The Best Small Wedding Planners Across the US

As more couples choose smaller, more personal celebrations, one question comes up again and again: Do you really need a wedding planner for a small wedding? Planning a micro wedding is equal parts thrilling and overwhelming. Intimate guest lists may simplify some decisions, but they don’t eliminate the logistics, timelines, and behind-the-scenes coordination required to pull everything together seamlessly.

Our answer is a resounding yes.

Do You Need a Wedding Planner for a Small Wedding?

A smaller guest count doesn’t mean fewer moving parts—it just means the details matter more. Wedding planners bring experience, structure, and calm to a process that can quickly become stressful, even for the most organized couples. From vendor coordination and timeline management to problem-solving on the fly, planners ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

For many couples, hiring a full-service planner isn’t necessary—but even a month-of or day-of coordinator can make a meaningful difference. Having a professional manage logistics allows couples to stay present, enjoy their celebration, and avoid spending their wedding day answering questions or troubleshooting issues.

Planners also come with trusted vendor recommendations, a deep understanding of how events actually flow, and the ability to anticipate challenges couples don’t even know to plan for yet. It’s one of the most impactful ways to reduce stress during your engagement and elevate the overall experience of your wedding day.

Below, we’re sharing our recommendations for some of the best wedding planners across the U.S. who specialize in small and micro weddings—professionals who understand that intimate celebrations deserve just as much care, intention, and expertise as large-scale events.

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Different Types of Wedding Planning & Coordination

There are a ton of different services when it comes to wedding planning. These are the most common.

Full-Service Planning

Just as it sounds, full-service planning provides the most comprehensive set of services, including helping you confirm your theme and color palette, choosing your venues and recommending vendors, negotiating contracts, creating your micro wedding timeline, and keeping you on task through the entire planning process. Of course, this will be the most expensive option, but if you're looking for a pro to do what they do best while you kick back and enjoy the moment, this service is for you.

Day-Of Coordination

This one can be a little misleading because most small wedding planners will come in several weeks before your wedding day to make sure you haven't missed anything on your wedding planning checklist, conduct final coordination with vendors and your venue, and, of course, provide full support on the day of your wedding.

Consulting

This option is excellent if you need some help getting started and want expert advice on venues and vendors and clear planning steps to pull everything together. While they don't usually provide day-of support, they can be an affordable option for getting great advice and ensuring everything runs smoothly.

What To Look For in a Small Wedding Planner

Choosing the best partner for your wedding might feel overwhelming. There are so many! How do you know which one to pick?

Experience with Small Weddings

Micro weddings have unique challenges and opportunities, so having a wedding planner who has experience with more intimate events will work to your advantage. From knowing how to pick the right venue to recommending other great vendor partners and making recommendations to elevate your wedding experience in this niche will go a long way.

Style Match

Before you look for a small wedding planner, you'll want to have an idea of what style of wedding you want to have. Choosing a wedding pro whose style matches your ideal wedding vibe will help ensure it comes together per your vision. Additionally, you can be confident they'll make great recommendations for things you haven't thought of that could be a great addition to your day.

Location

I recommend choosing a wedding planner from the area where you're getting married. Local wedding planners have extensive expertise in location scouting and vendor recommendations, which will help ensure you can make the most of your chosen wedding location.

How Much Does a Small Wedding Planner Cost?

First, it's helpful to know that there are different types of planning packages. From full-service planning to simple consulting, there is a service for every level of needs and budget. According to a recent survey by The Knot, the national average for the cost of a wedding planner is $2,100, but there are a ton of factors that play into that.

Service Level

Of course, choosing a full-service wedding planner will cost you more (generally speaking) than day-of coordination.

Location

Certain areas of the country are more or less expensive than others. This really goes for pretty much everything so it should come as no surprise that where you're getting married will have a lot to do with how much you spend on wedding services.

Travel

Is your wedding planner traveling? While we mostly recommend sticking with local wedding pros there are times where it makes sense for your wedding planner to accompany you. If this is the case, it's possible that you could incur travel fees which would increase the cost.

