Ever wonder what exactly goes into being a wedding coordinator (apart from being the problem-solver and the main point of contact on the wedding day)? Yes? Then you’re in the right place! As a coach for wedding coordinators, I’m here to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what I believe wedding coordinators do and should focus on for a flawless event. Whether you’re considering a career as a wedding coordinator or just want to understand the role better, I’m going to walk you through everything a wedding coordinator does before, during, and after a wedding day!
Want to dive even deeper into this? I wrote an entire playbook on everything you need to do to run a profitable (and efficient!) month of coordination service as a wedding planner. Grab your copy here!
Wedding Coordinator vs. Wedding Planner: What’s the Difference?
In case you’re thinking about getting into the wedding industry, I want to start by taking a minute to understand the difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator. I see these terms used interchangeably all the time, but they really refer to two distinct roles. As a wedding planner, you’re involved from day one, helping your clients with everything from finding the perfect venue to selecting vendors, managing the budget, and even designing the overall look and feel of the event. It’s your job to guide your clients through the process and make sure every detail aligns with their vision (before you show up on the wedding day to execute everything).
On the other hand, a wedding coordinator typically steps in closer to the event date. Their focus is more on execution rather than planning. As a coordinator, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that all the pieces come together on the day of the wedding. You’ll be the point of contact for vendors, manage the timeline, and handle any last-minute issues that pop up.
Both roles are valuable, but they require different skills and levels of involvement, so it’s worth considering which path aligns best with your strengths and interests if you want to grow a profitable wedding business with purpose.
Now that we know the difference, let’s break down exactly what a wedding coordinator does!
Pre-wedding Prep
While I just said that a wedding coordinator jumps in before the wedding day, I don’t mean that they just show up on the wedding day and bluff their way through it. Long before couples walk down the aisle, a wedding coordinator is hard at work.
Here are just a few things that you might include in a wedding coordination package:
- An initial consultation to learn more about what the couple wants out of their wedding day (and what they’ve done so far)
- Conducting a venue walk-through to understand the logistics and make sure you feel confident that everything is set up and planned according to the couple’s vision.
- Communicating with vendors to confirm arrangements, arrival times, and setup details, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
- Taking the details that the couple has planned and creating a thorough timeline to share with all of the vendors
- Overseeing the rehearsal to make sure the wedding party knows where to be and what to do on the big day.
While ultimately, what a wedding coordinator includes in their packages is unique to them, there’s no shortage of “things to do” before the wedding day. Most professional wedding coordinators step in 4-8 weeks before the wedding day.
What Does a Wedding Coordinator Do On The Wedding Day?
It goes without saying that while the pre-wedding prep is nice, the wedding day is where wedding coordinators really shine. They’re often the first to arrive and the last to leave on a wedding day (so if you want to be a wedding coordinator, be prepared to walk 30,000 steps in a day and work long hours!).
Here’s what you may be juggling (depending on the wedding):
- Managing the wedding day timeline, keeping events on schedule, and making adjustments as needed to accommodate any unforeseen changes.
- Coordinating vendor setup and breakdown, making sure everything is in place before guests arrive and properly taken down afterward.
- Serving as the main point of contact on the wedding day, handling any issues that arise so the couple can focus on enjoying their day.
- Being a personal attendant for the couple (grabbing drinks, bustling dresses, etc!)
- Assisting with guest management, such as guiding guests to their seats, handling special requests, and addressing any concerns that come up.
- Make sure that the couple’s personal items (like gifts, guestbooks, and décor) are safely packed up and returned to them after the event.
Post-wedding Work
After the wedding, your role as a coordinator isn’t quite finished. First, make sure to coordinate the breakdown and cleanup with the vendors, ensuring that everything is properly packed up and the venue is left in good condition. It’s also a good idea to follow up with the couple a day or two after the wedding to check in on how they’re feeling and see if there’s any feedback they’d like to share. This not only shows that you care about their experience but also opens the door for any future referrals or reviews.
Additionally, you should confirm that all final payments to vendors have been processed and address any outstanding invoices or gratuities. By taking these steps, you’ll leave a lasting positive impression, reinforcing your professionalism and attention to detail.
If you want more details, make sure to grab my offboarding playbook here!
When thinking about “What does a wedding coordinator do?”, we also have to remember that it takes work to run the business!
When answering the question, “What does a wedding coordinator do?” I need to put my business coach hat on and remind you that the actual coordination is only part of the job. Running a successful wedding coordination business involves much more behind the scenes.
