A day in the life of a wedding Venue Coordinator

For many (dare we say most?) couples, when you begin wedding planning, there is so much that you just don’t know. So much happens behind the scenes to make your day run smoothly, and if missed, can make a substantial impact on how the celebrations unfold.

And one of the big things couples often don’t know that can impact budget, planning, and the team you engage?

What a venue coordinator does.

So, we got the insider update from one of the warmest, most experienced teams around – Sarah and Jordan of Barwon Edge and The Batesford.

Want to know what a wedding day looks like behind the scenes, and what your venue does for you that you haven’t even considered? Read on!

The day starts with the weather radar

“No two weddings are the same, which is the beauty of working in this industry,” Jordan says. “That being said, there’s a typical flow to the day that kicks off first thing in the morning with the weather check. We always look at the weather radar if we’re doing ceremony and/or canapés outside, to see whether we need to look at our Plan B.

Following our morning weather ritual, we keep our phones on in case the couple, or their go-to people, need to get in touch, but we don’t fully switch into wedding mode until 2-3 hours before guest arrival.”

2pm: wedding mode activated!

“What is wedding mode, you ask? Clipboards, run sheets, timekeeping. From 2pm, all systems are a go to get the space set for the big event. We’re setting tables, laying out menus and place cards, setting up the gift table, liaising with florists and musicians, photobooths and furniture hire, briefing our front-of-house team on the night ahead. You might think the most intense part of our day starts when guests arrive, but the two hours beforehand are crucial. It’s two hours of making sure you’re bringing the couple’s dream day to life exactly how they envisioned it, with so many moving parts to keep on top of. It’s a rush, and it’s so much fun!”

Barwon Edge and The Batesford Hotel are working restaurants, so before they can be your exclusive wedding space, lunch service concludes.

“We use this time to flip our spaces from dining to wedding,” Jordan shares. “This includes everything from moving furniture and setting tables to coordinating vendor bump-in. We wear all the hats — stylist, coordinator, timekeeper, perfectionist – to make sure we’re not only ready for the ceremony to start on time, but to ensure everything is in place for the couple’s dreams to come true.”

Before your guests arrive

By the time the first guests appear, fifteen to thirty minutes before the ceremony, the stage is set. The groom is usually mingling. The photographer is working through detail shots of your styling. Everyone has a beer or a glass of bubbles in hand, awaiting the bride’s grand entrance.

And your venue coordinator is already working quiet magic – making sure the celebrant is set, the music is sorted, and the ceremony decor and styling are perfectly positioned according to your vision.

“During this window, it’s our job to make sure the groom is happy, vendors are ready, and then we wait by the driveway for the bride’s arrival,” articulates Sarah.

The bit most couples never realise is happening

“When the bride arrives, it’s our job to get her into position and cue the timings of her and her bridal party down the aisle,” Sarah says. “It’s the one thing most couples don’t realise we do, but are wildly grateful for.”

It sounds small. It isn’t.

“Removing the guesswork allows couples to be fully present as they hear the aisle song they spent so long choosing, take in all of their friends and family gathered to watch them take this next step, and see the love of their life at the end of the aisle waiting to say “I do”.

Then they leave. “Watching the vows is always the best bit of any ceremony, so once we’ve cued the bride down the aisle, we hurry away to finalise the last few details for reception and try to make it back in time to catch the vows,” shares Jordan.

In that window: the welcome sign is repositioned for the reception, front of house is braced for the rush on the bar the second the ceremony ends, and the kitchen confirms canapés are on track. Then they rush back to hear the I Dos.

After all, after months of working with you, your team love to get swept up in your romance too.

From the ceremony to your entrance

The moment you’re married, the priority becomes attending to your needs.

“After the ceremony, our priority is making sure the bride and groom have everything they need — canapés, beer and bubbles, props for photos,” the team says. While you’re off having photos taken, your ceremony florals are moved into the reception space and the MC is briefed on what’s coming.

Then the last big set piece of their day. “We work with the musician and MC to cue the music, send the bridal party out in groups, and once the party is started, that’s where we hand over the reins to our expert front of house team to lead the rest of the evening.”

