A Handy Guide for Writing a Thank-You Note to Your Wedding Planner

They helped you plan your best day ever, so they deserve some love.
How to Write a Thank-You Note to Your Wedding Planner
Photo: Pixel-Shot / Shutterstock
Danielle Halibey
by Danielle Halibey
Updated Dec 23, 2024

Your wedding day is a culmination of countless moving parts, with your wedding planner or coordinator working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the day is perfect—your greatest gift, really. So, as with any present, a proper thank-you note to your wedding planner is nonnegotiable. We totally get that expressing gratitude might not come as easily as selecting your wedding cake or picking your honeymoon locale, but it's an essential gesture that holds a lot of weight, so you're not going to want to phone this in (quite literally—sending a text or giving a social media shout-out are nice tributes to thank your wedding vendors, but they still don't hit the same as a classic thank-you note). Read on to figure out what to write in your wedding coordinator thank-you note and our top tips for vendor thank-you note etiquette.

In this article:

Etiquette Advice

​​In crafting a thank-you note for your wedding planner, it's important to acknowledge how their dedication, expertise and thoughtfulness made your special day what it was. Express your appreciation for their impeccable attention to detail and their beyond-impressive talents in bringing your vision to life—don't shy away from calling out specific moments throughout the planning process that made you realize just how blessed you were to bring them on. Lastly, speak openly and honestly about how their calming and supportive presence on your wedding day itself made all of your big-day butterflies fly away. If your wedding is still on the horizon, you can always look ahead and mention how thankful you are to know they'll be there every step of the way.

When it comes to actually sending or hand-delivering a thank-you note to your wedding planner, you can go about it in a few different ways (and/or at a few different times): before your wedding day, on the day of your wedding or in the weeks directly following your wedding.

While the bulk of your gratitude will likely be expressed post-wedding, you can absolutely send a thank-you note to your wedding planner before the big day. Planning such important events (and planners can easily do 12 to 52+ weddings every year) can be a very thankless job, so taking the time to sing your planner's praises will go a long way. Mailing a thank-you note to your wedding planner ahead of your special day is a wonderful way to surprise and delight, build rapport and let your partner-in-planning know that you're thrilled with how much they've done for your wedding thus far.

If you feel like prepping a special piece of correspondence for your wedding planner to open on the big day, be sure you'll have a moment to say "thank you" when it isn't disrupting the schedule. If you can manage a private conversation when you're getting ready in the morning, a heartfelt exchange as you're en route to your ceremony or a quick aside after you've changed into your reception ensemble, you can make your planner or coordinator feel valued and appreciated in real-time.

Like a traditional wedding thank-you card that would be written after the wedding, your thank-you note to your wedding planner should be sent soon after the wedding, ideally a few weeks after your big day, even before other thank-yous. This timing allows you to reflect on the event while the memories are fresh and you're able to pinpoint specific highlights and muse over their incredible dedication.

Whether you write one note together as a couple or each write your own, you'll win over your wedding planner or coordinator's heart with your genuine appreciation for all their hard work and dedication. If you do decide to write individual notes, let that shine in the wording you choose. Highlighting specific moments or aspects of the wedding that were particularly meaningful to you will give your respective thank-you notes a palpable personal touch. On the other hand, if you're more excited to jot down (and when we say that, we really mean muse over) a joint note, use turns of phrase that capture your collective gratitude and how absolutely blown away you both were on your wedding day. There's really no wrong way to do it, so long as you choose an option that resonates best with your relationship with your planner(s).

Prompts to Get You Started

Okay, so now it's time to put pen to paper—and yes, we love the sentiment behind a tangible, handwritten card (especially when it's coupled with an outstanding five-star wedding vendor review on all the important sites). If you're wondering what to write in your thank-you message for your wedding organizer, we got you!

The below angles or prompts should give you some direction for your thank-you card content, but at the end of the day, just let the gratitude flow without feeling forced. If your planner was instrumental in helping you convince your fiancé that a ceremony harpist was completely on-brand for your entrance, then let them know how much their solidarity sealed the deal. If your planner helped you narrow down your guest list calmly and efficiently when you were feeling pressure from your wedding contributors, then give them props. And if your planner had a drink or your favorite cocktail-hour nibbles ready for you once you finished with your wedding portraits, then don't be afraid to say that they literally saved your mood. Feel free to take a prompt and run with it or pick and choose a few to frame out your talk track:

  • Talk about any hesitations you might have had about hiring a planner and how they disappeared within weeks, maybe even days, of working together.
  • Give an example of a problem they expertly solved.
  • Share the exact moment you realized your planner understood your vision to a T.
  • Describe a time when your planner helped you keep your cool (whether it was from planning stress, family pressure or overall overwhelm-ment).
  • Outline the many instances where/when their attention to detail truly shined through.
  • Comment on their creativity, especially if you and your partner had unexpected wedding requests.
  • Acknowledge how their role as a planner quickly pivoted to one as a friend—or even an extension of your wedding party.
  • Get transparent about how they've helped you become much more comfortable with and confident about making decisions.
  • Give snaps for their flexibility and support throughout the planning process. (Did you ask for a lot of last-minute changes or adjustments or miss meetings along the way and they were willing to adapt, no questions asked?)
  • Allude to all of the times their professionalism and poise contributed to a smoother experience.
  • Provide examples of elements/details they executed that far surpassed your expectations.
  • Call out some of the things your guests just can't stop talking about—days, weeks and likely months following your event.
  • Mention how much you'll miss your weekly check-ins and planning huddles now that the hard part is over.
  • Rave about their overall "awesomeness," and let them know that you'll be telling everyone you know about their skills (and looping them into the planning of all your milestone events to come).

