Wedding Planner vs. Coordinator: Which Do You Need Based on Your Personality?

The terms ‘Wedding Planner’ and ‘Wedding Coordinator’ can seem interchangeable, when in reality they are very different from one another. Confused? Let’s go over 3 different personality styles and decide which one best fits your needs as a bride (or groom)!

1. The Resourceful Bride 

• You are hands-on and not afraid to vocalize your wishes/vision
• You are creative and get excited about design
• You love to organize
• You have plenty of time until the big day
• You thrive off of Pinterest and DIY projects (more on that later)
• Your budget is firm 
• You have friends/family willing to help out (more on that later, too)
• You have the TIME to reach out to all of your vendors and get quotes
• You don’t mind doing the heavy-lifting until about a month prior to the wedding

2. The Indecisive Bride

• You are a little overwhelmed with the idea of planning everything yourself
• You want a destination wedding but are intimidated by sourcing it all in an unfamiliar place
• You’d like to be involved with planning, but are looking for guidance throughout
• You don’t mind reaching out to recommended vendors for quotes (with the right tools!)
• You’re less than a year away from the wedding day and need to get the ball rolling
• Your budget is right on point for average weddings at your venue
• You’d like a visually appealing event, but aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel
• You’d like to completely hand over vendor contact a couple months prior

3. The Career-Focused Bride

• You are busy with work and planning a wedding sounds like another full-time gig
• You want a destination wedding 
• You’d like to be involved with some of the design choices but aren’t too particular about all the small details
• Your budget is on the higher end with flexibility 
• You don’t have a lot of time leading up to the wedding
• Your venue is in a unique space such as a private estate or ranch
• You want a gorgeous wedding, fabulous party, and to have unique guest experiences
• You want a wedding BFF to help guide you through the entire experience (and enjoy it, too!)

Can you guess which bride needs a planner and which is ok with a coordinator?

Let’s start with bride #1 (The Resourceful Bride). She is probably just fine hiring a coordinator, and here is why: she is willing to put the time and effort into planning her wedding and genuinely enjoys doing so! With a firm budget, it is also important for her to choose the ‘day-of’ coordinator option as to not pay for planning services that she feels confident handling on her own. 

While she loves Pinterest and DIY crafts, she should consider the extra stress some of those types of projects can put on her in the final weeks before the event (sometimes these projects end up more costly than just purchasing or renting items from professionals!) 

She has a friend that does hair and makeup, an uncle that can DJ, and a cousin that has a professional camera, which is wonderful – but she should definitely make sure she trusts them to follow through by getting an agreement in writing with them. Not only will this be asked for by your coordinator, but it’s a great way to make sure all parties are on the same page about what services are to be provided on the wedding day (and what will not be provided). Don’t be afraid to have these discussions with any friends/family that offer their services to you, and know that there is a chance they may back out for whatever reason if you aren’t actually “hiring” them (also, be sure to get them a thank-you card and gift for their generosity!)

As for bride #2 (The Indecisive Bride), she might be able to get away with just hiring a coordinator, however, we would highly suggest she hire a partial-planner. Why? Because the stress of trying to plan a wedding all on her own will not make her experience enjoyable, and it might actually contribute to her going over her budget due to not knowing who or what to hire! Why should couples be expected to know who to hire and how to cut unnecessary costs when this is usually their first time planning a wedding? They shouldn’t – and that’s why the job of wedding planners exists. Imagine going to a hospital and being told you have the option to do your own stitches to save a little on the bill. Unless you have the dedication and personality traits to learn, you’d end up hurting (aka costing) yourself a lot more than if you would have gone with the professional from the start.

And finally bride #3 (The Career-Focused Bride) definitely needs a full-service planner! This working woman’s job takes up all of her mental capacity and creativity. By the end of her day, she just wants to cuddle up on her couch with her fiance while binge watching Ozark. Her planner will do all of the heavy lifting while she sits back and enjoys the process from start-to-finish. Her budget allows for her planner to book some of the most talented in the industry (thanks to that career!) so that everyone has full confidence in her vision coming together flawlessly. She has high expectations for the success of her event (as every bride should) and trusts her planner to deliver it tenfold!

Planner vs. Coordinator

Hopefully this helped you to decide which service you are looking for. Still need help? Schedule a free consultation call with one of our expert planners to navigate what service is best for your unique needs!