Venue Coordinators and Wedding Planners Are Not One In the Same
Official ‘engagement season’ may still be a few months away (kicking off right after Thanksgiving), but we’ve been seeing proposals sparkling up our social feeds ALL over the place - so, for all intents and purposes, it’s engagement season already. If you’ve just gotten engaged and wondered about hiring a wedding planner, we’ll tell you 1000 times over: it won’t be a bad decision. In fact, it will probably be one of the best decisions you make for your big day. We recently caught up with The Perfect Touch Event Planning team, and they keyed us in on a few major things to think about when you’re contemplating a planner. You might be sold on the planner your venue promises, but remember that personalization might not be their first priority.
Why you can’t always default to your ‘built-in’ big day help
And yes, if you’ve already booked a venue or [have at least] started looking at ceremony+reception sites, you’re probably very familiar with the venue coordinator or dedicated wedding planner aligned with your space.
According to Nicole and Lindsey at The Perfect Touch:
“Nowadays, many wedding venues have a “wedding planner” on staff, typically the couple’s main point of contact with the venue. While these planners are valuable (and we truly mean that, site coordinators make our jobs easier, for sure), don't expect them to take care of all your wedding needs. Their job is to ultimately represent the interests of the venue, not the couple.”
It sounds a little harsh reading that out loud the first time, but hear us out. An on-staff planner has a responsibility to their supervisors and the appropriate venue proprietors. A wedding planner, conversely, reports to YOU, the couple - for the final say on things. Your style, your tastes, your quirks, every nuance of your nuptials comprises a scorecard that your wedding planner ultimately vets against. And you want your planner to be unbiased and ready to roll with all the things that set your hearts on fire.
Wedding planners are gifted with budget brains
That’s not to say that on-site planners aren’t smart cookies, without a doubt, they absolutely are; they just don’t have as much flexibility and budget-mindedness as wedding planners do.
“I’ve never been scuba-diving in my entire life. But, imagine I wanted to take up scuba diving and I went to a scuba-gear store and was promptly asked what my budget was for buying scuba gear. I would have NO idea where to even start, since I don’t know what gear I would need and what that gear might cost.” ~ Nicole
If you’ve never planned a wedding before, how would you even have a remote idea of how much things cost? Your on-site planner will be able to provide rough estimates for vendors and wedding professionals in the same expense bracket as your venue (should you be booked already), but you might have more or less to spend on a photographer, entertainment, florals, stationery, etc. Wedding planners do this day in and day out, they’ve worked with an INCREDIBLE amount of talent in the industry, and they’re beyond passionate about it (they also have the most ridiculous sense for personality matching and knowing exactly what your needs are and how they should be met), so they can bang out your unique budget and make recommendations that fit with the funds you have.
The Perfect Touch has even more versatile styling edge
If you’ve already picked your place and your day, we’d venture a guess and say that you LOVED the aesthetic and the natural charm of its canvas? But maybe you want to create little moments that might not necessarily match the rest of the backdrop or props that your venue has or your coordinator has at their disposal?
With a wedding planner, especially one like Colorado’s The Perfect Touch and their own full-service rental credits, you can bring in styling elements that really make a difference and set your wedding apart from any other events that have taken place at your space.
“I think one thing that sets us apart from other wedding planners and event design is that we don't exactly have a specific "style." We love taking a style and putting our unique touch on it. Whether you’re a classic and traditional couple or a modern, indie couple, you will always find us throwing our own twist on your bespoke cues.” ~ Nicole
The Perfect Touch will custom tailor an event design package and proposal for you based on your theme and budget, as a courtesy (yep, for free). They offer everything from tents, tables, chairs, centerpieces, ceremony and reception decor, arches, glassware/plates/silverware, linens, llamas (mmhmm), drape and lighting, lounge furniture sets, sound equipment, mobile bars and bartending services, keg covers, wood stumps, vintage decor, and so much more.
Winter wonderland season promo
If your wedding happens to fall during the winter: November-March 15th, you can receive up to 35% off ALL packages through 2023. Reach out to The Perfect Touch Event Planning team to learn more!!