Wedding Planner Cost in the San Francisco Bay Area (2026 Prices)
What a wedding planner costs in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2026: fifteen bookable packages from $800.00 fixed price, grouped by service level (elopement, day-of, month-of, partial, full-service), every price checked against the live listing.
TL;DR
A wedding planner in the San Francisco Bay Area costs from $800.00 fixed price for elopement and micro wedding planning to $16,500.00 fixed price for full-service planning and design, based on the fifteen bookable Bay Area planner packages on Events in Minutes. Every price, group size and service window below was checked against the live listing on September 29, 2026.
- Elopement and micro wedding planners: $800.00, $2,500.00 and $2,900.00 fixed price; the two micro packages take two to forty and two to sixty guests.
- A la carte help from $950.00 and day-of coordination from $1,200.00 (Walnut Creek) to $3,800.00 (Santa Cruz).
- Month-of and three-month coordination: $3,900.00 to $5,000.00. Partial planning: $1,500.00 to $9,500.00. Full-service planning: $7,900.00, $9,500.00 and $16,500.00.
- Eleven of the fifteen wedding packages cost $5,000.00 or less, and four cost under $2,000.00.
- All are listed as flat package prices (the four Walnut Creek listings describe theirs as starting points confirmed after a consultation), all are request-to-book and travel to you, and the planner fee never includes the vendors.
Last updated: September 2026
What a wedding planner costs in the Bay Area, by service level
Planner pricing is confusing because the same word covers a coordinator who shows up for the last month and a team that runs eighteen months of design and budget. The fifteen wedding packages below are grouped by how much of the wedding the planner owns, and each group is ordered from the lowest to the highest fixed price. The packages come from four Bay Area planning businesses based in Walnut Creek (East Bay), Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale (South Bay) and Windsor (Sonoma County), and every one travels to your venue. Two non-wedding event planner packages follow at the end for milestone parties and corporate events.
Two things are true of all seventeen listings. Each is a fixed package price on the marketplace, shown on the listing as the total before taxes and fees, and each is request-to-book, so the vendor confirms the date before you are charged. Every listing also carries a strict cancellation policy (up to 30 days before the event), which matters more for a planner than for a photographer because the date is reserved months out.
Elopement and micro wedding planners: $800.00 to $2,900.00
The lowest planner prices in the Bay Area are for the smallest weddings. The Walnut Creek elopement package is the floor for this whole page, and the two micro wedding packages cap the guest list at forty and sixty.
Elopement and Microwedding Planning and Coordination
The lowest price on this page. An East Bay planner (Walnut Creek) covers the consultation, help sourcing a venue, officiant and key vendors, a simple ceremony and reception timeline, design guidance scaled to the celebration, and on-the-day coordination. The listing describes $800 as a starting price confirmed after a consultation, and the planner travels across Contra Costa and Alameda counties, San Francisco, the Peninsula, the South Bay and the Napa and Sonoma wine country.
Book nowMicro Wedding Planner for Intimate Ceremonies and Receptions
A Santa Cruz planner for ceremonies and receptions of forty guests or fewer: a discovery call, a curated venue and rental short-list for small properties, vendor introductions and contract review, two design consultations, ceremony layout and processional planning, a dinner-party-paced reception timeline, rehearsal coordination if the venue or officiant requires it, and day-of management with the lead planner and an on-site team. Coverage runs from Santa Cruz County across the greater Bay Area and the Monterey Peninsula.
Book nowMicro Wedding Planner for Receptions of Sixty Guests or Fewer
The same intimate-wedding structure from a Sunnyvale planner, scoped to sixty guests or fewer: discovery call, small-venue short-list, vendor introductions across catering, florals, photography and music, design check-ins, ceremony layout, a reception timeline, rehearsal coordination where required, and day-of management with the lead planner and on-site team. Local coverage spans the South Bay and Silicon Valley, San Francisco, the East Bay, Monterey and Carmel.
Book nowA la carte help and day-of coordination: $950.00 to $3,800.00
If the plan is finished and you need someone to run it, this is the level. The two Walnut Creek listings describe their prices as starting points confirmed after a consultation; the Santa Cruz coordinator works solo on the day and takes over four to six weeks out.
