The Most Important Differences of a Venue Manager & a Wedding Day-of-Coordinator
| Hampton Roads Wedding, Testimonials, Virginia Beach Wedding, Wedding Planning, Weddings
Planning a wedding is no easy feat… & whether you opted to plan your own wedding or hiring a professional, the odds are you’re going to be overwhelmed when the day arrives. And it’s not because you’re bad at planning ahead. Or bad at coordinating details with all involved parties (hired vendors, guests, bridal party family, so on & so forth). It’s just A LOT to expect out of anyone who is juggling everything they were doing in their lives prior to their engagement… Enter: the day-of-coordinator.
Many of our clients ask, “what is the difference between a venue manager & a day-of-coordinator?”. Let us break it down for you!
THE VENUE MANAGER
The Lesner Inn’s Event & Sales Managers are your main point of contact at the venue. They are commonly referred to as a Venue Manager & they act as the liaison between you & both the catering team & banquet staff at the venue.
At The Lesner Inn, you will meet your Event & Sales Manager (i.e. Venue Manager) at least 3 times.
- Initial tour & the booking
- The 90-day planning meeting & tasting
- The 14-day final planning meeting
They focus on your wedding menu (food & beverage), basic timeline & floor plan, but also assist in upgrading your wedding package with specialty linens, event lighting & draping, elevated tabletop (flatware, glassware, chargers), & furniture. They will help you answer questions like,
- What hors d’oeuvres do you want to offer your guests during Cocktail Hour
- What style menu are you interested in? Buffet? Stations? Formal sit down?
- Are you partnering with a preferred vendor for your cake? Or do you want something less traditional like a dessert bar through Lesner Inn?
- Do you want to offer an open bar? Are you considering a signature drink?
- Do you want to keep our house white linen or upgrade to specialty linens?
- Are you interested in adding event rentals?
ON THE DAY OF
They will oversee the Banquet Manager – to ensure that all food, beverage & miscellaneous venue requests are performed according to the clients’ contract. The Banquet Manager is responsible for following the details outlined in the contract, overseeing the staff throughout the event (through set up & breakdown), replenishing food & beverage, & managing any venue needs.
THE DAY-OF-COORDINATOR
On the other hand, your day-of-coordinator will help you with the rest of the details of the day, as well as make sure your ceremony runs smoothly. They take away your stress & even hide problems that pop up so the couple can focus on enjoying their wedding guests & taking in every moment of their wedding day. They act as the liason between you & your hired wedding vendors.
At this point, you’ll share everything you’ve been working on throughout your engagement & pass it off to your coordinator so that they can execute it on the day of.
DAY-OF WEDDING COORDINATOR DEFINITION: A day-of Wedding Coordinator is a person responsible for making sure the wedding day or weekend is executed perfectly. Their roles include overseeing vendors, managing the timeline, and overcoming any last-minute challenges that arise during the festivities.
At The Lesner Inn, you will meet your day-of-coordinator at your Final Planning Meeting with the venue, no later than 2 weeks before your wedding. They focus on all of the wedding details – everything beyond the venue, food & beverage. They will confirm all the details you have already decided & guide you in answering anything you were unsure of.
- Ceremony processional & recessional, both order & song selections
- Cocktail hour details, décor & shot list
- Grand entrances, order & song selections
- First dances & parent dances
- Miscellaneous reception activities such as bouquet toss, garter toss, shoe game, money game, etc.
- Reception décor (centerpieces, table numbers, linen selections, draping, lighting, etc.)
- Guest book, place cards, seating chart, memory table, photo booth probs, favors etc.
- Transportation for you & your fiancé, the bridal party & your guests
- Grand exit
With this information, they will develop an extremely detailed timeline & “Day-Of Guide”. Then, within the 2 weeks leading to your wedding, they will coordinate the details, timeline, set up & breakdown with each & every one of your vendors.
At the Rehearsal, they will meet your bridal party & family, practice the processional & recessional, & check in all items you want to drop off in advance for their team to set up on the day-of.
ON THE DAY OF
They will…
- Coordinate the set up & breakdown with your vendors, & answer any questions they may have on the day-of
- Set up all décor & misc. items dropped off at rehearsal (things like your welcome sign, guest book, seating chart, place cards, table numbers, signage, favors, etc.)
- Line bridal party & family for processional
- Cue music & bridal party for processional
- Stay on timeline
- Line bridal party for entrances
- Work with the venue manager to coordinate food & beverage timeline with other important moments, like your bouquet toss!
- Cater to bride & groom on any needs like food, beverage, shoes, etc.
- Line guests for formal exit
- Break down all décor & misc. items & load into an assigned vehicle
DID YOU KNOW
A day-of-coordinator is so valuable that The Lesner Inn requires you to hire a licensed day-of-coordinator for guest counts of ~100 or more. If you’re interested in learning more about our day-of-coordination services, email our Event & Sales Manager today! Trust us, you won’t regret having someone to assist you on the big day!