What Does a Wedding Planner Cost?
How many times in your life have you needed to plan a wedding? How many times have you had to hre wedding planner services? Only once, ahhhh I see. It’s really no surprise to me that a lot of clients inquire about our services and have no earthly idea of what exactly we cover and why we charge what we do!
Apples and Oranges
I think the biggest surprise to a lot of people is that all planners and their service levels are not alike. We all specialize in different things, and if your planner is worth their salt, they should clearly explain what they do and don’t do and work with you to choose the best level of service to meet your needs and your financial comfort zone.
This is a Business, Not a Hobby
A job as a wedding planner is a pretty darn fun one; I’m not going to lie. We get to help clients design memorable weddings, and we get the fun of seeing their dreams unfold. Because of the “sex appeal” that planning has as a career, there are many people who help a friend plan their wedding toss up a shiny new website and then *boom* declare themselves a planner.
Without mincing words, they are not a planner until they’ve made it legal with the state, and paid all associated taxes and fees to have a business in Upstate New York. Until then, it’s a hobby.
Taxes, Education, Liability…the List Goes On
I still remember the first time I heard someone say that wedding planners must be making some serious cash. Their services are so expensive.
That was a wake-up call for me that people needed to understand precisely what the true costs are of running a proper business. The package price we charge does NOT all go into our piggy banks. As a legal and legit business owner we need to pay:
- Payroll taxes
- Independent contractor wages
- Liability insurance
- Education
- Software/business programs
- Federal taxes
- NY state sales tax
- Just to name a few
Budgeting is a huge part of what we do, and just like we care about keeping our business afloat, we care about keeping your wedding budget in line!
If you meet with a planner, or any wedding vendor for that matter, and there seems to be many unexplained fees or limited transparency, RUN AWAY.
Can I ask about the costs or is that not cool?
We live in a society where it can be seen as rude to ask why you charge what you do for services. Well, let me tell you that there are not many wedding vendors that haven’t been asked that question. Again, we work in a world where our services aren’t used often, so we’re used to dealing with sticker shock.
It is perfectly, 100% okay to ask a vendor what their services cover for the package price. If you’ve budgeted $1500 for a planner and the cost is actually closer to $5000, then why wouldn’t you want to know why? We (collectively in the vendor world) are truly happy to talk through it with you.
However, I find most clients pick budgets out of thin air. Mostly since they are not yet aware of how much time and energy goes into managing a wedding day. To work for months and spend 40-65 hours for $1500 is not a living wage and for full service planning working with couples sometimes for 18 months or so we are looking at 250-450 hours in total. Once that is explained to people, I find they “get it”.
So, ask! And if you talk to someone who is offended by that….well, I say run away from them, too.
Let’s talk about your financial comfort zone. We have lots of different service options, and we can help you choose the best one for you.
Upstate NY Wedding Planning, Wedding Planning Advice, How much does a wedding planner cost? Why are wedding vendors so expensive?
