Wedding Planner vs. Wedding Coordinator: What’s the Difference?

Wedding planning is a process of planning the wedding ceremony, reception and other activities leading toward the wedding day, sometimes with the assistance of a professional wedding planner.

What’s the difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator? We get it, it can be confusing to identify the differences between a planner and a coordinator for your wedding. As you move forward with planning your big day, being able to tell the difference between both can help you determine which one fits your needs and your budget. Our guide below will help you distinguish the difference between both and help you decide if you should hire a wedding planner or a wedding coordinator.

Wedding Planner

What does a wedding planner do?

A wedding planner’s job is to help you plan each aspect of your wedding according to your theme and vision. Depending on the coverage or level of service you choose, they can completely take over for you if you end up being too busy. They can also take care of certain aspects you delegate to them. Your wedding planner can also help you create a complete and detailed Hawaii wedding timeline, and also help you stick to it. A wedding planner can also be one of your most valuable sources of knowledge when it comes to reliable vendors as well as provide insight on every aspect of wedding planning. In short, your wedding planner is there to be your best friend during wedding planning and hold your hand throughout the process.

What services does a wedding planner provide?

You can expect your wedding planner to help you with the nitty gritty: they can help you project wedding costs, provide vendor referrals and even contact and book wedding vendors on your behalf, manage your wedding expenses effectively, create complete Hawaii wedding timelines and floor plans, coordinate hotel rooms and transportation, provide style ideas and coordinate details, and manage vendors, organize the wedding party, and execute all the plans and details during the wedding day. They have a pretty significant role on brainstorming and executing your wedding plans, and will be there to take the reins when you are unable to. Consider your wedding planner as a major stakeholder in the success of your wedding.

Should you hire a wedding planner?

Wedding planning is stressful, no doubt about it, and hiring a wedding planner can help reduce wedding related stress. If you are planning a destination wedding in Hawaii, having a wedding planner on the island can be a huge help, as they have knowledge of the local wedding scene and can recommend Hawaii wedding vendors they have worked with. A wedding planner is also great when you have no idea how to go about planning your wedding or are planning it on a very short time frame.

Overall having a wedding planner can allow you to breathe easy during the planning process and can help you focus on other items on your wedding to-do list. It’s also a way to be sure you can fully enjoy and be present on your wedding day, knowing that an expert was with you from the beginning of the wedding planning journey. However, because of the large scope of duties and services that a wedding planner provides, you can expect a wedding planner to be much more expensive than a day-of coordinator. Depending on the planner you choose, they can charge either a flat rate fee or base their pricing on a percentage of your wedding spend.

Wedding Coordinator

What does a wedding coordinator do?

A wedding coordinator is somewhat similar to a wedding planner, only that Hawaii wedding coordinators provide their services at a shorter timeline. While they are not the person you call right after you get engaged to help you pick the ideal caterer, florist, or venue, they are the person you can trust to execute the hard work you have invested in planning your wedding during the days leading up to your wedding. Their main duty is to make sure that everything goes smoothly during your wedding day and that the timeline, floor plan, and other details you provide are executed.

What services does a wedding coordinator provide?

You can expect your wedding coordinator to begin to work with you eight weeks before your wedding to confirm vendor details and get an idea of what you’ve planned so far. They can also assist you with creating your wedding timeline and floor plans however a lot of the work in creating these will still fall on you. You can also ask them for insight and to bring your attention to any minor details you’ve forgotten, so you can iron out those details as soon as possible. You can also trust your wedding coordinator to execute and oversee everything on your wedding day. A bulk of what your wedding coordinator will do is work with your vendors such as your Hawaii wedding photographer to make sure that everything agreed upon is executed and provided.

Should you hire a wedding planner?

If you want to play an active role in planning your wedding, a wedding coordinator may be the best option for you. This allows you to be fully hands-on in planning your wedding, and allow you to turn over all the details to your Hawaii wedding coordinator 6-8 weeks before the wedding. A wedding coordinator can be an alternative for couples who would like to reduce costs and are confident in being able to do most of the heavy lifting where wedding planning is concerned.

Things to consider when choosing between a wedding planner and wedding coordinator:

1. Book early

   Whether you plan to hire a wedding coordinator or a full-service wedding planner, it’s a good idea to book them early on in the planning process. It’s easy to think that a coordinator can be booked much later on since they are going to come in much later in the process, but having your Hawaii wedding planner or coordinator secured early can help you plan effectively and also allow you to know what to expect from them early on and plan your own wedding tasks.

2. Consider your expenses and priorities

   A wedding planner is definitely going to cost you more than a wedding coordinator, so while choosing between these two, finding out what your budget and priorities are can help you make the best decision for yourselves. A wedding coordinator can cost you from $1500-$6000 depending on the package, while a full-service wedding planner can go from $5000-$15,000. Pricing ultimately depends on the planner or coordinator. Some planners charge a flat rate while others charge using a percentage system based on your total wedding spend, or even a hybrid of both pricing schemes.

3. Choose carefully

   With any wedding vendor, research is key. Look for reviews and testimonials. Your Hawaii wedding planner or coordinator will be in charge of almost every aspect of your wedding day, so it is important to find someone you can work well with and trust. Being able to build rapport with your planner is key. The more they know you as a couple, the more they can recommend ideas that suit the kind of wedding you want.

4. Make sure someone is in charge on the day-of

   What if a professional wedding planner isn’t in your budget? It’s important to make sure that on the day of your wedding, there is someone in charge of making sure everything that you planned is going well. And that someone should not be you. Wedding venue managers also provide some coordination assistance on the day of, but unless they offer wedding coordination as an add-on service, the coordination services they provide may be limited. If hiring a planner or coordinator isn’t in your budget, your best option is to ask a trusted friend to handle a few important details. However with this option, you must understand that this person doesn’t do this professionally so things will most likely be completely perfect throughout the day.

Are you planning your wedding in Hawaii? See how HNL Studios can help you make sure you have an unforgettable and heartfelt wedding experience.