How much does a wedding planner cost?
Most couples pay $800-$4,500+. Here is what moves that number, what you get at each level, and where to spend less without regretting it.
Wedding planning is priced in three tiers, and the words are used inconsistently across the industry. Day-of coordination commonly runs $800 to $2,000, partial planning $2,000 to $4,500, and full-service planning usually starts around $4,500 and scales with the size of the wedding. Many planners save couples more than their fee through vendor relationships and avoided mistakes - but that is an argument for hiring one, not a reason to skip comparing them.
What you get at each price
Day-of coordination
$800-$2,000
A misleading name: good coordinators start 4-6 weeks out, confirm every vendor, build the timeline, run the rehearsal, and manage the day itself. What it does not include is help choosing vendors or designing anything.
Partial planning most couples
$2,000-$4,500
Coordination plus vendor recommendations and booking help, usually starting a few months out. The right tier for couples who have a venue and a vision but not the time.
Full-service planning
$4,500-$15,000+
From engagement to send-off: budget, venue search, every vendor, design, and the day. Often priced as a percentage of total spend (10-15%) on larger weddings.
These are what couples actually pay, not quotes we can make on a vendor's behalf. Every wedding planner sets their own prices, and the ones on Lazo publish theirs where they choose to.
What wedding planners say they start at, by city
Separately from the ranges above, Lazo reads the "starting at" price each vendor publishes on their own website or Lazo profile. Across the US, 596 wedding planners publish one; the middle half start between $1,200 and $4,000, median $2,500. A starting price is the smallest package, which is why it sits below what most couples end up paying.
| City | Middle half start at | Median | Priced vendors |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City NY | $875–$3,800 | $2,900 | 19 |
| Denver CO | $1,725–$3,600 | $2,500 | 16 |
| Boston MA | $1,775–$4,900 | $3,000 | 15 |
| Portland OR | $1,250–$2,350 | $1,500 | 15 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth TX | $1,550–$4,750 | $2,750 | 14 |
| Raleigh-Durham NC | $3,000–$3,500 | $3,350 | 14 |
| Chicago IL | $1,900–$3,400 | $3,000 | 11 |
| Houston TX | $2,500–$4,750 | $3,400 | 11 |
| Kansas City MO | $1,250–$3,400 | $2,000 | 11 |
| Los Angeles CA | $1,650–$3,850 | $3,100 | 11 |
| Minneapolis MN | $550–$3,050 | $1,300 | 11 |
| Sioux Falls SD | $800–$3,700 | $1,750 | 11 |
| Washington DC DC | $1,750–$3,600 | $2,800 | 11 |
| Asheville NC | $2,000–$4,400 | $2,650 | 10 |
| Burlington VT | $3,100–$4,950 | $4,000 | 10 |
| Manchester NH | $1,050–$2,800 | $2,300 | 10 |
| Nashville TN | $1,100–$3,150 | $2,200 | 10 |
| Portland ME | $1,550–$13,800 | $4,900 | 10 |
| Tampa FL | $1,350–$2,400 | $1,900 | 10 |
| Atlanta GA | $1,350–$3,500 | $3,000 | 9 |
| Austin TX | $2,300–$4,000 | $3,000 | 9 |
| Orlando FL | $1,500–$3,700 | $2,000 | 9 |
| Rochester NY | $1,800–$3,500 | $2,700 | 9 |
| Seattle WA | $2,200–$5,000 | $3,250 | 9 |
| Greensboro NC | $725–$2,400 | $1,550 | 8 |
| Aspen CO | $3,250–$4,600 | $4,000 | 7 |
| Columbia SC | $650–$2,500 | $900 | 7 |
| Monterey CA | $1,950–$9,250 | $3,000 | 7 |
| Richmond VA | $2,050–$4,400 | $2,500 | 7 |
| San Francisco Bay CA | $1,125–$3,350 | $2,900 | 7 |
Cities with five or more priced vendors, biggest sample first; a linked city has its own page with the vendors behind the number. Read 2026-11-11.
What actually drives the price
- Scope, not hours
- The gap between coordination and full planning is months of work, not a longer wedding day. Be honest about which one you actually want.
- Guest count and complexity
- A 200-guest wedding across two venues with a weekend of events is a different job from 80 guests in one room.
- Percentage-based pricing
- Common on larger weddings and worth understanding: at 12% of spend, a $90,000 wedding means a $10,800 fee. Ask whether the percentage applies to the whole budget including the venue.
- Design services
- Styling, mood boards, renderings and installation oversight are frequently a separate line from planning.
- Team size on the day
- One coordinator can run a small wedding. Two hundred guests with a complex timeline usually needs an assistant, typically $300-$600.
How to spend less without regretting it
- Buy coordination even if you plan it yourself
- The cheapest tier is the one almost nobody regrets. Without it, the person running your wedding is your mother, your maid of honour, or you.
- Do not pay for design you already have
- If you know exactly what you want, partial planning with your own aesthetic costs less than full service and gets you the same day.
- Ask about a fixed fee instead of a percentage
- On a larger budget, a flat fee can be substantially less than 10-15% - and it removes the awkward incentive to spend more.
- Check what your venue coordinator actually does
- Some venues include real coordination. Most include someone who manages the building, not your wedding. Get the distinction in writing before deciding you are covered.
When to book
Full-service planners are booked 12-18 months out, often before the venue, because helping you choose the venue is part of the job. Day-of coordinators can frequently be booked 4-6 months out, though the good ones go earlier.
What to ask before you book
- Which tier is this, and precisely what is and is not included?
- How many weddings do you take on my date and that weekend?
- Do you work for me or does the venue pay you anything?
- Who will actually be on site, and will I have met them before the day?
- Do you take commissions or kickbacks from vendors you recommend?
More questions to ask a wedding planner — and what a good answer sounds like →
Common questions
How much does a wedding planner cost?
Day-of coordination typically costs $800 to $2,000, partial planning $2,000 to $4,500, and full-service planning usually starts around $4,500 and rises with the size of the wedding. Larger weddings are often priced at 10-15% of total spend.
What is the difference between a planner and a venue coordinator?
A venue coordinator works for the venue and is responsible for the venue's obligations - the building, its staff, its timeline. A planner works for you, across every vendor and the whole day. Most couples need at least a day-of coordinator even at venues with excellent staff.
Is a wedding planner worth the money?
The strongest case is for day-of coordination, which is the cheapest tier and the one couples most regret skipping - without it, someone you love spends your wedding working. Full-service planning is worth it when you lack time rather than taste.
What does 'day-of' coordination actually include?
Despite the name, good day-of coordination usually begins 4-6 weeks before the wedding: confirming every vendor, building and distributing the timeline, running the rehearsal, and managing the wedding day itself.
Why our prices aren't sponsored
Most wedding sites earn money from the vendors they list, which is why their "recommended" wedding planners and their cost advice tend to point the same direction. Lazo takes nothing per lead and nothing per booking, and rankings can't be bought at any price. Every review comes from a couple who proved they actually got married with that vendor. So the ranges above are what we believe couples pay — not what anyone paid us to say.
Wedding Planners near you
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