A La Carte Wedding Planning, Coordination and Design Help
Buy only the pieces you need: vendor sourcing or contract review on request, design consultation and mood-board guidance, timeline or floor-plan help as a standalone service, and hourly or per-task planning consultation. The listing describes $950 as a starting price that scales with the services selected, and it is an on-ramp to partial or full-service planning if the plan grows. Bilingual planning in English and Spanish.
Book nowDay-Of Wedding Coordination and Full Timeline Management
The cheapest way to hand a finished plan to a professional. The Walnut Creek coordinator holds hand-off meetings in the weeks before the wedding, reviews vendor contracts and confirms arrival times, writes the master run-of-show, runs the rehearsal walkthrough, manages vendors, setup and the ceremony on site, and is the venue's point of contact on the day. The listing describes $1,200 as a starting price confirmed after a hand-off consultation.
Book nowDay-of Wedding Coordinator and Vendor Timeline Management
A Santa Cruz coordinator takes custody of a fully planned wedding for the last four to six weeks: every signed contract is read for arrival windows, overtime triggers and breakdown duties, the master production timeline and a floor plan are built, the rehearsal is run (capped at two hours), and every contractor is briefed and cued on the day. The coordinator works solo on the day, brings a stocked emergency kit, and the service window runs four to ten hours with extra hours at a published rate. The listing notes a minimum overall event budget, confirmed on inquiry.
Book nowMonth-of and three-month coordination: $3,900.00 to $5,000.00
These packages take over somewhere between the closing month and the final ninety days, and they are the ones venues usually mean when they require a professional coordinator on file. All three take thirty to three hundred guests.
Three-Month Wedding Coordinator and Day-of Production Lead
A Sunnyvale coordinator steps in for the final ninety days: a preferred-vendor list for any gaps, confirmation of every booked contract and timeline, a master production timeline covering the rehearsal and the full event day, a venue tour and floor plan, design review, rehearsal coordination, and day-of management with the lead planner and a dedicated on-site team. The listing says most bookings are made three to fifteen months ahead.
Book nowMonth-of Partial Wedding Planner with Design and Vendor Plans
For the couple who is roughly halfway there. This Santa Cruz package adds real design involvement to the closing month: two design consultations, attendance at four vendor meetings, outreach for the bookings still open (usually rentals, florals and lighting), spending reviewed against the original plan, the timeline and floor plan, the rehearsal, and the day itself with the lead planner working solo. The service window is four to eleven hours, with extra hours at a published rate.
Book nowMonth-of Wedding Planner with Eight Weeks of Coordination
Wine Country coverage from Windsor in Sonoma County: eight weeks of coordination starting about two months out, confirmation of every booked vendor contract, a master production timeline, venue tour and floor plan, design review and styling guidance, the rehearsal, and day-of management with the lead planner and an on-site team. Multi-day welcome events are a quoted addition, and the listing says bookings usually land six to eighteen months ahead.
Book nowPartial planning: $1,500.00 to $9,500.00
Partial planning has the widest price spread on the page, because it depends on when the planner joins. The Walnut Creek package is priced as a starting point for taking over the rest of a plan; the Sunnyvale and Windsor packages run monthly sessions across the whole engagement.
Partial Wedding Planning and Coordination for Busy Couples
The lowest-priced partial package: the Walnut Creek planner steps in partway through to take over vendor sourcing for the remaining categories, contract review and vendor coordination, design guidance, the master wedding-day timeline and floor plan, the rehearsal walkthrough and day-of management. The listing describes $1,500 as a starting price with a custom quote based on how much support is needed.
Book nowPartial Wedding Planner with Monthly Check-ins and Day-of
One planner for the whole engagement: monthly check-in calls from the first month, verification of every signed contract and payment schedule, sourcing for whatever is still unbooked, a design consultation plus styling input on the day, the master production timeline and floor plan, the rehearsal, and the day itself. The Sunnyvale listing describes a solo owner-run planner who carries no more than two weddings at once, with a four to ten hour service window.
