HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a wedding planner in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Wedding planners need no licence in the UK. Here is what to check, what to ask and what the contract must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a wedding planner in five steps

  1. Ask how they chargeFlat fee, hourly or a share of the budget.
  2. Ask about commissionsFrom suppliers, disclosed in writing.
  3. Read postponement termsWhat happens if the date moves.
  4. Check suppliers' paperworkFood registration, insurance, licences.
  5. Arrange the legal part yourselvesGiving notice and the registrar or officiant are yours to book.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Working as a wedding planner needs no licence, registration or qualification in any part of the UK. The legal side of the marriage is for the registrar or officiant, not the planner.

Check two recent reviews or references for the wedding planner, then ask for the contract.

Licences the event needs, and who the wedding planner gets them from

Selling alcohol, live or recorded entertainment, or hot food after 11pm at a place with no premises licence in England and Wales needs a Temporary Event Notice under the Licensing Act 2003. Scotland uses an occasional licence from the Licensing Board for alcohol outside licensed premises; Northern Ireland needs a district council entertainment licence for indoor entertainment. Music in public needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS, usually held by the venue.

Ask the wedding planner to list, in writing, every licence or notice the event needs and who is responsible for each. gov.uk →

The suppliers the wedding planner books

Each supplier has its own rules: a caterer must be registered with its council as a food business; HSE expects a hired bouncy castle to carry a PIPA tag or ADIPS declaration and a yearly inspection; contracted door supervisors and security guards need an SIA licence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

Ask the wedding planner to send each supplier's registration, tag, licence or insurance, not just a name. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

A wedding planner who charges for the work counts as a trader in law, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes reasonable care and skill part of the deal. Do not count on a 14-day cooling-off period: regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes catering and leisure services booked for a set date from the cancellation right, so the wedding planner's own written terms usually decide what happens to your deposit.

Ask the wedding planner for the booking terms in writing and check the refund rules for cancelling and postponing. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A wedding planner's fee is standard-rated at 20%. Wedding planners over the £90,000 registration threshold have to charge VAT and list it separately from the price.

Ask the wedding planner for the VAT number and whether the fee and supplier costs are shown before VAT. gov.uk →

“How is your wedding planner fee calculated?”

A good answer: A clear figure or method.

“Do you take commission, and will you show it?”

A good answer: A plain answer from the wedding planner.

“What happens if we postpone?”

A good answer: Written postponement terms in the wedding planner's contract.

“How do you check suppliers?”

A good answer: The wedding planner collects registration, insurance and licences.

“Will you be there all day?”

A good answer: The wedding planner's hours and assistants named.

“Who arranges the bar licence if the venue is unlicensed?”

A good answer: A named person and date.

“Can we speak to recent couples?”

A good answer: References from couples whose weddings the planner ran.

Getting the quote right

  • The wedding planner's fee and what it covers
  • Commissions, if any
  • On-the-day hours and assistants
  • Payment stages
  • Postponement and cancellation terms
  • The wedding planner's VAT number, with VAT shown on the fee apart from suppliers
  • Who actually attends on the day — the planner, assistants — and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • Undisclosed commissions
  • No postponement terms
  • Supplier paperwork not collected
  • Claims to arrange the legal marriage for you
LOW
£750
TYPICAL
£1,500
HIGH
£10,000

What a wedding planner costs: £750–£10,000 per wedding

Wedding planners charge per wedding by a flat fee, an hourly rate or a share of the budget, with supplier costs and VAT on top. Wedding Planner price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Wedding planners near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefThe wedding planner agrees vision, budget, guests and date.
  2. Venue and suppliersBooked and checked.
  3. PaperworkLicences, insurance and contracts collected.
  4. Wedding dayPlanner runs the timetable.
  5. AfterSuppliers settled and kit cleared.

Full planning
From engagement to the day.
On-the-day coordination
Running the day only.
Supplier commission
A payment from a supplier to the planner.
Giving notice
The legal step at the register office before marrying in England and Wales.
Run sheet
The timed plan for the day.
Postponement clause
Contract terms for moving the date.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the contract and supplier fileEvery contract the wedding planner arranged.
Check final invoicesAgainst quotes.
Get your marriage certificateFrom the register office, as the registrar explains.
Leave the reviewA few lines on the wedding planner help others choose, and only booked customers can leave them. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the wedding planner is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the wedding planner in writingSend the wedding planner a short written account — suppliers missed, a muddled day, broken promises — with the remedy you want. Reasonable care and skill is an implied term of the booking under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015; a service that cannot be done again can be compensated by a price reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the wedding planner below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Getting Trading Standards involvedWedding planners answer to no trade regulator. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about wedding planners to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the wedding planner will not returnIf the wedding planner still will not pay, you can claim yourself: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a wedding planner: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies to wedding planners in any UK nation. The event may need licences — a Temporary Event Notice, an occasional licence, an entertainment licence — and the wedding planner should say who arranges each.

No law requires it, but venues commonly ask for public liability cover. Ask the wedding planner for the certificate, and for each supplier's.

£750 to £10,000 per wedding, typically around £1,500. The wedding planner price guide breaks the range down, and the search above lists wedding planners in your area.

No. In England and Wales you give notice yourselves at the register office at least 29 days before; the planner can help with timings.

Some do. Ask, in writing.

For many weddings, yes.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Wedding Officiant / CelebrantHow to hire: Wedding FloristHow to hire: Wedding CatererHow to hire: Wedding DJHow to hire: Wedding Cake MakerHow to hire: MC / ToastmasterHow to hire: Event PlannerHow to hire: Marquee HireAll 701 hiring guides →

Wedding planners near you

Wedding planners in LondonWedding planners in ManchesterWedding planners in BirminghamWedding planners in GlasgowWedding planners in BelfastAll wedding planners on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  2. gov.scot — Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 guidance: occasional licences
  3. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  4. gov.uk — licence to play live or recorded music
  5. gov.uk — food business registration
  6. HSE — bouncy castles and other play inflatables
  7. gov.uk — check security staff have a licence
  8. gov.uk — marriages in England and Wales: give notice
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  11. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  12. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  13. nidirect — small claims process
  14. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  15. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  16. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register