Apart from that dreaded college entrance test, the most difficult thing I ever had to do was plan a party. If you think bringing a team of caterers, florists, and DJs is so easy, well, let me break it to you – it’s not! 

Thankfully, you don’t have to relive my event-planning nightmares. One DIY disaster after another, and our team was already on our feet to find the best event planners in Christchurch. 

After weeks of compiling event portfolios and cross-checking interviews, we’ve narrowed our list to only the most noteworthy. So, if you ever need a hand for that birthday bash (really, you’ll need it), check out our top picks!

How much does an event planner cost in Christchurch?

The cost of an event planner in Christchurch ranges from $27 to $30 per hour. Factors, such as the experience of the event planners, additional services, and type of event, influence the total price.

How we chose

Experience and Expertise – We chose event planners in Christchurch who are seasoned pros in the industry. Their years of experience mean they’ve tackled every curveball imaginable to ensure the event runs seamlessly from start to finish.

Event Planning Packages – We looked for event planners who offer full, partial, or a la carte event planning packages. From themed parties to unique decor, these planners cover a wide range of services. 

Attention to Detail – We selected event planners who are sticklers for the little things. Whether it’s coordinating vendors or perfecting the table settings, these planners leave no stone unturned to ensure every aspect of your event is flawless.

Communication and Collaboration – We opted for event planners in Christchurch who are excellent communicators and collaborators. They listen attentively to your vision, offer insightful suggestions, and work closely with you every step of the way.

Flexibility and Adaptability – We sought out event planners who are as flexible as yoga instructors at sunrise! They can pivot at a moment’s notice, adjusting plans to accommodate changes or unexpected hiccups.

1. Event Goals

Event Goals specialises in large-scale events, but we love how they don’t shy away from planning a more intimate event too. To be more specific, they’re adept at handling big corporate gatherings and small-scale weddings.

This flexibility works well when it comes to meeting clients’ needs. They tailor events based on very specific details, which involves careful consultation and constant communication – both of which they excel in. 

There’s one aspect worth noting, though – while their professionalism shines through, some clients may find their services relatively expensive. Fortunately, the quality of their work and all other additional services make up for the price.

Finally, we love that Soirée Studio, their sister company, provides design assistance for weddings. In addition to design, the company helps Event Goals with logistics management, allowing it to deal with issues promptly when they arise. 

Seamless planning

“The one thing my now husband and I kept saying the day after our wedding was ‘How GREAT was Kate?!’. As our on the day coordinator, we completely trusted Kate. She had our run sheet ready to go well ahead of time, liaised with our vendors, and was simply organisation personified. On the day, she took care of some last-minute styling, had all the tasks we hadn’t gone around to doing done, and most importantly – managed to get my dad inside and ready on time (which is a big thing!). Along with our MC, she ran our whole day seamlessly, and we honestly could not have been more relaxed. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.”

Courtenay McCulloch | Google Reviews

Amazing to work with

“What can I say, just WOW. Kate and Jon were truly amazing to work with. They made everything run so smoothly for us and they were professional, helpful and bent over backwards over and over again. We couldn’t recommend them more. Thank you both so much, you were by far our most valued vendor!”

Naomi Naysmith | Google Reviews

2. The Event Boutique

What stood out to us about The Event Boutique is their extensive expertise in wedding events and other related services. In fact, their expertise also extends to planning marriage proposals, particularly in scenic locations like Lake Tekapo and Queenstown. 

Time management is also one of their strongest suits, as they often have a well-detailed timeline to prevent delays. Their tools for this include the use of Trello boards among many others, to keep the clients in the loop for updates, deadlines, and anticipated problems.

The Event Boutique also takes care of most of the responsibilities for the event, including contacting the caterers, entertainment, bar staff, and other relevant vendors. This eases the need to find other services and makes the planning process more seamless.

However, their planning may cost more compared to other companies, with minor add-ons potentially raising the price. Despite this, we find them to be more trustworthy than other options because of their reputation with larger companies.

Hassle-free planning 

“We really enjoyed our experience with the Event boutique as it took away some of the hassle and stress from planning our wedding. Lisa and her team did an amazing job taking our ideas and putting them to life. On our wedding day, the florals and decorations looked absolutely stunning and it exceeded our expectations. We couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. We would highly recommend the event boutique to everyone as it made our wedding really enjoyable and memorable.”

KC | Google Reviews

Absolutely amazing

“Lisa was absolutely amazing as a Wedding Coordinator on the day and also as a Wedding hire vendor. She made the day run seamlessly and took a lot of pressure off. I also used the Event Boutique for my florals, champagne tower and bar cart with cocktails. Thank you so much again Lisa!”

