What is wedding commission and how does it work?
Photo James Frost Photography | Planning + Styling Wiskow & White
It’s time this was cleared up once and for all. It’s really important to understand how it works so that you have the full, clear picture on costs and can make the most informed decisions before jumping into wedding planning.
Commission is an amount of money, usually a percentage of a total cost, paid to the individual or company that got another individual or company a sale.
eg. wedding planner books photographer. Photographer grants planner 10% commission.
Traditionally wedding planners charge commission to suppliers. This is not true of all planners (we cover more on planner fees below).
It is important to ask your planner and venue whether they are charging a commission on the booking of any other suppliers before you sign a contract. This is so that you have the full picture on the total price of using the planner or venue and can fairly compare this to another.
For example, one planner may charge a set fee of £4000 and not charge commission. The £4000 is their total cost to you. Another planner may charge a set fee of £2000 and make another £3000 in 10% commission across supplier bookings. This means that £5000 is their total cost to you. If planners are comparable in their expertise and service, then you can finally compare on price and make the best decision for you, with all the information you have.
In most cases, commission is seen as a marketing payment. The planner has bought the supplier the work and in a sense, this is a form of marketing.
1. SET FEE + COMMISSION
A clear set of deliverables, with a set fee attached, plus 10% commission from key suppliers such as catering, photographer.
2. VARIABLE FEE + COMMISSION
A fee-based on your wedding budget ie. 10% of the total, plus 10% commission from key suppliers such as catering, photographer.
3. VARIABLE FEE
A fee-based on your wedding budget ie. 10% of the total. You may not know what the total fee will be when booking as you won’t have finalised your budget at this stage.
4. SET FEE
A clear set of deliverables, with a set fee attached that won’t change throughout planning unless you drastically change your planned events.
1. Straight up 10% added to each supplier base cost
2. Percentage built into the cost ie. A venue costs £10,000 whether booked via a planner or directly. The cost does not change dependent on who's made the booking and the venue pays commission to all planners.
It’s a great way to build relationships between suppliers and pay planners for their hard work. When it is forecast to make up a percentage of the planner’s fee and affects what the flat fee charged was, it’s obviously important that they receive this to ensure they’re fairly paid for their role.
Suppliers could be recommended because they pay good commission, not because they are the best at what they do.
Some venues and suppliers do not pay commission to planners as a rule. This can affect who will work with them. Some planners will not work with a photographer that won’t pay the 10% commission. It’s important to know if you’ve got this choice and flexibility or not.
If your planner or venue will only work with suppliers that pay commission, your supplier choices may be more limited.
Commission can be either included in the gross total a supplier quotes or it can be added on top. So a photographer may cost 3000 euro if you go direct or 3300 through your planner. If the latter (which is more rare) your wedding could cost you more than if you'd used a flat rate planner.
Asking whether a venue or planner charges commission is the best way to understand your costs from the start and have transparency around how your wedding mechanics are working. It is then in your hands to work out what the true cost of the planner or venue is and how this compares to the others that you have considered.
Written by Lucy White, Founder of La Lista & Wiskow & White, with over 10 years and 300 weddings worth of experience.
