Day of Coordinator Cost: Average Fees Explained

A day-of coordinator runs the logistics of your wedding so you and your family do not have to. The name is a little misleading. Most coordinators start a few weeks before the date, review your vendor contracts, confirm timelines with each vendor, and then manage the rehearsal and the wedding day itself. They do not plan the wedding from scratch, which is why they cost less than a full planner.

Pricing depends on where you live, how large the wedding is, and how much the coordinator does before the day. The figures below come from published wedding-industry guides and were checked on Oct 13, 2026. Most coordinators charge a flat package fee, though some bill by the hour.

Coordinator packages sit on a ladder. The less a planner does before the wedding, the lower the price. Joy breaks it into tiers:

A day-of coordinator handles the final stretch. A month-of coordinator starts earlier and often helps finalize vendors and design details. A partial planner joins for the middle months and helps with parts of the planning. A full-service planner works with you from the start through the wedding day.

Choose the tier based on how much you want to do yourself. An organized couple who has already booked vendors may only need someone to run the day. A couple who is still choosing vendors may find a month-of or partial package a better fit.

Location is one of the biggest drivers of price. Major metro areas cost more because vendor rates, travel, and local demand are higher.

Large cities such as New York and Los Angeles sit well above smaller markets. If your wedding is in a rural area or small market, the range is much lower, but you may have fewer coordinators to choose from. Some people hire a coordinator from a nearby city and pay a travel fee, so ask about that early.

Guides report different ranges for the same service, and that is normal. Reasons include:

• What counts as day-of. One guide may describe a package of a few weeks of preparation, while another may include extra planning meetings.
• Hours covered. Some packages cover a set number of hours on the wedding day, and overtime is billed on top.
• Wedding size. More guests mean more vendors and more to manage.
• Sample. Each guide draws from different vendors, regions, and years.

Use the overlap between the ranges as a starting point, then ask local coordinators for quotes. A range that reaches the low hundreds usually reflects a smaller package or a small-market coordinator.

Services differ from one coordinator to the next, but a typical package covers:

• A meeting or call to review your plans and contracts
• Confirmation calls with vendors before the wedding
• A written timeline for the wedding day
• Direction at the rehearsal
• Managing vendor arrivals, setup, and the flow of the ceremony and reception
• Solving small problems as they come up, so you do not have to

What is usually not included: designing the wedding, choosing or negotiating with vendors, or managing the budget. Those belong to partial and full-service planning.

1. When do you start working with me, and how many meetings are included?
2. How many hours are covered on the wedding day, and what is the overtime rate?
3. Do you bring an assistant, and is that included in the price?
4. Will you visit the venue before the date?
5. Do you charge travel fees if the venue is outside your area?
6. What does the contract say about cancellations or a date change?
7. Can I speak with a couple you worked with recently?

Also confirm whether the venue already has an in-house coordinator. Some venues provide one, and some require you to hire an outside coordinator, so check your venue contract before you budget.

That depends on your wedding and your own capacity. If a friend or family member would otherwise spend the day handling vendors, a coordinator frees them to enjoy it. If your venue already provides a manager who handles setup and timing, you may not need one. A coordinator makes the most difference when several vendors need to be managed at once, or when the ceremony and reception are in different places.