Wedding Vendors, Decoded
When it comes to the wedding industry there are many amazing vendors out there that can help you bring your day together. But learning all of the different terminology and what services each of these vendors provide can be a little confusing. But don't fear! We've created your guide to wedding vendor terminology so you can go ahead and decide who might be most suitable to help you with your wedding plans.
Venue Manager
A Venue Manager is effectively in charge of running your wedding venue, and they will be your main point of contact at the venue in the lead up to your wedding day. In addition to assisting you with your venue questions they can also be a great source of knowledge when it comes to providing general advice and recommendations. They'll be the one ensuring things are going to plan from a venue perspective, and will be doing lots in the background to ensure everything runs smoothly for your big day.
Your Baylys' Farm booking comes with a Venue Manager.
Venue Event Manager
A Venue Event Manager is employed by the venue and is onsite throughout your whole wedding. They are there to make sure the venue is taken care of and that things run well at the venues end. At Baylys' Farm your Venue Event Manager will be doing jobs such as setting up and packing down venue furniture (e.g. ceremony bench seats), cleaning bathrooms, and liaising with your vendors and MC if they have any venue related questions.
They are not responsible for running the logistics of a wedding however. While the Venue Event Manager can provide you with a sample timeline they do not manage those timings, manage your vendors, make sure your toasts are happening, that your first dance song is played at the right time etc etc.
They may assist with vendors loading in but they probably cannot answer any questions the vendors have about the actual plan of the day - this is where a Wedding Coordinator or Planner would come in.
Your Baylys' Farm booking comes with a Venue Event Manager.
Wedding Coordinator
A Wedding Coordinator is hired separately by the couple, and is booked to be there on the day to manage all of your vendors and ensure everything is delivered as planned. They assist with running the show, negotiating moving parts and coordinating your timeline.
Every Wedding Coordinator operates differently, but most will step in on the days leading up to your wedding as well to help manage vendors and guests, and ensuring things such as your run sheet are going to the appropriate places. They will often also help with the venue set-up both the day before and on the day of your wedding, and attend your ceremony rehearsal.
Generally a Wedding Coordinator's job is complete once the formalities are over and the dancing begins. If you choose not to book a Wedding Coordinator you would just need to delegate these jobs over to a trusted family member or friend, so you can relax and enjoy the day.
Wedding Stylist
The easiest way to think of wedding styling is as interior design for events. A Wedding Stylist is there to help you take your design ideas and turn them into a reality through flowers, decor, furniture, stationery and other decorative elements. An experienced stylist can help you create your dream wedding set-up while keeping your budget in mind, and offers ideas and suggestions if you don’t know where to start or how to tie all of your favourite elements together.
Once you've approved the plans the Wedding Stylist will then be in charge of booking those items on your behalf (sometimes they have their own decor you can choose from), and then setting everything up at your venue. A lot of Wedding Stylists also offer floristry services, which can help you to bundle all of the decorative requirements into one vendor.
In most cases the Wedding Stylist will come back to the venue to complete the pack down for you, which can be a huge bonus after a big night!
Wedding Planner
A Wedding Planners job is to help you design and orchestrate your wedding from the beginning. In New Zealand every Wedding Planner operates differently and has various packages to choose from, each with a different level of assistance - allowing you to pick one that best suits you needs. Hiring a Wedding Planner is perfect if you are time poor, based overseas, or just generally don't know where to start when it comes to wedding planning!
A Wedding Planner will be very involved in the lead up to your wedding day by orchestrating your plans and acting as a middle man between you and your vendors. You'll also find that your Wedding Planner will coordinate your venue set-up by managing the other vendors, and will step in to be your 'Wedding Coordinator' on the day. They keep your needs, vision, and budget at the forefront of every plan made and will become your favourite wedding sidekick!
MC
A Wedding MC, or "emcee", is the master of ceremonies. This person is responsible for keeping your event moving along based on your timeline, as well as presenting speakers and speaking to your guests throughout the reception. Generally most couples will delegate this job to a family or friend, but you can also hire professional MC's for this purpose.
An MC plays a big role in setting the mood for the reception, and they are often the first person that guests get to hear from once they’ve sat down at their tables so it's good to go with someone who isn't afraid to get on a microphone! This may sound like a big task, but for the right person it’s a fun and enjoyable activity. Plus, if you’re working with a Wedding Planner or Coordinator, your MC will have support from them during the big day.
We hope you've found these descriptions helpful! While this is a brief overview it is always best to ask any vendors that you are thinking about booking what their job description is, just to avoid any confusion that might arise. We've worked with many wonderful vendors that fall into the categories above, so please don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like some recommendations.
Happy Planning x
Photo Credit: Haley Adele Photography