What a wedding planner does
A wedding planner manages the longest, most emotionally loaded project most people ever buy: 10–14 months of vendor contracts, budget tracking, family logistics, and a single day where everything has to land at once. The deliverable is a wedding that runs without you managing it.
Don’t confuse the planner with the venue coordinator. The venue coordinator works for the venue — their job ends where the venue’s liability ends. Your planner works for you, across every vendor. The full argument is in wedding planner vs venue coordinator.
What it costs
Independent wedding planners typically charge $2,500–$15,000 per event. Month-of coordination sits at the bottom of the range; full-service planning — vendor sourcing, design, budget management, and day-of execution — sits at the top. What moves the price:
- Service tier — month-of, partial, or full-service is the biggest lever by far.
- Guest count and complexity — multiple venues, a tented outdoor reception, or a multi-day celebration all add coordination hours.
- Market — the same tier costs meaningfully more in a major metro than a small town.
Expect a 25–50% deposit to reserve the date. Read the deposit terms carefully: a good contract distinguishes cancellation from postponement, and says exactly what you get back at each stage. The wedding planner cost guide covers the full breakdown.
How to choose one
Book dates before you fall in love with a portfolio — the best planners in your market fill peak-season Saturdays a year out. Then interview for process, not aesthetics: ask to see a real timeline and a real budget from a past wedding near your spend. A professional produces both in minutes. An amateur shows you mood boards.
Pressure-test the contingencies. Outdoor ceremony? Ask when the rain call gets made, who makes it, and whether a tent is reserved or just theoretically available. Ask what happens if the photographer gets sick or the florist’s van breaks down. Planners who’ve done this have a bench; planners who haven’t have hope.
And ask directly whether they take commissions from vendors they recommend. Some do and disclose it. Undisclosed kickbacks mean every recommendation is compromised.
What to prepare before you start
Three things, before the first call: a real budget number (not a hope — a number you’d say out loud to a stranger), a rough guest count, and your top two priorities. “Food and music matter most; flowers can be simple” is more useful to a planner than any Pinterest board, because it tells them where to spend and where to save.
If you’re still deciding whether you need a planner at all, the event budget guide will show you the coordination load line by line. Couples who see all forty line items usually stop asking.
Questions to ask before you hire
- How many weddings do you take per month, and how many are booked around my date?
- What's your payment schedule, and what does the deposit cover if we cancel or postpone?
- Can you show me a full timeline and budget from a past wedding at my price point?
- What's the rain plan process for an outdoor ceremony — and who pays for the tent?
- Do you carry liability insurance, and have you worked with my venue before?
Red flags
- They're double-booked on your date and vague about who covers you.
- Undisclosed vendor commissions — you can't trust recommendations they're paid to make.
- No postponement clause in the contract, only cancellation terms.
- Every wedding in their portfolio looks identical, regardless of the couple.