The Cost of Hiring a Wedding Planner

April 23, 2013 by Gaitree Shivnauth   

wpic.ca

There is a great saying:

“If you think hiring a Professional is expensive, wait until you hire an Amateur.”
-Red Adair

We can speak for days about the cost of NOT hiring a trained, certified wedding planner, but today let’s talk about what it actually costs to hire a wedding planner.
The average cost of wedding services varies a little across this great country of ours due to demand, experience, and the cost of running a business in the area the wedding planner is operating in.  Some wedding planners have to buy permits for each area they work in, others do not.  Some areas have much higher marketing costs, while others have minimal marketing costs, so here is a guideline to show what average costs are.
Remember:  Prices will be higher depending on the level of experience of the wedding coordinator and the level of complexity of the wedding.
Average cost of hiring a Wedding Planner across Canada:
CONSULTING
Description of Service: Consulting is for couples who need help getting started or who have hit a road-block in their wedding planning. Consulting can be a one-time meeting or an on-going service.  A normal session takes 2 hours and includes a telephone consultation prior to meeting in person.
Cost:

• Cities: $150 for the first hour, $50-100 each additional hour.
• Towns: $100 for first hour $50 each additional hour.

MONTH-OF COORDINATION SERVICES
Description of Service: This is the most common service of a wedding planner.  This service is for those who have planned everything themselves and need someone to help finalize the details and coordinate the actual wedding day for them.  Without a professional wedding planner handling all the details, who will make sure everything you planned actually happens?
Cost:

• Vancouver, BC $1,500+
• Edmonton, AB $800-1,500+
• Red Deer, AB & surrounding areas  $600-1,000+
• Calgary, AB $800-1,500+
• Saskatoon, SK $600-1,000+
• Regina, SK $600-1,000+
• Winnipeg, MB $600-1,000+
• Waterloo, ON $600-1,000+
• Toronto, ON $800-1,500+
• Niagara, ON $800-1,500+
• Montreal, QC $800-1,500+
• Moncton, NB $600-1,000+
• Charlottetown, PE $600-1,000+
• Halifax, NS $600-1,000+
• St. John’s, NL $600-1,000+

**BEWARE of people charging less than these prices!  They are undercutting the industry and it is usually due to a lack of experience or training.

FULL CORDINATION
Description of Service: This service is for couples who would like a wedding coordinator working with them throughout the entire wedding planning process.
Cost:

• 10-15% of your total wedding budget is the average cost of a wedding planner.
• They may charge using the percentage model or they may charge a flat fee.  Flat fees for Full Coordination are $2,500-5,500, based on area and experience.
• If you require the design services of your wedding coordinator, you will also be charged a “Design Fee” as well.

BEWARE of people charging less than these prices!  They are undercutting the industry and it is usually due to a lack of experience or training.  There have been many scams recently where “professionals” have offered rock-bottom pricing in order to secure clients and then closed up shop before the clients’ weddings, taking their money with them.