Steph Baxendale | Google Reviews

3. The Little Hire Company

Another company that caught our attention is The Little Hire Company, all thanks to their wide variety of services and resources. 

The company offers services for marquees, weddings, and parties. Their event services also include lights, bars, and entertainment for a potential all-in-one solution. 

They also offer high-quality items such as linens, bud vases, and signage stands, making planning themes and designs easier and more straightforward. Plus, renting these items is easy, with simple pick-up and drop-off procedures.

However, the company did have one black mark on its record when we dug into its history. Namely, it showed inflexibility regarding refunds in the wake of COVID-19 cancellations. 

Fortunately, there weren’t any recent issues echoing this, signalling an improvement since then. Plus, none of the recent clients we managed to interview had similar complaints.

Pleasure to work with

“The team at Little Hire Company were an absolute pleasure to work with throughout the wedding planning process. Even when our vision and colour scheme changed slightly, their easy communication meant this was stress free. We hired all of our linens, candle holders, bud vases and signage stands from little hire company and were so happy with the quality and how easy the pick up and drop off process was. These items truly helped bring our vision alive. Thank you Little Hire Company for helping bring our dream day to life!”

Courtney Fredriks | Google Reviews

Positive experience 

“We recently got married in Akaroa and used Little Hire Company and one other for our décor requirements. Working with LHC was a dream and their communication was on point every time I needed to get hold of them. Their items were great quality. Living overseas, their communication and website made life much easier for us. Would definitely recommend using LHC as I had a much more positive experience with them compared to other providers.”

Jen Wollard | Google Reviews

4. I Do For You

I Do For You caught our eye because of their comprehensive packages. These offerings allow their planners to fully take over, making them a good choice for large-scale and urgent events. 

Another thing we love is that they take time to sit down with clients and discuss their ideas. This is evident in their track record of consistently meeting or exceeding client expectations.

Their seamless coordination of vendors is also something worth noting. They quickly connect you with reliable photographers, caterers, and florists in the area who can match your event type.

On the downside, clients mentioned difficulties contacting I Do For You in the initial stages of the planning. But afterwards, their contacts become much smoother and more efficient.

On the bright side, they have a good relationship with their clients, who mentioned feeling relaxed and happy on their special day without worrying about the logistics. They handle everything, after all.

Easy to deal with

“I cannot recommend Moira enough. She was so easy to deal with and had our wedding running extremely smoothly. We had our ceremony at my Dads house and the reception at a Restaurant. Moira had them both set out perfectly with little direction from me. She is also has so much knowledge as we got so many tips from her about how the day should run.”

Natalie Rooney | Google Reviews

Stress-free planning 

“Moira coordinated our wedding day for us, she ensured that everything went to plan – even when it didn’t, she had a backup plan ready to go and just made it happen! Moira is great at providing ideas and easier ways to do things, she made our day as stress free as possible, I couldn’t have asked for more! Definitely recommend her services”

Paige Jansen | Google Reviews 

5. Collective Concepts

Collective Concepts offers services for various event types. From marquees to weddings and corporate gatherings, they make things possible – although we do find their range to be a little limited compared to others. 

Fortunately, we think their in-house team of professionals is a plus. The lack of third-party organisers or subcontractors tells us that they have a more rigid quality control. 

In fact, we saw this through their portfolio, where nothing feels out of place since everybody is working under the same supervision. Their wide supplier network also ensures that any accessory or decor is always on-point to the theme and sent on time.

When it comes to communication, the team is always available to answer questions during the planning phase. However, we also noted that when things get a little busier than usual, they can become more difficult to contact.

On a higher note, they compensate with their excellent attention to detail and hospitable attitude. Plus, seeing how easy it is to book with them, even for just a short consultation, is a winning factor in our books.

Professional and exceptional 

“The words professional, exceptional and amazing come to mind first when describing Silk Estate’s team of Kate and Jason and also Stephanie, Estelle and Noah. From the minute we hired them for a 50th Birthday Party, we knew it would all be better than perfect. Thank you SO VERY much for your exceptional rentals, set up and the support staff! We can’t recommend you enough and will be forever grateful!”

Vicky Vinteralla | Google Reviews

Highly recommended 

“Kate helped us with some planning sessions leading up to our wedding and provided on the day coordination for us. There is no way we could have managed to pull together the logistics of a marquee wedding without Kate’s help. I felt much more confident knowing Kate was all over the smaller details and logistics. Kate was very prompt in her communication at all times and always had ideas to solve any problems and recommendations for vendors. On the day we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves knowing that Kate would be able to sort any issues that cropped up ( eg when we realised on the day there was no drinkable water at the venue- Kate quickly arranged some to be delivered!). We would definitely recommend Kate’s planning and coordination services.”

Karin Muir | Google Reviews