Book nowPartial Wedding Planner Partnership for Ongoing Engagement
Built as a partnership rather than a handover, run from Windsor for Wine Country and Bay Area weddings of thirty to three hundred: monthly working sessions, two design consultations on palette, rentals and florals, verification of signed contracts and payment schedules, sourcing for open categories, the master production timeline and floor plan, the rehearsal and the day. Bookings usually sit six to eighteen months out, and multi-day welcome events are quoted as an addition.
Book nowFull-service planning: $7,900.00 to $16,500.00
Full-service means the planner owns the budget, the design and every vendor relationship from the first call. The three packages differ in region and in the design scope: the Windsor package is written for multi-day and destination celebrations in Wine Country.
Full Comprehensive Wedding Planner with Design and Vendor Lead
The lowest full-service price on this page. The Sunnyvale team owns the budget (monthly review and payment reminders), the design (mood, palette, paper, florals, rentals, lighting, layout), vendor sourcing and the main-contact role across every contractor, attendance at vendor meetings, the venue tour, floor plan and master production timeline, the rehearsal, and day-of management with the lead planner and on-site team. Most bookings are made three to fifteen months ahead.
Book nowFull Service Event Planner for Weddings and Milestone Events
A Santa Cruz full-service engagement that starts from an empty calendar: budget management as an owned deliverable, contracts read and negotiated before signature, a full design vision, guest-list management, invitations with response tracking and the seating chart, monthly check-ins, the rehearsal and the day with the lead planner working solo. Driving inside the first fifty miles is free, a per-mile rate applies beyond that, and the service window is four to twelve hours. The planner works in English and Spanish.
Book nowFull Service Event Planner with Custom Design and Vendor Lead
The highest price on this page, from the Windsor team for Wine Country and Bay Area weddings: full-service planning from the first decisions through the send-off, bespoke design across mood, palette, paper, florals, rentals, lighting and layout, vendor sourcing and the main-contact role, budget management with monthly review, attendance at vendor meetings, the venue tour, floor plan and master production timeline, the rehearsal, and day-of management with the lead planner and on-site team. The listing recommends it for multi-day and destination celebrations and says bookings usually land six to eighteen months ahead.
Book nowNot a wedding? Event planner prices for milestones and corporate events
The same Santa Cruz planning practice prices non-wedding work separately: a milestone celebration package for twenty to one hundred guests and a corporate package for offsites, launches and galas of twenty to two hundred.
Milestone Celebration Event Planner: Birthday and Anniversary
For fortieth, fiftieth and sixtieth birthdays, anniversaries, retirements and reunions of twenty to one hundred guests: a discovery call, venue research and a short-list within your budget, vendor introductions and contract review across catering, rentals, florals and entertainment, two design check-ins, a master production timeline from load-in to load-out, day-of management with the lead planner and on-site team, and coordination of the program from welcome to send-off.
Book nowCorporate Event Planner for Offsites, Launches, and Galas
A solo, owner-run Santa Cruz planner for offsites, leadership retreats, product launches, holiday parties, customer dinners and galas of twenty to two hundred attendees: one internal contact on your side, a run of show covering load-in, the program, transitions and breakdown, audio-visual and on-site supplier coordination, venue research, site visits and floor plans, weather contingency planning, and a post-event supplier wrap, invoice reconciliation and written debrief. No more than two events are in production at once.
