Wedding Planners in Grenada: Full vs Day-of vs Partial (2026)
Planning a wedding in Grenada from abroad means coordinating vendors you've never met, in a country whose calendar, permits and supply chain you don't know. A local planner is the single highest-leverage hire on the whole budget — here's what each tier actually does, what they cost in 2026, and how to pick one.
The short answer
A full-service wedding planner in Grenada typically costs USD $2,500–$6,500 and is essentially mandatory for couples planning a 20+ guest wedding from abroad. Partial planners run USD $1,500–$3,000 and pick up at the 3-month mark, while day-of coordinators cost USD $800–$1,500 and only run the wedding day itself. Hire 9–12 months ahead for full service, 3–4 months for day-of.
They know which vendors actually deliver
A planner who's run 40 Grenada weddings already knows which florists, caterers and bands show up on time and which to avoid — the most valuable thing in a small market.
They negotiate prices you can't
Local planners book the same vendors weekly and get rates 10–25% below the public quote — often more than covering their own fee on a mid-sized wedding.
They handle the licence, the permits, the boat
Marriage licence filing at the Ministry, beach permits, vendor insurance, EC$ payments — the logistics no destination couple should be doing themselves from a hotel room.
Full vs. partial vs. day-of — what each tier actually means
A full-service planner is hired 9–12 months out and runs everything from the first vendor shortlist to the last shuttle home. They source and book the venue, negotiate caterer, florist, photographer, band and rental contracts, file your marriage licence with the Ministry of Legal Affairs in St. George's, manage the EC$ payments to local vendors, build the run-sheet, and run the wedding day on the ground. For couples planning from the US, UK or Canada — i.e. most weddings in Grenada — full-service is the only tier that genuinely removes the planning workload. Expect USD $2,500 at the entry end up to USD $6,500 for an experienced planner running a multi-day, 60+ guest event.
Partial planning sits in the middle. You do the early-stage work yourself — booking the venue, choosing a photographer, locking in a date — and the planner picks up at the 3–4 month mark to handle the remaining vendors, timeline, paperwork and day-of execution. This works well if you've already been to Grenada, know your venue, and just need someone to handle the back-half logistics and the wedding day itself. Cost in 2026 runs USD $1,500–$3,000, and most local planners cap how many partial-planning clients they take on per month because the workload spikes in the final weeks.
Day-of coordination (often more accurately called month-of) is the lightest tier: the planner joins 4–6 weeks before the wedding to inherit your existing vendor list, build the timeline, run the rehearsal and execute the wedding day. It's the right fit if you're getting married at an all-inclusive resort (which provides its own on-site coordinator) and only need an independent advocate on the day, or if you're doing a true elopement with 4–10 guests and minimal logistics. Costs run USD $800–$1,500. It does not include vendor sourcing, contract negotiation or licence filing — those still fall on you.
What you actually get at each tier
Three real-world service definitions from active Grenada planners in 2026 — the line items move slightly between providers, but these are the standard inclusions for each tier.
Full-service planner
$2,500 – $6,500End-to-end planning: venue sourcing, vendor shortlist and negotiation, full contract review, marriage licence filing, budget tracking in USD and EC$, transport and accommodation coordination, rehearsal and ceremony management, and a full on-the-day team. This is the only tier where you can genuinely say 'we're not planning a wedding, our planner is' — the workload on your side drops to roughly two calls a month.
Local tip: Ask for their per-vendor commission disclosure upfront. Reputable planners either don't take commissions or rebate them to you; the ones who hide them are quietly inflating your vendor invoices.
Partial planner
$1,500 – $3,000Joins after you've booked the venue and core vendors. Handles the final 30% of the planning: remaining vendor coordination (florist, decor, transport), full timeline build, rehearsal management, day-of execution, and any last-mile paperwork including the marriage licence if you haven't filed it yourself. You stay involved in vendor decisions; they own the logistics.
