What is a Wedding Designer? and What does a Wedding Planner Do?

Planning a wedding can feel like you’ve suddenly been handed the job of CEO, Creative Director, and Logistics Manager for the most emotionally charged event of your life. On top of that, the industry lingo doesn’t make it easier - wedding planner, coordinator, designer, producer, venue coordinator - what does it all mean? What are you even getting for your investment?

Let’s break it down. I’ll walk you through each role, how they differ, and why hiring a professional who can integrate planning and design - like me - makes all the difference in delivering a wedding that’s both seamless and unforgettable.

Wedding Planner: The Strategic Powerhouse

Think of a wedding planner as your personal project manager and guide through the entire planning process. From budget tracking and timeline creation to vendor referrals and guest logistics, planners are there from day one to help you make smart, informed decisions.

Example: For a couple getting married at castle ruins on top of a hill (yes, it was as epic as it sounds), I managed a complex guest list across multiple time zones (from Spain to Mexico to Texas), co-created a comprehensive shuttle bus system, and helped them source a team of vendors that aligned with their vision, budget & aesthetic.

Wedding Coordinator: The Day-Of Air Traffic Controller

A wedding coordinator typically steps in about 4–6 weeks before the big day. Their job? To execute the plan you’ve already created. They’ll confirm vendor arrival times, cue the ceremony, and keep everything running smoothly on the day.

Important Note: Coordinators don’t create timelines from scratch or book vendors for you—they simply make sure your existing plan is carried out.

Translation: If you’re DIY-ing your wedding planning and just need someone to quarterback on the day itself, a coordinator is great. But if you want a full-service experience? You’ll need more than this. We always include Coordination in our packages, and often hire additional Coordinators to carry out the execution while I, Catalina, focus on YOU!

Wedding Designer: The Aesthetic Visionary

Designers focus on the visual and emotional impact of your day. We curate your color palette, design floral installations, tablescapes, lighting, signage, and layout—so everything feels intentional, cohesive, and reflective of your vibe.

Example: For a couple who wanted to feel like Victorian vampires holding a ball at their castle, we dug deep into the theme and curated tablescapes full of preserved roses, roe deer skulls, and antique silver candelabras. From inspiration to mockup to final design, you can see how our team turned vision into reality.

Why this matters: When design is treated as a standalone piece, it often lacks the fluidity that comes when it’s tied directly to your timeline, logistics, and guest experience. In fact, our favorite designs go way beyond aesthetics!

Event Producer: The Logistics Whisperer

An event producer is a term more often used in large-scale or high-end celebrations. They oversee production-heavy events with staging, rigging, live performances, and complex buildouts. While not every wedding requires an event producer, this role is crucial for ambitious designs, stage performances, and speaking programs.

Example: We collaborate often with production teams to bring our large scale visions to life. Whether we bring in a team of fabrication experts to custom build signage for a nonprofit client or build custom bar with coordinating graphics, or work with stage management contractors, AV specialists, lighting designers, or sound engineers on large scale projects.

Venue Coordinator: Lovely, But Not Your Planner

Venue coordinators are employed by the venue. Their job is to oversee everything related to the venue itself: catering (if in-house), layout approval, setup windows, staff scheduling, and coordinating logistics like collecting COIs and informing us of the venue's electrical grid and parking/load in limitations.

Here’s the truth: Venue coordinators are helpful allies, but they won’t necessarily provide a customized & comprehensive checklist leading up to your wedding day, build your timeline, go dress shopping with you, track down the makeup artist, confirm your florist’s arrival, deliver your fav coffee to your bridal suite, or make sure your wedding party knows where to be and when. That’s the job for your planning team - aka US!

Why Hire Me: Cohesive Design + Seamless Execution = The Wedding You Actually Want

Here’s the thing: You can hire a planner and a designer separately. You can even DIY your design from Pinterest boards and hope it all comes together. But when you hire someone who does it all, like us, you get:

• A full team consisting of a Lead Planner & Designer, Coordinator(s), Wedding Party Concierge, and Producers based on your specific & customized needs

• A visual story that aligns with your values, venue, and guest experience

• A planning process that eliminates overwhelm and decision fatigue

• A design that doesn’t just look good on Instagram—it feels good in real life

• A partner who understands how to execute your aesthetic goals within your budget

  
  

From gothic luxury to woodland disco elopements, candlelit romantic feasts to maximalist New Year’s Eve blowouts—I specialize in celebrations that break the mold but run like clockwork. Whether you’re dreaming up an intimate dinner in a historic estate or a bold, theatrical affair with immersive storytelling, I’m here to guide you every step of the way.

TL;DR: If You Want Strategy + Style, Hire the Unicorn 🦄

I’m not just a wedding planner. I’m your creative co-conspirator, your logistical lifeline, your hype woman, your problem solver, and your calm in the storm.

Ready to ditch the cookie-cutter wedding experience and design something that’s actually you? Let’s plan something unforgettable—together.

👉 Book a Discovery Call