Book nowAll seventeen packages side by side
The table repeats the card facts in the same order. Duration is the service window on the day; Group is the guest range the listing accepts.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Activity | Location | Duration | Group | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elopement and Microwedding Planning and Coordination | Travels to You | 8–12 hours | 10–500 guests | $800.00 fixed price |
| Micro Wedding Planner for Intimate Ceremonies and Receptions | Travels to You | 4–6 hours | 2–40 guests | $2500.00 fixed price |
| Micro Wedding Planner for Receptions of Sixty Guests or Fewer | Travels to You | 4–6 hours | 2–60 guests | $2900.00 fixed price |
| A La Carte Wedding Planning, Coordination and Design Help | Travels to You | 8–12 hours | 10–500 guests | $950.00 fixed price |
| Day-Of Wedding Coordination and Full Timeline Management | Travels to You | 8–12 hours | 10–500 guests | $1200.00 fixed price |
| Day-of Wedding Coordinator and Vendor Timeline Management | Travels to You | 4–10 hours | 30–300 guests | $3800.00 fixed price |
| Three-Month Wedding Coordinator and Day-of Production Lead | Travels to You | 4–9 hours | 30–300 guests | $3900.00 fixed price |
| Month-of Partial Wedding Planner with Design and Vendor Plans | Travels to You | 4–11 hours | 30–300 guests | $5000.00 fixed price |
| Month-of Wedding Planner with Eight Weeks of Coordination | Travels to You | 4–12 hours | 30–300 guests | $5000.00 fixed price |
| Partial Wedding Planning and Coordination for Busy Couples | Travels to You | 8–12 hours | 10–500 guests | $1500.00 fixed price |
| Partial Wedding Planner with Monthly Check-ins and Day-of | Travels to You | 4–10 hours | 30–300 guests | $4900.00 fixed price |
| Partial Wedding Planner Partnership for Ongoing Engagement | Travels to You | 4–12 hours | 30–300 guests | $9500.00 fixed price |
| Full Comprehensive Wedding Planner with Design and Vendor Lead | Travels to You | 4–12 hours | 30–500 guests | $7900.00 fixed price |
| Full Service Event Planner for Weddings and Milestone Events | Travels to You | 4–12 hours | 30–500 guests | $9500.00 fixed price |
| Full Service Event Planner with Custom Design and Vendor Lead | Travels to You | 4–12 hours | 30–500 guests | $16500.00 fixed price |
| Milestone Celebration Event Planner: Birthday and Anniversary | Travels to You | 4–7 hours | 20–100 guests | $2500.00 fixed price |
| Corporate Event Planner for Offsites, Launches, and Galas | Travels to You | 4–9 hours | 20–200 guests | $3000.00 fixed price |
How to budget for a wedding planner
Work out the fee as a share of the whole wedding
On a $50,000.00 wedding, the $1,200.00 Walnut Creek day-of package is 2.4 percent of the budget, the $3,900.00 Sunnyvale three-month coordinator is 7.8 percent, the $7,900.00 Sunnyvale full-service package is 15.8 percent, and the $16,500.00 Windsor package is 33 percent. Those figures fall by half on a $100,000.00 wedding. The point is that the same package is a small line on a large wedding and a major decision on a small one, which is why the micro wedding packages exist at $2,500.00 and $2,900.00 rather than being priced like full-service planning.
Price the level you need, not the level you can afford
If the venue, the vendors and the look are booked, a day-of or month-of package from $1,200.00 to $5,000.00 buys the confirmation of every contract, a master timeline, the rehearsal and one point of contact on the day. If half the vendors are still open, the three partial packages at $1,500.00, $4,900.00 and $9,500.00 pick up the bookings and the design direction. If nothing is booked and you are planning from another city, the three full-service packages are the only ones on this page that own the budget and the design from the first call.
Read the service window and the travel line
The day-of hours are part of the price: eight to twelve hours on the Walnut Creek packages, four to ten on the Santa Cruz day-of coordinator, four to eleven on the Santa Cruz month-of package, and four to twelve on the full-service packages. Six listings publish an overtime term: the Santa Cruz day-of coordinator, the Santa Cruz month-of package, the Sunnyvale partial package with monthly check-ins, the Windsor partial partnership, the Santa Cruz full-service package and the corporate package all say hours beyond the booked window are available at a published rate; the other eleven do not state one. Those same six itemize destination travel as mileage, per diem and lodging quoted in the proposal, the other Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale and Windsor listings say travel and per diem are quoted in the proposal, and the Walnut Creek listings publish no travel terms. A wedding that runs long or sits two hours from the planner's base is where a flat price stops being flat.
Remember that the vendors are paid separately
On every listing here the planner fee covers the planner. The eleven Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale and Windsor wedding listings and the corporate package list Direct Client Pay as the payment method, with any commission or referral arrangement disclosed, and the Walnut Creek terms say vendor payments are coordinated on the couple's behalf where a package includes payment management. Budget the caterer, florist, photographer and venue on top of the numbers on this page; our other cost guides below cover each of those.
