Full-service planning

"A wedding planning service tier where the planner manages every aspect of the wedding from initial design concept through final vendor payment, typically 12 to 18 months of work."

Why it matters

Full-service is the highest planner tier, typically $8,000 to $30,000+ for a non-celebrity wedding. The planner handles design direction, vendor sourcing and contracts, budget management, guest logistics, communications with families, and full day-of execution. For couples with demanding jobs, complex blended families, or destination weddings, full-service is often the only realistic option.

The price reflects the labor: a full-service planner spends 250 to 400 hours per wedding, attends 6 to 12 in-person meetings, and acts as the single point of contact for 15 to 25 vendors.

Best practices

Book full-service planners 12 to 18 months in advance. Interview 2 to 3 planners and look for both technical execution skill (organized, detail-oriented) and interpersonal fit (you will spend hundreds of hours with them). Ask for a portfolio of weddings with budgets similar to yours.

Frequently asked

Do full-service planners work for a flat fee or a percentage of the budget?

Both models exist. Flat fee is more common for smaller weddings ($8,000 to $15,000 weddings under $75,000 budget). Percentage of budget (typically 15 to 20 percent) is more common for larger weddings. The percentage model can produce some misalignment between you wanting to save money and the planner being paid more for spending more.