Last Monday, I made the provocative suggestion to create a website that would allow readers to anonymously post the names of planners who charge a hidden fee. This offer resulted in some very interesting feedback and inspired me to clarify my position.
-It is my opinion that the practice of charging vendors side commissions is acceptable when there is an open exchange of information and all parties are clear to all monetary transactions.
- It is the practice of planners charging these fees without their client’s knowledge that I consider unethical.
I do not mean to overstate my case, but this is a topic I am passionate about, and it is inspired by own personal experience. This practice nearly put me out of business with dishonest planners charging me anywhere from 5%-20% without their client’s knowledge. That said, I will refrain from starting such a site based on your feedback.
In concluding our profile on planning, I’ll like to discuss planners that charge a fee only for “the day of the event.”
As with everything in life, there are pro’s and con’s to this approach.
The Benefits:
1. Clients are more amiable to paying a minimal fee to assure them that things run smoothly.
2. Clients who feel they have done most of the work (i.e., hiring the vendors) will feel more comfortable paying a smaller fee.
3. Planners who are just starting out in the business may find this to be an excellent way to gain experience and build their portfolios.
The Setbacks:
1. Planners may find this approach chaotic. Managing vendors and navigating a venue when you have not had the proper time to familiarize yourself with the space, the client and those involved may cause added stress and not allow planners to do their best work, thanks to time constraints. I personally think charging a “week of the event” fee would be more appropriate for all parties involved.
2. Planners run the risk of losing a job. It’s not uncommon for banquet halls to talk our clients out of hiring planners for the day because they feel they can handle the clients themselves.
3. Clients who hire “day of the event” planning tend to have difficulty managing their expectations.
I have seen many planners in New York find success with this approach. In your estimation, how much do you think a planner in New York City would charge to manage a wedding of 300 guests for the day?
Note: The total budget is $100,000 in this scenario.
A $500
B $1000
C $1500
D More
E. Less
Lastly, what are your thoughts about “day of” planning? Please share them with me!
Check Out My Facebook Fan Page
PREVIOUS
George Bernard Shaw once said: “You see things and say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were and say, ‘Why not?’” That quote embodies how Preston Bailey approaches every event.
Samantha
June 20, 2012
300 guests? I’d say no less than a $1000
makeitfabulousintoronto
June 20, 2012
For this particular wedding, which is quite large and will require a lot of work, I think $1000 is a fair fee. When I offer “Day of” to clients, I start working with them and their vendors a month before the day of the event; that way I get to know the clients and the vendors (as well as the location) as if I had been working on this event for months. In my opinion, a week is not enough to get to the knots and bolts of the event and to provide excellent services on the day of.
Samantha
June 20, 2012
Also, I don’t offer “day of planning”. I offer “week of”, which starts 2-4 weeks out and “month of”which starts 6wks-3 months out.I don’t understand a coordinator just showing up the day of, with not even a venue walk through beforehand.
Ana Valerio
June 20, 2012
I think 1500
bisi bordley
June 20, 2012
As per usual fab blog!
Answer to your question is D
Thoughts on “day of the wedding” is a business practice I don’t indulge in, as stated by you it does no business any favours if the day gets screwed up due to mismanagement or communication problems.
As a wedding planner you need to be involved at an early stage and help sort through your clients ideas and offer guidance on how to filter, enhance and translate them into a unique event that is completely reflective of their personal signature.
How can you possibly do this if you are only involved on the day?
I am not knocking it by any means but it must be very challenging and not a rewarding or creative practice! Just my two cents worth!! xb
Platinum Touch Events
June 20, 2012
My guess would be D. More than $1500. With a budget of $100,000 and 300 guests to manage, I would assume that there are a lot of intricate details that cannot be overlooked, several vendors to work with, etc. I am a planner in Los Angeles, and Day-Of services can START at $1200-$1500 for budgets far less than $100,000. The term “Day-Of” should be used loosely. It is a service that I offer, however, we generally start working with our Day-Of clients a month ahead of time. This gives me time to get familiar with all of the vendors we will be working with, do a walk-through of the venue and go over final logistics, create a detailed timeline of the day so everyone is on the same page, etc. It is pretty unrealistic for a planner to show up on the day of the wedding and expect everything to run smoothly. That is a disaster waiting to happen!
Heather Chesnet
June 20, 2012
Our day of package consist of :
~two planning meetings totaling up to five hours. The second one would be within a week of the wedding day.
~assistance in creating a working wedding day time line.
~confirmation of venue and vendors date and times for the wedding day.
~attendance and supervision of the rehearsal.
~on the wedding day, we attend to and supervise all aspects of the wedding according to the time line.
~we handle all last minute details and trouble shooting on the wedding day.
~unlimited e-mails throughout the planning process.
~two hours of phone planning support. additional phone time for a fee.
