How Much Is a Wedding Planner in Brisbane?
If you’ve found yourself Googling “how much is a wedding planner in Brisbane?” you’re not alone. It’s one of the most searched questions engaged couples ask, and also one of the most misunderstood.
In Brisbane, you’ll see prices ranging from six or seven hundred dollars to well over $15,000. You’ll see planners, coordinators, stylists, designers and consultants often grouped together as if they all do the same thing. They don’t.
The reality is this. Wedding planning services vary enormously in scope, responsibility, time commitment and expertise. That’s why pricing can differ by thousands of dollars.
As a Brisbane wedding planner working with couples planning intentional, guest-focused weddings, I want to break this down properly so you can make an informed decision, avoid sticker shock, and understand what you’re really paying for.
The Short Answer: How Much Does a Wedding Planner Cost in Brisbane?
In Brisbane, wedding planner pricing generally falls into these ranges:
Full Wedding Planning: from $5,000 to $15,000+
Partial Wedding Planning: from $3,000 to $7,000
On-the-Day Coordination: from $1,500 to $3,000
Design & Styling: from $1,500 to $5,000+
These are broad ranges, and there are always exceptions. But if you are seeing pricing significantly below this, it’s important to pause and ask why.
Why Wedding Planner Pricing Varies So Much
The biggest reason couples feel confused about wedding planner pricing is because services are often compared like-for-like when they are not remotely the same.
Two planners might both call themselves “full service”, yet one could be delivering 300–400 hours of work vs one that doesn’t offer design services and caps their hours on the wedding day.
That difference matters.
Here’s what actually drives the cost.
1. Scope of Work and Time Investment
A properly executed full wedding planning service is not a part-time job. It is a long-term project that typically involves:
Budget creation and management
Venue research, inspections and contract review
Supplier sourcing, briefing and negotiation
Design development and styling strategy
Timeline creation across multiple phases
Logistics planning for bump-in, bump-out and wet weather
Guest experience planning
Ongoing communication with you and your suppliers
Problem-solving, contingency planning and decision management
Full coordination in the lead-up and on the wedding day
For most weddings in Brisbane, this equates to 300–400 hours of work, depending on complexity.
To put that into perspective, a planner charging $6000 for full planning across 300 hours is earning $20 per hour before business expenses. When someone charges significantly less than this, something has to give.
Usually, that something is experience, availability, or depth of service.
2. Experience, Expertise and Risk Management
An experienced wedding planner isn’t just executing tasks. They are managing risk.
They know:
Which Brisbane venues have hidden constraints
How to sequence suppliers so nothing clashes
Where timelines typically unravel
How to adapt quickly when weather, suppliers or logistics change
How to protect your investment when things don’t go to plan
This level of expertise only comes from years of hands-on experience, not from a downloadable checklist or a Pinterest board.
When you invest in a planner, you are paying for what they prevent, not just what they do.
Understanding the Different Wedding Planning Services
One of the biggest mistakes couples make is assuming all planning services are interchangeable. Let’s clarify the four main offerings.
Full Wedding Planning
Typical Brisbane cost: from $5,000 to $15,000+
Full planning is exactly what it sounds like. End-to-end involvement from the earliest stages through to the very end of the wedding day.
This is best suited to couples who:
Are time poor or juggling demanding careers
Want a highly considered, cohesive wedding
Value professional guidance and decision support
Are planning a complex or high-budget event
Don’t want to carry the mental load themselves
This service is about partnership. Your planner is deeply embedded in every decision, ensuring nothing is overlooked and everything works together seamlessly.
If someone is offering full planning well below market rate, ask how many hours are included and how many weddings they are managing at once.
Partial Wedding Planning
Typical Brisbane cost: from $3,000 to $7,000
Partial planning sits between full planning and coordination. It’s ideal for couples who have made a start but want expert oversight, structure and refinement.
This often includes most of the features of full wedding planning, but for couples who have already secured a venue and a few major suppliers.
For many couples planning weddings, partial planning offers the best balance of involvement and professional support.
On-the-Day Coordination
Typical Brisbane cost: from $1,500 to $3,000
On-the-day coordination is frequently misunderstood and often undervalued.
This is not someone “turning up on the day”.
True coordination involves months of preparation, supplier liaison, timeline finalisation and problem-solving so that the wedding day runs smoothly. With this service, it is often the case that two thirds of the work involved is done before the actual day of the wedding, totalling up to 50 hours of work depending on the weddiong.
That said, coordination does not include planning, design development or supplier sourcing. It assumes all major decisions have already been made.
It’s a valuable service, but it’s not a substitute for planning.
Design & Styling
Typical Brisbane cost: from $1,500 to $5,000+
Design and styling focuses on the visual and experiential elements of your wedding. Most often, this service includes the expertise and time spent on design, styling logistics and set up, and won’t include any hire items. Stylists that offer a hire inventory may also include a discount for hire for couples utilising their design services.
This may include:
Design concept creation
Colour palette and material selection
Styling strategy across ceremony and reception
Management and sourcing of florals, furniture, hire and other styling items
Cohesion across all visual touchpoints
Set up and management of styling on the day
This service is ideal for couples who feel confident with logistics but want their wedding to look intentional, elevated and beautifully cohesive.
Why “Cheap” Wedding Planning Is Risky
I’m comfortable saying this plainly.
If a full planning service is priced significantly below the range I’ve listed in Brisbane, it raises serious questions about sustainability, experience and service quality.
Weddings are high-pressure, high-stakes events. When a planner is undercharging, they are often:
Taking on too many weddings at once
Cutting corners behind the scenes
Lacking adequate insurance or systems
Still learning on your wedding
At risk of burnout or withdrawal mid-process
Your wedding is not the place to be someone’s training ground. It might be one of many for them, but for you, it’s once in a lifetime.
What You’re Really Paying For
When you invest in a wedding planner, you are paying for:
Strategic thinking, not just execution
Calm leadership under pressure
Clear decision-making frameworks
Vendor knowledge and relationships
Risk mitigation
Emotional support
A seamless guest experience
Peace of mind
These things are difficult to quantify, but they are invaluable on the day.
So, How Much Should You Spend?
As a general guide:
Couples should expect to invest 10-15% of their total budget on professional planning support.
This ensures your investment in your wedding is protected, your experience is enjoyable, and your wedding feels intentional rather than chaotic.
Choosing the Right Wedding Planner in Brisbane
Instead of asking only “how much does a wedding planner cost?”, I encourage couples to ask:
How many hours does this service realistically involve?
How many weddings does this planner manage at once?
What experience do they have with similar budgets and venues?
How do they approach the design phase?
Will I feel supported throughout the process?
Price matters, but value matters more.
Final Thoughts
Wedding planning services are not one-size-fits-all, and neither is pricing. Understanding the difference between planning, coordination and styling will help you choose the right support for your wedding and avoid costly mistakes.
If you’re still unsure whether a planner is the right investment for you, I recommend reading my next post:
Do I Need a Wedding Planner?
We’ll explore when planning support makes sense, and when it might not.
If you’re planning a Brisbane wedding and want to approach it with intention, clarity and confidence, thoughtful professional support can make all the difference.