How Much Does A Wedding Planner Cost?

Wedding Planner Costs Explained

A wedding planner is someone who organises your wedding, as the name suggests. On first thought it may seem extravagant to enlist a professional to plan your wedding, especially if you are on a budget. However, good wedding planners can be worth their weight in gold so if your wedding pot allows, investigating wedding planning services is a must, even if you decide it’s not for you. 

There are different ways you can work with event planners and the wedding planner cost you pay will be dictated by the level of service they provide, the number of guests you invite and the logistics of what you need them to do on the day. 

Let’s take a closer look at the nitty gritty of wedding planning prices to help you decide if this is a service that’s right for you. 

Do You Need a Wedding Planner?

It’s a bit of a myth that wedding organisers are only for the rich and famous. Anyone who works long hours, manages a busy household, cares for others, runs their own business or is not super organised can benefit from the services of a wedding planner. When spare time is illusive and you have others demanding your attention, being able to tell a professional wedding planner your vision for your big day and letting them deal with the details will take a huge amount of pressure off and the effects of this should not be underestimated. 

A wedding planner can help shortlist wedding venues, secure dates, check supplier availability, book wedding vendors, manage your guestlist, set realistic budgets, create timelines, manage deadlines, help with logistics, source accommodation, coordinate themes and styling, plan rehearsal schedules, deal with last minute issues, manage the event on the day and coordinate the take-down and tidy up afterwards. 

If these are tasks that you simply don’t have time to sort, then recruiting a wedding organiser might be the solution. 

Wedding Planning Prices

Wedding planner rates vary depending on the level of service you require. Below we’ve broken down the different types of support you can expect and the associated wedding planner fees that these may incur. 

Full Service Wedding Planner 

This is the complete works. From day one your wedding planner will guide you every step of the way, taking all the admin, much of the decision-making and all the menial tasks in hand leaving you to get on with what you need to as you look forward to the big day. 

The cost for a wedding planner of this ilk can be between 10-15% of your total wedding budget. In exchange for this fee, they will support you throughout the whole wedding planning process, from sending out invites to managing caterers, florists, stylists, photographers and guests! 

Often a minimum fee will be applied which will be dictated by the size of your wedding. More guests equal more planning and therefore you can expect wedding coordinator costs to be more expensive than if you have a smaller, more intimate wedding. 

With the average wedding in the UK costing around £23,250, this would make the average wedding planner cost £2,300 to £4,000. Some wedding planners may dictate a minimum fee of £5,000 or more irrespective of the overall wedding budget.

It is important to clarify what’s included in your wedding planner charges before you agree to their services and most organisers will take you through inclusions and exclusions. Some might include wedding day management in their costs, whilst others may add this as an optional extra. Agreeing to terms in advance will ensure transparency from the start, helping to manage expectations on both sides from the beginning. 

Partial Wedding Planning

Another way of enlisting a wedding planner is to hire someone on a partial wedding planning basis. Maybe you’ve found a venue and have a guestlist but that’s as far as you’ve got, or you might have found suppliers but need help with other elements. Partial wedding support is much more bespoke, and as such the fee will need to be agreed and inclusions made clear before collaboration begins. The wedding planner price may be a smaller percentage of the total wedding cost, or it may be based on the number of hours support required. 

Wedding planners charge hourly rates ranging from £25 - £100 an hour based on their experience, geographical location and skills. 

Wedding Day Management

Wedding day management packages are pretty much as they sound. A wedding coordinator can be hired to simply support on the big day. In this instance you will likely have made the wedding plans yourself but want a reprieve from coordinating your big day which is where a dedicated wedding day planner comes in. 

You’ll have to be really clear about what you want them to do, what you’ve already done and give them a handover so that they are in complete control of the schedule, suppliers, venue and guests on the day. 

Again, this is a bespoke service tailored to your requirements so a fixed fee or hourly rate should be agreed in advance. This may be an add-on service to a full service wedding planner who doesn’t typically include wedding day management, or it might be a one-off service by someone who excels at event management and will take the reins so you can relax and enjoy being the centre of attention. 

Virtual Wedding Planners

If neither feels quite right and you don’t trust Google to sort your whole wedding for you, a remote wedding planner may be the answer. A virtual wedding coordinator can assist you remotely with either a one-off planning session or be more involved, albeit not geographically close to you or the venue. 

