Free AI-generated event planning proposal — full-service vs. day-of coordination, vendor management, and fees. Customize in 2 min, send as PDF or link.
Event planning proposals fail when the client doesn't understand what they're buying. 'Full-service coordination' and 'day-of coordination' sound similar to someone who's never planned a 200-person event, but they're completely different scopes with completely different price points. Full-service runs 10-15% of the total event budget ($5,000-$15,000 for a $50K-$100K wedding). Day-of coordination is a flat fee ($1,200-$3,500) for the last 30 days plus the event itself. Corporate event planning is usually flat-fee or retainer-based ($2,000-$10,000+ depending on event size). The proposal that explains the difference clearly, lists every vendor relationship being managed, and shows a real timeline is the one that closes.
Proposal from
Oaks & Aisle Events
Prepared for
Marcus & Serena Whitfield
Full-Service Wedding Coordination — 175 Guests
Full-service coordination covering venue sourcing through event close. Services include: initial planning consultation and vision session, venue sourcing and contract review (up to 5 venues), vendor recommendations and booking coordination (catering, photography, florals, DJ/band, officiant, transportation), budget tracking and vendor payment schedule, timeline creation and distribution to all vendors, rehearsal coordination (1 hour), and full day-of coordination with 2 lead coordinators on-site from vendor load-in through final guest departure. Client retains: final vendor approval, direct payment to all vendors, and all vendor contracts.
Oaks & Aisle manages the following vendor categories under this scope: Booking coordination: venue, caterer, florist, photographer, DJ Day-of management: all booked vendors plus any client-sourced vendors Not included: direct booking of hotel room blocks, custom invitations, or honeymoon arrangements All vendor contracts are between the client and vendor directly. Oaks & Aisle reviews contracts for scope and cancellation terms and flags issues before signing.
Month 12–9: Venue selection and date lock, initial vendor booking Month 9–6: Full vendor roster confirmed, contracts signed Month 6–3: Design and layout decisions finalized, rental orders placed Month 3–1: Guest count finalized with caterer, seating chart started Month 1: Final venue walk-through with client, timeline draft sent to all vendors Week 2: Timeline confirmed, final vendor payments due, day-of briefing packet distributed Rehearsal (Friday): 1-hour ceremony rehearsal coordination Event day: Coordinator on-site from 12pm setup through guest departure (~11:30pm)
Full-service coordination fee: 12% of total event budget Estimated event budget: $68,000 Coordination fee: $8,160 Fee includes: all planning meetings (up to 14 hours pre-event), unlimited email/phone access, venue walk-through, rehearsal coordination, and 2 coordinators on event day (up to 12 hours each). Additional coordinator (events over 200 guests or over 6 hours): $350/coordinator Payment schedule: 33% at contract signing: $2,693 33% at 6-month mark: $2,693 34% at 30 days before event: $2,774 No refunds inside 90 days. Events postponed with 90+ days notice may apply deposit to a rescheduled date within 18 months.
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Create Your Free AccountThe full-service vs. day-of decision changes your entire pricing structure, so spell it out early. Full-service coordination runs 10–15% of total event budget and covers everything from venue sourcing to vendor payments. Day-of coordination is a flat fee ($1,200–$3,500 depending on event size) and covers the 30 days prior plus the event itself. Clients who don't understand the difference will book day-of and expect full-service. Put both options in the proposal with a clear scope breakdown for each. Let them choose. The ones who choose day-of and then call you every week about table linens are learning an expensive lesson.
Vendor management is where you prove your value — or lose it. A 200-person wedding touches caterers, photographers, florists, DJs, venues, rental companies, officiants, and transportation. Your job is to keep them from stepping on each other. List every vendor relationship in the proposal: who you book, who the client books, and who you manage on the day regardless. Clients hiring you for the first time have no idea how many calls you're making on their behalf. Show them the list and the problem becomes obvious.
Build the timeline section as a working document, not a schedule. A day-of timeline for a 5-hour reception is 45–60 line items. Cocktail hour flow, first dance cue, cake cutting, bouquet toss, last song, vendor breakdown windows. Share a redacted version of a real past event timeline as an appendix to your proposal — clients who see what a real timeline looks like immediately understand why they need someone managing it. It closes the 'we thought we could just wing it' objection before it comes up.