You’ll need to manage your own marketing, client inquiries, contracts, and finances. You’ll also need to build relationships with vendors and stay on top of industry trends. There’s also the administrative side—tracking expenses, scheduling meetings, and keeping detailed records of each event. So, while the wedding day might be the highlight, maintaining a thriving wedding business takes consistent effort, organization, and strategic planning year-round.
Do You Have What It Takes to Become a Wedding Coordinator?
While I do believe that you should hone YOUR unique skills in any business venture, here are a few traits that I think most exceptional wedding coordinators have:
- Exceptional organization
- Strong communication skills
- Problem-solving abilities
- Calm under pressure
- Attention to detail
- Creativity
- Empathy and patience
Becoming a Wedding Coordinator
So, now that you’ve got a pretty good idea of what a wedding coordinator does before, during, and after the big day, my hope is that you feel excited and inspired (even if there is a part of you that’s a little overwhelmed!).
If you’re serious about diving into this role and want to make sure you’re setting yourself up for success, I would love to invite you to join The Planners Playbook. It’s a membership designed specifically for wedding planners and coordinators who want to level up their skills, streamline their businesses, and deliver top-notch experiences for their clients. Inside, you’ll receive monthly playbooks (that dive deep into one aspect of your business each month), monthly office hours with me, and the community support you need to build a thriving, profitable wedding coordination business.
Ready to take the next step? Sign up for the waitlist now! Download my FREE business plan template to help you get started.
Have More Questions? Here Are Some FAQs When it Comes to Wedding Coordination or Becoming a Wedding Coordinator.
How is a wedding coordinator different from a wedding planner?
A wedding planner is involved from the very beginning of the wedding planning process, helping with everything from venue selection to vendor contracts and overall design. A wedding coordinator, on the other hand, typically steps in closer to the event date to make sure all the plans are executed smoothly. They focus on managing the timeline, coordinating with vendors, and handling any issues that arise on the wedding day.
When does a wedding coordinator typically start working with the couple?
Most wedding coordinators begin working with couples 4-8 weeks before the wedding. This allows them enough time to review all the details, communicate with vendors, and create a thorough timeline for the day.
What’s included in a wedding coordinator’s duties on the wedding day?
On the wedding day, a coordinator manages the timeline, oversees vendor setup and breakdown, handles any unexpected issues, assists the couple with personal tasks, and makes sure that everything runs smoothly. They’re often one of the first to arrive and the last to leave.
What skills are important for a wedding coordinator to have?
Exceptional organization, strong communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and the ability to stay calm under pressure are all key traits for a wedding coordinator. Attention to detail, creativity, empathy, and patience also play a big role in ensuring a successful event.
How can I become a successful wedding coordinator?
If you’re serious about pursuing this career, joining a community like The Planners Playbook can be a great next step. It’s designed to help you hone your skills, streamline your business, and provide top-notch service to your clients. You’ll gain access to monthly playbooks, office hours, and a supportive community of peers. Sign up for the waitlist today!
Explore More Wedding Industry Resources
- How to Start a Wedding Planning Business
- How To Build Your Portfolio As A Wedding Planner When You’re Just Starting Out
- Creating Wedding Planner Packages for Your Business: How To Find the Best Way To Position Your Offer
- How To Get A Wedding Planner Job In 2024
- What to Include in Your Wedding Day Binder (The Ultimate Guide!)
- 6 Things You Need to Include In Your Wedding Planner Pricing Guide
- Here’s What Every Wedding Planner Needs To Include In Their Wedding Design Proposals
- Wedding Planner Pricing: How Much Should You Charge As A Wedding Planner? Learn How To Figure Out Your Price
- How To Prepare For Your First Wedding As A Wedding Planner
- Pricing Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make In Your Business As A Wedding Pro
- 6 Ways Wedding Planners Leave Money on the Table
- 5 Ways to Make More Money As A Wedding Planner
- How Much Does It Cost to Become a Wedding Planner?
- Wedding Planners – Should You List Your Wedding Planner Pricing Packages On Your Website?
- Day of Coordination: The Pros and Cons as a Wedding Planner
- How To Sell Your Wedding Planning Services: The 7 Stages Of The Sales Cycle
- 5 Contracts Every Wedding Planner Must Have To Be Legally Set
- How To Get Wedding Clients When You’re Just Starting Out
- 9 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Wedding Planning Business
- How To Become A Wedding Planner With No Experience
- The Ultimate Wedding Planner Templates in 2024
For More Wedding Planner Business Secrets Follow Me On Instagram
I’ve come to realize that many of us want to have a village, but we don’t recognize that we have to be a villager first.
My friend carla @c10ike is one of those rare exceptions and I want to introduce you to her!
When I started my planning business, I had no contacts and no real idea what I was doing. I was so green it makes me laugh to look back on it now!