We would find it foolish to offer a day of service that did not include all of the above. We have it set up so that we have time to familiarize ourselves with the ins & outs of their day.
Doryan G.
June 20, 2012
Clearly D.
All that beauty and elegance worth every penny.
julia Hewitt
June 20, 2012
I am not a fan of “day of coordination” I think it is unrealistic for a person to think that this is possible.
Annette
June 20, 2012
I’m quite sure that a NY planner would charge more than 1500 $ for the “Day of…” And I think that it would be fair enough. Taking care of a wedding that you haven’t planned yourself takes a great deal of time, efforts and experience if it has to be flawless.
As regarding the “Day of…” I’m not fond of this. What I offer my customers is a “Month of…” where they can let go of everything and I can take over, get to know vendors and venue, familiarize with the feeling and atmosphere wanted by bride and groom, make a decent timeline and go through it with the vendors, make last-minute adjustments to decor etc.
I want to be sure that I’ve done anything in my power to deliver a high quality product. I therefore couldn’t feel comfortable about just showing up on the day of the wedding without any kind of preparation…!
Jasmine - This Moment Events
June 20, 2012
The vast majority of my business comes from “day-of” clients. Granted, Day-of is really a misnomer, because what I do is Month of coordination and it starts at a minimum of 8 weeks out. I think any planner worth their salt would charge more than $1500 to coordinate a wedding that size. You need at least 1 event manager per 50 guests (who need to be paid). And not to mention the fact that there are likely extensive set up requirements for a space large enough to hold that many guests. 300 chairs, an escort card display for that many, that is a LOT of work. My answer is D.
Mary
June 20, 2012
“Day Of” Wedding Coordination is a misnomer. In my market there is a push to change the wording to “Month Of” Coordination or Wedding Month Management. It sets us all up for success when we have more time to prepare and confirm vendors, review timelines, and so forth.
Lisa Manning
June 20, 2012
Great post! I totally agree with you! Even worse than planners who do this are venues. “We do all of this work for FREE so you don’t need a planner.” Then, they contract the music, cake, decor, etc., upcharge 15-20% and bill the client directly. Again, I have no problem if this is disclosed in advance but it is not and I find that very unethical.
I have offered “Wedding Day Management” for years and love it…but it is all in how you set up the package. I give them checklists and worksheets for each category so I know the planning has been done correctly. I give them opportunities to touch base with me throughout the process to answer questions and give advice. Included is the itinerary planning so I know that the schedule will flow smoothly. So, I offer a bit more but it helps make the planning successful and the day go great. If the client does not have the worksheets done or will not make the time to sit down with me and go over the details (or make changes, if necessary), then I will not do the wedding. It is clearly stated in my contract because I had a bride who was “too busy” to sit down with me and go over the wedding details. As expected, it was a mess.
Wedding Day Management can be great if you manage it well in advance!
Sileola
June 20, 2012
Definitely D, I will say $2500-$3000
Charlene @ Sweetchic
June 20, 2012
Are there really coordinators out there who literally show up on the day-of without doing some homework and prep-work in advance? I thought that was a myth… Every planner/coordinator I’ve ever met who offers “day of coordination” starts working with the client at least a few weeks prior.
Tia
June 20, 2012
Hi Preston.
Thanks for presenting such thought provoking questions. Love how you want to raise our awareness.
Frankly, if a bride is spending $100k on her wedding, I would expect her to have a full service planner engaged from the onset rather than trust someone to step in 30 or less days from the day of her wedding. Regardless of what is being spent, a wedding day is a fantasy that carries an emotional investment. The best way a bride can protect the financial and emotional investment is with an experienced, reputable Wedding Planner who really understands her/his role. Bringing someone in for the ‘day’, ‘week’, or even ‘month’ is not enough time in my opinion to establish a relationship of trust.
But to answer your question specifically, my answer is D. I didn’t base it on the $100k budget because I don’t believe it mattered in this scenario. I feel fees should be based on what we are being asked to do and the value we place on our time in getting the job done. The number of guests (300) was definitely a factor in my decision because I would think with that number of folks, the Wedding Planner would need to bring in staff to help manage the event details.
Anne Griggs, Floral and Event Design
June 20, 2012
Ok Preston, I am looking and I am drooling. I am very curious, not only what a day of planner would charge, but the Event and Floral Designer for this entire picture. It is like a dream, a really good one. I would absolutely die to have a job like this.
Roberto Ramirez
June 21, 2012
para 300 personas yo creo mas de 1500 dlls.
y siento que el servicio de día de la boda o de 7 días antes de la boda no son tan efectivos , y ponen en riesgo nuestra linea y estándar de trabajo, cuando se hacen contrataciones por estos servicios, pierdes el control y no cubres las expectativas del cliente , pero , si informas al cliente de como son las garantías de tu servicio creo que se podría hacer flexible esa opción , pues saben lo que encontraran .
