Photography & events
Wedding Coordinator Cost Calculator
Works coordinator cost, which covers the day rather than the planning.
Result
Wedding pricing varies by region, season and day of the week by more than most couples expect, so treat the defaults as placeholders and replace them with quotes you have actually been given. A Saturday in peak season in a major metro is a different market from a Friday in the off season. Day of coordination is a misleading name, because most of the work happens before: confirming every vendor, building a timeline that survives contact with reality, and walking the venue. That is why the preparation hours are a separate input and why a genuine day of only package is considerably less useful than a month of one. Overtime is weighted by likelihood rather than added in full or left out, because receptions running long is common and paying for it is not usually budgeted. The effective hourly output is worth checking against a flat fee: a low looking package across a long day and weeks of preparation can work out at a very modest rate, which is a sign the scope is larger than the price suggests.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
The coordinator's fee for the hours and scope covered, typically beginning some weeks before the wedding and running through the day itself. Coordination is a narrower service than planning: it takes over the plan a couple has made and runs it, rather than creating it.
What moves the number
- When the coordinator takes over, which varies by package.
- Hours on the day and whether a rehearsal is included.
- Number of assistants for a larger wedding.
- Whether vendor communication in the final weeks is included.
Where this one goes wrong
The point at which a coordinator takes over is the term that matters, because a package starting a fortnight out leaves the couple managing vendors through the period when most problems emerge, while one starting earlier costs more and absorbs that. Ask when it begins and what it includes. A larger wedding also needs more than one person on the day, and a single coordinator covering a complex event is a real risk rather than a saving.
Before you quote
- Confirm when coordination begins and what it covers.
- Check whether the rehearsal is included.
- Confirm assistant coverage for a larger or multi-site wedding.
Questions
About this calculator
What is the difference between a planner and a coordinator?
A planner creates the plan and sources vendors; a coordinator takes over an existing plan and runs it, usually from some weeks out through the day. They are different services and the fees are not comparable.
When should coordination begin?
Earlier is better, because most problems emerge in the final weeks when vendors are confirming details. A package starting a fortnight out leaves the couple managing that period, which is exactly when they least want to be.
Does one coordinator cover a large wedding?
Not comfortably. A complex or multi-site event needs assistants, since one person cannot be at the ceremony and the reception simultaneously, and a single coordinator on a large wedding is a risk rather than a saving.
The formula
hours = wedding day + preparation scaled by package + rehearsal; expected total = fee + assistants + travel + meals + overtime x likelihood
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How to use this calculator
- Guests. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 120.
- Vendors to coordinate. Each one needs confirming, timing and managing on the day.
- Package. Enter your own figure; the page starts at Month of, including vendor confirmation.
- Hours on the wedding day. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 12.
- Hours of preparation before the day. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 18.
- Hours at the rehearsal. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 2.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to expected total cost, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Guests | 120 |
| Vendors to coordinate | 12 |
| Package | Month of, including vendor confirmation |
| Hours on the wedding day | 12 |
| Hours of preparation before the day | 18 |
| Hours at the rehearsal | 2 |
| Priced as | A flat package fee |
| Flat package fee | $1,850 |
| Assistants | 1 |
| Assistant hours each | 10 |
| Assistant hourly rate | $38 |
| Travel and parking | $80 |
| Vendor meals for the coordination team | $90 |
| Chance the day runs long | 35% |
| Overtime hours if it does | 2 |
| Overtime rate uplift | 50% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Expected total cost main result | $2,461 |
| Base coordination fee | $1,850 |
| Assistants | $380 |
| Total coordinator hours | 32.0 |
| Effective hourly rate | $57.81 |
| Expected overtime | $60.70 |
| If the day runs long | $2,573 |
| Cost per vendor coordinated | $205.06 |
Coordination costs $2,461 expected, across 32.0 coordinator hours at an effective $57.81 an hour. Assistants add $380. If the day runs long it becomes $2,573, and the expected overtime allowance is $60.70.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only flat package fee, this is what happens to expected total cost. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Flat package fee ($) | Expected total cost |
|---|---|
| $925 | $1,505 |
| $1,388 | $1,984 |
| $1,850 example above | $2,461 |
| $2,775 | $3,416 |
| $3,700 | $4,371 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Guests
- A number, between 1 and 5000, starting at 120.
- Vendors to coordinate
- Each one needs confirming, timing and managing on the day.
- Package
- Choose from Day of only, Month of, including vendor confirmation, Extended, from three months out.
- Hours on the wedding day
- A number, between 0 and 24, starting at 12.
- Hours of preparation before the day
- A number, between 0 and 300, starting at 18.
- Hours at the rehearsal
- A number, between 0 and 12, starting at 2.
- Priced as
- Choose from A flat package fee, By the hour.
- Flat package fee ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 200000, starting at $1,850.
- Assistants
- A number, between 0 and 20, starting at 1.
- Assistant hours each
- A number, between 0 and 24, starting at 10.
- Assistant hourly rate ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 500, starting at $38.
- Travel and parking ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 20000, starting at $80.
- Vendor meals for the coordination team ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 5000, starting at $90.
- Chance the day runs long (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 100, starting at 35%.
- Overtime hours if it does
- A number, between 0 and 12, starting at 2.
- Overtime rate uplift (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 200, starting at 50%.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Expected total cost | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Base coordination fee | A money figure. |
| Assistants | A money figure. |
| Total coordinator hours | A decimal figure. |
| Effective hourly rate | A money figure. |
| Expected overtime | A money figure. |
| If the day runs long | A money figure. |
| Cost per vendor coordinated | A money figure. |
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