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How much does a wedding planner cost and how do I book one?

You may have recently got engaged and started to plan your wedding and realised you simply don’t have the time, so how much does a Wedding Planner cost and how do you go about getting one?


Wedding Planners will have different charges but there are industry averages for certain services which I will explain for you.


Most Planners offer a variety of services so that you can get one involved at the time that most suits you. The main services are:


Full Wedding Planning

Where they will look after every element, from creating and managing your budget, sourcing suppliers, planning all the details and managing the wedding day itself.


On the day Coordination

Where they will get involved c.4-6 weeks before the wedding date and will take over liaising with suppliers from that point, they will create a wedding schedule and deliver it on the day itself.


Partial Wedding Planning

A more bespoke service that is tailored to your needs and timeline depending on when we are brought on board.


The average wedding takes 300+ hours to plan, but it isn’t just time that a Planner provides. A Planner will bring experience - experience of how to plan different types of weddings, how to style them, which suppliers to use, how to make the best use of your budget. A Planner as with all suppliers have costs to cover and due to the amount of time it takes to plan a wedding, a good Planner will only take a certain number of weddings a year to ensure the best service is given to each couple.

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So how much does a Wedding Planner cost?


Full Planning

  • Most Wedding Planners will charge a percentage of your budget for this service as the amount of work often differs depending on the size or scale of the wedding. The average charge for full wedding planning is 10-15% of the total wedding budget spend and due to the number of hours involved there is normally a minimum fee that will apply. The minimum fee normally ranges from £4-10k.

  • For small, micro weddings the Planner may negotiate a fixed fee or charge the minimum fee (rather than a percentage) and similarly if it is a big budget or weekend wedding then a fixed fee may be discussed as well.

  • I charge 10% of the total wedding budget spend and a minimum fee applies.

On the day Coordination

  • Most Planners will charge a fixed fee for this service. The average is £850 – £1,200 but this can rise if the wedding is a large one or if there are particularly complexed elements to it.

Partial Planning

  • This is normally a completely bespoke service and so there isn’t really a set fee. But essentially if it involves more work than on the day coordination but less work than full planning then you will normally be charged a fee between the Planner’s two other charges (for those services).

Other services

  • Some Planners may also offer more specific services such as event styling or just venue finding and there is normally a fixed fee for them.

  • Some Planners will also charge separately for expenses (such as travel, accommodation) so it is worth checking this point with them, so you know what to expect.


So how do I book a Wedding Planner?

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Planning a wedding can be a tremendous task for couples, so if you are feeling overwhelmed with the huge variety of ideas, styles, suppliers, fees that are out there then a Planner may be for you.


If you are interested in hiring a Planner the first step will be to make contact. The Planner will then likely organise a time that is convenient for you, to speak to you about what you want for your wedding and how they could help you. This call is a great opportunity for the Planner to find out about you both, it is also a chance for you to find out about them and see if you are a good fit for each other.


The Planner would then likely follow up the initial conversation with a proposal. This would cover what was discussed, detail their services and how you could work together.


You may want to speak to them further or respond with some queries. Once you get to the point where you are ready to make the next step then the Planner will explain their confirmation process. This would likely include a contract and a deposit to confirm their services, with other instalments and a balance due at intervals along your planning journey.


The main thing to remember is that every couple is different and has their own needs and a good Planner will be dedicated to delivering them. If you would like to talk about this in more detail and you think hiring a Wedding Planner would help you, please do get in touch, I’d love to have a virtual coffee with you!

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