Local tip: Make sure 'day-of execution' includes a second assistant for weddings over 30 guests — one person running ceremony, reception and bar handoffs alone is where day-of plans fall apart.
Day-of (month-of) coordinator
$800 – $1,500Joins 4–6 weeks before the wedding. Reviews your existing vendor contracts, builds the run-sheet, manages the rehearsal, and runs the wedding day — start to finish. Does not source vendors, negotiate prices, or file paperwork. Most useful as an independent advocate at an all-inclusive resort where the on-site coordinator works for the hotel, not you.
Local tip: If you're at a Sandals, Spice Island, Calabash or similar all-inclusive, the resort coordinator is free but answers to the resort's interests. A USD $1,000 independent day-of planner is the cheapest insurance policy in destination weddings.
Grenada wedding planner pricing in 2026
Going rates compiled from active south-coast planners in June 2026. Most quote a flat fee; a handful still work on a percentage of total budget (typically 15–20%) which usually works out more expensive on weddings above USD $25,000.
| Service tier | Typical cost (USD) | What's included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day-of coordination | $800 – $1,500 | Final 4–6 weeks: timeline, rehearsal, on-the-day execution. No vendor sourcing. | Resort weddings, elopements, couples who've done it all themselves |
| Partial planning | $1,500 – $3,000 | Final 3–4 months: vendor coordination, timeline, paperwork, day-of execution. | Couples with venue booked who need help finishing the back half |
| Full-service planning | $2,500 – $4,500 | End-to-end: venues, vendors, licence, budget, transport, day-of team. 30-guest weddings. | Most destination couples planning from abroad |
| Luxury / multi-day planning | $4,500 – $6,500 | Full-service plus welcome dinner, beach party, farewell brunch, multi-vendor coordination. | 60+ guest weddings, villa takeovers, three-day events |
Some planners charge 15–20% of total wedding budget instead of a flat fee — confirm the model upfront. Flat fees almost always favour the couple on weddings above USD $20,000.
The 10 questions to ask before signing a planner contract
Ask all ten on the first call. Any planner who can't answer them clearly isn't the one you want running your wedding day.
- How many Grenada weddings have you personally run in the last 12 months?
- Will you be on-site on the wedding day, or will an assistant cover for you?
- Do you take commissions or kickbacks from vendors — and if yes, how are they disclosed?
- How many other weddings are you managing on or around our date?
- Can you share two references from couples whose weddings looked like ours (size, venue type, guest count)?
- What's your written backup plan if you fall ill or have an emergency on the day?
- Is the marriage licence filing at the Ministry of Legal Affairs included, or extra?
- What's the payment schedule, and can it be split between USD and EC$?
- What's specifically excluded from your fee that we'd assume is included?
- How do you handle vendor disputes or no-shows on the wedding day itself?
From shortlist to signed contract — the 5-step process
Most couples find their planner in 3–4 weeks of focused work. Compress it tighter than that and you tend to over-pay; stretch it longer and the better planners are already booked for your date.
Build a 5–7 planner shortlist
Start with KonnectWI's verified wedding planners, the planner pages of resorts you're considering, and Instagram (Grenada planners post heavily). Aim for 5–7 names with current Grenada experience — not Caribbean-generalist planners based in another country who fly in for the week.
Email-screen down to 3 finalists
Send each one a short brief: date, guest count, venue (or 'undecided'), budget range, and what tier you're considering. Drop any planner who takes more than 48 hours to reply or whose first response doesn't include their pricing structure — both are predictors of day-of responsiveness.
Run a 30-minute interview call with each finalist
Ask the 10 questions in the checklist above. Take notes. Pay attention to how they handle question 3 (commissions) and question 6 (backup plan) — these are the two questions that filter out the planners you don't want.
Check references and verify portfolio
Call two references per finalist. Ask: 'What did your planner do that was worth the fee?' and 'What would you change about how they ran the day?' If a planner can't or won't provide references for weddings like yours, that's the answer.
