Wedding Coordinator or On-Site Coordinator?

I talk to brides occasionally who say they don't need to hire a wedding coordinator because the venue has a site coordinator. Occasionally, they are right. If the venue only has one wedding in a night, no restaurant or other things to manage, and the on-site coordinator is willing to setup custom decor for the wedding, an on-site coordinator is sufficient.

Here are some questions to ask an on-site coordinator or banquet manager:
-How many events are taking place at the same time?
-Do you have other responsibilities besides attending to our wedding?
-Will you be available to greet deliveries as they come in? (cake, centrepieces, music, etc.)
-Are you able to set up extra/custom decorations (guest book table, cake table, etc.)?

Here are some of the things that a wedding coordinator can do:
-Set up your guest book, cake table, head table with custom design.
-Greet vendors and assist them with any set-up questions.
-Be the recipient of phone calls from vendors who may be running late/lost/looking for the cake topper/coordinating drop-off times so the bride does not get those phone calls.
-Pin boutonnieres, make sure flowers are in place, cue the wedding party down the aisle, set up the receiving line, provide a timeline for the wedding day, make sure wedding ceremony and reception run smoothly, transport items from ceremony to reception, make sure vendors have everything that they need, make sure family has everything they need.
-Work with the on-site coordinator to make sure your wedding is perfect.
-Help with the entire planning process, from start to finish.

I work with on-site coordinators often, and I always enjoy it - the details of our jobs are so different that it is easy to work together and the outcome is really great service for the bride and groom.