If you’ve started researching wedding vendors, you’ve probably come across both terms, wedding planner and wedding coordinator, and wondered if they’re the same thing. They’re not, and understanding the difference could save you thousands of dollars and a whole lot of stress.
Here’s the honest breakdown from someone who does both.
A wedding planner is with you from the very beginning. We’re talking the moment you say yes to the moment you say I do and everything in between. A full-service wedding planner helps you:
— Build your entire vendor team from scratch
— Set and manage your budget
— Develop your design vision and aesthetic
— Handle all vendor communication and negotiations
— Create your timeline, floor plan, and day-of logistics
— Be present and run your entire wedding day
When you hire a full planner, you are handing over the entire process. Your job is to make decisions and show up. My job is everything else.
A wedding coordinator, sometimes called a month-of coordinator or day-of coordinator, steps in once most of the planning is already done. You’ve booked your vendors, made your decisions, and built your vision. A coordinator takes all of that and executes it flawlessly.
Typically a coordinator will:
— Step in 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding
— Take over all vendor communication
— Build your final timeline and run of show
— Manage your rehearsal
— Run your entire wedding day from start to finish
Think of a coordinator as the person who takes the baton in the final stretch and carries it across the finish line.
This really comes down to two things: how much time you have and how much you enjoy planning.
If the thought of researching florists, reading vendor contracts, and building a budget spreadsheet sounds overwhelming, you need a full planner. You deserve someone in your corner from the start.
If you love the planning process, have already booked most of your vendors, and just want someone to take the reins in the final weeks and on the wedding day itself, a coordinator is your person.
What I always tell brides: no matter which route you choose, please hire one of us. The vendors at your wedding are professionals who have done hundreds of weddings. They show up, do their job, and leave. Nobody is watching the big picture except your planner or coordinator.
I want to be honest with you here: true day-of coordination is almost a myth. Any coordinator worth hiring is going to need at least a few weeks of prep time to do their job well. They need to review your contracts, connect with your vendors, build your timeline, and understand your vision. If someone offers you “day-of only” services, ask a lot of questions.
I offer both. Full planning for the bride who wants a partner from the very first yes. Wedding management for the organized bride who has done the work and needs someone to execute it perfectly.
Either way, you get me, not a team, not a stranger. Me. My number, my inbox, and my full attention on your wedding day.
Ready to figure out which option is right for you? Reach out and let’s talk.
— Alison
