Quick Answer
What does a wedding planner do?
A wedding planner is the professional who designs and runs the entire wedding end to end — concept and budget, vendor selection and contracts, the timeline across every function, and guest logistics. Unlike a day-of coordinator, who only takes over execution on the event day, a full-service planner owns the months of decisions before it. In India they usually charge either a percentage of the total budget or a flat fee.
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Last updated:
What does a wedding planner do?
Also called: wedding planner, full-service planner, full-service wedding planner, lead planner.
A wedding planner is the one person whose job is the entire wedding — not the flowers, not the food, all of it. They design the event, set and police the budget, source and negotiate every vendor, build the timeline across every function, and run guest logistics from the first save-the-date to the vidaai. A day-of coordinator only shows up for the final stretch; a full-service planner owns the months before it, which is exactly why families either swear by them or balk at the fee.
What a wedding planner does
A full-service planner is hired early — often 6 to 12 months out — and carries the wedding from a blank page to a finished event. The work spans five areas:
- •Concept and design — the theme, the look, the venue shortlist, and how each function should feel.
- •Budget — setting it, allocating it across vendors, and tracking spend so the family does not discover the overrun on the wedding morning.
- •Vendor selection — sourcing, vetting and negotiating the decorator, caterer, photographer, makeup artist, pandit and the rest, then holding them to their contracts.
- •Timeline — building the run sheet across the haldi, mehndi, sangeet, wedding and reception, anchored to the muhurat.
- •Guest logistics and execution — invites, RSVPs, rooming, transport, and a team on the ground (or a sub-contracted day-of coordinator) to run each function.
How wedding planners charge in India
There is no single price, because there is no single planner. Fees turn on the model agreed up front — a percentage of the budget, a flat fee, or a partial brief — and on city and tier. A Mumbai or Delhi planner with a marquee portfolio costs multiples of a strong regional planner doing identical work.
| Fee model | How it works | Typical India range |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of budget | 10–15% of total spend — scales as the wedding grows | ₹3–15 lakh on a ₹30 lakh–₹1 crore wedding |
| Flat fee | A fixed quote for an agreed scope and guest count | ₹1.5–8 lakh, by city and tier |
| Partial / per-function | Lower base for one or two functions, add-ons billed on top | ₹75,000–₹3 lakh |
The percentage model quietly aligns the planner with a bigger budget. If you are cost-sensitive, a flat fee removes that incentive — agree the scope tightly so "flat" does not turn into a stream of add-ons.
Tips for event managers
- •Pin the scope and deliverables in the contract — exactly which vendors, functions and guest-logistics tasks are included, and what is billed extra.
- •Build the budget with an 8–10% contingency line from day one; Indian weddings always find a last-minute spend, and the planner takes the blame for the surprise.
- •Keep one master vendor sheet and one master guest list that the family, the venue and every vendor work from — three versions is where coordination quietly breaks.
- •Confirm in writing who owns day-of execution: the planner’s own team, or a sub-contracted day-of coordinator — and make sure that handover is clean.
Tips for wedding hosts
- •Decide whether you need full-service (vision plus execution) or a lighter partial brief — paying full-service rates for help you only need on the day is the most common over-spend.
- •Check references at your own budget tier; a planner brilliant at ₹2 crore weddings is not automatically the right fit for a ₹40 lakh one.
- •Agree the fee model in writing — percentage versus flat — and ask exactly what is and is not included before you sign.
- •Stay involved on the guest list even with a planner; it is the one thing only your family truly knows, and it drives every other number.
Give your planner one shared workspace
Weddingkart puts the guest list, RSVPs and event schedule in one place, with role-based access — so your planner, your family and your vendors always see the same live picture.
See how teams work →Frequently Asked Questions
What does a wedding planner do?
A full-service wedding planner designs and runs the whole wedding — concept, budget, vendor selection, the timeline across every function, and guest logistics — from months out until the event is over. They own the plan end to end, not just the wedding day.
How much does a wedding planner cost in India?
Most charge either 10–15% of the total budget (commonly ₹3–15 lakh on a ₹30 lakh to ₹1 crore wedding) or a flat fee of roughly ₹1.5–8 lakh, depending on city, tier and guest count. A partial or single-function brief costs less.
What is the difference between a wedding planner and a coordinator?
A planner is engaged months ahead and owns concept, budget, vendor selection and the full timeline. A day-of coordinator is engaged a few weeks out and only runs execution on the wedding day. Planners build the plan; coordinators make it happen.
When should I hire a wedding planner?
For a full-service planner, 6 to 12 months before the wedding, so they have time to design it, set the budget and lock the best vendors before dates fill up. Leaving it late narrows your venue and vendor choices and pushes up prices.
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By Mayank JaiswalLast updated