What's the difference between a Wedding Coordinator and a Catering Manager/Venue Coordinator

This question comes often. A catering manager is employed by the venue and primarily specializes in food and beverage sales for the venue. They are usually there on your wedding day, but often depart after the first course is served. A wedding planner is your personal consultant that interfaces with ALL aspects of the planning process and, without hesitations, will mediate, negotiate and co-create with you and for you. Bottom line: you employ the wedding planner and you do not employ the catering manager. Knowing who will provide you with each of these services throughout the planning process will ensure no last minute surprises, and keep you “duty free.”

Your Catering Manager will

• Provide a personalized tour of the venue
• Act as a menu consultant for all food and beverage selections
• Detail your banquet event order (BEO) and catering contract, outlining event specifics, and ensure that the information is clearly communicated to the operational team of the venue
• Create an estimate of charges outlining your financial commitment to the venue
• Arrange and attend your menu tasting
• Oversee the ceremony and reception set up, food preparation and other venue operations
• Act as on site Liaison between your Wedding Coordinator and venue operations staff
• Ensure a seamless transition to the venue’s Banquet Director/ Captain once the grand entrance has occurred (that is typically when the Catering Manager
• leaves the reception)
• Review your banquet checks and billing for accuracy prior to your receipt of
• the final bill

Your Wedding Coordinator will:

• Assist with etiquette and protocol for invitations, family matters, ceremony and toasts
• Create a comprehensive timeline for your wedding day, including the ceremony and reception
• Work with you to organize and coordinate your ceremony rehearsal
• Create floor plans for your function spaces and assist with seating arrangements
• Remind bridal party of all pertinent “call times” and “don’t forgets” on the wedding day
• Confirm “call times” and details with all vendors prior to the wedding day
• Be available to have conversations as needed, including weekends and evenings (depending on the coordination package that is chosen)
• Act as liaison between your family, bridal party, band/DJ, florist, photographer, videographer and other vendors to create a seamless operation
• Assist the bride and bridal party with dressing
• Ensure that the ladies have their corsages and bouquets, etc., and assist with the pinning of boutonnieres
• Deliver and arrange ceremony programs, escort cards, place cards, favors, reserved seating for the ceremony and handle any personal items
• Coordinate your actual ceremony including line up of bridal party, and assisting with the bride’s dress
• Coordinate your reception (grand entrance, first dance, toasts, cake cutting,etc.
• Collect any personal items you may have brought at the conclusion of the reception.

Party Attire Etiquette

What's a girl to wear? Here's a quick reference to dress codes for your social event!

Black Tie

A Black Tie invitation calls for formal attire. Men wear tuxedos, women wear long dresses or dressy evening separates.

Formal usually means the same as Black Tie, but in some trendier cities like New York or Los Angeles, it could mean a black shirt, no tie with a tux. Women wear cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates.

A White Tie or Ultra-formal invitation requires men wear full dress, with white tie, vest, shirt. Women wear long gowns.

Black Tie Optional

A Black Tie Optional or Black Tie Invited gives you the option of wearing a tuxedo or formal dress, but it should clue you into the formality of the event, meaning a dark suit and tie would be your other option. Women wear cocktail long dresses or dressy evening separates.

Creative Black Tie

Creative Black Tie leaves room for trendy interpretations of formal wear. He can go more modern with a tux -- maybe a black shirt, no tie. She wears long or short dresses or evening separates.

Sometimes, themed parties call for dress codes like Texas Black Tie or other variations of Creative Black Tie. In that situation, you can have more fun with it, choosing a dressy look with a theme (for him, it could be a tux with boots and for her it could be a long dress paired with Southwestern style silver belt and jewelry).

Semi-Formal

Semi-Formal or After Five means that tuxes are not required, nor are long dresses. An evening wedding (after 6 PM) would still dictate dark suits for him, and a cocktail dress for her. Daytime semi-formal events mean a suit for him and an appropriate short dress or dressy suit for her.

Business Formal is the same as Semi-Formal for him, but for women it suggests that women opt for more tailored dressy suits and dresses (nothing too slinky or sexy).

Cocktail Attire means short, elegant dresses for her and dark suits for him.

Informal is often interpreted as the same as Casual but it actually calls for the same dress as Semi-Formal -- dark suits for him, short dresses for her -- especially when associated with a wedding or special event.

Festive Attire is usually seen around the holidays, with the mood of the party being InformalSemi-Formal. For her, it means to choose looks with a bit of sparkle or holiday bent (i.e. a beaded sweater with black pants, a red silk blouse with a black skirt).

Dressy Casual calls for dressed-up versions of casual looks. For him, it could be trousers and a sportcoat, for her a dressy pants look. Jeans, shorts, T-shirts and other casual looks are not appropriate for Dressy Casual.

Casual generally means anything goes.