I think 300 people over 1500 dlls.
and I feel the service wedding day or 7 days before the wedding are not as effective, and jeopardize our line and standard of work, when making contracts for these services, you lose control and you do not cover the expectations customer, but if you inform the client such as guarantees of your service I think you could do this flexibility option, because they know what they found.
Ricardo Rivera
June 21, 2012
Dear Preston, I have been doing events for 11 years, I have done thousands of events, and everyday I realize an event has hundreds of detais and I do not think anyone could say that never make mistakes, I do triple check everithing and today I forgot to takre acups to an event of 400 guests, and I did get this event 3 monts ago, thanks God, when the firs person got in the event my bartender inform me that we did not have wine cups it took me 30 minutes to get the cups but I could loose the event and 400 hundred customers, how can a planner could fix a situtation like this if he or she does not know any of the vendors, Ican’t believe anyone cuold run a succesfull event on a 1 day coordination, and I would never take an event for one day coordination . About the answer I would say D $ 10,000.00 u.s. Dlls.
Jolie
June 21, 2012
I have no idea what any of this means. I’m so confused. I know it’s written for wedding planners but who knew you needed a Law of Finance degree to be a wedding planner? What a migraine!
ARJ
June 21, 2012
I have never heard of anyone doing a day of planning even thought that is the term used. Most companies start about 8-6 wks. out to have time to really understand what is going to happen that day. I wouldn’t determine the cost by the budget but by the number of guests. More guest means more people to manage it all which increases the cost. Most packages that I have seen in NY for Day of services start at about $1,200 and up so I would have to say D.
Simply Lavish Weddings & Events, LLC
June 21, 2012
Dear Preston,
When you begun this series you said you were going to list & discuss five ways a planner can charge for service. Correct me I’m wrong, but thus far you’ve only really discuss four with the inclusion of this one. You’ve yet to discuss in depth, charging a percentage of an event. I’ve always been curious just how planners collect money from that. Do you 1st sercure a set mininum amout to begin the process then collect the rest after the event? I’ve always been a nervous about his formate b/c planning budgets tend to fluctuate at times. If you begin with budget of lets say $75K however by the end you event cost $85K. Do you just invoice that? I would love some insight on this from you and any other blogger who wishes to give feedback on this style of charging.
JESSICA
June 21, 2012
$1000 WOULD BE A SAFE GUESS BUT IN MS I’M SURE WE CAN ONLY CHARGE $500
Latisha Harrison
June 21, 2012
My guess would be 5% ($5,000) so answer D.
Cheri Davis
June 21, 2012
Hi Preston,
I have done two Day of Planning Events and It was very stressful for me. I’m very anal & detail oriented, so not knowing all the in & outs of the planning process was not good. It was very uncomfortable not knowing the Bridal Party & not having the pleasure of building the relationship with the vendors.
Cheri
Couture Wedding Planning
June 22, 2012
Hello there Preston, I think D more than a $1500.
I love to do Wedding Day Coordination, I meet up with the client about 2 months before the wedding to discuss the wedding in detail. I then create a comprehensive timeline which I communicate to all their suppliers. I also include 3 meeting with this package so we can meet the important suppliers such as the venue, photographer and so I can attend their rehearsal so that I get familiar with the ceremony location.
I am also looking forward to hearing your thoughts and the pro and cons on charging a percentage of the clients budget!
Have the best day, From Fiona from Couture Wedding Planning
ME
June 26, 2012
No less than 7-10 days out to meet and get info to make and discuss the itinerary while client knows you are not resposible for blame of mistakes, for example if the linen color isnt what they thought they had ordered. How do i know you wanted ivory damask and not ivory shantung? The client is responsible for reviewing and confirming and approving those details. So planner makes itinerary and runs all that day. Thats it.
Problem is…not many come to you with all contracts and bids finalized and ready. Its 50/50 on this. Those that do, can be eaily sold for $1500-$2000 (however remembering the coordinator isnt getting that full percentage commission so really could be paid as low as 50% of that soo you should be tipping your wedding planners significantly). If they dont come to you finalized and organized you spend all week fixing things and getting itinerary together which means it should be increased be $2500-3500.
But breaking it own it would be way more. For example: You could pay a photobooth for $1200-2000 for 5 hours of service on the day of. But your planner could be there on the day of for say 9am-1:00am (16 hours) plus the 2 hour meeting with client to get info, 2-3 hours making itinerary, 2-3 hours of confirming and adjusting itinerary, and 3-9++ emailing and phone calls about the wedding with vendors (especially when things are not finalized and correct). Plus uncomparably more responsiblity than you day of photobooth,
So maybe hourly work would be the better route for this type of small package. Only potential problem is if no one else charged hourly and/or the transperancy of how much its actually going to cost might lose you the client. But it would make them want to come to you all finalized to avoid the cost of have you fix it all…..hmm… Could work!