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Updated Oct 14, 2024How Much the Different Types of Wedding Planners Cost on Average
Here's what you can expect to pay, backed by The Knot data.
Photos: Stocksy,Design: Tiana Crispino
When planning your wedding, there are lots of decisions to make and logistics to coordinate—perhaps more than you have time for. Hiring a professional planner is the way to go, but how much does a wedding planner cost? And what are the different types of wedding planners and their individual costs? Regardless, the typical wedding planner fee is well worth the investment. Not only do planners juggle all of your wedding vendors, but they also offer guidance on budget, style, timelines and more. Read on for everything you need to know about the cost of a wedding planner.
At a Glance
- The Knot Real Weddings Study is one of the largest and longest-running studies of its kind, using data from recently married couples to report average wedding costs.
- According to The Knot Real Weddings Study, the average cost of a wedding planner is $2,100.
- Factors influencing the cost of a wedding planner include: your wedding size, the type of planner you choose, their experience level, the package you select and the presence of additional staff.
- The next step for personalized budgeting is to get acquainted with wedding planner costs near you with a free planning tool: The Knot Budget Advisor.
In this article:
- What's the average cost of a wedding planner?
- What factors impact wedding planner costs?
- How did The Knot calculate the average cost of a wedding planner?
- What's next for booking a wedding planner?
What's the average cost of a wedding planner?
The average cost of a wedding planner is $2,100 according to The Knot Real Weddings Study. But before you adhere to this particular number, keep in mind that this is a national average. (Emphasis on both national and average.) It's important to remember that the cost of a wedding planner relies on multiple variables. Depending on your location, the services you hire for and the type of wedding you're planning, wedding planner prices can range between $1,600 to upwards of $4,000 or more.
That said, a couple's overall budget level also dictates how much they'll spend on a wedding planner, given the level of luxury they're likely after. What's more, couples with lower budgets might opt for less-expensive types of wedding planners (and have a lower average wedding cost overall), like day-of coordinators, bringing down their average spend level. Here's what couples with low, medium and high budgets usually pay for a wedding planner:
FEATURED VIDEO FROM THE KNOT
- Lower cost quartile: $700
- Median cost quartile: $1,400
- Upper cost quartile: $3,300
The Knot has data from couples across the US, all of whom had different budgets and hired different types of wedding planners. For example, those who hired a full-service planner spent more than those who booked a wedding-weekend coordinator. Want specifics on the different types of wedding planners and their costs? Keep reading to see the rates couples paid, based on The Knot data.
Full-Service Wedding Planner Cost
Couples that hired a full-service or all-inclusive wedding planner spend about $3,800 on average. According to The Knot Real Weddings Study, 33% of couples chose to hire a full-service wedding planner. This kind of planner can land in the high-end category because their aim is to save couples any heavy lifting during the planning process, which means more labor on their end. Curious about what top-tier wedding planners charge? Check out the luxury wedding planner cost to compare.
Day-Of Wedding Coordinator Cost
Couples who only wanted help on the wedding day itself—37% of couples, according to The Knot Real Weddings Study— pay $1,600. The day-of planner cost is significantly lower than the average cost of a full-service wedding planner, since the vendor doesn't help with any of the logistics before the celebration. Learn all the day-of wedding coordinator responsibilities now.
Month-Of Wedding Coordinator Cost
To-be-weds who hired a month-of coordinator spent $2,400 on average. These professionals help take them to the finish line for their nuptials in the last month of planning, and 17% of couples chose to hire a month-of wedding planner.
Destination Wedding Planner Cost
Destination wedding planner rates vary based on numerous factors, like whether it's a domestic or international location. The Knot data notes that to-be-weds typically spend $2,700 on their destination wedding planner. Most couples likely hired a full-service wedding planner to execute their event from afar, but 4% of couples did use a destination wedding coordinator, according to The Knot data. Since we're already on the topic, get more insider price knowledge and see how the average destination wedding cost stacks up to the general average wedding cost.
| Hometown | Destination | Domestic Destination | International Destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,900 | $2,700 | $2,700 | $3,000 |
What factors impact wedding planner costs?
