Wedding Planner vs On-Site Coordinator
By Tarisha Beniprashad
Wedding Planner vs On-Site Coordinator?!
What’s the difference? Do I need both? What do they do?!
The wedding planner vs on-site coordinator debate is a pretty popular one in the wedding industry, but to be honest, we don’t think it should be a debate at all. The roles of a wedding planner and the duties of an on-site coordinator are completely different- each position has its own merits. If you’re unsure of your stance in this debate, we’ve got you covered- we’ll tell you all there is to know about wedding planners vs on-site coordinators!
Wedding planners:
That’s us! Wedding planners are independent planners that you can hire to help you coordinate all of the little details of your wedding day, and even the days leading up to it. We help you plan everything from the invitations to flowers to caterers to transportation, and pretty much everything in between.
Alisha & Michelle coordinating a styled shoot. Photography by Thomas Zitnansky Photography.
We’re with you on the day of your wedding from the beginning right until the end to ensure that everything runs smoothly from the morning of the wedding to the end of the reception. We aim to build both professional and personal relationships with our clients and really get to know them during their wedding planning journey so that we can do our best to make sure we plan a day they can’t forget, and have a little fun along the way!
On-site Coordinators:
These guys are usually employed by the venue of your wedding or reception, and don’t typically work with you on details outside of that. They’re the ones you meet to sign contracts and go over food and beverage choices, and pretty much anything else that’s going on at the venue. Their main job is to ensure that the festivities run in a smooth and timely manner, and that all of their services are delivered flawlessly. They may also suggest some vendors to you that they’ve worked with in the past, but that isn’t necessarily a part of their job description. You can depend on these guys to be present during your time at the venue, but they’ll likely leave before dinner is over and turn things over to the Banquet Manager, who will supervise things until the party is over.
On-site coordinators work behind the scenes to make sure that the venue delivers everything in your contact.
So now that you know the specific roles of a Wedding Planner vs On-Site Coordinator, we’re sure that you can understand where we’re coming from when we say this shouldn’t be a debate in the first place. These positions cater to different needs, and generate the best results when they work together. If you’re trying to decide between a wedding planner vs on-site coordinator, here’s our advice: why not both? These two can work together to ensure your day goes off without a hitch, and will actually make each other’s jobs a whole lot easier. With a wedding planner you get someone to guide you through the entire planning process from start to finish and manage your vendors, and your on-site coordinator will take care of all the logistics relatingto the venue on the day of. Their jobs are equally important, and you’re guaranteed to have the day you’ve been dreaming of with both of them working together to make your vision a reality!
Whim Event Coordination and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners who service the GTA and beyond. Leave a comment below and let us know what your thoughts are on the wedding planner vs on-site coordinator debate, and contact us today so we can help you get started on your wedding planning!
- Published in 2015, Wedding TIps
The Emergency Kit – Toronto Wedding Planners
p>Let’s discuss the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-too-darned-important… EMERGENCY KIT!
Let’s get down to basics; what is an emergency kit and why is it necessary? Don’t worry, the Whim Crew has you covered!
An emergency kit, or e-kit, is an essential piece of luggage that contains an assortment of items that you or your bridal party may have need of during the wedding day(s).
Chances are, you’ll be wearing very fancy duds, and won’t have space to carry bulky items like lint rollers, sewing kits, extra bobby pins, breath mints, pain killers and stain removers.
Our emergency kit contains wedding day essentials such as stain remover, extra toothbrushes, straight, bobby and baby pins, and snacks.
Picture the big day – you wake up at the crack of dawn, may or may not be hungover from the night before, will have a very long day ahead of you, have to stand in the hot sun to take photos.. and while the day will be filled with amazing memories, there may come a moment when something goes wrong.
This is where your handy-dandy wedding coordinator will come in with a fully stocked emergency kit to bandage booboos, sew buttons or dresses back together, remove stains, feed the hungry, and assist with preventing blisters in shoes that are way beautiful but way too high.
The emergency kit that we carry has over $400 worth of products in it, including often-overlooked essentials like extra extension cords, glue guns, invisible tape, hem tape, liquid bandages (because really, a visible band-aid in pictures?!), sunscreen and everything necessary to keep your hair perfect. We regularly keep inventory and restock our emergency kit after every event. We’ve never coordinated a wedding or corporate event where our kit did not come in handy multiple times. In fact, our kit seems to get larger after every wedding season, because there’s always something new that we end up needing that we decide ought to live in our kit forever.
A few examples:
- That time a groomsman forgot his socks. Fortunately we had a package of black socks so he was covered… and we didn’t ask for them back 🙂
- The bridesmaid dress that ripped up the black slit. But that was a total non-issue, because of course we had our handy sewing kit in tow.
- That time the bride forgot her toothbrush. Hey, no judgment – it happens! As luck would have it, we had a full dental kit and multiple new brushes just in case.
- The time a bridesmaid forgot deodorant. Fortunately, we have a lifetime supply of minis that we handout to anyone that forgets theirs.
Chances are, you or someone else in the bridal party will have a mishap and need a hand. But not to worry, we’ve got you covered!
We’d love to hear from you! Have you ever served as part of a bridal party where an emergency kit would have come in handy? What items did you need?
Whim Event Coordination and Design are Toronto wedding planners who prefer to service fun, quirky, and whimsical couples. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you plan your dream wedding! [email protected] or 647-990-5474.
- Published in Wedding TIps
Napkin Folding Styles – Toronto Wedding Planner
Okay, let’s be real for a second. Who REALLY cares about napkin folding styles? Chances are that if you’re reading this blog, you probably should! It may sound like an insignificant and frivolous little detail that you don’t really need to give any thought, but it’s one of those quaint details that’ll let your guests know that you put a ton of effort into planning your event. Putting in a little extra thought to certain things like napkin folding styles will definitely tie the decor aspect of your event together, and be reflected in the overall ambiance. Want to know about how to add an extra flair to your table settings? Keep reading for some cool ideas on how to arrange the napkins at your next event.
These first three folds are pretty conservative, yet they still serve to spice up your place settings- they can all be prettily placed on top of your table settings.The single pocket fold can be made a little less simple by adding flowers that match your theme into the pocket:
These next two options are pretty simple and functional- they’ll hold your cutlery in a minimalist yet fashionable fold. You could even switch out the utensils for some fresh blossoms to liven up your tables!
These designs can either be placed inside a goblet-style glass, inside a napkin ring, or even just laid on top of your place settings:
These five types of napkin folds are a little more quirky and unique. They’ll add a very cute personal touch to your place settings, and can be used for themed events like Valentine’s day and Christmas
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the various types of napkin folds out there. You can actually have a lot of fun when deciding which design to go with- and feel free to get creative! You can find instructions on how to achieve these designs along with others on Buzzfeed, and the Napkin Folding Guide Website.
Leave us a comment below letting us know your favorite napkin folding concept!