You looked at what other planners charge, picked something in the middle, and hoped for the best. That is how most people price. It is also how most planners end up doing twelve-hour days for less than minimum wage once you count the hours.
Start with your actual hours
Before you set a price, count the hours. A full-service wedding typically involves 150–250 hours of work from first inquiry to final farewell. That includes initial consultations, vendor research and outreach, contract reviews, site visits, timeline creation, budget tracking, rehearsal attendance, and the wedding day itself.
Most planners dramatically undercount their hours - especially on the back end. Admin work, follow-up emails, vendor calls, and revision rounds add up fast. If you are not tracking your hours on every wedding, start now. The data will change how you price everything.
A CRM built for wedding planners helps you log activity and see exactly where your time goes per client.
What the market actually looks like
In Toronto and major Canadian cities, current market rates look roughly like this:
- 1.Full-service wedding planning: $4,500–$10,000+
- 2.Partial planning (month-of or 60-day): $2,000–$4,500
- 3.Day-of coordination: $900–$2,500
- 4.Elopement planning: $500–$1,500
These are not ceilings. Experienced planners with strong portfolios and clear positioning regularly charge above these ranges. They are floors - the minimum that reflects the work involved at each service level.
Flat fee vs. percentage of budget
Some planners charge a flat fee. Some charge a percentage of the total wedding budget (typically 10–15%). Both models work. The difference is risk and predictability.
Flat fees are easier for clients to understand and easier for you to forecast. Percentage models pay you more when couples have larger budgets - but they can also create awkward incentives where clients perceive you as pushing higher spend. Most planners starting out do better with flat fees and clear package tiers.
Read about how to structure your wedding planning packages for a breakdown of tiered pricing that converts.
When and how to raise your rates
Raise your rates when you are booking more than 70% of inquiries. That is a signal you are underpriced. Raise them between seasons, not mid-booking. Tell existing clients your rates are going up for new clients. Never apologize for pricing your time correctly.
Track your inquiry-to-booking conversion rate consistently. If you are converting nearly everyone who reaches out, you have room to raise prices. If you are converting very few, the issue may be your portfolio, your positioning, or how you handle inquiries - not the price itself.
Pricing mistakes to avoid
- 1.Discounting to close bookings. It trains clients to negotiate.
- 2.Not charging for travel, overtime, or extras. Scope creep kills profitability.
- 3.Setting prices based on fear instead of cost-plus logic.
- 4.Hiding your prices entirely. Transparency builds trust and pre-qualifies clients.
Price is only part of the picture
A well-priced business that cannot track its invoices, follow up on unsigned contracts, or close inquiries efficiently still loses money. Getting your pricing right is step one. Step two is making sure your business systems support that pricing.
See our guides on the tools wedding planners need and how to start a wedding planning business for the full picture.