Almost every wedding planning agency in Prague has a great portfolio, and it’s impossible to tell them apart based on that alone. You’ll have to make your choice based on the answers to 10 questions before signing a contract: what’s included in the price, how the fee is calculated, who pays the vendors, what happens to the deposit in case of cancellation, and whether the marriage will be legally recognized. A good answer can be included in the contract right away.
Turnkey wedding planning, partial planning, or just coordination on the day
Each agency defines the boundaries between these three formats on its own: for one agency, “turnkey” means the concept and all vendors; for another, it means only the venue and a coordinator.
| Format | What’s Included | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| “Turnkey” | concept, vendors, budget, contracts, and a team on the wedding day; you’re responsible for making decisions and paying the bills | couples and guests from different countries, weddings with official registration |
| Partial Planning | preparation plan, contract review, and schedule | for those who find their own vendors and handle negotiations |
| Wedding Day Coordination | readiness check, communication with vendors, on-site coordinators | for those who have handled all preparations on their own |
The Vélour Agency, a wedding planning agency in Prague, openly publishes its pricing: “turnkey” packages—35,000–65,000 Kč; event coordination—20,000 Kč. Based on the Czech National Bank (ČNB) exchange rate as of November 2, 2026, “turnkey” packages cost approximately 1,437–2,669 €, while other amounts can be calculated using a currency converter.
1. What exactly is included in the price, and what is charged separately?
Ask for a detailed list of services by item, rather than just the package name. It should include specific numbers: guests, meetings, venue visits, coordinators, and hours. Ask whether the venue, catering, accommodations, and transfers are included, or if they will be billed separately. An example of a fine line is the “Documents for Marriage in the Czech Republic” service from Vélour Agency: starting at 15,000 Kč for assistance, while translations, the translator’s services, and the marriage registry fee (charged by the marriage registration authority) are paid separately.
A red flag is an “all-inclusive” offer without a detailed list or a “starting at” price without an explanation of what factors cause the price to increase.
How much does a wedding planner cost in Prague?
The planner’s fee is calculated as a fixed amount per package or a percentage of the budget. Invoices for venue rental and contractors are added to this, so the package price is not yet the final amount.
2. Is the fee a flat rate or a percentage of the budget?
The percentage seems modest as long as the budget is small. The example below is hypothetical: 10% is a rounded figure for calculation purposes, not a market rate; the fixed amount of 50,000 Kč is the midpoint of the published “turnkey” price range.
| Wedding Budget | 10% fee | Fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| 300,000 Kč | 30,000 Kč | 50,000 Kč |
| 600,000 Kč | 60,000 Kč | 50,000 crowns |
| 1,000,000 crowns | 100,000 crowns | 50,000 Kč |
Fees are fixed for a budget of 500,000 Kč: below this amount, a percentage rate applies; above it, a fixed rate applies. With a percentage-based fee, each more expensive item increases the fee: if the venue is 100,000 Kč more expensive, the organizer will receive an additional 10,000 Kč at the same rate. The standard response is that the fee structure and percentage basis are specified in the contract: either based on the total budget or only on the services secured by the agency. If the response is “we’ll calculate it at the end,” the agency does not have a set payment model.
3. Who pays the contractors, and is there a commission?
Money is paid to contractors either through the agency or directly to their accounts. In the latter case, you see the actual prices. In the former, ask for copies of the invoices and directly inquire about the agency’s commission or markup.
You should be wary if they won’t show you the invoices or won’t let you bring in your own photographer and emcee.
How do you pay, and what happens if the wedding is canceled or rescheduled?
In a Czech contract, a prepayment may be referred to as a záloha (advance payment) or a závdavek (deposit), and the legal consequences differ between the two. By default, the law considers anything that one party has transferred to the other prior to the conclusion of the contract to be an advance payment (§ 1807). A deposit must be paid no later than at the time the contract is concluded: it confirms the contract and serves as a guarantee that the party paying it will fulfill their obligations (§ 1808).
