What Full-Service Wedding Planning Actually Includes
April 2026 — 7 min read
'Wedding planner' describes three very different services. Knowing which one you need is the first budget decision you will make.
The three tiers
Month-of coordination ($3,500–$7,000) takes over logistics six weeks out. Partial planning ($9,000–$15,000) joins mid-process. Full-service planning and design ($18,000–$45,000 in wine country) runs everything from budget architecture through vendor selection, design, production and the weekend itself.
Month by month
A typical full-service arc across fourteen months:
- Months 1–2: budget model, venue search, guest-count strategy
- Months 3–5: creative direction, vendor curation, contracts
- Months 6–9: design development, rentals, tastings, room blocks
- Months 10–12: production drawings, floor plans, transport plans
- Months 13–14: timeline, run of show, vendor calls, rehearsal
- Weekend: full onsite team from load-in to load-out
When it pays for itself
If your venue is raw land, your guest count is over 100, you live outside the region, or your budget exceeds $150,000, full-service planning generally saves more than it costs in avoided overtime, duplicate rentals and rushed decisions.
Oasis Weddings & Events plans and designs weddings across Sonoma and Napa Valley. If you are dreaming of a wine country celebration, we would love to hear your story.
Frequently asked
- How much does a full-service wedding planner cost?
- In Sonoma and Napa, full-service planning and design typically costs $18,000 to $45,000, or 10 to 15 percent of the total wedding budget.
