Here's the truth of it:
Weddings are expensive.
Wedding coordinators or planners are expensive.

The average coordinator or planner is about $2,000. Some coordinators or planners with less experience may have much lower prices, while planners or coordinators in big cities might cost a whole lot more. The price tag attached to these services often raises eyebrows, and I get it! But, their expertise is worth the investment.

You might be thinking, "I love to DIY and craft and plan things, so I can handle the wedding planning before hand." and "I have plenty of family and friends who want to help on the day of the wedding! I don't need one!" Or "I helped plan a friend's wedding." So yes, you may be able to DIY all of the things...and ask for all the help and orchestrate it yourself -- but do you WANT to?

The average wedding takes 200-500 hours to plan, depending on how elaborate it is, and how much experience you have in doing it. So let's break this planning down a bit:
- Everyone has 168 hours every week.
- If you sleep for 6 of those hours every night, then that gives you 126 hours left.
- If your job is 40 hours a week, plus a half hour lunch and a half hour total commute, you've lost another 45 hours.
- That gives you roughly 80 hours left.
- Minus meals, showers and scrolling socia media, that's maybe 50 hours a week or less to plan.

If you sleep more, or hang out more, or get ready longer, then that gives you even less time - closer to about 40 hours a week or less to plan your wedding.

And if you compare that to a job, well, you can see that wedding planning becomes almost a part-time job!

So, the question becomes - do you pay someone to take at least some of that work off your hands, or do you take a part-time job for the next three, six or nine months to get all the planning done yourself?

That's the question you need to ask yourself when you start planning - is it worth it to pay someone (who is an expert) help me with this, or do I take on all the stress myself to save the money?

Wedding planning is a complex project, with lots of parts, pieces and details. Do you have the time or brainpower to keep track of all that? A wedding planner or coordinator does!

You're paying for expertise and experience when you hire a wedding coordinator or wedding planner - I've done over 50 weddings in the three years of running my business. How many have you planned?

Most planners and coordinators invest time in getting to know their clients for a reason - your successful day is our successful event! I also make a lot of accomodations for my clients, working long hours, being available and giving my attention to my clients when they need it.

Another big reason a coordinator or planner is expensive is because they've networked and gotten to know the businesses in their area - and they can recommend the ones to work with (and who to avoid!). This takes a lot of hassle and disappointment away from you, because you'll get great vendors right from the start!

Want to take a deeper look into pricing for a wedding planner or coordinator?

*Keep reading if you want a breakdown of the financials of hiring a coordinator or planner!*

(I got this idea from two other articles - https://www.aislelesstraveled.com/why-are-wedding-planners-so-fcking-expensive/ and https://www.firstcoastweddings.com/blog-posts/why-do-wedding-coordinators-cost-so-much)

Let's take my Sweet Spot package, which is a good middle package. I currently have it at $2,500.

$2,500 minus business expenses, like my client portal software ($50 a month), random supplies (like scissors, zip ties, etc), my website ($20 a month), gas ($25-$50 a month, depending on where my weddings are located) and my car insurance ($150 a month). Let's estimate that these total up to about $500 a month for business expenses. That leaves me with $2,000.

Then subtract money toward taxes, because I'm self-employed and I have to take those out myself, so now we're down to $1,500.

If I have to hire an assistant, I don't let them work more than 6 hours, but I pay them about $250-$300, depending on how complex the wedding is. That leaves me with less than $1,250 in "profit" from one wedding.

Now, let's talk hours of work for that remaining $1,250:

- Initial communication, contract, invoice, questionnaires, setting up an in-person meeting or video chat - 5 hours

- Venue walkthrough with couple - 2 hours

- Emails with couple/bride, family members who are helping, vendors and venue - 20 hours

- Wedding day timeline - 3 hours

- Transportation to various events regarding the wedding - 3 hours

- Rehearsal - 1 hour

- Set-up time: delegating tasks to others or doing the work - 3 hours

- On site, leading ceremony and reception - 7-12 hours

- Follow-up with vendors and couple, social media - 1 hour

Round that up to about 45 hours for one wedding. $1,250 divided by 45 hrs = $29/hour

What job pays $29 per hour?

I can manage about 15-20 weddings a year, which means I'm working about 700-900 hours on weddings alone. That doesn't include any actual work on my business, including systems, marketing, training, or education.

I had 17 weddings in 2024, which is absolutely great for my second year! But, if I only have about $1,250 in "profit" for each wedding (and not every wedding is at that package price), that's about $21,000 for the year. Can you imagine living on that? In most places in the US, you can't.

If I charged $4,000 per wedding, then some of my business costs would go up, especially marketing (in order to attract those clients), but my profit might be closer to $2,000 per wedding. Even then, with 17 weddings, that's only $34,000 a year.

While the cost of hiring a wedding coordinator or planner can feel steep at first glance, it’s important to understand what you’re really paying for.

You’re not just paying for hours on a wedding day.

You’re paying for experience, preparation, foresight, problem-solving, and the ability to hold everything together when emotions are high, timelines shift, or plans change. You’re paying for someone whose job it is to think ten steps ahead — so you don’t have to.

For many couples, the value isn’t in the spreadsheets or timelines (though those matter). The value is in being able to show up on your wedding day feeling calm, supported, and present — knowing that someone else is tracking the details, handling the questions, and solving the problems behind the scenes.

Hiring a coordinator or planner isn’t about whether you could do it yourself. Many couples absolutely could.

It’s about whether you want to spend months juggling logistics and stress — or whether you want to protect your time, your energy, and your experience.

So are wedding coordinators and planners “expensive”?

Maybe on paper.

But for couples who want a wedding day that feels grounded, intentional, and genuinely enjoyable — the right support often ends up being one of the most worthwhile investments they make.

Thinking about hiring a wedding coordinator or planner?
If you’re curious whether support like this would actually be helpful for your wedding, I’d love to talk it through with you.

You can learn more about my coordination and planning services here, or reach out if you have questions — even if you’re still early in the process.

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