To better understand the reasoning behind the prices above, we spoke with two top-notch wedding planners. Their insight will help you understand what a wedding planner does and why you should hire a planner. See what factors influence wedding planner costs below.
Guest Count
According to The Knot data, guest count influences how much a wedding planner costs. This is likely the case for multiple reasons: Bigger weddings need a more-intensive team to pull them off, so couples will usually select a full-service planner to help execute a large-scale celebration, therefore spending more. Likewise, smaller weddings might just need the light touch of a month-of or day-of coordinator to keep things going smoothly in the final stretch.
| 1–50 | 51–100 | 101+ |
|---|---|---|
| $1,700 | $1,900 | $2,300 |
Type/Level of Planner Involvement
Ashley Allan, planner and co-owner of Your Jubilee Weddings, says the type of planner and their level of involvement directly influences price.
"The first detail is the amount of involvement," says Allan. "A day-of coordinator contributes less time than a month-of coordinator. That's significantly less time than a partial planner, which is only about half the time of a full-service planner." For example, Allan says full-service planning involves the company's lead planner spending 150–250 hours on a wedding, which is before the assistant staff's hours are added.
Additional Staff
"You have to consider the number of staff included," Allan says. "Is your planner a single operator, or does your planner come with a team on the wedding day? A planner with a team will be priced higher to account for paying their staff, but provide a more comprehensive day-of service for everyone involved."
Overall Package
Alex McClard, lead planner and owner of Vision in White Events, says that your chosen package also influences spend. "Most companies offer a management, partial and full-planning package, and each one is going to have different services that affect the price," the planner, who has 13 years of wedding know-how, says.
Experience Level
If a couple selects a planner with more experience in the industry, that planner will come at a higher price. Also, there's a chance that, if you're booking a highly experienced planner during the busy wedding season, the price is going to be higher than if you were hosting an off-season event.
Higher Couple Standards
Allan says modern couples also have high expectations compared to those of previous generations, requiring more effort from their wedding planner and thus raising costs overall.
"The entire wedding planning experience has shifted thanks to social media and the constant flood of ideas and inspiration couples see during the planning process," says Allan. "Not only can it lead to decision fatigue and overwhelm, but social media has also contributed to unrealistic cost expectations. It seems like every wedding has a custom dance floor decal and a suspended floral arrangement, but couples don't always realize these things come at a substantial cost and involve exorbitant planning time."
How did The Knot calculate the average cost of a wedding planner?
The Knot Real Weddings Study, running for 20 years, was used to calculate the average cost of a wedding planner with pricing data from real couples. Annually, the study captures responses from newlyweds and soonlyweds to get data on the current wedding landscape. The most recent iteration collected responses from 10,474 US couples that married between January 1 and December 31, 2025. To learn more about current methodology, check out the complete The Knot Real Weddings study read-out.
What's next for booking a wedding planner?
Now that you have a better idea of the general costs involved, you can consult a free budget tool like The Knot Budget Advisor to get a more-accurate look at wedding planner pricing in your area. Within the tool, you can also adjust your wedding planner spend within your wedding budget breakdown, if you choose to go full-service or day-of.
Next, start finding wedding planners near you and requesting wedding planner quotes through The Knot Vendor Marketplace. First, enter your wedding location and filter your search by price, availability for planning additional wedding-related events (like the rehearsal dinner and other prewedding parties) and planning service (such as destination wedding or full-service). Bonus: For those looking for bilingual wedding planners, there's a filter for that.
Second, pick your desired wedding planner and scroll to the "Prices & packages" section of their profile page. If the vendor has their pricing information listed, you'll find those packages there, but if not, it'll say "No pricing details yet." In the same section, you'll see a button that says "Get a personalized quote." Then, once you click that button, a pop-up window appears so you can input your event details including location, date, number of guests and more. Finally, all you have to do is click the "Request Quote" button.
You can also get a quote by sending a wedding planner inquiry email template or going directly through the vendor's website.
"Once you hear back and like what they offer, set up an initial consultation to get to know them and explain the vision for your day," says McClard. "Get the pricing on that call if they haven't sent it to you prior. Request a contract for booking from there."
Additional reporting by Cathryn Haight.
