So your planner can plan. But what else can they do you for you?

What do you look for when hiring a wedding coordinator.  There should be 3 main things to consider:
1. Will I be able to work with this person efficiently (do our personalities mesh)?
2.  Be selfish.  What else can this person do for me?
3.  Is their price reflective of all they are doing for me?

At Events by Autumn, we're talented artists in addition to planners (we know, the whole right brain, left brain thing).  Autumn is a professional graphic designer and a skilled painter.  But even more importantly, Autumn can build things.  What kinds of things, you might ask?  Well, let me share just some of our portfolio below!  (We made everything you see below - paper flowers, invitations, wood products, painted signs, wooden crates, chalkboard art, painted bottles, large event props, etc.)

  

This brings us to step 3 of hiring a planner - does their price reflect all they can do for you?  With our full service package, the labor for building customized decor and props is completely included.  You only need to pay for the supplies.  And frequently, our brides already have the supplies on hand - they just don't have the time to make what they want.  A TRULY customized wedding, made just for you.

Keep that in mind when shopping other vendors.  What are they able to do to make your wedding a one-of-a-kind affair, while also providing professional planning?

Why hire a full service planner? Productivity, stress relief, and more.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of taking a full service client on an array of vendor meetings, and I thought this would be a great opportunity (while it's still fresh in my mind) to talk about this part of my planning services.  It's PERFECT for destination wedding clients, and even some of my local clients prefer for me to set up their vendor meetings for maximum efficiency, and because of my relationships with the vendors!

In this instance, both the bride and groom were from out of state, and so this weekend was the only time they'd be in Montana before the week of the wedding.  So it was vital over this 4 day period to introduce them to as many options as possible, but also give them time to explore, relax, and enjoy their time in Montana.  (We want our clients to still love Montana when they come back for their wedding!)

Over a 4 day time period, we managed to meet multiple caterers, florists, cake bakers, rental companies, and a photographer, DJ, hair dresser, and makeup artist.  We even found time to do site tours of hotels for room blocks, and managed to hit a few breweries to "sample" the potential wedding beverages!  My thoughts were that face to face interactions with these vendors would make the bride and groom much more comfortable with their decisions on whom to hire.

Every hour of every day was filled with activities and meetings, but the couple was relaxed and just enjoyed the days.  It wasn't stressful, because no decisions needed to be made on the spot.  I just want to make this very clear:  PLANNERS DO NOT MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOU.  They merely offer suggestions as to who might be able to provide the best services for what you want!  At one point in time, I was referred to as a "new member of the family" and that's the kind of relationship I hope for - that my clients trust me, can communicate with me freely, and never be fearful of giving me an honest opinion.  That's how the best weddings become the best!

I gave the Bride & Groom the itinerary a week before the trip, so they were able to plan lunches with friends, and take evenings off to explore or unwind.  We started at a reasonable time in the morning, so they could sleep in, eat a big breakfast, and treat their time as a vacation (which is what it was!)  

Keep in mind, all of my vendors are on speed dial, and it allows for the meeting schedule to be flexible if necessary.  Therefore, I was able to make quick adjustments - we even planned a menu tasting with a caterer 3 hours before it happened.  I think the bride & groom would agree with me, that the meetings ran seamlessly, and the vendors I chose to introduce them to were ideal for their style and budget.  

The key to success (I believe), was that prior to the meetings, I had worked with the couple on diagrams for the event space as well as some design boards.  Once I knew what look we were trying to achieve, we had a focused, common idea in mind for all of the meetings.

Setting up vendor meetings is included with my full-service planning packages, and I encourage brides to take me up on it.  Having diagrams and idea boards are great, but bringing your planner along to give suggestions, and ask questions makes your meetings very productive.

Happy planning!

Rental company meeting was a success!  We found this cool bar.

Sight seeing at St. Mary's Mission in Stevensville!

Tasting cake is one of my favorite things!

The Wedding Day "Emergency" Kit

We take our slogan “reduce your stress and not your expectations” very seriously.  We feel strongly that part of reducing stress is helping cope with any emergencies that may arise, by quickly diffusing them, and moving on.  That’s why Events by Autumn provides a bridal “survival kit.”  As a planner, this is part of our responsibility to our clients.   

In all, the contents include over 100 essential items, and over $300 worth of products.  We make sure it’s stocked for every single wedding we work, so you will always have access to a full kit.  It contains things like: a complete first aid kit, stain fighting solutions, hygiene items, tape, pins & glue, beauty products, and even a faux diamond ring!

Still want to make your own kit?  Let us ask a few questions:

How do you know what to pack?