Sign a written contract — never a verbal agreement
The contract should specify scope, deliverables, payment schedule (typically 30% deposit, 40% three months out, 30% one week before), cancellation terms, and what happens if the planner can't perform. Pay the deposit by credit card or wire — never cash to an individual.
What local planners know that imported ones don't
The supply chain is small — book your planner first
Grenada has roughly 15 active wedding planners. The top 4–5 routinely book out 6–9 months ahead for peak season (January–May). Once they're booked, the next-tier planners follow. If you have a non-negotiable date, book the planner before the venue — they'll save you more than they cost on the venue itself.
Tropical wedding planning is its own skill
Sand wind, sunset timing, EC$ payments, customs clearance for shipped decor, the difference between a Belmont Estate permit and a Magazine Beach permit — none of this is in a US-trained planner's playbook. Local-experience matters more than years-in-business.
Coordinators at all-inclusive resorts work for the resort
Sandals, Spice Island, Calabash and Royalton all provide a free in-house wedding coordinator with their packages. They're competent at the basic timeline — but they answer to the hotel, not to you. For anything bespoke (outside vendor, custom menu, unusual ceremony) you still want an independent planner.
A good planner pays for themselves
On a USD $20,000 wedding, a planner negotiating 10–20% off your caterer, florist, decor and transport invoices is recouping USD $2,000–$4,000 — roughly the full-service fee. The maths only stops working on weddings below USD $10,000, which is exactly where day-of coordination fits in.
Frequently asked questions
When should I hire a wedding planner in Grenada?
Hire a full-service planner 9–12 months ahead of the wedding date, ideally before booking your venue — the best planners book out 6–9 months in advance for peak season (January–May). Partial planners can be booked 4–6 months out, and day-of coordinators 1–3 months out.
Can I just use a day-of coordinator instead of a full planner?
Yes, if you're getting married at an all-inclusive resort that provides its own coordinator, or you're doing a true elopement with under 10 guests. For 20+ guest destination weddings planned from abroad, a day-of coordinator alone leaves too much of the workload — vendor sourcing, contract negotiation and licence filing — on the couple.
Do Grenada resorts include a wedding coordinator?
All-inclusive resorts like Sandals Grenada, Spice Island Beach Resort, Calabash, True Blue Bay and Royalton include an in-house wedding coordinator with their wedding packages at no extra charge. They're competent for resort-standard ceremonies but work for the resort, not you — most couples hire an independent day-of planner (USD $800–$1,500) alongside them for anything bespoke.
Can I plan a Grenada wedding myself without a planner?
Possible for tiny elopements (2–6 guests) where there's almost no logistics. Not realistic for anything larger when planning from abroad: vendor sourcing, EC$ payments, marriage licence filing at the Ministry, beach permits and day-of coordination add up to 100+ hours of work in a country whose vendor market you don't know.
Do wedding planners take commissions from vendors?
Some do, some don't. Reputable planners either don't take vendor commissions or fully rebate them to the couple — and disclose the policy in writing in the contract. Planners who quietly take 10–15% commissions are inflating your vendor invoices to pay themselves twice. Always ask the question on the first call.
What's the payment schedule for a Grenada wedding planner?
Standard schedule is 30% deposit on signing, 40% three months before the wedding, and 30% one week before. Pay by credit card or international wire transfer — never cash to an individual. Some planners accept payment in both USD and EC$, which can help if you're managing multiple currencies.
What happens if my wedding planner gets sick on the day?
A reputable planner's contract specifies a written backup plan — usually a named senior assistant or a partner planner who steps in with full briefing. Ask for the backup planner's name in writing before signing. Planners working solo with no contingency are the single biggest hidden risk on a destination wedding.
Plan the rest of your Grenada wedding
Once your planner is locked in, these are the next decisions — and your planner will help with all of them.
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