4. How much should be paid in advance, and is it a záloha or a závdavek?
The Civil Code applies the rules of “retaining the deposit” and “returning double the amount” only to the deposit. If the contract is not performed due to your fault, the agency has the right to retain the deposit. If this occurred due to the agency’s fault, you have the right to demand double the amount of the deposit—as specified in § 1808 of the Civil Code (Občanský zákoník). Instead of double the amount, you may demand performance of the contract, and if performance is no longer possible, compensation for damages.
When the contract allows for withdrawal and there is no separate fee for it, the deposit serves as that fee (§ 1809): if you withdraw, you forfeit the deposit; if the agency withdraws, it must return double the amount.
The standard procedure is a payment schedule listing the amounts, dates, and purpose of each payment, accompanied by an invoice from the company specified in the contract for each payment. A red flag is cash without documentation or a transfer to a third party’s personal bank card.
5. What happens if the wedding is canceled or rescheduled?
The terms should apply to both parties: what you stand to lose if you cancel the wedding, and what the agency will refund if it backs out. Specify date changes and force majeure circumstances separately—indicating what happens to the money in each case. A venue deposit paid directly is governed by the venue’s contract.
If the contract allows one of the parties to withdraw from it for a certain fee, this fee is called odstupné (§ 1992). The same section includes a caveat: a party that has already at least partially fulfilled its obligations or accepted performance from the other party does not have this right. Therefore, specify the amount of compensation for terminating the contract after the first payments have been made directly in the contract. A penalty for breaching a specific obligation is a “contractual penalty” (§ 2048): it can be claimed even if no actual damages were incurred.
If the terms for terminating the contract specify only your obligations, the contract protects only one agency.
What Should Be Included in a Contract with a Wedding Agency
The contract (smlouva) is where agreements become obligations. Before signing, make sure it includes:
- the agency’s name, its sídlo (legal address), and IČO (identification number)—according to § 435 of the Civil Code, a business is required to include these in business documents, and the IČO—if one has been assigned;
- the total price including taxes and fees, and if this cannot be determined in advance, the method of calculation: the agency is required to provide this information in advance, before the contract is concluded (§ 1811);
- a list of services with amounts and deadlines—including when the estimate and schedule will be provided;
- who pays whom, according to what schedule, and what each payment is called—záloha or závdavek;
- in whose name the contracts with contractors are drawn up and who is liable if a contractor fails to complete the work;
- cancellation and rescheduling provisions for both parties, and a definition of force majeure;
- replacement of the coordinator if they become ill;
- Language: The agency is required to provide all communications to you, as the client, clearly, comprehensibly, and in the language in which the contract was concluded (§ 1811).
How many coordinators will be at the wedding, and what should be done if it rains?
As many as specified in the contract. Specify the number of coordinators, their names, and their working hours in the contract: the phrase “the agency’s team” does not guarantee anything.
6. Who will be the coordinators, how many will there be, and until what time will they be there?
Meet the coordinator before the wedding. At a large celebration, one person can’t manage to both greet guests and keep track of the schedule with vendors, so clarify how many coordinators are included in the package and until what time they’ll be working. A good response will include a replacement in case of illness.
If only one person is present at your meetings, but “someone from the team” will arrive at the wedding, you won’t meet your coordinator until the event itself.
7. What’s the Plan B for the weather and the venue?
A ceremony in a villa’s garden or a castle’s courtyard depends on the weather. A standard answer is that a backup hall or tent is already included in the budget, and it specifies who decides when to move the ceremony indoors and when that decision is made. Also ask about vendors: who will replace the photographer or emcee if they don’t show up?
A red flag is when someone says, “It’s always sunny on that day.”
Photo: Vélour Agency
What language does the agency use to communicate with you and the vendors?
