Full-Service Wedding Planner, Partial Planner, Month-of Coordinator and Venue Coordinator - Explained

Nov 12

Tips from a South Florida Planner & Coordinator

Partial Planner Wedding Fort Lauderdale — If you’ve ever Googled “types of wedding planners” or wondered, “Do I really need a planner if my venue has one?”, you’re not alone.
As a wedding planner and coordinator, I often hear couples say they aren’t quite sure which type of support they need. That’s perfectly normal; weddings are full of details, and understanding who does what can be confusing. One of the first conversations I like to have with my clients is helping them to understand the difference with these roles and determine which service is best for them.

My goal is always to help couples understand exactly what kind of support they need, so their planning process feels clear, intentional, and stress-free.

Full-Service Wedding Planner

Hiring a full-service planner means entrusting someone to bring your entire vision to life from start to finish. This is the most comprehensive level of support, and it’s ideal for couples who want to enjoy their engagement without being weighed down by the hundreds of decisions that come with planning a wedding. When a couple chooses our full-service wedding planning service, we become deeply involved from the very beginning. Your full-service wedding planner immediately become the point of contact and handles all the vendor research and communication, from helping select the perfect venue, establishing a realistic budget, to curating a design aesthetic that feels like you.

I often describe a full-service wedding planner as having a project manager, creative director, and logistics expert all rolled into one. Every conversation, contract, and creative decision runs through you so you never have to stress about what’s next. I oversee communication with all vendors, create and manage detailed timelines, review contracts to protect your interests, and plan every moving piece so they fit on wedding day.

Full-service planning also allows me to build a genuine relationship with my couples. By the time your wedding day arrives, your planner would already know your style, priorities, and personality well enough to execute everything exactly how you envisioned, often without you having to say a word. All in all, your full-service planner is there from the very beginning and it’s a completely personalized experience where you can truly relax, knowing that every element of your wedding has been thoughtfully managed and beautifully brought to life.

Partial Wedding Planner

Partial planning is perfect for couples who have already gotten a head start on their wedding but want some guidance to bring it all together. Maybe you’ve chosen your venue, booked a few major vendors, or just have a general vision in mind, but now you’re finding that the details are starting to pile up. That’s where your partial wedding planner comes in. With partial planning, I step into the process wherever you are and help refine, organize, and manage the details for the rest of the journey.

This service works beautifully for couples who enjoy being involved in the creative aspects but need extra support navigating logistics, contracts, finalizing the remaining vendors or design execution. I often come in to help align your vendors with your vision, adjust your timeline for flow, or problem-solve areas where the planning might have stalled. I like to call it a partnership, you handle the parts you love, and I take care of everything that requires a professional planner insight and structure.

What I love most about partial planning is that it gives couples the confidence to know they’re on the right track and seeing everything come together strategically. You get the benefit of my expertise and vendor relationships without having to hand over every decision. Together, we’ll make sure your wedding day feels cohesive, intentional and a true a reflection of your effort, only elevated by professional coordination and design.

At Urbanica Luxury Events, our Partial Planning Service is designed for couples who have already laid the foundation for their wedding and it also gives them the option to decide which area of planning they need support, all without giving up the joy of being hands-on in the planning process.

Month-of Coordinator

Also called a Day-of Coordinator and our primary service here at Urbanica Luxury Events!
Many couples come to Urbanica after planning most of their wedding on their own and say, “We just need someone to make sure everything runs smoothly that day.” That’s exactly where month-of coordination comes in. This service is designed for couples who have already booked their vendors, finalized their guest count and most details but would like someone to take over and manage everything in the final stretch. A day-of coordinator is the main point of contact leading up to and on the wedding day.

Hiring a day-of coordinator will alleviate all the last minute wedding stress and allow you to fully enjoy your special day with your family and friends. Even though it’s called “day-of,” the level of work involved is extensive; by the time your wedding arrives, your coordinator should know your plans as well as you do.

At Urbanica Luxury Events, Month-of Coordination is our primary service. We typically begin working with month-of clients about four to six weeks before their wedding to gather all the information, confirm logistics, and step into the driver’s seat. The beauty of month-of coordination is that it gives you peace of mind after months of effort. You’ve done the planning, and I make sure your hard work unfolds exactly as you imagined. You shouldn’t have to worry about who’s cueing your entrance or where your decor goes. That’s my job and I take pride in allowing couples to enjoy their day without distraction or unnecessary stress.

Venue Coordinator

One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter in the industry is that couples don’t need a wedding planner because their venue includes a “coordinator.” While venue coordinators are incredibly helpful and play a vital role in your wedding, their responsibilities are very different from those of an independent planner. A venue coordinator’s primary focus is on the venue itself, ensuring the property operations run smoothly, overseeing catering and bar service (if it’s in-house), and making sure everything aligns with the venue’s policies and logistics.

As your wedding planner/coordinator, my role extends far beyond the venue. I’m responsible for managing your entire wedding, your design, timeline, vendors, decor, ceremony, and guest experience, not just the venue’s portion of it. I represent YOU, not the property. For example, if your florist arrives late, if there’s a question about vendor placement, or if the schedule needs to shift due to weather, the venue coordinator won’t necessarily step in to handle that, but I will. The main difference I see with wedding planners/coordinators versus venue coordinators is that your planner/coordinator work for YOU whereas the venue coordinator works for the VENUE where you choose to host your wedding celebration.

Don’t get me wrong though, they will absolutely be a big help in ensuring the venue is set up for success and offer some vendor recommendations along the way. Sometimes it’s a standard list of vendors they prefer to work with and not a customized list that fits your wedding budget or vision. Your venue coordinator’s role is not to jump on phone calls with your florist to confirm centerpiece counts, mitigate risks or schedule appropriate time intervals for day of hair and makeup. If you don’t hire a wedding planner or a day-of coordinator, those tasks will be your job to complete.

With that said, venue coordinators are an essential part of your wedding day and an extreme asset to your day-of coordinator or wedding planner especially when a great relationship is formed and they can successfully work together to bring your vision to life. They are great at their jobs and put in a lot of time and effort to ensure your wedding day runs as smoothly as possible. This blog post is aimed at differentiating the two.