A wedding planner is one of the few vendors you hire not for a single thing they make, but for everything they hold together. Flowers, food, music and photography are each one piece. The planner is the person making sure all of those pieces arrive, fit, and happen in the right order, on a day you only get once.
Here is what that actually means, broken down by what a planner does and when.
Before the wedding
Most of a planner’s work happens in the months you never see on the day.
- Budget. A good planner builds a realistic budget early and keeps you inside it, because they know what things cost and where couples overspend.
- Vendors. They recommend, vet and book the photographer, florist, caterer, band or DJ, rentals and the rest — and they negotiate and read the contracts so you don’t sign something you’ll regret.
- Design. Full-service planners lead the look of the wedding: palette, florals, tablescapes, stationery, the arc of the guest experience from arrival to last dance.
- Logistics. Guest counts, dietary needs, transport, the room layout, the rain plan. The unglamorous spine of a wedding that only gets noticed when it’s missing.
On the wedding day
This is the part everyone pictures, and it’s the part you most want handled by someone who isn’t you.
The planner builds and runs the timeline, cues every vendor, manages the wedding party and family, solves the small crises quietly, and makes sure the couple actually eats. If something goes wrong — and something always does — you shouldn’t be the one who hears about it.
The levels of help
Not every couple needs the same amount of planning, which is why planners offer tiers.
- Full service — the planner leads everything, from the first idea to the last vendor on the day. Right for couples who want a true design partner and the least to carry themselves.
- Partial planning — you’ve made a start, and the planner picks it up and fills the gaps.
- Month-of coordination — you plan the wedding; the planner takes over the final stretch so the day runs without you managing it.
We go deeper on choosing between these in month-of coordination vs full service planning.
How to find the right one
Experience matters, but fit matters more. A planner becomes one of the most important people in your wedding, so taste, personality and the way they communicate count as much as their portfolio. That is the whole idea behind Wedded: we introduce you to the planner whose point of view fits yours, and you meet them before you commit to anything.
When you’re ready, tell us about your wedding and we’ll match you — or browse the planners and find the person behind the work.