Over the past few years I have come to the realization that, as a bride, one of the biggest obstacles you will encounter while planning your wedding is learning how to compare vendors. There are SO many different venues, photographers, florists and planners out there. Most of them appear to do wonderful work and nearly all of them have received 5 star reviews on places like Yelp, Wedding Wire and the Knot. As you begin to reach out to all of these stellar vendors, you will begin to notice that their pricing may vary drastically. One wedding planner may quote you $600 while another is charging $5,000. As a couple who is walking into this process for the first time, you don't want to drastically overpay for a service, but you also don't want to book the cheapest vendor you find, as you may not receive a wonderful experience. Today I want to educate you on what the price difference means, and what standard packages and pricing SHOULD look like.
DAY OF | MONTH OF COORDINATION
Average Pricing: $1,000 - $1,800
Brief Overview:
If you choose to hire a month of planner, you, as the bride, will be taking the lead and planning all aspects of your wedding. Your Day/Month of planner will then jump into the process about a month prior to the wedding to help you tie together loose ends.
What This Package Should ALWAYS Include:
Timeline creation
Ceremony + reception walk through
Communication with your vendors AT LEAST one week prior to the wedding
Coordination of your wedding rehearsal
FULL wedding day coverage
This should begin hours prior to the wedding ceremony and should last through the very end of the event
Many planners you find may have a set number of hours they will be present and/or will leave after dinner service
Lead Wedding Planner + Wedding Day Assistant
You ALWAYS need two people present on a wedding day to handle any unexpected obstacles
PARTIAL COORDINATION
Average Pricing: $2,200 - $3,000
Brief Overview:
Exactly what is included in the package will vary greatly by planner, but I have noticed two main trends:
Some planners will use partial coordination as a way to guide couples through the entire planning process. Think of this like your automated "to-do" list. Your planner will be telling you EXACTLY what you need to do, and you do it.
Other planners use partial coordination to apply to couples who come to them part way through the planning process. They have already booked their venue, photographer, and caterer and now realize they need a coordinator. From this point forward, you would be receiving full service coordination
What To Be Aware Of:
Be sure you are getting VERY specific guidelines as to what is included. Because everyone's package is so different, this package can easily become a package filled with "that's not included" surprises.
FULL SERVICE COORDINATION