It’s time to plan your Connecticut wedding! Congratulations and kudos for starting this next chapter together. Let’s focus on one of the more often overlooked aspects of planning a wedding. I’m talking about finding and booking a Connecticut wedding planner or day-of coordinator. An event planner can really help make your wedding run smoothly.

The value that a solid wedding planner can bring to your wedding is super high. As one popular event planner in Connecticut told me, “…[Your] coordinator is the one who will quite literally save your entire day.” And speaking from experience, this is definitely true of the good ones. All the way from helping you choose your wedding dress to setting up your day-of décor, they can literally do everything.

As your wedding photographer, I’ll be there on your day to capture all of the moments and create some great art with you. Honestly, however, it’s hard to get great photos like these without a wedding planner’s help with timing, communicating, and organizing:

A bride and groom embrace during their Portland CT wedding at Saint Clements Castle.

Accordingly, I’ll briefly profile some of the best Connecticut wedding coordinators I’ve had the pleasure of working with in this post.

How much do wedding planners in Connecticut cost?

For day-of coordination of your wedding, $1000 can be considered a baseline fee for a Connecticut wedding planner’s services. For full wedding planning services, your planner’s fee may be around 10% of the full cost of your wedding. At the high end, your booking may cost $10,000 and up.

A Connecticut wedding day-of coordinator helps to pour pink sparkling wine for reception guests.

This info is based on my conversations with some of the best wedding planners in CT. My observation is that most couples are somewhat intimidated by the extra cost of hiring an event planner for their Connecticut wedding. This is completely understandable. Fortunately, however, wedding planner services aren’t one-size-fits-all and can be customized somewhat.

From getting partial planning, to hiring a day-of coordinator (someone who will call the shots on your day), to opting for full planning (a service to help you do all wedding planning, such as finding your vendors), you definitely have options when looking for wedding planners in Connecticut. One of the great things is that all of the coordinators I’ve spoken to indicate that they can adjust their offerings to match your needs. Understandably, this can take varying budgets into account, too.

A sign set up by a Connecticut wedding planner welcomes guests to a couple's ceremony.

Five of the Best Wedding Planners in Connecticut

1. Jen Strunk Events

Based in North Stonington, Jen Strunk Events is a Connecticut day-of wedding coordinator and planning business. Jen primarily serves clients in Connecticut and Rhode Island. With four package offerings, Jen’s specialty is providing a full wedding planning experience for her clients. This is up to and including helping them manage their entire wedding budgets, from your venue to your dress.

A Connecticut wedding planner orchestrated this rendition of “the shoe game” in which the bride and groom are holding up shoes during their wedding reception.
A wedding day Shoe Game organized by their day-of coordinator, Jen Strunk Events.

Jen pointed out to me that when it comes to considering the prospect of hiring a Connecticut wedding planner, “many couples think, ‘oh, I only need someone to line up the wedding party…and set up my decorations,’ but there’s much more that goes into it.” Undoubtedly, she’s right; there’s a ton that goes into planning a wedding completely yourself.

Whether you’re getting married at a tree farm or a ballroom, Jen can help you! By the way, if you’re still looking for wedding bands, Jen’s former career with a jeweler may be prove helpful to you.

Here’s a Brooklyn, CT wedding that Jen and I worked on together on.

2. DWP Events

Hailing from Bozrah, DWP Events is a Connecticut event planner company. Recognizing that many couples like to maintain some level of control in planning their weddings, owner Debbie White also offers “oversight” services to couples who are just looking for guidance. Debbie’s team and their “wedding day management” approach is beloved by her clients.

A bride and bridesmaids pose after a Connecticut wedding planner helped to get them into position for the photo.
A bride and bridesmaid portrait organized with help from Debbie of DWP Events.

Debbie explained to me that her approach as a Connecticut wedding planner is to customize the clients’ experience from the beginning. “DWP Events customizes packages to each client. We can tell you that our average client spends X but until we have a conversation about how we can best help you we can’t give you an exact fee.”

3. Pink Olive Events

Pink Olive Events is a full-service Connecticut wedding planner based in Cheshire. Owner Carisa Lockery and her team offer wedding planning, day-of coordinator service, and also à la carte offerings. They also recently commissioned the Something Borrowed mobile wedding suite. With everything from a hair and makeup area to a kitchen, you’ll definitely want to consider this added service when planning your wedding. 

Carisa of Pink Olive Events grabbed refreshments for this couple after their wedding ceremony.

Regarding finding a Connecticut wedding planner, Carisa pointed out to me, “You spend so much money on a wedding, similar to a house or a car. Would you purchase those things without insurance? A planner is assurance that the wedding will go the way YOU want it.”

4. Coll It Entertaining

Colleen Horstmann of Coll It Entertaining in Fairfield just plain loves what she does. An event planner in Connecticut, she helps couples all over the state with weddings, life events, and even organizing. As a wedding planner, Colleen specializes in providing day-of coordinator services. She offers two wedding planner packages.

Colleen Horstmann, a Connecticut wedding planner, is pictured with a bride and groom on their wedding day.
This bride and groom loved Colleen of Coll It Entertaining so much that they wanted a formal photo.

Now, you may be on the fence, wondering to yourself, “Do I really need a wedding planner?” I really love the response Colleen gave me when I asked for her opinion on this issue:

While family and friends can be incredibly helpful, a dedicated coordinator allows for an impartial party to be a sounding board to the couple and ultimately take stress away from family and friends. Many venues provide a day-of coordinator and while they are helpful in overseeing the items taking place there, they are typically out of touch with the overall picture of the entire day. This can cause things to be piecemeal. As your wedding coordinator, I know your vendors, your timeline and your vision inside and out, which results in a seamless and organized day. 

Colleen Horstmann of Coll It Entertaining

Here’s a Christmas tree farm wedding that Colleen and I worked together on.

5. One for the Books Events

One of the absolute best wedding planners in Connecticut is Evan Chestnutt of One for the Books Events. “My hope is that couples never feel like they have to start from scratch when it comes to planning their wedding, that’s where a planner can really make a difference!”

Evan Chestnutt of One for the Books Events, a great Connecticut wedding planner business, helps a bride with her dress train on her wedding day.
It’s the little things on your wedding day that Evan of One for the Books Events can help with.

Evan is willing and capable to handle anything with her event planner company, from consulting to complete management of your event. For her, it’s all about establishing and maintaining relationships. She wants couples to feel “that their vision will be brought to life” on their wedding day.

Connecticut day-of coordinator Evan Chestnutt of One for the Books Events helps a bride with bustling her wedding dress.
If you’ll be wearing a wedding dress, let a pro like Evan bustle it for you on your big day.

One of Evan’s main goals as a wedding planner and day-of coordinator is to keep you and your loved ones free of having to “manage” the day. “Nothing is better than you and all of your guests sharing a care-free, joyful day.” Having seen her in action, I can definitely vouch.

Here’s an Old Wethersfield wedding that I had the pleasure of working with Evan on.

Learn More

While I’m not a wedding planner, I am a darn good wedding photographer. Just use the links below to learn more.

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