‍Evergreen Event Company

Evergreen Event Co. intentionally designs and plans celebrations with purpose and meaning while keeping in mind the social and environmental impact. They downplay excess and one-time-use decor and uphold experiences and connection.

They love planning micro weddings and elopements because they thrive on crafting intimate, deeply personal celebrations. They get jazzed about brainstorming creative decor ideas, incorporating thoughtful details that reflect your unique story, and tackling logistical challenges to ensure your day is seamless and stress-free.

Serenity Weddings

As a California small wedding planner (who serves couples anywhere in the US), Serenity Weddings offers a variety of coordinating and planning packages tailored to fit intimate weddings of all styles. Specializing in highly personalized celebrations, they supports couples who plan their own weddings filled with unique, meaningful details—stepping in behind the scenes to bring their vision to life seamlessly.

From setup to tear down, and guidance throughout the planning process, Serenity Weddings ensures every detail is handled with care. On the big day, couples can feel fully present and at peace, knowing everything is taken care of. The result? A stress-free celebration where the couple can truly enjoy being the guests of honor, surrounded by loved ones and unforgettable moments.

Timeless Traditions

Serving couples in Colorado and Utah. Woman-Owned

Timeless Traditions provides wedding management and partial planning for couples who value unforgettable details. Whether you want an intimate ceremony with 40 of your closest loved ones or to elope just you, your fiancé, and your photographer, we are here to love on and serve you from Western Colorado to Eastern Utah. 

Elevate Wedding Officiant

Serving couples in Colorado, Texas, and Utah. LGBTQ+ Friendly, Woman-Owned

Officiating weddings is the core of our business, and we're also well-known for being a one-stop-shop for micro weddings!  From site location to day-of-coordination, we can do just about anything and excel at taking the stress of wedding planning off our couples shoulders.

Whether you're planning a traditional ceremony and just need a professional officiant, an intimate micro-wedding with up to 30 cherished guests, or envisioning a romantic elopement, our experienced team is committed to creating a ceremony that resonates with your love story.

Custom Weddings of Colorado

Serving couples in Colorado. LGBTQ+ Friendly, Woman-Owned

Wendee has been Colorado's best (and longest) micro-wedding planner specializing in all-inclusive small wedding (40 or fewer guests) and elopement packages for over 20 years.  Our intimate wedding packages offer couples the opportunity to have a dreamy and easy wedding, without all the "hoopla" of a big, formal event  You have all the necessities:  ceremony site, professional photographer, fresh florals, officiant, cake, expert planner and onsite coordinator.  We'll even guide you with dinner reservations to celebrate your union.  If you are looking for something gorgeous, lighthearted, outdoorsy, easy, memorable, personable, yummy and quality designed - then we are totally it!

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Elope to Orlando

Elope to Orlando LLC specializes in creating stress-free, all-inclusive elopements and intimate weddings that feel personal, effortless, and full of meaning. From handpicked venues and professional photography to florals and officiants, every detail is thoughtfully managed so couples can simply show up and enjoy the moment. Whether envisioning a quiet lakeside vow exchange, a garden filled with blooms, or an elegant micro-wedding, the team brings each couple’s dream day to life with care and creativity. With years of local experience and a trusted network of partners, Elope to Orlando makes every “just us” celebration beautiful, seamless, and uniquely personal. Discover more at ElopetoOrlando.com

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Wild Poppy Events

Serving couples in Western Colorado. LGBTQ+ Friendly, Woman-Owned

Wild Poppy Events is here to help couples create authentic wedding and elopement moments that matter. Located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, we specialize in capturing the essence of your unique love story. From intimate ceremonies to grand celebrations, our full-service planning and management packages cater to every couple and budget.

For the adventurous souls we also offer an Adventure Micro-Wedding package. Take your wedding weekend beyond the ceremony and reception and explore all the wonders the Western Slope has to offer. From exchanging vows at 10,000ft with panoramic mountain views to embarking on a Jeeping expedition, traversing canyon walls or relaxing in the famous, mineral-rich hot springs, let us help plan each step of an unforgettable start to this next chapter of your love story.