I would think a fair way to charge is a flat rate per item. I did all those things myself when I planned my wedding, but I would not have hired someone to do it by the hour. You don't know if they are a fast or slow worker.

For stuffing invitations, I think it would make sense to pay per piece. For centerpieces, that gets a bit more complicated because it depends on what you're making and how complex it is.

In almost nothing would I pay by the hour.

I would expect someone in that position to have a really good idea of how long it was going to take her, for whatever level of complexity there is, and for her to give me a price based on that research, and based on how many pieces there are for my invitations. Or how many parts to my favor.

If there really a market for someone to stuff envelopes for someone's wedding? Maybe favors, bcs they can be fiddly, but invites aren't that long a task, are they?

I am a wedding planner. The typical method of payment is per piece plus any materials that the person provides, such as a special color of pen to address the invitations.

Wow, I just had my aunt, mom, sister, SIL, and MIL come over one afternoon and we knocked out all of that mundane stuff over a couple of bottles of wine. It was much more fun than paying someone. Plus my aunt taught the rest of us how to arrange bouquets and such, which is a skill that I've used over and over again.

Really, people pay for that kind of thing? Don't they have friends?

Thanks for the opinions, gals, greatly appreciated. I don't know that people pay other people to do these types of tasks, Sweet Pea would know better than I do...but I suspect there are people out there that would pay for such a thing if they don't have family or friends that want to help with it...
watcha think SweetPea?
Suzan J

If you were going to address the envelopes as well as stuff them, I could see someone hiring you.

If all you're going to do is stuff the envelopes, then I can't see someone hiring you UNLESS they also wanted you to wrap or assemble their favors, and it was a sort of package deal.

As others pointed out, most often these tasks are accomplished by family or wedding party members. The only times I have had someone ask about hiring help with such tasks, other than addressing invitations (not everyone has attractive handwriting or the necessary time), is if the bride is a busy professional whose family and bridesmaids live elsewhere. Asking the groom to help with these tasks occasionally works, but it isn't for all guys.

In cases where a bride needs help, I have gotten together with her or we hire someone, but that is a rarity. Most brides are on a budget and they prioritize the tasks they really want to pay for and they find a way to accomplish the others.

I, too, would expect to see this kind of service only if the person were also addressing, stamping, and mailing the invitations. Certainly I would expect to be charged either a flat rate or by the piece, not by the hour.

But to tell you the truth, I wouldn't do it. I have hired calligraphers to address envelopes, but I stuffed them myself (or with friends or relatives), because I needed to check them. Good thing, too, because there are always an error or two that are easier for you to catch than the calligrapher -- e.g., if s/he misspells "Eric" as "Erich" or accidentally mixes up the addresses of your brother in California and of your friend in Florida, it will be obvious to you, but not to him/her. Plus, you may have maps, etc., that go in some, but not all, the invitations -- it's quicker to do it yourself than to try to give instructions to someone else.