Do you know who you are hiring? Wedding vendors-part one.

Part one of a series: Wedding Vendors- What do you know about the people you are hiring to serve you at your wedding?


In the wedding industry, there are many names for many jobs. This series of blogs will cover key elements of vendors and what to look for when hiring. Hopefully, the information that I give to you will be of assistance and allow you to hire with confidence. Many people do not realize how many different vendors are used in a typical wedding day.

Wedding planner/wedding coordinator/wedding consultant/wedding designer- many in the industry use these names interchangeably. While there are subtle differences, there are differences. Many of these differences are based on the services provided.

Wedding consultants or planners may provide more information than physical services. They serve to assist with the direction of the necessities of the wedding.

• Wedding coordinators tend to take a more hands on approach to not only the wedding planning but also execution of the day by working closely with all of the vendors.


• Wedding designers are usually more interested in the look and feel of the wedding including the color scheme and design.


• Day-of coordinators are hired to manage the wedding for the day of the event. Many times they actually work for one to two weeks prior to the wedding to assure that they understand the contracted rolls of all of the other vendors.
  

An on-site coordinator (sometimes lovingly referred to as "the church lady") is hired by the venue to protect the interests of the venue. Her primary job is to keep the walls in one piece, show the venue to prospective clients, assure that the services contracted for are provided. They are lovely people in most cases that love weddings, but they are not individually contracted with the couple to provide services. The contract is with the venue. If circumstances change with the venue and the on-site coordinator leaves, any promises that you may make with her that are not in writing, may not be provided.

While these names may be used interchangeably by many people, asking someone that uses a specific name (such as wedding designer) may take offense if they are called a planner. Some vendors (such as a caterer or bridal salon associate) will use these names as add on titles for their rolls. While they may provide additional assistance with their individual portion of the wedding, rarely does this add on title replace the individual that is assigned to handle the details the day of the wedding.

There are many certification programs that are available to enterprising people wanting to break into the wedding industry. I highly recommend doing homework before jumping into this profession. For organized, creative people, it can be an outlet for the pent up energy and ideas to come to life bringing other people's dreams to reality.

In the next installment: Photographers and Videographers