Wedding planner input please
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Anonymous
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We are planing a wedding for our daughter. The caterer we use is super full service and acts almost like a wedding planner/event planner. I was not thinking of going with a party planner in addition, then started thinking it would be good to have one designated person to oversee everything.
I know of a few who I contacted. I was STUNNED beyond words at what they are quoting me. This is our first wedding we have ever planned but holy moly, I nearly fell off my chair. Especially because we explained most of the "planning" is already done we just need someone to oversee things. Zero input needed on flowers, decor, etc.....my relative is a florist so they worked with us on that end of things and love it so no tweaks needed. Are you ready for what they wanted for ONE NIGHT? The more expensive one was $62,000 and the other was $51,000. I am not kidding. Is this even within the realm of normal? I mean if its a celebrity wedding planner, I guess I could see it but still. I need to know I am not alone in being totally bowled over by this I was expecting $15,000 at most! |
Anonymous
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I would never higher one again.
Most are not worth even $5000 |
Anonymous
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That's crazy. We planned the wedding ourselves but used a day of coordinator that stepped in about a month beforehand to coordinate vendors and then make sure the day ran smoothly. She was absolutely invaluable. She charged hourly, something like $80-$100 per hour so I think it ended up being maybe $2k. This was 2018 so things will be more expensive now but those prices are completely nutty.
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Anonymous
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Sounds like the ones you contacted are not interested in the minimalist role you're looking to fill.
My wedding planner was worth her weight in gold, but we got married near our hometowns even though we were living 2000 miles away at that point - we wanted the wedding to be more convenient for our guests than for us. It was super helpful to have someone on site running down the details with each vendor. Not sure it's necessary in your case. What do your daughter or her soon-to-be DH think about having a wedding planner? |
Anonymous
| No clue if that's normal, but you are obviously spending a lot on the wedding. We didn't have a planner and our contact with the caterer handled all of that stuff. If you are at a venue and the caterer can do that, you don't need a planner. Are you able to just give people checks at the end of the night? |
Anonymous
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we are doing this at my in laws home.
I keep reading how "high end" planners can charge upwards of $15k so that is where I thought we might be but 50-62,000??? Insane if you ask me. Love the idea above about a "coordinator" that is exactly what I need. Any ideas of how to find one? |
Anonymous
Our venue gave us a list of suggested vendors. I'd start by asking them if they have a list or know of any day of coordinators. I remember also looking at vendor pages on The Knot and Wedding Wire--though we didn't find our coordinator that way, I think it's how we found a few other vendors. |
Anonymous
Oh, I didn't see the part about the wedding being at your in-laws home, so scratch that about asking the venue and try those websites or some online searches for coordinators in your area. |
Anonymous
| I’ve recently hired a planner for a bar mitzvah. Many of the recommended planners do weddings as well. I don’t know how much more it is for a wedding vs a mitzvah, but the ranges I’ve seen are 2-3k for a day of package to 8-10k for full service. If you already have many vendors selected, it most likely wouldn’t make sense to do a full package. |
Anonymous
| I hired a “day of” coordinator to be the point person on the wedding day but otherwise planned everything myself. I want to say I paid $1,200 not including tip for the day plus a walk through the day prior (this was five years ago). She was an event planner at the university where my mom worked and did this as a side gig. |
Anonymous
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What?? I paid like $2500 for full service like 7 years ago. I used Blue Canary Events in DC/Baltimore - wedding wire says they now charge $4,500 which is totally reasonable. And the person we worked with (Rebecca O’Donnell, she’s great by the way) is now at Plannery which charges $5-9k. https://www.theplannery.com/services
Sounds like you just only looked at high end planners. Remember there is no ceiling for wedding costs. My wedding was considered “mid-range” at $45k in 2018 (in DC proper) |
Anonymous
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You need a coordinator not a planner.
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Anonymous
| It might be that you have a popular date and it’s just not worth it them to book a less expensive coordinating job when they could still book a full service job for that same date. |
Anonymous
| Just find a venue with someone who can fulfill that role and it's included with the space. Michael Deltette was basically our planner and went above and beyond for our wedding at the Park Hyatt. I know he's moved on but is still in the area. Maybe Watergate or Salamander, just google him. He's amazing or find a venue with a Sales Director who can fill that role. |
Anonymous
| That is crazy. Assuming that person does 1 wedding per week, 50 weddings per year, they are pulling in $2.5M annually. As a wedding planner. That’s insane. |