You’ve Set The Date (maybe).
Get Ready To Be Bombarded With Traditions And Opinions About How You Should Do Your Wedding Day.

White dress. Red jumpsuit.

Four tiered fruit cake. Stack of donuts.

String quartet. Punk band.

You play by your own rules. You’ve got big ideas. Your wedding day should not be anything less than 100% you.

We’ve got your back.

Because planning an event this important takes up so much time and energy.

I mean, cake tasting is pretty awesome, but how much brain space do you have to dedicate to different types of chairs? Samsonite vs. chiavari vs. ghost vs nope.

You’ve got a life. And a job. And brunch dates and... Netflix. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Except for us.

Traditional Or Wild. Or Somewhere In Between.
Together We’ll Make Sure Your Wedding Is All You.
Serve It With A Twist. Martini On The Side.

so you've decided to call in some help. a wedding planner, to be exact. and then you saw how much it costs. what the what?!

Before you compare costs, it's important to know a few things: 

First, wedding planners do not all bill on the same model
Some planners charge a percentage of your total wedding spend. Typically this could be anywhere from 15% - 20% of the total amount you spend on your entire wedding.  When you think about it, this makes sense because a wedding that is more expensive likely involves a higher level of detail, more vendors to coordinate, more guests to take care of, etc. The general rule of thumb is the higher the budget, the more work the planner does to pull it all together.

Other planners charge a flat fee. These planners likely have set packages they offer, and each package has its own set fee. Planners on this model don't really care about your budget (as long as it's realistic and a budget they can work with to meet expectations), because they charge the same regardless of how much you spend. Flat-fee planners do not charge overtime, there's no hourly rate, and generally speaking, there are no surprises in terms of billing.

Another popular billing model for planners is a hybrid of these two: they will charge a very low base fee, and then they will tack on a percentage - sometimes called a production fee - on top of that base fee. Production fees are similar to the percentage model, in that it's usually around 15% of your total budget.

Now here's where things get complicated: 

Planners may or may not be transparent about their true billing model. Some planners have a very low base fee, and they may not tell couples that they are getting a production fee in the form of a commission from the vendors they introduce you to. Is it ethical? I don't think so, but it isn't as uncommon as I'd like to think.

 

 

here's what else you should know:

The scary truth is this: the barrier of entry to become/call yourself a wedding planner is quite low. Literally anyone can call themselves a wedding planner: a mother who just "planned" her daughter's wedding at a banquet hall; the bride who just got married and loved the process so much that she has decided to turn it into her full time job; the DJ who feels like they have seen a wedding planner in action enough times that they have "studied" us enough to know how to do our job. These scenarios may sound bizarre, but they're all real life back stories that I have personally witnessed. 

Listen, I'm not here to knock someone trying to break into the industry. Everyone has to start somewhere! When I started Contagious Events, I leaned on my experience planning on campus events for college students and helping friends with their weddings in a very low capacity role. Here I am 13 years later with hundreds of weddings under my belt, a team of 5 additional planners who help keep me sane and our couples organized - it can be done!

Many entrepreneurs feel pressure to present themselves as "the best" and may not be forthcoming about their level of training, expertise, or experience. And because wedding planners are not required to have certain credentials (and the credential programs that are out there are not widely respected within the industry), it's hard for you as a couple to determine a planner's real level of experience/qualifications to help you plan your day. A freelance planner isn't required to have business insurance. They don't even have to be a legal business. 

 

Let's Work Together

So Joe, why are you so much more than the other planners?

 

I can't answer that honestly, because I'm not familiar with other planners' costs of doing business. 

The scary truth is this: the barrier of entry to become/call yourself a wedding planner is quite low. Literally anyone can call themselves a wedding planner: a mother who just "planned" her daughter's wedding at a banquet hall; the bride who just got married and loved the process so much that she has decided to turn it into her full time job; the DJ who feels like they have seen a wedding planner in action enough times that they have "studied" us enough to know how to do our job. These scenarios may sound bizarre, but they're all real life back stories that I have personally witnessed.

Listen, I'm not here to knock someone trying to break into the industry. Everyone has to start somewhere! When I started Contagious Events, I leaned on my experience planning on campus events for college students and helping friends with their weddings in a very low capacity role. Here I am 13 years later with hundreds of weddings under my belt, a team of 5 additional planners who help keep me sane and our couples organized - it can be done!

Many entrepreneurs feel pressure to present themselves as "the best" and may not be forthcoming about their level of training, expertise, or experience. And because wedding planners are not required to have certain credentials (and the credential programs that are out there are not widely respected within the industry), it's hard for you as a couple to determine a planner's real level of experience/qualifications to help you plan your day. A freelance planner isn't required to have business insurance. They don't even have to be a legal business.