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!