What to include on a wedding planner invoice
A planner's invoice is often the largest a couple pays at one time, so it must be easy to understand.
- Business name, contact details and logo
- Names of the couple and the wedding date
- The package or service level: full planning, partial planning or month-of coordination
- Extra hours at an hourly rate and extra services such as rehearsal or vendor sourcing
- The payment schedule: deposit, instalments and final balance
- Amounts already paid and the balance due
- Travel, accommodation or administrative fees if they apply
Number each invoice in the sequence, for example INV-0001 for the deposit and INV-0002 for the second instalment.
How to price your services
Price on scope, not on the date alone. A full-planning package covers months of work, so many planners charge a percentage of the budget or a flat fee based on guest count and complexity. Month-of coordination is cheaper because it starts later and needs less design work.
Track your hours on a few weddings to learn what each stage really takes. Charge for additional hours beyond the package at a clear hourly rate, and state what is included in the package, such as number of meetings and vendor calls. Build in fees for travel, destination weddings and peak season dates.
When to send the invoice
Invoice in stages. Send the deposit invoice when the couple signs your contract, and treat the date as held only once it is paid. Send instalment invoices at fixed milestones, such as three months and one month before the wedding.
The final balance should be settled before the wedding, ideally two to four weeks ahead, so you are not chasing money in the middle of the biggest weekend of the couple's year. Extra hours and add-on services can be invoiced after the event.
Payment terms that protect your business
Because weddings cannot be rescheduled easily, the terms on your invoice must be firm and kind.
- A non-refundable retainer, commonly 25 to 50 percent, secures the date
- A payment schedule with clear due dates
- A cancellation and postponement policy that explains what is refundable
- Rates for extra hours and a rule for how they are approved
- Rules for pass-through costs, such as who pays vendors directly
- A note on what happens if the date changes
Add a thank-you message. It matters in a personal business.
Common invoicing mistakes
These mistakes are common and avoidable.
- Sending one large invoice instead of stages.
- Not recording payments already made.
- Leaving extra-hour rates undefined, which invites scope creep.
- Mixing vendor payments with your own fee on the same invoice.
- Forgetting to put the wedding date on the document.
- Skipping the written terms and relying on emails.
- Letting the final balance slide into the wedding week.
