What to know before hiring an event planner.
How a planner spends their time on your celebration, how the fee is worked out, and when it helps to bring one in.
Questions are part of planning.
Whether you're newly engaged or hosting for your company, it's normal to start without knowing what a planner does or what one costs. You don't need to know any of it before you reach out.
What an event planner does.
A planner turns what you have in mind into a plan and then carries it to the day. How much of that we take on depends on the service you choose.
What does an event planner do?
A planner looks after the parts of a celebration that take the most time and the most coordination. That can mean finding the venue, choosing and managing vendors, keeping the budget and building the schedule for the day. With full planning we hold all of it, and our other services take on the parts you choose.
How is a planner different from a designer?
Planning is the logistics: venue, vendors, timeline and budget. Design is how the celebration looks and feels, from the palette and florals to the tablescapes, paper and light. We offer both together as full planning and design, or design on its own when someone else is handling the logistics.
Our venue has a coordinator. Do we still need a planner?
A venue coordinator looks after the venue itself, with its rooms, its rules and its own staff. A planner works for you across the whole celebration, including the vendors you bring in from outside and the decisions made months before the day. The two roles sit comfortably side by side, and we're glad to work alongside your venue's team.
What will you need from us during planning?
Mostly your decisions and your reactions. We send options when something needs choosing, check in at the points that matter and take on the calls and follow-ups in between. Beyond that, you can be as involved as you like.
Working with us directly.
Whichever service you choose, you deal with us from the first conversation. We hear how the celebration came about, who it is for and what you want people to feel, and keep all of it in mind as the decisions build up.
When a florist asks about the centerpieces or a caterer asks about timing, we answer, because we heard you describe them in the first place.
Plans change along the way, and when yours do, we adjust them already knowing what matters to you most.
How pricing works.
A planning fee follows the work involved. These are the things that shape it.
How much does an event planner cost?
It depends on how much of the celebration we're holding. Full planning and design asks the most of our time, and coordination for the final weeks and the day asks the least. Design and partial planning vary with how much they include, and we give you a quote once we understand what you're planning.
What affects the fee?
The service you choose matters most, followed by the scale of the celebration. The guest count, the number of events, how detailed the design is and whether we travel for it all change how much work there is. A destination celebration, for example, adds travel and planning from a distance.
Why does the inquiry ask about our budget?
A general range lets us shape a proposal around what you're comfortable spending, and it shows us early where your money will count for the most. If you haven't settled on a figure, choose 'I'm not sure yet' and we'll work it out with you.
Will a planner keep us on budget?
When the budget is part of what we hold, yes. We plan around the range you give us and tell you early if an idea would stretch it, along with what could change to make room for it.
From first conversation to proposal.
Once we've talked, we write a proposal for your celebration. It sets out what we'll take on, how we'll work together and what it costs, so you can see the whole shape of it before anything is booked.
If something in it doesn't fit, tell us. We adjust the scope until the proposal matches the celebration you have in mind, and planning begins once you're happy with it.
When to bring in a planner.
Earlier gives you more options, and it's rarely too late to ask.
When should we hire an event planner?
As soon as you know you're celebrating and have a rough sense of when. The venue tends to be the first big decision, and popular places and vendors are reserved well ahead, so an early start keeps more of them open to you. A flexible date is no obstacle.
Is it too late if our date is close?
Often not. Partial planning lets us step in on the parts still open, and coordination is made for the final weeks and the day itself. Tell us your date in the inquiry and we'll say honestly what we can take on.
We've done most of the planning ourselves. Is a planner still worth it?
This is what coordination is for. You keep the plan you've made, and we take it over in the weeks before, so that on the day someone else is answering the vendors' questions and keeping time.
Is our celebration too small for a planner?
No. A dinner for a few close friends still needs a setting, a menu, a table and a sense of how the evening should go, and getting those right matters just as much at a small scale. Private dinners and intimate gatherings are among the celebrations we plan.
Working with Capítulo.
What to expect once you decide to get in touch.
Which of your services is right for us?
It mostly comes down to where you are now. Starting from nothing points to full planning and design, and event design fits when the logistics are already covered. Partial planning fills the gaps in a celebration that's underway, while coordination carries a plan you've made yourselves through to the day. If you can't tell, the inquiry lets you say so.
We've sent an inquiry. What comes next?
We get in touch to arrange a first conversation, by email, phone or text, whichever you asked for. We want to hear about the occasion and the people in it, and then we put a proposal together for you to look over.
Are you there on the day?
With full planning and with coordination, yes, and we run the day from setup until the last guests leave. If you've chosen design or partial planning, ask us about the day when we talk, and we'll tell you how we can be part of it.
Where to read next.
Each service and celebration has its own page with more detail.
Bring us your questions.
Start an inquiry with whatever you know so far, and add any question this page left open. We'll answer it when we get in touch.
