in the morning, regardless of location, so for example, if you have a church wedding, we will be there. We work purely for you and will do whatever you need, not just what the venue needs.

wedding day ceremony

Do I need a venue co-ordinator and a wedding planner/manager?

You need at least one and it’s definitely best to have both if it’s available – we are there to work together to make sure your day is perfect. Remember that there is a big difference in a wedding planners planning and management services. If you want assistance with the whole planning then you definitely need both. The advantages of having a private planner/manager alongside your co-ordinator is the wedding planner will be unbiased to the venue and will be able tackle any venue related issues. They will also be available to add on extra planning sessions, give supplier recommendations and to add on final month planning if you want extra assistance during those last few stressful weeks.

Jewish wedding Israeli dancing

If I hire an on the day wedding manager/co-ordinator, what are they there to do?

Allowing you to relax and not worry about a thing, setting your tables up, being a communication for your guest, solving any problems which arise (because they do!) the list is basically endless, and you can see a breakdown of what I include in the service here. It’s all about making sure the day is perfect and that any problems that do arise are solved without you noticing!

Can’t my Mum or Bridesmaids just manage my wedding day?

]Your sister mum/mum/bridesmaids/groomsmen/best friend/auntie/dog is not a manager/co-ordinator. They are there to enjoy the day with you. They are not your staff as I’m sure you are aware. They most likely won’t have the experience to handle any issues which may arise (and if they do, they probably want a day off!) We do around 30,000 steps a day, work 12-14 hours barely with a break – are they prepared for this?

wedding set up

Do I need to hire a wedding coordinator at a dry hire venue?

If you have a dry hire venue – this is a MUST. A dry hire venue means that you just receive the venue space, everything is then up to you, from hiring all the suppliers, to making sure your guests know what to go on the day. As you’ve already seen from this blog, there is a lot involved, and to not have someone on the day to make sure it all runs smoothly is like going on holiday with no travel insurance. Things will go wrong. It’s a massive risk. Add a wedding co-ordinator to your budget and put it up there with all the must haves, before you start spending your budget on the little luxuries. I would even advise with a dry hire venue to have a full wedding planning service from a wedding planner to make sure you have the best suppliers and that the logistics for the day are all covered.

Wedding manager vs on the day co-ordinator? What is the difference?

It’s the same job, just different titles! When you are hiring your own co-ordinator, you will find many use different terms, so it may be worth searching for your co-ordinator in different ways. Majority of private wedding co-ordinators are also wedding planners who offer an on the day management services, so looking out for wedding planners is also a good way, then looking on their website to see if they offer this service. Or just save the time and get in touch with me here as it’s a service I offer!

Hiring a wedding planner or a day of co-ordinator needs to become the norm, having someone there as a support and to make sure your day runs incredibly shouldn’t be seen as a luxury. After you’ve spent so long dreaming about this day and hours and hours of planning, you want it to run well on the day, right? You want your guests to be happy, right? You want your parents to relax and not sweat the small stuff, right? Does that sound like a luxury? No. So hiring a wedding coordinator/manager shouldn’t be seen as one either.

wedding day gardens