The short answer: sooner than you think, and earlier for more help. The right moment to hire depends on which level of planning you want — but across the board, good planners take a limited number of weddings each year, and the best dates go first.
Full service: book first, before anything
If you want a full-service planner, hire them before you book the venue. A good planner shapes the budget, steers you toward the right venue, and stops you making expensive early mistakes — so bringing them in after you’ve signed a venue means they’re already working around decisions they could have improved.
Timeline: twelve to eighteen months out for a peak-season date. For 2026 and 2027 Saturdays especially, earlier is safer.
Partial planning: when you’ve started and stalled
Partial planning works best once you’ve made your big early decisions — usually the venue and a vendor or two — and realised you don’t want to carry the rest alone.
Timeline: eight to twelve months out, or whenever “we’ve got this” quietly turns into “we don’t.”
Month-of coordination: book once your vendors are in
For month-of coordination, you plan the wedding yourself and hand it over at the end. Book the coordinator once your major vendors are confirmed, so they have a complete plan to take over.
Timeline: six to nine months out. It can be later, but the strongest coordinators still fill popular dates well ahead.
Why early wins
A wedding planner isn’t a commodity you can order at the last minute. Each one takes a handful of weddings a year to give every couple real attention. The planner whose taste fits yours perfectly may only have a few 2027 Saturdays left. Booking early isn’t about pressure — it’s about actually getting the person you want.
The planners in the Wedded collective are currently taking weddings for 2026, 2027 and 2028. Tell us about your wedding and we’ll introduce you to the one who fits — and you meet them before you commit.