After getting engaged, one of the first things Wilmington couples often think about is which role the important people in their lives will play on their big day. When it comes to friends and family, it can be exciting choosing your Maid of Honor, flower girls, and the Best Man. However, that’s not where the important decisions end when choosing who and how you want to be supported during your wedding.

Selecting your wedding vendors is as important as it is fun: and it is fun! From cake tasting to selecting your menu and trying on dresses, you’re going to put a lot of work into designing the wedding of your dreams. However, it’s important to know the difference that vendors can play in bringing all those carefully chosen elements to life during this planning process.

The Role of the Venue Manager

Often your wedding space will have a venue manager. This is the person you likely booked your initial consultation with, who gave you a tour of the space and helped you finalize your site contract. They are usually extremely personable, knowledgeable, and a great asset to the venue; however, it’s important to understand the distinction between a venue manager and a wedding planner.

Put simply, a venue manager is in charge of the venue. On your wedding day, they are there to ensure that the contract you signed is upheld, on your end as well as theirs. They usually know the ins and outs of the space and are on hand to tackle any site-related issues like lights, water, plumbing, air conditions, Wi-Fi, electricity, and essentially anything to do with the physical space itself, including opening and closing the venue for you.

A venue manager is usually in touch with you about a month before the wedding to confirm logistics after everything is set. While they might be able to give you some advice about weddings based on their experiences, they’re not working for you; their responsibility is to the venue. And, if they leave the venue for another job, you will be reassigned to a new venue manager.

The Role of a Wedding Planner

A wedding planner is there at your wedding with the sole purpose of being in charge of your entire wedding experience. The wedding planner works directly for you, not for the venue you are hosting your wedding.

A wedding planner knows all the stakeholders, and how to best utilize your wedding party. They know who every vendor is, what time they should arrive, and they work hard to keep your wedding timeline moving, from getting you down the aisle to coordinating the room flip for dinner service.

Think of your wedding planner as a conductor of sorts. While every instrument in an orchestra is wonderful, it’s the conductor who helps them all harmonize together at just the right time to ensure that together they sound amazing. A professional wedding planner is a leader who weaves together all the facets of your wedding day vision into a show-stopping experience with passion.

A wedding planner will work seamlessly with all your vendors, for instance, checking with the venue manager to ensure the arrival time is set and that the wedding photographer can use the space for portraits if that’s what you’ve requested. They understand the timeline of your venue contract to ensure that the caterer and DJ have packed up and moved out before the end of your rental time, so you don’t incur any additional charges. This is truly what a professional wedding planner does best: they have your back.

Finally, a wedding planner is there to help you relax. They are on-hand helping the day go smoothly, fixing problems big and small so that the two of you, as well as your family and guests, can enjoy the day you’ve planned because your wedding planner is there to focus solely on you.

Wedding Planning at the River Room

At the River Room, we provide a Venue Manager for you, but we feel that the role of the wedding planner/coordinator is very important to the success of your day, so we do require that you have a professional wedding planner for your wedding day. Our favorites are listed below!

Having both is the key to a stress-free and successful wedding that both you and your guests enjoy! Want to know more about wedding planning services and how we can help you have an amazing day in the most unique wedding venue in Wilmington? Get in touch and tell us all about your wedding day dreams.