As a more niche service, you may pay per session, per hour or a fixed price for a set amount of support but again, £25 - £100 an hour can be expected. 

When to Hire a Wedding Planner

If you think you’re going to need help, then it’s a good idea to start looking for a wedding coordinator as soon as you start thinking about your wedding plans. If you’re looking at a full service package, the cost of a wedding planner should cover initial tasks such as helping you find a wedding venue and setting a date to ensure you secure your preferred options as early as possible. 

Benefits of Wedding Planners

We’re not biased and whether you hire a wedding planner makes little difference to us as a wedding venue. Objectively, there are numerous benefits to hiring a wedding planner, if you can afford it. 

1. Saves time – the hours you can spend speaking to wedding venues, visiting your shortlist, chasing RSVPs, making table plans, hiring vendors and so on is exhausting so recruiting a wedding planner will invariably save you time – lots and lots of it!

   
   

2. Saves money – this is more obscure but still tangible. A wedding planner will have tons of experience of organising weddings and will be able to advise on cost savings, know the right questions to ask, how to work around tricky suppliers and where corners can be cut without compromising on quality. They may not make back their fee in savings, but they could certainly offset it.

   
   

3. Avoid mistakes – letting someone else handle the intricate elements, especially a professional, experienced wedding planner, means that all details will be attended to and nothing forgotten or overlooked. It can be overwhelming bringing together all the elements involved in a wedding so professional support can prove invaluable in avoiding mistakes that may be costly.

   
   

When You Might Not Need a Wedding Planner

If you aren’t constrained by working hours or dependants, you may not need a wedding planner. Individuals who are highly organised, efficient and revel in planning and preparation may well thrive when faced with coordinating their wedding, in which case a wedding planner will only cramp your style.

Equally, if you’re on a tight budget with no wiggle room for this level of support, then additional wedding planning costs should be avoided. 

Lastly, those who work in the events industry, hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors may not need a wedding planner. If you consider yourself a competent planner already, then save yourself some cash and do it all yourself. You can always enlist partners, friends, family and colleagues to help out when needed. 

How to Choose a Wedding Planner

The first step to choosing a wedding planner is identifying what kind of service you need. Once you have decided how much input you want them to have, you can look for providers that will satisfy your requirements. If you have a preferred wedding venue, ask them if they can recommend a wedding planner. They will have seen plenty so recommendations for planners familiar with their venue will be an excellent starting point. 

Trawling through their websites and socials will give you an idea of their vibe and whether or not you can work with them. Read their online reviews and make sure their portfolio style is in line with your own ideas. 

Make a shortlist of those you like and who service your wedding locale, then arrange a meeting with each. This will give you the chance to meet them in person and find out how they can support you. Ask them about how many weddings they work on at once, do they have a team, what services they provide and how they charge to find out if they’re a good fit. 

By the time you’ve met a wedding planner or two you’ll know whether you have found the ONE or not. When you do find a wedding planner that you feel comfortable with, make sure you discuss terms, inclusions and exclusions, and expectations before paying a deposit. This will help to avoid conflict or confusion later on. 

Alternatives to Wedding Planners

There are a few alternatives to wedding planners which include wedding stylists and in-venue planners. Wedding stylists are specialists at décor, staging, props and ambience who will transform a wedding venue into your dream vision, working with the venue team and florists to create the perfect set. Although not technically a wedding planner, not everyone has the skills to stage a wedding, and a wedding stylist will help you do this.

Some wedding venues will have their own dedicated wedding coordinators to ensure the smooth running of the day, especially larger venues or those that cater for multiple weddings simultaneously. These specialists will be able to help collate all the suppliers that you as a couple have booked, manage timings of the day, make recommendations and answer your questions, as it will ultimately make their lives easier if your wedding goes to plan!

Weddings at Springbank Manor

Springbank Manor is a stunning wedding venue in Lancashire on the outskirts of Darwen surrounded by open countryside. Catering to weddings both large and small, and everything in between, we delight in helping couples plan their perfect day. If you’re looking for a local wedding planner and want to get married at our beautiful hotel wedding venue, then get in touch with our friendly team today. 

Weddings at Springbank Manor