Percentage-of-budget fees are honest but require defense. A 12% fee on a $50,000 wedding is $6,000. On a $120,000 wedding, it's $14,400 for the same number of hours. Clients doing the math will ask why. Your answer: vendor relationships get better when the event is bigger, your liability increases with higher-value contracts, and frankly, a $120K wedding has a lot more moving parts than a $50K one. If you can't defend the number, switch to a tiered flat fee. Either way, state it clearly in the proposal with the math shown — not hidden in the fine print.
The venue walk-through clause saves events. Write it in: you get a 90-minute venue walk-through with the client 2–4 weeks before the event, minimum. First-time event clients will tell you they've 'been to the venue.' What they mean is they attended a wedding there once and didn't notice where the service entrance is, whether the freight elevator fits the floral installation, or that the parking lot closes at 11pm. One walk-through catches these problems before they're your problem at 7pm on a Saturday.
Include a vendor payment schedule in the proposal, even though you're not the one paying vendors. Clients managing 8-12 vendor contracts don't realize that deposits are due at different times, final payments are due at different intervals before the event, and missing a payment can cancel a booking. A consolidated vendor payment timeline (caterer deposit: 6 months out, florist balance: 2 weeks out, photographer final: day of) saves the event from a preventable disaster.
Add an emergency contact protocol. Who does the venue call at 6am on event day when the AC breaks? Who handles it if the cake shows up damaged? The answer should be you, not the bride's mother. State in the proposal that you're the single point of contact for all vendor and venue communication starting 48 hours before the event. That's half of what clients are actually paying for.
Separate your planning meetings from your event-day hours in the pricing. Clients who see '12% of budget' don't understand what they're getting. Break it out: 10-14 hours of pre-event planning meetings, unlimited email/phone, venue walk-through, rehearsal coordination, and 10-14 hours on-site event day. When the client sees 40+ hours of professional time itemized, the percentage fee makes sense.
Every strong event planning proposal covers these elements. Skip one and you'll likely answer for it later.
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Event Planning pricing guide →Full-service wedding coordination: 10-15% of total event budget. Day-of coordination: $1,200-$3,500 flat fee. Partial planning (you've booked some vendors, need help with the rest): $3,000-$7,000. Corporate event planners charge flat fees or retainers: $2,000-$5,000 for a single-day conference, $5,000-$15,000 for a multi-day event. The fee structure should be clear in the proposal. If a planner can't explain their pricing model in one sentence, their proposal won't be any clearer.
Full-service starts at booking and runs through the event: venue sourcing, vendor selection, budget management, design decisions, timeline creation, and event-day management. You're involved in every decision. Day-of coordination starts 30 days before the event: you take over the logistics the client has already planned, create the day-of timeline, confirm all vendors, run the rehearsal, and manage the event day. The client does all the planning; you execute it. Confusing the two is the most common source of disappointment in event planning.
For weddings: 12-18 months before the event for full-service, 3-6 months for partial planning, 6-8 weeks for day-of coordination. For corporate events: 6-12 months for conferences, 3-6 months for galas or large dinners, 4-8 weeks for smaller corporate events. The earlier you hire, the more venue and vendor options are available. Peak-season events (May-October weddings, Q4 corporate) book up fastest.
Venue coordinators work for the venue, not for you. Their job is to make sure the venue's policies are followed, the rental period is enforced, and the space is returned in the condition they expect. They don't manage your vendors, create your timeline, coordinate your rehearsal, or handle crises that aren't venue-related. A venue coordinator plus a day-of coordinator work well together. Relying on the venue coordinator alone means nobody is managing the 10 other vendors you hired.
Specific scope (not just 'coordination services'), a clear fee structure with payment schedule, a list of what the planner manages vs. what you manage, timeline deliverables with dates, cancellation terms, and the number of staff on event day. Red flags: no revision or meeting limits, vague scope like 'as needed,' percentage fees with no budget cap, and no cancellation policy. A proposal that doesn't answer these questions will produce a planning experience that doesn't answer your questions either.
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