The Difference Between Full Service and Event Coordination

When it comes to hiring a wedding planner, two of the most common services you’ll see are Full-Service Planning and Event Coordination. While they might sound similar, the level of involvement and the kind of support you’ll receive are quite different.

Full-Service Planning means your planner is with you from start to finish. From venue scouting and vendor selection to design, budgeting, and guest logistics, they handle every detail alongside you. It’s a collaborative, all-in experience where your planner becomes deeply involved in every detail, from big-picture logistics to fine-tuned design decisions as well as both the creative vision and execution of your day. In other words, your planner is acting as a creative partner, logistical manager, and problem solver all rolled into one!

Event Coordination is for couples who have done most of the planning themselves but want a professional to tie it all together. In this case, you are responsible for sourcing vendors, negotiating contracts, managing the budget, and keeping everything organized until the event coordinator steps in. Typically, an event coordinator steps in toward the end of the planning process to confirm details with vendors, create the timeline, and manage the logistics on the wedding day. It’s mostly hands-off for the planner until those final months, when they make sure all the client’s hard work comes together smoothly, but the event coordinator remains available for guidance, advice, and recommendations as you plan!

In short, Event Coordination ensures your plans run seamlessly, while Full-Service Planning helps build those plans from the ground up. The right choice depends on how much help you want or need along the way. Both are valuable, but it’s important to be realistic about how much time and energy you want to invest. Your wedding should be a joyful, meaningful experience, not a second full-time job.

No matter which route you choose, the goal is the same: a celebration that feels effortless, beautiful, and uniquely you!