You’re officially engaged, congratulations! Where do you go from here? The journey to the altar begins now, and whether it’ll be a long or short one, it’s time to start planning. While it is an exciting time, planning a wedding is essentially planning one of the biggest parties of your life! It can get overwhelming pretty quickly, which is why it’s time to start thinking about the people you have on your team.

Of course, your fiancé will always be number one, but are you going to need anyone else? Nearly half of brides today hire some type of assistance for their big day, whether that be a wedding coordinator or full wedding planner. While they may sound similar, they serve very different purposes in the planning process. In this post, we’ll break down the key differences between wedding planners and wedding coordinators. We’ll outline what each brings to the table and how to decide which one (or both!) is right for your big day. 

What Does a Wedding Planner Do?

So, what is a wedding planner? Working closely with you as a couple, they plan, organize, and execute your wedding smoothly and successfully. Planners are with you every step of the way from the start of planning to the day of the wedding, and are there to make decisions for you. You work with them to provide the vision, and they take the reins and run with it, which takes the majority of the stress off of the couple. Here are the main tasks a wedding planner is responsible for: 

• Planning and coordination – timelines, checklists, budget-management, vendor selection and coordination
• Design and style guidance – developing wedding theme and suggesting decor ideas, venue layouts
• Vendor management – manning contracts and communication, suggesting trusted sources
• Support and expertise – managing little details like RSVPs to any troubleshooting issues, emotional support confidant 
• Day-of coordination – most planners include day-of coordination in their packages in addition to the planning; responsible for set up, tear down, and oversees the wedding day timeline

With all of these responsibilities, the planner is essentially doing all of the dirty work for you. This can be great if you are someone who doesn’t love logistics, coordination, or are simply just busy and need to take the pressure off. Putting the decision-making power in someone else’s hands can be tough, but ultimately planners are working with the vision that you give them, so you can trust them to make it come to life! The most important thing about this is to be on the same page as a couple so you can feel confident in the vision you’re giving and in results you’re getting. Then, you let your go-to wedding confidant do the rest.  

We recently sat down with Rachel of Ray Hannan Events to talk about the differences between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator. Watch our video on YouTube to learn more information about wedding planning here.

How do You know if you Need a Wedding Planner?

Metro-Detroit planners can book up fast, especially the good ones, so it’s important to book a planner as soon as you know you need assistance, ideally, 12-18 months before your big day. Planners are especially helpful if you decide to have a shorter engagement, but with that comes the challenge of availability, so it may be helpful for a couple to be thinking about whether they may want a planner ahead of time, since either way, you’ll want to hire as soon as possible. The time of year also plays a factor in availability. High-season in Michigan is June-August, so if you’re planning a wedding during this time, we recommend looking sooner. 

What to looking for in a Wedding Planner

What to look for in a planner largely depends on your wedding day vision. Of course, you want the best, but you also want someone who specializes in many of the items you’re wanting. If you are looking for a high-end yacht wedding with all the bells and whistles at the most popular venue in Detroit for example, you’re not going to want to hire someone who has most of their experience with barn venues in Milford. Some of the main things to be looking for when deciding on a planner are: 

• Needs/involvement: what do you need from a planner (how much work will you have to put in), and what do they need from you? Do these goals align? 
• Transparency: as the person making decisions on your behalf and managing your budget/finances, you want someone who will give you all the details and let you know what’s going on even though you’re letting them be in the driver’s seat
• Style: take a look at their past work; does it look like, or have many of the concepts you’re envisioning? Think of them like your personal stylist, but for your wedding
• Communication: does conversation flow, do you feel like they understand exactly what you need? 
• Fees: make sure you are comfortable with their pricing, packages, offerings, and how they work out any extra services
• Cost: most full-service planning ranges anywhere between $3,000 and $15,000; the range factors are based on complexity of planning, experience, and service level

Along with what to look for, here are some questions to ask the wedding planners as you narrow it down to your top choices: 

• Would you consider yourself an expert in the wedding planning field?
• What kind of weddings do you have the most experience planning? 
• What kind of connections do you have to help you in the planning process? Will you offer any discounts, if you find them? 
• Tell us about a time you encountered a challenge with planning and how you resolved it? 
• How will you keep me in the loop during planning?
• Do you offer day-of coordination in addition to planning? 
• Do you offer flat rates or charge by the hour?