And somehow, I got lucky enough to be taken under the wing of this incredible woman who showed up for me then when I was a little baby business owner, and has kept showing up ever since in more ways than I could possibly count.
She’s taught me so much over the years, and I don’t mean in the traditional sense of teaching someone something. She simply lived her life, and I paid attention.
She modeled what it means to be a friend.
A sister.
A daughter.
A wife.
A mother.
A business owner.
A boss.
I learned generosity by watching her be generous.
Compassion, connection, leadership… none of it came from advice. All of it came from the way she carries herself and the way she treats the people around her.
She has taught me more than she will ever know by the sheer act of living loudly and joyfully in every corner of her life.
I am so lucky to call her my friend. So lucky to be one of the many, many people she has been a villager for.
Carla thank you for letting me grow up right beside you. I love you. 🤍
DAY ONE // WPI Spring Retreat 💜
This was our first real day together! The theme of this whole retreat was refinement, so we wasted no time getting into it on Day 1!
The women shuttled up to my home, walked through the gate to mimosas and the biggest hugs, and got their welcome totes filled with goodies I curated from female owned businesses that were mostly local!
Then we settled in, did some tapping to manifest all the answers we needed for the week, courtesy of our very own @ashley.peraino (who couldn’t join us this year, but was SO THOUGHTFUL to record a video for us!)
I opened with a talk on complexity, discernment, and self-trust (today’s podcast episode, BTW) simplifying your business and actually trusting yourself to lead what’s left.
From there the room took over. We had three incredible member gives: @c10ike on trusting your creative instincts, @ininkweddings on refining your creative POV, and @welldressedevents on generating real revenue through Google Ads (it’s giving… LEADS 😉).
In between we had small group discussions, hot conversations about where instinct and POV are out of sync, a homemade Caribbean lunch, and an afternoon of poolside snacks and conversation.
This is what the WPI room looks like. A talented group of women who came with one big business question and spent day one getting closer to the answer while having fun and getting their brains stretched!
All these gorgeous moments captured by our retreat photographer + my business bestie @c10ike 💜💜💜
Do it or delete it.
I said this recently to a coaching client, and now it’s sort of become our mantra inside WPI, because almost every business owner I know has a to-do list with 47 things on it (the same 47 things that were on last week’s list, and the week before that).
They don’t get done. They just travel from week to week collecting guilt, and that guilt somehow makes it even harder to get anything done at all.
After years of coaching women through this, you start to realize that most of those tasks don’t actually have dire consequences if they never happen. They just feel important because they’ve been living on your list rent-free for six months.
I want you to look at your to-do list right now and choose.
You do it… meaning you do it right now or at the very least put it on the calendar with a real deadline.
You delegate it… but only if it’s actually worth someone else’s time, not because you’ve been avoiding it and want to make it someone else’s problem.
Or you delete it… and I mean actually delete it, not shuffle it to a “someday” list where it will haunt you until 2027.
The guilt you feel about your undone tasks won’t go away if you magically “get more productive.” Instead I want you to see it for what it is: a list-curation problem.
What’s one thing you’re deleting today?
PS: I can confidently say these @aritzia sweatpants are 10/10
Syd from @ininkweddings spent $$$$ on a rebrand... and a year later, her gut told her to do it again.
She listened, and that’s how Messy Luxury™ was born.
The Behind the Brand series is BACK on the podcast, and this episode is one of my favorites yet. I’m excited to introduce you to Sydney Meyer (AKA ya girl, SYD) – a talented, vibrant, and dynamic wedding designer / planner based in Austin but serving clients worldwide.
I’ve been coaching Syd inside WPI since 2022, so I’ve had a front row seat to her evolution.
I’ve gotten to watch her build an iconic brand from the inside out, and it’s been one of the great joys of my coaching career. I’m so excited for you to hear her journey and some of the interesting twists and turns she’s encountered because boy, are they RELATABLE.
In this episode, we get into:
- What inspired her to start In Ink
- Why her first rebrand still didn’t feel right and how she knew
- The rock-bottom moment that forced her to build a business for HER, not everyone else
- How she trademarked Messy Luxury and turned it into the most recognizable design philosophy in Austin
If your business doesn’t feel like you anymore or if you’ve been searching for your unique creative POV, you’re going to LOVE this week’s episode!
Drop MESSY LUXURY in the comments and I’ll send you a link to listen!
A special shout out to all the photographers whose images reflect Syd and her great work: @alicialeighphoto @anastasiastratephotography @fallonstovallphoto @lightasgold @natalienicolephoto @haleyfolkman.photo @c10ike
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