I have a venue event coordinator, do I need a wedding coordinator still?

I have been scouting out venues for a couple I am working with and I keep seeing venues that boast an “Event Coodinator on-site to help the couple” (this is a good thing). One venue even went as far as to say you do not need to hire your own wedding coordinator because we have one for you (not a good thing!). As enticing as this sounds, the reality is that the venue coordinator is not enough, and here is why.

The on-site event coordinator works for the venue.

They are usually assigned to a couple after a sales team has booked the venue. Typically this role is involved with the catering, layout of the room and taking requests from the couple about the specifics of the day, like load-in times and AV requirements.

Sometimes they will provide referrals to vendors, but they may receive kickbacks from vendors they refer. Still, they are a good source of recommendations that are specific to that venue.

If you are lucky, the same person you have been dealing with in the planning process will be there day-of; more often than not though, your on-site coordinator is someone you have never met before.

At the end of the day, the on-site venue event coordinator works for the venue and not for the couple.

A hired independent wedding coordinator works for the couple.

This means that my focus and responsibility ultimately is to the bride and groom (I’ll speak in first person here since I am the wedding coordinator.) I am hired to look out for the couple’s needs, specific requirements and to ensure the wedding day as a whole picture is running smoothly.

Not only do I communicate and coordinate logistics with the venue, but I also ensure all the other vendors, like ceremony musicians, photographer, videographer, cake vendor, florist for the reception, etc. are communicated to and on the same page throughout the day if needed. Because I am a part of the whole day, from ceremony to reception, I can be in a place to make suggestions and changes that take that into account.

Just to give you an idea of some of the finer details I am involved with on the day-of, at the last wedding I coordinated:

Are these things that the venue coordinator would do? Absolutely not.

Would they even be in a place to know the intricate details of what is needed for a seamless night? Why would they? Their expertise is in the catering and venue, and not in the wedding day details.

Without a wedding coordinator on-hand, the bride and groom are left to remember and coordinate these details on their own. Quite often the bride and groom are preoccupied with a million things on their wedding day including being pulled into photographs, greeting guests, touching up makeup, changing dresses, and the list goes on. Having a wedding coordinator there is an added peace of mind that someone is taking care of your whole wedding day and as a couple you have nothing to worry about. Without a wedding coordinator, all the vendors and venues act on their own leadership and assumptions.

As wedding coordinator, I work together with the banquet manager and the on-site venue event coordinator for a couple’s wedding day.

I would not recommend planning your wedding day with only the help of the venue’s event coordinator. The venue staff will surely assist you but they will not know the specifics of your wedding day as mentioned earlier and what will happen is when push comes to shove, someone will take the grunt of the work. Sometimes this is the maid of honour, parents or MC’s, and, worst case scenario, it is the couple who takes on all the stress, hard work and running around to make the wedding day happens. Many couples don’t realize how many large and small details come together to make a wedding day a success. A wedding coordinator is there to ensure that it is!

I hope this post sheds a little light on the role of a venue coordinator vs a hired wedding coordinator, and why having just a venue coordinator is not enough. Don’t make the mistake of only having the venue coordinator onsite to help you.. your wedding day only comes around once.

Songs that bugs me

I can’t count how many weddings I’ve been to where I’ve heard Bruno Mars’ song “Marry You” being played for a wedding video background music or as introduction music for the bridal party. It bugs me when I hear it being played at a wedding because the lyrics are not very appropriate! Just because it mentions getting married does not make it appropriate for a wedding. The song is about getting married because they’re drunk and they’re looking for “something dumb to do”. It even mentions “if you wake up and want to break up, that’s cool”. What a wonderful blessing on a couple..!

I get that it’s a fun and lighthearted song and has a nice beat. But really, is there no other song that might be more appropriate for the setting?

Another thing that bugs me a bit is hearing Jason Mraz on every other wedding video out there. If it was a special request by the couple, sure I get it, those are special. But, again, is there no other appropriate song than “Lucky” or “I’m Yours”? They’re great songs, don’t get me wrong. Mraz is a talented artist that I quite enjoy. But when you hear the same song being used for every couple’s wedding video, it gets a bit dull. If you are a videographer and you are reading this, please do me a favour and pick another song!

Ok I’m done my rant. Hopefully someone out there in the wedding universe heard me and acknowledges it. And lucky you, two posts this week!

Measure twice and cut once

In my four years of graphic design study, there was this huge emphasis on presentation. For every project we handed in (rough work and final product) we had to mount them professionally on black illustration board. Each mounted project had to be mounted exactly in the center of the board, with a label on the back aligned exactly to the corner. Then a tracing paper overlay and cover had to be added, and, of course, both needed to align exactly to each edge of the board. On top of this already tedious process, you had to cut with exacto knife, cork-back ruler and cutting board (scissors were a huge no-no because they were never exact).

Mounting your work properly was the first thing we learned to do, and we had a TON of practice doing it; literally every week of my four years I had to mount all my projects in progress for each of my classes. One time in first year my prof actually ripped my mounting job apart to show how poorly I had mounted it (not fun in front of your peers and in your first year!). Mounting the project took the most energy, focus and time in my opinion, and it was the LEAST enjoyable of the designing experience for me.

Needless to say, I don’t do graphic design anymore, but it was a big learning experience.

Upper years students would give demonstrations to first years about how to mount. They always emphasized “measure twice and cut once”. I learned this the hard way.

After hundreds of hours of designing, you had to show something for it and it needed to be presented well. All it took was one slip of the hand or a few millimeters off the mark for you to have to start the mounting process all over again. Or if you used a dull knife, it was over. I started off first year overconfident in my measurements, only to find out at the end that I made a mistake. By the end of my four years, I triple checked before I cut anything, because once you cut, you can’t turn back, and you couldn’t afford the time to redo your mounting. Anyone who builds things with their hands, like carpenters or reno people, will tell you the same principle. Going the other way around – measure once and cut twice – is recipe for disaster!

Whenever I discuss the last month of wedding planning details with couples, I always refer to “measuring twice and cut once”. It is always better to be over-prepared than to arrive on the wedding day, 30+ minutes from home, and remember the PDF you should’ve printed or the scissors that you forgot to bring.

This is also why WPIC Coordinators have their “Wedding Emergency Kits”. I carry mine around all day when I work weddings. It contains everything from dental floss to replacement heel wedges to extra ribbon. One time I even had an extra aisle runner in my car. Just in case! You never know if you will need it.

All this to say, if you are planning your own wedding, make sure to cover all the bases and do not hesitate to cover MORE than you think you need to cover. The old saying goes, it is better safe than sorry, and it is so true in wedding planning. You only get to do it once, so do it right!

One way to stay on top of your wedding plans is to bring on the help of a certified wedding coordinator. My Wedding Day Package always includes two complimentary consultations to go over the itinerary with the couple. I do not want to be blind-sighted when I am coordinating someone else’s plans, so I deem these meetings vital to a successful wedding day. If you are interested in any of my wedding services, send me a quick email at weddings@rebeccachan.ca and we can get the conversation started. Hope to talk to you soon!