Your run sheet is changing all day

The timeline you signed off on weeks ago is a living document, and it is being finessed constantly.

“There are usually a lot of micro changes to the run sheet that no one (except our team) will notice,” Jordan says. “We’re behind the scenes shuffling things by a minute here, and five minutes there, usually to keep the couple having the best time ever.”

Want a few more minutes for sunset photos? Lost track of time with your grandmother? The run sheet absorbs it, and every vendor is kept informed.

Because timing is where a wedding day comes unstuck, every time. “Allocated timelines for photography can blow out, speeches run overtime even though Dad promised he’d only talk for five minutes,” she says. “As hard as we try to keep things to time, timing almost never runs perfectly to plan.”

It’s here where the expertise of the team counts: “This is where all the background conversations are happening to ensure we keep the night running smoothly and, most importantly, make sure we get you onto the dance floor on time!”

What a venue coordinator does:

“There are so many things that an in-built coordinator at a venue takes off the couple’s plate on the day! We thought it might be easier to write a list:

•   Creating run sheets

•   Coordinating vendors and the MC, both leading up to the day and on the day

•   Setting up all furniture and styling

•   Moving all furniture and styling between spaces

•   Helping you down the aisle

•   Ceremony rehearsals

•   Vendor suggestions

•   Ensuring you have food and drinks during your photo hour

•   Hyping you up before your reception entrance

And those are just the bigger things,” Sarah says. “We’ve also been known to help calm a nervous flower girl by asking her to show you some twirls in her beautiful dress, or nurse a baby while their Mum is in bridesmaid mode, or ensure the groom and his groomsmen have emptied their pockets before the ceremony. We could really go on and on, but the point is we’re there to do (almost) anything that will help the couple have the best day of their lives!”

The moments that still get them, every time.

For Sarah at Barwon Edge, it’s the top of the aisle. “I’m still a sucker for seeing someone’s face when they see their partner walking down the aisle for the first time. It’s always a special moment!”

For Jordan at The Batesford, it’s the other end of the ceremony – the walk back down the aisle, newly married, nerves gone. “There is such unfiltered joy … and it’s a special moment so often with just the two of them to share that, ‘Hell yeah! We just did that! We’re MARRIED!’”

The one they agree on comes earlier. “The look on our couples’ faces when they see their venue set for the first time. All those elements they’ve been dreaming up with florists and stationery designers and friends, all come to life after months of hard work.”

One Barwon Edge bride in August was caught peering through the windows after her ceremony, taking in the reception styling, and did a small happy dance at how it had turned out. “It makes us feel on top of the world to know we brought it together for them.”

One thing they wish every couple knew

It isn’t a logistics tip.

“Trust your team,” Jordan and Sarah say. “Most couples have a big team behind them to make this day happen: wedding coordinators, celebrants, photographers, videographers, hair and makeup artists, musicians, bridal parties, cake makers — the list goes on. You have a whole host of people behind you, cheering you on and making sure your day goes exactly to plan. Trust that you’ve chosen the right people, and that they will bring it to life for you.”

There is one more thing worth saying on their behalf, since they were too polite to say it themselves. Asked what makes these venues work, they answered with people rather than views, decor or positioning.

Both sit within the same Geelong hospitality group as ALMA, Felix and The Geelong Club — a run of restaurants that represent talent and premium hospitality. “We are lucky to work with such wonderful people who are great at their jobs, and it makes bringing weddings to life so much easier,” the team says.

It shows up in the couples, too. “We’re often asked for the gossip on the latest ‘Bridezilla’ when we catch up with family and friends, but we’re lucky enough to get to tell them that our couples are simply wonderful.”

Barwon Edge sits on the banks of the Barwon River in Geelong, with lawns built for an expansive, luxe, outdoor ceremony. The Batesford Hotel backs onto the Moorabool River, its gardens strung with fairy lights and surrounded by lush bushscape. Both are in the Ivory Tribe directory, and both come with that person standing by the driveway, huge smile on their face, waiting for you.

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