(Updated January 2022 with most recent pricing)
There is a great saying:
“If you think hiring a Professional is expensive, wait until you hire an Amateur.”
-Red Adair
We can speak for days about the cost of NOT hiring a trained, certified wedding planner, but today let’s talk about what it actually costs to hire a wedding planner.
The average cost of wedding services varies a little across this great country of ours due to demand, experience, and the cost of running a business in the area the wedding planner is operating in. Some wedding planners have to buy permits for each area they work in, others do not. Some areas have much higher marketing costs, while others have minimal marketing costs, so here is a guideline to show what average costs are.
Remember: Prices will be higher depending on the level of experience of the wedding coordinator and the level of complexity of the wedding.
Be sure to Read: What does a Wedding Planner do??
The average cost of hiring a Wedding Planner across Canada:
CONSULTING
Description of Service:
Consulting is for couples who need help getting started or who have hit a road-block in their wedding planning. Consulting can be a one-time meeting or an on-going service. A normal session takes 2 hours and includes a telephone consultation prior to meeting in person.
Cost: (Starting Rates)
- Cities: $150-250 for the first hour, $50-100 each additional hour.
- Towns: $100 for the first hour $50 each additional hour.
MONTH-OF COORDINATION SERVICES
Description of Service:
This is the most common service of a wedding planner. This service is for those who have planned everything themselves and need someone to help finalize the details and coordinate the actual wedding day for them. Without a professional wedding planner handling all the details, who will make sure everything you planned actually happens?
Cost: (Starting Rates)
- Vancouver, BC $1,500-2,500+
- Edmonton, AB $1500-2,500+
- Red Deer, AB & surrounding areas $800-1,000+
- Calgary, AB $1500-2,500+
- Saskatoon, SK $800-1,500+
- Regina, SK $1000-1,500+
- Winnipeg, MB $1000-2000+
- Waterloo, ON $1000-2000+
- Toronto, ON $1500-2,500+
- Niagara, ON $1500-2,500+
- Montreal, QC $1,500-2,500+
- Moncton, NB $1000-1,000+
- Charlottetown, PE $1000-1,500+
- Halifax, NS $1000-1,500+
- St. John’s, NL $1000-1,500+
FULL COORDINATION/WEDDING PLANNING
Description of Service:
This service is for couples who would like a wedding planner/coordinator working with them throughout the entire wedding planning process.
Cost:
- 10-15% of your total wedding budget is the average cost of a wedding planner.
- They may charge using the percentage model or they may charge a flat fee. Flat fees for Full Coordination are $3,500-10,000+, based on area and experience.
- If you require the design services of your wedding coordinator, you will also be charged a “Design Fee” as well.
Thank you for this!
Thanks for sharing this, and mentioning the “professionals” that are undercutting the industry.
Great article!
Great article – it is an eye-opener for clients who don’t realize that there is a difference between a professional and random people who assume that they can plan an event.
Beware! Beware! Give me a break. This is clearly written by a planner who probably likes to charge a BIT more than necessary. Anybody who is not an idiot will realize if you are dealing with someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing when you meet with them and ask the necessary questions. Ask to see a resume to check qualifications and experience. Check reviews and references. The month before coordination rates seem accurate but unless you’re having a huge, expensive wedding or live in a place like NYC I can’t imagine who would pay a planner $10,000 based on a percentage of their budget. I wonder what the budget includes? Services that have nothing to do with the planner like photography? Some photographers cost more than others if they are well known or offer certain extra services like editing, so why should a planner profit off of that as a part of your budget? You can have qualified planners who are still disorganized and unhelpful and ‘amateurs’ who may have fantastic skills in planning a wedding if they have had other jobs that have taught them exceptional organizational skills necessary to plan such an event. So yes, do your due diligence and watch out for scams and amateurs but also ‘beware’ of professional scammers who will rip you off.
Hi Anne,
I think you misread. The top number quoted was $5,500. $1,000 was quoted for the top-end of Month-of services in some areas.
Hi! Will you be having and wedding designer classes in Edmonton?
Hi Aarushi,
We hope to get back to in-person Wedding & Event Design classes soon. At this time we are still keeping this course online due to the hands-on sharing of equipment portion involved.