Sample Wedding Planner Thank-You Notes

Your wedding planner has been with you and your love through all the highs and lows of orchestrating one of the biggest events in your life, so when you're writing a thank-you letter in their honor—lean into what they did to make the most incredible impact on your special day in your wording. Be specific, be colorful, get emotional (if it makes sense for you), but most importantly, personalize your message as much as you can.

Example 1

Dear [wedding planner's name],

How can it be that I'm sitting here feeling excited to write you a thank-you note after I texted you countless times lamenting over how much I hate writing thank-yous (the engagement party, the bridal shower, ugh, so much writing)? In any case, I have so many things that I could say about how brilliant and talented and impressive you are, but I think the flex you should be most proud of is how you make all of your couples feel comfortable and secure about this whole process. We've gotten stressed so many times, but any time we were feeling in over our heads, we were able to truly relax after a chat with you, where you so calmly and kindly assured us that you'd handle the details.

Our wedding day was beyond our wildest dreams—truly—and we cannot thank you enough for pushing us on the things you knew would make the biggest impact (you were SO right about the band and doing an after-party) and letting us feel okay about things we could live without (that donation over favors thing was a game changer).

We already told our friends to check you out—they just got engaged and they're going to adore you.

Thank you forever! Love,

The Newlyweds [your names]

Example 2

Dear [wedding planner's name],

I honestly don't even know where to begin—thank you for everything! To say I was overwhelmed when we first started wedding planning would be an understatement. I knew we'd need help, but I was anxious about finding someone who could not only help us execute our vision, but also help us discover what that vision even was. Yet, from our very first meeting, I knew you were that person. (Here come the waterworks!)

You took the time to understand both [partner's name] and my personalities, and you made sure they shined through equally in every aspect of the wedding—no easy feat! I can also be a bit indecisive (as I'm sure you noticed!), which is certainly not ideal when it comes to planning a wedding. But you helped me trust my instincts and thanks to you, I can now confidently say "yes" or "no" without stressing about it!

On the big day, we were able to completely relax and enjoy every moment because we knew you were handling everything behind the scenes. (The pretzels and water you placed in my bridal suite as I changed out of my dress into my reception look were particularly appreciated—I was starving!) Your professionalism, patience and expertise helped make our wedding day as perfect as can be.

You weren't just a planner—you were a true partner. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

With all my gratitude,

[Your name]

Sample Wedding Coordinator Thank-You Notes

Did you decide on a day-of wedding coordinator in addition to or instead of a wedding planner to ensure your day went off without a hitch? Or did your venue pair you with the most vibe-matching on-site coordinator around to ensure you took full advantage of all the venue had to offer? Either way, they'll play a huge role in how you remember your wedding day for years and years to come. So, when you say "thank you" after it's all said and done, gush about all the good things in a thank-you note to your wedding coordinator. They'll appreciate it more than you know—and who knows, your note might just make it onto their "Couples I've Helped to Happily Ever After" bulletin board.

Example 1

Dear [wedding coordinator's name],

We wanted to take a moment to express our deepest appreciation for you as our amazing wedding coordinator. Everything flowed seamlessly, allowing us to fully be in the moment, from day's start to day's end, without worry. That's a huge deal and something we'll never forget.

The way you streamlined our vendor arrivals and made sure no one sabotaged our first looks? It was phenomenal and, no doubt, a testament to your meticulous attention to detail. P.S. Your calm, cool and collected demeanor was exactly what we needed throughout the day.

Our wedding was everything and more, and we couldn't have imagined navigating the whole thing without your guidance, direction and dedication. [Your wedding planning team or wedding venue] is so lucky to have you.

Can we reserve you for our next big thing? Please?

All our best,

[Your name] and [your partner's name]

Example 2

Dear [wedding coordinator's name],

Thank you so much for your help on our wedding day! We truly appreciate everything you did, especially working alongside [other vendors] so seamlessly.

We received so many compliments about the ceremony and reception—my great-aunt Eileen couldn't stop raving about the guest book signing table you arranged! It's all those small details that really leave an impression, and we'll cherish those memories forever.

We're truly grateful for all of your dedication and hard work that made our day so special.

Warmest wishes,

[Title] and [title] [last name]

Additional reporting by Shyla Watson

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