How Much Do Wedding Planners Cost?

Wedding planners can be invaluable vendors for the busy bride and groom, but many worry that they are expensive and unaffordable. The truth is that the cost of wedding planners vary widely, and most couples can afford to hire someone to help them with at least a portion of their big event.

• Full-scale Event Planners handle things from beginning to end, designing the look and feel, keep things organized, find and manage vendors, and coordinate everything on the actual day. They might attend meetings without you, make decisions on your behalf, and find many ways to make things easier for you. They charge between 10% and 20% of your total budget, depending on their experience and the size and scope of your event.

Coordinators and Consultants Most couples are looking for wedding planners that do more than a day-of-coordinator but don't cost as much as the full-service couture event designers. The wedding planners that most hire will help you get organized, create budgets, schedules and timelines, give advice, and help avoid pitfalls. But make no mistake - you'll still be responsible for a fair amount of the work. You'll make phone calls and send emails, find vendors, attend meetings – sometimes on your own, and make hard decisions. These wedding planners typically charge between 5% and 15% of your total event budget.