Compare scope before comparing price
We do not publish unsupported average planner fees. Compare what is included, what is optional and what the venue or couple still owns—especially when US and UK couples compare Jamaica villas with DR packages.
- Planning hours and milestones
- Supplier sourcing
- Venue coordination
- Guest support
- On-the-day team assumptions
Scope snapshot: coordinator vs partial vs full planning
The same headline fee can mean very different work. Use this lens before you compare islands.
- Resort coordinator (typical Punta Cana): Executes inside package rules; may not own outside vendors or multi-event timelines.
- Partial independent planner: May handle design, vendor sourcing or guest logistics while the resort covers catering setup.
- Full planning (typical Jamaica villa): Often owns external suppliers, villa access, power, catering contracts and wedding-day decisions from abroad.
Jamaica vs Dominican Republic budget conversations
Official tourism scale (Jamaica 4.3M visitors in 2024; DR 11.2M) reflects mature suppliers—but total wedding cost still depends on venue model, not visitor totals alone.
- Jamaica: Villa and multi-supplier events need itemised scope; Montego Bay resort packages exist but differ from Negril villas.
- Dominican Republic: Package tiers can clarify early ceremony scope—track upgrades, outside suppliers and guest events separately.
- Neither island is automatically ‘cheaper’; compare complete budgets and planner's job.
Cost questions to ask
Make quotes operationally clear, especially for private venues, US Saturday flight clusters or UK long-haul guest logistics.
- What is included in the base fee?
- Which services are charged separately?
- What changes the quote?
- What does the venue already cover?
Planner fees range with the job, not the island name
There is no single Caribbean planner price. Coordination-only (hotel product, one ceremony, house vendors) sits in a different band from full-service production (villa, mixed suppliers, several events, imported design). Percentage-of-budget models look small until the budget includes a room block. Treat any blog average as orientation. Ask for staffed hours, inclusions and who pays vendors before you compare two quotes.
- Coordination-only is not full-service production
- Hotel coordinators are usually on the hotel payroll, not your independent fee
- Our matching fees on the pricing page are separate from whatever you later pay a planner
How to compare two quotes that are not in the same shape
Normalise to: what is included, which weekend hours are staffed, who pays vendors, which currency, and what storm language exists. A cheaper headline that excludes wedding-day staffing is not a saving. Ask for a one-page inclusions table. If they will not produce one, you cannot compare, and you are taking risk on the day.
- Staffing hours on rehearsal, ceremony and reception
- Vendor payment handling and mark-ups
- Number of site visits and who attends them
How independent matching reduces that risk
A free wedding profile captures guest-count band, hotel versus villa, and whether the ceremony must be legally binding. We independently source planners against that brief, show the recommendation and the unknowns, and leave appointment with you. You pay us. Planners do not. Published private-client fees live on the pricing page. They are not a discount on the planner you later hire.
- Matching fee, planner fee and hotel coordinator payroll are three different lines
- Credit rules between report and appointment live on the pricing page
- Start a wedding profile when you can name hotel or villa
Common questions
Questions couples ask
Why are average planner prices not listed here?
Averages mislead when scope varies. Focus on quote clarity and responsibilities instead.
Why won’t you publish a single average planner fee?
Because a Negril cliff weekend and a Bavaro gazebo are different jobs. Averages from travel blogs mix those jobs. We would rather teach you to compare scope than invent a number that ranks well and misleads.
Are matching fees the same as planner fees?
No. Caribbean Wedding Search charges for independent research and a recommendation. Planner contracts are separate, between you and the planner you appoint.
Do planners in Jamaica cost more than in Punta Cana?
Not as a rule. Package-heavy resorts can look cheaper because more labour sits inside the hotel. Independent villa weekends can cost more on either island. Compare hotel versus villa.