Oh boy is that a loaded question!

I loved my job as a Catering Manager for both the Washington Athletic Club and The Rainier Club. I learned so much about upscale service, setup needs, communication and have become a bit of a food and beverage snob thanks to the amazing culinary teams I had the privilege of working alongside. What I didn’t realize going into Catering is how much I would fall in love with weddings. I found myself being more involved in them than my job was supposed to be and in hindsight I should have made the switch to being a wedding planner sooner. And despite the random situations I have been in from raking up petals when it's pitch black outside with what could only be described as a giant comb, to standing behind a dessert table cutting and serving cake, to literally stomping out a fire, I wouldn’t trade being a wedding planner for anything.

When touring with couples, the one question I almost always got was “Do you recommend us getting a wedding planner and what is it that they will do that you don’t?”. My response to this was always “Yes! While I will be here on the wedding day, and could set out personal items and run your ceremony (if on-site), my ultimate responsibility is to the venue. There is the potential that I will have to step away to make sure my team is setting up correctly or deal with an issue. If you are looking for a guaranteed person to handle these items and more, hire a wedding planner. We work as a collaboration to make sure your day runs smoothly and if there are any questions, I go to them instead of you.”

And that’s the truth; the ultimate job of a wedding planner is to make sure your day goes smoothly from every aspect so you don’t have to. A Catering Manager or Site Rep may do some of the things a wedding planner does, but not always and only for their venue. A big thing to remember is that you hired the venue, not your contact, so there is always the potential that the person you have been working with may not be there on the day itself.

So let’s dive into this… what does a venue contact do? For the purposes of this post, the venue types are divided into two different categories and given a general description of what the person's role is.

Venue Only

Definition of Venue

- Either works with an exclusive caterer, a preferred catering list or you can bring in any company you would like

- May provide the beverages and service for you, or have you provide them and requires a licensed bartender

- Ranges from having no equipment available for you to having tables, chairs and lounge furniture on-site

General Role of Venue's on-site contact (Venue/Facilities Coordination/Site Rep)

While the title of the position may differ, the job role is fairly similar. You will be able to meet with someone a few times prior to the big day, and a on-site rep will be available to open/close the facility, answer questions related to the facility and make sure vendors are following the contracted guidelines. Depending on the venue, they may or may not set up the tables and chairs for you. What you typically won't see this person do is setting out items you bring in (escort cards, photos, favors, etc.), running your ceremony, lining people up for grand entrance, coordinating the sparkler exit, packing up all your stuff at the end of the night, etc. so you will need to assign someone to do these tasks.

Venues with Catering on-site

Definition of Venue

- Types of venues normally include hotels, private clubs, venues owned/run by a catering company and some wineries

- Catering and beverages are handled by the venue.

- Has larger inventory of equipment on hand (tables, chairs, linens, glassware, silverware, plates, etc.)

General Role of Venue's on-site contact (Catering Manager/Event Coordinator)

This is the one that I think can be a little confusing for couples as the catering manager is involved with a rather large portion of your wedding. They are going to help you with what you need at their venue related to setup, food, beverages, vendor communication specific to the venue (walkthroughs, load in/out, signing waivers and getting copies of insurance policies, when rentals will be dropped off/picked up, etc.). This includes walkthroughs to discuss how you want things to be setup, doing menu tastings, creating the banquet event order (BEO) and room diagrams, setting up room blocks if the venue has overnight rooms, being on-site to make sure everything on the BEO is set up how you want it to be, food and beverage service is running smoothly, act as guides for guests if you are using more than one room. They can provide guidance to you on the timeline for the portion of the day your guests are at the venue, which will help you outline the rest of your day. What will differ from venue to venue is the level of assistance you will get from them on the day of the wedding. Are they there merely to make sure the venue is sticking to it’s side of the agreement, or will they jump in and help out if need be?

It is very important to discuss with your specific venue what their role is leading up to and on your wedding day prior to signing on the dotted lin. Here are a few questions to ask when touring different venues:

Who will be my contact during planning and will that be the same person that is here the day of the wedding?
Could you provide us a description of what it is that person does during planning and on the day of the wedding, as well as how long the person will be on-site?
Will that person be responsible for any other events that day?
If that person is sick, has a family emergency or is no longer with the venue, who will be responsible for for fulfilling the arrangements we have made and does that person have experience with weddings?
Are you willing to give out your cell phone number in case contact outside of normal business hours is needed?

And while you are narrowing down the venues, ask yourselves this question...

Do we want ourselves, family and/or friends to be tasked with responsibilities on the wedding day such as being the point of contact for all vendors, running the ceremony, setting out personal items, making sure everything is on track with the timeline, dealing with last minute issues, gathering gifts/personal items at the end of the night, making sure the venue is cleaned up according to the contract, etc.?

If the answer is no, it’s time to start looking for a wedding planner.

Think of your wedding like an orchestra performance. Each musician has a role to play to make sur the performance is flawless. The conductor's role is to bring out the best in each musician and pull everything together.

Just as conductor would want the trumpet player to focus their instrument and not also playing the violin, let your vendors focus on their roles, your wedding planner be the one to oversee everything and you get to relax knowing that it is all being taken care of by professionals.

If you've come to realize you're in need of a wedding planner and not just a venue coordinator, contact New Creations Weddings today to setup your complimentary consultation.

Happy Planning!

~Mandy

My Venue Has Someone Who Will Be There, So Why Do I Need to Hire A Wedding Planner?