Book in the window the listing gives you
The Santa Cruz and Sunnyvale packages are most often booked three to fifteen months ahead, the Windsor packages six to eighteen months ahead, and every package needs a signed agreement and a deposit to hold the date. Because all seventeen are request-to-book, send the request as soon as you have a date and a venue rather than waiting for the rest of the plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a wedding planner cost in the San Francisco Bay Area?
The fifteen Bay Area wedding planner packages on this page run from $800.00 fixed price for Elopement and Microwedding Planning and Coordination to $16,500.00 fixed price for the Full Service Event Planner with Custom Design and Vendor Lead. By service level: elopement and micro wedding planners $800.00 to $2,900.00, a la carte help $950.00, day-of coordination $1,200.00 to $3,800.00, month-of and three-month coordination $3,900.00 to $5,000.00, partial planning $1,500.00 to $9,500.00, and full-service planning $7,900.00 to $16,500.00. Every price is the fixed package price shown on the live Events in Minutes listing on September 29, 2026.
What is the difference between day-of, month-of, partial and full-service wedding planning?
The difference is when the planner joins and how much of the plan they own. Day-of coordination takes a wedding you planned and runs it, with hand-off meetings in the weeks before the day. Month-of and three-month coordination take over somewhere between the closing month and the final ninety days, confirm every contract, build the master timeline and run the rehearsal and the day. Partial planning steps in partway through to take over the unbooked vendors, the design direction, the timeline and the day. Full-service planning starts from an empty calendar and owns the budget, the design, every vendor relationship and the day itself. On this page the cheapest option at each level costs $1,200.00, $3,900.00, $1,500.00 and $7,900.00 respectively.
Is day-of coordination really only one day of work?
No. Every day-of and month-of package here starts before the wedding day. The Walnut Creek day-of package holds planning hand-off meetings in the weeks before the wedding and runs the rehearsal walkthrough. The Santa Cruz day-of coordinator takes custody of the plan for the last four to six weeks. The Windsor month-of package covers eight weeks of coordination and the Sunnyvale three-month package the final ninety days. What you are paying for at these levels is the confirmation of contracts you already signed, the master timeline, the rehearsal and a single point of contact for every vendor on the day.
How far in advance should we book a Bay Area wedding planner?
The listings state their own windows. The Santa Cruz and Sunnyvale packages say most bookings are made three to fifteen months ahead of the event, with rush bookings taken case by case. The three Windsor packages say bookings usually land six to eighteen months out. The Walnut Creek packages begin with a consultation to confirm the service level before booking, and a signed agreement and deposit reserve the date. All seventeen packages are request-to-book, so the vendor confirms your request before anything is charged.
What is not included in the flat price?
Four things to check on each listing. First, the service window: the packages cover four to twelve hours on the day, and six listings (the Santa Cruz day-of, month-of, full-service and corporate packages and the Sunnyvale and Windsor partial packages) say hours beyond the booked window are available at a published rate. Second, travel: those six itemize destination travel as mileage, per diem and lodging, the other Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale and Windsor listings say travel and per diem are quoted in the proposal, the Walnut Creek listings publish no travel terms, and the Santa Cruz full-service listing charges a per-mile rate beyond the first fifty miles. Third, add-ons such as extra design consultations, extra rehearsal time, additional on-site staff for large guest counts or multi-day welcome events, which the Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale and Windsor listings say are quoted in writing before they are added. Fourth, the vendors themselves: the Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale and Windsor wedding listings and the corporate package list Direct Client Pay, and the Walnut Creek listings coordinate vendor payments on your behalf where the package includes payment management; either way the planner fee never includes the caterer, florist or venue.
Do these planners travel across the whole Bay Area?
Yes, each listing is a mobile service marked Travels to You, and the descriptions name the areas. The Walnut Creek planner works Contra Costa and Alameda counties and travels to San Francisco, the Peninsula, the South Bay and the Napa and Sonoma wine country. The Santa Cruz packages cover Santa Cruz County, the greater Bay Area, the Monterey Peninsula and the wine country corridor. The Sunnyvale packages cover the South Bay and Silicon Valley, San Francisco, the East Bay, Monterey and Carmel. The Windsor packages cover the Napa and Sonoma valleys, the greater Bay Area and the coast from Mendocino to Big Sur.