This is probably the most asked question when couples start to plan their wedding day so I’m here to help you distinguish how the two roles differ…
Photo Credit: Elsie Loves Photography
Authors Bio: Vivienne May Weddings was founded and created by Kerrie May. With over 8 years of experience in the luxury wedding & event industry, Kerrie has worked at some of the UK’s most iconic venues alongside a selection of renowned industry professionals and worked with a selection of high-net worth couples.
Kerrie is a UK Wedding Planner and has a distinctive reputation amongst her fellow luxury wedding professionals. Her wealth of experience, industry knowledge and unrivalled passion for bringing her clients vision to life is what drives her to plan impeccably designed, style-led and perfectly co-ordinated weddings, with romance at it’s heart.
A Wedding Planner
A Wedding Planner like myself can be with you from the moment you say ‘Yes’ to your new fiancé through to the end of your wedding day celebrations.
On average a wedding takes 250 to 300 hours to plan and a lot of couples don’t have this amount of time spare and even if they do, its then whether or not you want to spend that amount of time on planning your wedding day when you could be enjoying quality time with each other.
From the moment you book a Wedding Planner they then take the reigns but most importantly, you remain in complete control of your day. From design and styling, to the suppliers you choose, Wedding Planner are essentially here to hand these details to you on a gold platter. But most importantly, we bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to you and your day, alongside providing insight into the best suppliers to bring your wedding vision to life.
Sourcing Suppliers
The biggest part of planning your wedding is sourcing the perfect wedding venue and this can definitely be the most difficult part of your entire planning journey. Once you know how many guests you are planning to invite you can then start looking through venues but here’s where the difficult decisions start appearing; do you want to travel more than 1hr to your venue, what style of venue are you looking for, does your venue need to have accommodation onsite… This is all taken care of from your first meeting with a Wedding Planner. They will run through with you all of these questions (plus a few more) that then allows us to condense and collate your needs vs. your wishes for us finding you your perfect venue.
Once we have your venue choices narrowed down to your favourites, we then accompany you on your venue visits (or attend in your place if needed). This allows us to see the space, help you envision how your day will run, look and feel, alongside asking those crucial questions to the venue that will help you decide if it is the right venue for you both.
Following finding your wedding venue you then begin sourcing your suppliers. If you are looking to create a luxury wedding there are usually a lot more suppliers involved in your big day, from your photographer, to your florist, to your cake maker, to your entertainment and even some venues require furniture to be hired in (especially for marquee weddings), searching for each of these takes a lot of time to find you your perfect suppliers as there is a lot of admin and meetings involved before you even sign the dotted line.
Photo Credit: Elsie Loves Photography
Marquee Weddings
And remember, if you are choosing to have a marquee wedding within the grounds of a stately home wedding venue for example, then it is likely to include a Wedding Co-ordinator however, if you are hiring private gardens or having your wedding day at your home then having a Wedding Planner would be the most beneficial to you as they are there to help you build your vision from scratch.
Logistics & Scheduling
Once you have confirmed your suppliers, a Wedding Planner then puts a timeline in place that includes scheduling meetings, arranging tastings and collating details to begin to create your wedding day schedule.
Each supplier will in turn ask for meetings along the planning journey, whether face-to-face, at your wedding venue or at their studios however this can be very time-consuming for couples, especially if the meetings involve travelling. This again is where a Wedding Planner like myself comes in, I schedule, attend and follow up meetings as part of my Full and Partial Planning options and then send the finalised details or notes to my couples.
I am then with you throughout the lead up to your wedding to organise logistics, manage your suppliers, collate any dietary/allergy requirements and create detailed floorplans, but most importantly I will guide you along this exciting journey, allowing you to sit back, relax and enjoy your engagement.
On Your Wedding Day
Whether you choose my Full Planning and Design, Partial Planning or On-the-Day Management, this service is included in all. On your Wedding Day I am usually the first to be on-site at your Venue (or Church if having a religious ceremony). If you are staying at your venue, I will pop up to see you to check in on your Bridal Preparations, help you release any nerves and if there are any last-minute updates I need to be aware of. I am also the main point of contact on the day for your suppliers and yourself, anything you need, I am there! I will manage the timings, assist with any guest queries and also be your eyes and ears for the day. To find out more about what I do on a wedding day, read my blog here.
Photo Credit: White Stag Photography
A Wedding Co-ordinator
A Wedding Co-ordinator will join you on your wedding day journey once you’ve booked your wedding venue. Most wedding venues have a Wedding Co-ordinator who acts on behalf of your wedding venue however not all Wedding Co-ordinator’s offer the same level of service, it all depends on your venue. This is crucial when selecting your venue that you check with them how involved they are in the lead up to your big day.
The biggest difference between a Wedding Planner and a Wedding Co-ordinator for you to consider is that with a Co-ordinator, it will be yourselves searching for your suppliers, organising meetings and scheduling tastings. When deciding if hiring a Wedding Planner is the best option for you, consider how much time you can put aside each week to focus on planning your wedding vs. how much of your wedding budget allows for a Wedding Planner.
Logistics & Scheduling
Some Wedding Co-ordinators may offer you a first meeting approximately 6 months before your wedding day in order to gather information on your suppliers, your timings and any details that are important to you on your wedding day. They then usually offer you either a follow up meeting 2 months before and/or a final meeting a few weeks before your wedding day to receive all of the confirmed details from you (i.e. final guest numbers, dietaries, floorplans).
On Your Wedding Day
On your big day, a Wedding Co-ordinator will do a variety of tasks; they will make sure the tables are set, the ceremony starts on time, the guests are seated on the right tables and also liaise with the Chefs to ensure your food is served promptly and that the day is kept to your desired timings.
To find out more about how I can help you plan your perfect day and allow you to sit back, relax and enjoy every second on your engagement, click here to see my Full Planning service.