I agree with Anne. Yes I believe in hiring someone who is qualified or capable of planning an event. That doesn’t mean people who don’t have a certificate or education in wedding planning are not capable. I think you need to meet the individual and see their qualifications, whether it be any job where they have exceptional organizational and multi task skills. And most importantly if you can see yourself working with that person whether it be a year before your special day or a month before. Also it’s important to be on the same page in design ideas so your dream wedding is executed the way you want it! 🙂
For example I have started my own event planning business. No I don’t have an education in event planning. But I have had experience in planning events. One being my own wedding that was a week long and included 600 ppl to 900 ppl on each function. And may I add I was also getting married. Yes I hired a sameday wedding reception coordinator (because no I’m not superwoman) but I provided the whole same day itinerary. Step by step. Minute to minute schedule, contact info arranged times when each vendor will arrive/set up and take down. They literally had to do nothing as everything ran smoothly. (Thank God). Now this was a 100K plus wedding ( that’s how Indian weddings are sometimes done). And this does not include the other events (showers birthday etc) I have planned. So if that’s not a resume a bride would not be interested in when hiring a planner and pay not nearly what a so called ” professional” planner would be. Then I don’t know what is. May I add having an engineering background definitely helps with the logistics, budgets and scheduling. Now I could work as an engineer and make so much more money. But there’s a difference when hiring someone because they truly love doing it and have a passion for it and left a career that was more financially secure.
Anyways I think brides or anyone wanting to host an event you have your choice. “Professional” or so called “non professional”. Go with your gut and your budget and your dream event will be granted! 🙂 good luck!
Thank you for your input Shaminder.
Really there is no reason not to be educated. So much more than the planning is taught, you are taught about running a business, government expectations, given on-going education, access to discounts not otherwise given, access to group insurance policies and most-importantly you are given a network of other trained professionals to have your back, help you on events, or just to share ideas with, etc, etc, etc.
Hi. I am going to attend the weekend course in Toronto on the 24 and 25 of January for the Wedding Planner. I am so excited. I have a background in catering and have owned my own restaurant. I have planned some weddings and different events so this is just expanding my knowledge. I live in Prince Edward County and I am surrounded by chefs and wineries. It just seems to be kismet! I have worked with florists and am an avid gardener as well. I have many connections in the wedding field from caterers to florists to hairstylists. Sunday I am attending a large city bridal show to make contacts with future brides and service providers. Wish me luck!
Saskatoon is spelled wrong. Sorry, I’m being that “grammer/spelling bully”. 😉
**GRAMMAR! Oh wow. I really did just do that.
How do you go about getting the experience though? If you just started, doesn’t it make sense to charge less even if you are educated, because you don’t have as many weddings under you?
Hi Tamara,
That’s why we posted the starting rate and the rate for experienced planners.
In any other job would you take a lower pay while gaining experience? No, it’s actually against the law for employers to do that, so why would you short-change yourself and hurt the very industry you are trying to make a living from?
Hi there,
Just a quick question, will you be conducting any classes in Vancouver BC anytime soon?
Hi Manpreet.
We will be in Vancouver February 27 & 28, 2016. The new schedule will be up for November 1, 2015. Thank you for your interest in WPIC!
Hi
Do you have any in Edmonton coming days.
Thankyou
Hi there,
We will be in Edmonton on March 5 & 5, 2016.
Hi WPIC,
Thank you for sharing this information! Just wondering if there will be classes in Mississauga or Toronto in 2016?
Hi Natalie, yes indeed. We have the 2016 schedule up on the website at http://www.wpic.ca We will be back at UTM on April 23/24, 2016.
Hello Fellow Wedding Planners!
I felt the need to research what the going rate is currently for Wedding Planners and was happy to find the article above…
I did however notice that it is a post from April 2013…. Is there a more resent rate list available that could be posted?
Thanks so much in advance,
Mystical Wedding & Event Planning
Hi there, there are now more current surveys done by Wedding Wire for 2022. The prices that you quoted us from are from an outdated article, and are for Month Of Coordination services.
Charging $800 would be below minimum wage so that simply wouldn’t suffice or be sustainable.
Average for Month Of services in the larger cities in Canada start at $1500-$3000.
Full service wedding planning starts at $2500, and is approximately 10-15% of the couples budget so can vary widely. $2500-$10,000 would be the norm.