In essence, a wedding planner is your behind-the-scenes architect guiding you through every detail from the initial vision to the final send-off. But while planners work with you over many months leading up to your wedding, there’s another essential role that steps in closer to the big day: the wedding coordinator. Let’s take a closer look at how their responsibilities differ so you can get an idea of which one may be right for you.  

What Does a Wedding Coordinator Do? 

A wedding coordinator plays a vital role in ensuring that a couple’s big day runs smoothly and stress-free. Unlike a full-service wedding planner who is involved from the start, a wedding coordinator typically steps in a few weeks before the event to oversee the final details and manage the day-of logistics. By this point, you’ve most likely booked your vendors and done all the major planning, so the coordinator will be the one to take care of the final details with them and work off of the planning you’ve already done.

Their responsibilities include:

• Confirming vendor arrangements
• Creating a detailed timeline
• Coordinating the rehearsal
• Serving as the main point of contact on the wedding day
• Troubleshoot any unexpected issues, manage the schedule, and ensure that everything from ceremony to reception flows seamlessly

With all of the things running through your head on wedding day, the last thing you want to be thinking about is grabbing your Great Uncle Irve for pictures or where the cake delivery person should go. Having a coordinator allows you to relax and have details like these taken care of for you with care and professionalism.  

At Savvy Shoots, we strongly value day-of wedding coordination. Having a wedding coordinator allows our photographers to focus on capturing every moment of your day instead of organizing your bridal party and family. We even have a Detroit wedding coordinator on our team for couples to add to their wedding photography packages! Contact us today to learn more about our Detroit wedding photography packages.

How Do You Know You Need a Wedding Coordinator and When to Book?

If this sounds like something you need, or may need down the line, research local coordinators as soon as possible. Aim to have one booked no later than 2-3 months before the wedding, but 6-8 months is ideal. The more time they have to help you, the better. Even if you don’t have all your vendors booked, they can help offer suggestions and start building relationships with them, if they don’t already have one.

The same concept with wedding planners applies to coordinators: the good ones book fast, especially for high season, so book as soon as you know you want help in this area. If this peace of mind sounds worth it to you, budgeting between $800 to $8,000 is ideal, depending on how much coordination you will need and how early in the process they are stepping in.  

At Savvy Shoots, we partner with Ray Hannan Events for exclusive partnership deals. We also highly recommend Krystina Lynn Weddings and Events and The Red Coat Ladies.

Questions to Ask a Wedding Coordinator 

Similar to the wedding planner questions, you’re going to want to “interview” your top choice coordinators to find out what kind of experience they have. Here are some questions to start: 

• Are they familiar with the venue? 
• Do they have any connections with your chosen vendors?
• How do they deal with last minute changes and emergencies? What are their backup plans? 
• What are the smallest and largest weddings they have coordinated, and what is a typical size for them? 
• How would you describe your coordination style? 
• Do they have a team or work solo? If they have a team, will you be working with them or someone else on wedding day? 

Final Notes and Tips on How to Choose

At the end of the day, whether you choose a full-service planner or a coordinator must work for you and your needs. Remember that you’re interviewing these businesses to find out what vision fits yours the most and who you connect with. Trust your gut! Look into who you are hiring. Read reviews, talk to other brides, read contracts fully (including ALL of the fine print), and ask questions up front. It’s especially important to be on the same page as  your partner in regards to what you want with planning and/or coordination. That way, you have no doubt as to what you’re getting on the big day. 

Well, phew! We know this is a lot of information, but we also want you to know that planning the best day of your life doesn’t have to be drain when you have the right team behind you. And with all the Metro Detroit resources here for you, we know you’ll be just fine, beautiful bride! 

Wedding Coordinators in Detroit

If you’re looking for wedding coordinators in the Detroit area, here are some coordinators we If you’ve already booked with Savvy Shoots and are thinking about investing in a coordinator or planner, we have good news! Savvy Shoots has partnered with Ray Hannan Events offering exclusive deals on wedding and coordination services as an add on to photography packages. If you’re curious and want more info, check out their website here. Name a better duo than two recent brides with lots of Metro-Detroit experience! 

Some other Detroit wedding coordinators we recommned:

• Krystina Lynn Weddings and Events
• Red Coat Ladies
• Prestige Weddings and Events
• Wholehearted Events
• The Best Day Details

We hope this post was helpful and informative for you! Wedding planning can be overwhelming, but with the right help, it can be incredibly fun!

This blog post was written with the help of Savvy Shoots copywriter Caralyn May.