Wedding Coordinator Vs Wedding Planner
Love Nat For You | Celebrant, MC & Coordinator | Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Toowoomba & Ipswich
These two titles get used interchangeably all the time, and it's an expensive mix-up if you get it wrong. Here's what each one is actually doing, and when.
The planner
A planner is booked from the early stages, often 9 to 12 months out.
Their work is upfront, shaping the wedding before most of the details exist yet:
Setting and managing the overall budget
Sourcing, shortlisting and negotiating with vendors
Styling decisions, floor plans and design direction
Reviewing and managing vendor contracts
Deciding the structure of the day, like ceremony timing and reception flow
The day-of coordinator
A day-of coordinator (which is what I offer) typically comes on board 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding, once your vendors are booked and your big decisions are made.
From there, the job is making sure all of it actually happens the way you planned it:
Reconfirming arrival and setup times with every vendor in the two weeks prior
Building the run sheet that ties florist, photographer, celebrant, caterer and venue to one shared timeline
Creating and distributing the primary timeline for the entire day
Being the single point of contact on the day, so vendors call me, not you or your parents
Managing bump-in, seating changes, timing shifts and the small fires that come up between ceremony and reception
Running the reception itself, cueing speeches, transitions and the moments that need a nudge to happen on time
Setting up your ceremony and reception areas
A simple way to tell them apart
If you're still deciding what your wedding looks like, that's a planner. If your vendors are locked in and you need someone making sure it all lands on the day without you fielding calls from the florist during your hair and makeup, that's a coordinator.
Final thought
Most couples don't need a planner for the whole journey. What they need is someone confirming the details are locked in and running the room when it counts, which is exactly where a day-of coordinator picks up.