Trust us that there is no one list online which includes the full contents of what you might need in the event of an emergency!  We have created our own kit based on a decade worth of wedding planning experience.  To be honest, we looked online as well, but needed to combine over a dozen “complete” emergency kits to create our version.

What are you going to do with these items after the wedding is over?

Just as an example, we provide all colors of bobby pins in the kit.  Your bridesmaids may need a few pins to repair an up-do at some point during the evening.  Granted, it’s only a few dollars for a bunch of bobby pins, but if you’re a blonde, what are you going to do with 500 black bobby pins after the wedding day?  It does add up quickly when you’re talking about 100+ different items.

What kind of “emergencies” would you prepare for?

I’ve seen the best man forget his socks when he packed his tux; so I now include black dress socks.  I’ve seen the groom break his shoelace 20 minutes before ceremony starts; so I now include extra shoelaces.   The kit continues to evolve as I see a need for additional items.  But the real question is - do you really want to buy all these items “just in case?”  Just let us bring the kit and you won’t have to worry about it.

Does your planner provide this?

When comparing planners, you need to look at ALL the services they offer.  In addition to all the planning we do, we also provide access to over $300 worth of products, and save you the time required to make your own kit.  If your planner doesn’t come prepared to diffuse an “emergency” situation into a “no big deal” situation, what services are they really providing you?  The point of a planner is to make the wedding run smoothly.  Yes, that includes managing vendors, setting up, and running the timeline, but it also includes being prepared AND equipped to handle any unexpected occurrences on the wedding day too.  We are fully prepared and equipped!

Why not save that money and spend it on something else?

What would you do with $300 extra dollars towards your wedding?  Why not create baskets of essential items in the restrooms?  Or maybe now you can splurge on moving lights from the DJ company, (which we strongly recommend!).  Or maybe $300 more will allow you to add prime rib to the menu?  There are so many options, but the answer is up to you!

But one thing is for sure – we’ve got a bridal survival kit that’s like no other.  Brides and bridesmaids oogle over it when I show them. . . Even vendors love it.  It’s flattering when a very successful wedding photographer tells you they’ve never seen anything like it before, and proceeds to take pictures of it!  That just means we’re doing something right.  And it’s just another reason why we stand out from the rest.    

Photo credit:  Cake Knife Photography 

Why should I hire a planner if the venue provides one?

This summer, half of my weddings had an on-site coordinator, but still hired me to facilitate their wedding plans.  When these clients initially called me to ask me about my services, there were a few concerns that seemed to form a trend.  So I’ll post them here:

• I’m nervous because the on-site coordinator won’t call me back in a timely manner.
• I don’t feel like the on-site coordinator understands my vision for the wedding.
• My on-site coordinator hasn’t asked me about anything except the food plans.
• My on-site coordinator doesn’t set up any of my decorations, or tear them down.
• I’m just not getting a good vibe from my on-site coordinator – like they don’t have my best interest at heart, only the best interest of the venue.
• My on-site coordinator shows up later on the wedding day and leaves right after dinner.

I was completely up-front with my clients about their situation.  You CAN save money and just use the on-site planner.  People do it all the time.  But if you’re feeling like the comments above are a reflection of how you’re feeling, you might want to consider bringing in a professional. 

I used to be an on-site planner.  That’s where my experience comes from, so by no means am I knocking the position.  But I strongly believe I was not the same as most.  I worked long hours on the weddings because I wanted to open my own event planning business one day.  I was getting experience with a company which allowed me to make all the rookie mistakes under someone else’s name – that sounds horrible, but it’s true.  A wedding has too many moving parts to leave in the hands of a rookie.  You don’t want your wedding to be a planners first rodeo.  So if your on-site planner doesn’t meet these standards at a minimum, consider hiring a professional wedding planner:

• They are available to you “anytime,” meaning they are willing to give you their cell phone number.
• They have been through a summer of weddings with their specific venue.
• AND they have been planning weddings for longer than 5 years, OR have worked on a minimum of 50 weddings.
• Your coordinator can commit to you that they will be in the room all night.  Often, throughout the reception, they’ll leave the room and head back their desk to work on other events (hotel venues are notorious for this).  You want your coordinator available to you at a moment’s notice.
• They are there for the rehearsal, arrive early on your wedding day to oversee your setup, and stay to oversee the teardown.

So my final suggestion is this:  if you have a lot of working parts to your wedding day – lots of décor, a complicated timeline, lots of details – consider giving me a call, even if your venue provides someone on site.  Sometimes the professional planners are even willing to discount their price if the “on-site coordinator” is strong enough to act in lieu of an assistant.