Wedding Planner vs Wedding Coordinator: Which Do You Need?
A wedding planner helps you make the decisions: the venue, the vendors, the budget and the look. A wedding coordinator takes the plan you have made and runs the day, starting four to six weeks out. If your vendors are booked and you want to be a guest at your own wedding, you need a coordinator.
Hiring an on-the-day coordinator is the final step in bringing all of your hard work together.
Which do you need? Three questions
- Do I have time to make the planning decisions? If not, you want a planner. If you do, go to the next question.
- Have I booked, or can I book, my main vendors myself? If not, you want a planner to help you choose them. If you can, go to the next question.
- Do I want to be on duty on the day? If not, you want a coordinator. If you do, you may not need anyone, though Set It Up can place your decor so the morning is yours.
Who does what
| Planner | Coordinator | Stylist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finding the venue | Yes | No | No |
| Choosing your vendors | Yes | No | The styling hire |
| Managing the budget | Yes | No | No |
| The look | Sets the direction | No | Designs and sources it |
| The run sheet | Yes | Yes | No |
| Briefing your vendors | Yes | Yes | Their own vendors |
| Running the day | Yes, or brings in a coordinator | Yes | Sets up the styling |
When to book each
Book a planner at the start, once you know your budget and roughly how many guests you will invite. Book a coordinator four to six months ahead. The coordinator's work starts four to six weeks before the wedding.
What we charge
Every price includes GST and is a from-price, because every wedding is different.
| Service | From | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding Planning | $9,900 | Full planning, budget management and styling, with ten hours of on-the-day coordination |
| On-The-Day Coordination | $1,800 | Six, eight, ten or twelve hours on the day, with your vendors briefed and your run sheet built with you |
| Styled & Sorted | $4,840 | Styling, sourcing, set-up and pack-down, with ten hours of on-the-day coordination |
| Set It Up | $660 | Three hours of ceremony and reception set-up, for couples who have planned and supplied their own styling |
Our full price list, and how to compare it with other coordinators' quotes, is in what a wedding coordinator costs in Sydney.
What a coordinator does
A wedding coordinator's work starts four to six weeks before the wedding. They aren't part of the original planning: they don't source vendors for you or make the big decisions. They take the planning you've done, build your run sheet with you, liaise with every vendor and make sure everyone is on the same page before the day. Their job is to take the pressure off as you head towards the finish line, so you have someone to lean on besides your partner.
On the day you can trust them to set up your personal details, deal with any issues, put the backup plans into action, cue the ceremony, run the reception timeline, and make sure you both get to soak in every moment as newlyweds. What a coordinator does on the day goes through it hour by hour.
A coordinator is the right choice if:
- You've booked the vendors, invited the guests and decided on your decor
- You enjoy planning your wedding and want someone to take the stress off you towards the end
- You want someone professional handling the day, so you're not running logistics at your own wedding
- You want to enjoy every moment of your wedding day, knowing someone else has it all handled
At Managing Matrimony, our on-the-day coordination is $1,800 inc. GST for six hours, $2,200 for eight, $2,640 for ten and $3,080 for twelve, and most couples book eight or ten.
What a planner does
A wedding planner covers design, decisions and the day, end to end.
Their work starts at engagement or soon after. They build your overall concept, recommend venues, manage your budget, source every vendor, book the celebrant, handle contracts, set the styling direction, and on the day either coordinate it themselves or bring in a coordinator. Planners save you time: the research, the calls and the decisions are theirs to carry with you.
A planner is the right choice if:
- You're short on time, live away from your venue, or are planning a destination wedding
- You don't want to make every decision alone; you want someone making them with you
At Managing Matrimony, wedding planning starts from $9,900 inc. GST and includes styling and ten hours of on-the-day coordination.
What a stylist does
A stylist handles the visual design: centrepieces, signage, linen, dinnerware, candles, florals, backdrops, ceremony aisles and installations. Stylists source through hire companies, florists and their own prop collections. They turn your Pinterest board into a physical room.
A stylist is the right choice if:
- You want a specific look and don't have the time, or the knack, to source it yourself
- Your venue needs styling help, such as a warehouse, a marquee or a backyard
- Your coordinator or planner isn't hands-on with styling and design
Our Styled & Sorted package brings styling, sourcing, set-up and pack-down together with ten hours of on-the-day coordination, from $4,840 inc. GST.
Who does not need one
If your venue's coordinator runs the whole day and manages your other vendors, you may not need us. Venue coordinator or independent coordinator explains the difference.
Whoever you book, you want someone who does this for real. Not family or friends (let them enjoy the day too), not a venue manager who is also running the venue's staff and catering, and not yourself at your own wedding.
Questions couples ask us
Do I need a wedding planner or a coordinator?
It depends on how much of the planning you want to own. If you have booked your vendors and want someone to run the day, book a coordinator. If the whole process feels like too much and you want someone making the decisions with you, book a planner. You probably do not need a coordinator if your venue's coordinator runs the whole day and manages your other vendors.
When should I hire a coordinator vs a planner?
Book a planner at the start, once you know your budget and roughly how many guests you will invite. Book a coordinator four to six months ahead. The coordinator's work starts four to six weeks before the wedding.