The planner may communicate with you in Russian or Ukrainian, but contracts with the Prague venue and catering service will most likely be in Czech. Ask for a translation of the key points, or at least run the text through an online translator before signing.
8. Who provides translation during negotiations and at the ceremony?
During the official registration, the language used is regulated by law. If the marriage application is not submitted in Czech or Slovak, a tlumočník (interpret) is required, and the ceremony will not take place without one. The couple is responsible for securing and paying for the interpreter, and the agency can also help find one. An interpreter who is not a court-certified interpreter must take an oath before a registry office employee—a court-certified interpreter does not need to do so.
A promise to “translate it ourselves” means nothing if the agency is unaware that the registry office must be notified of the interpreter in advance.
Marriage registration in the Czech Republic or a symbolic wedding—what can an agency do?
A wedding officiant and vows in the garden of a villa do not yet make a wedding a marriage: in the Czech Republic, marriage is registered by the registry office, and a wedding ceremony is only legally recognized as a marriage with its certification (osvědčení). With the registry office’s permission, the registration can take place outside City Hall, and the documents are accepted by the registry office in the district where the ceremony will be held. The marriage fee is paid by one of the spouses: 5,000 Kč, if neither of them has trvalý pobyt (permanent residence) in the Czech Republic; 3,000 Kč if one of them does; and an additional 3,000 Kč for an alternative location or time. There are no exemptions for Ukrainians: the provision exempting refugees from the fee was in effect until March 31, 2023.
Photo: Boris Hamer / Pexels, Pexels license
9. Will the marriage be officially recognized, and what legal obligations do you assume?
The Czech Ministry of the Interior’s procedures for foreigners are described on the page about marrying a foreigner. The agency can help you choose a marriage certificate template and date, arrange for the translation of documents, assist in finding an interpreter for the ceremony, and prepare a request for an off-site registration.
The law leaves some steps up to you: both of you must sign the questionnaire (Dotazník k uzavření manželství); both of you must be present in person at the ceremony, along with two witnesses; and for a foreign national (except for citizens of the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and their family members) must provide confirmation from the Policie ČR (Czech Police) regarding the legality of their stay, valid for no more than 7 business days as of the wedding date (§ 35 odst. 4 of Act No. 301/2000 Sb.).
If an agency claims that Ukrainian documents require an apostille for a Czech marriage certificate, it is unaware of the rules: according to the agreement between the Czech Republic and Ukraine on legal assistance (No. 123/2002 Sb. m. s.), an apostille is not required; what is needed is an official translation into Czech. Documents from other countries sometimes require an apostille, so the entry “apostille” in the price list is not necessarily a mistake.
Portfolio, reviews, and registry—checking the agency before signing
10. Is it possible to view a complete wedding portfolio and verify the company?
Ask to see two or three weddings in their entirety: full photo galleries, the venue name, date, and the names of the photographer and decorator. It’s easy to verify a genuine case—the venue exists, and the photographer has featured the same wedding on their website. Look for reviews on Google Maps and on the couple’s social media accounts: on its website, the agency publishes only what it has selected itself.
Then enter the IČO from the contract to verify the company. The tool will find the company in the ARES registry and display its name, address, and status—whether it’s active or dissolved. The name and address must match those in the contract.
Reasons to avoid an agency: they don’t provide the IČO, the IČO belongs to another company, or photos from their portfolio are found on other websites.
Checklist—What Questions to Ask a Wedding Planner
- What’s included in the package, and what’s charged separately?
- Is it a fixed amount or a percentage—and based on what amount?
- Who pays the vendors?
- Advance payment—is it a “záloha” or a “závdavek”?
- What happens in case of cancellation or rescheduling?
- How many coordinators, and until what time?
- What’s the backup plan?
- Who will translate at the ceremony?
- Will the marriage be legally recognized?
- What is your IČO?
When you receive the draft contract, look for the answer to each question on your cheat sheet: anything that was promised verbally but not written down, ask to have it added before signing.
