Common Questions
What is one of the biggest differences between your planning packages?
This biggest difference is you! No matter the level of planning you choose, you must still take an active role in the planning process but the service package will depend on the amount of time you have to devote to it. There are so many moving parts to the planning process and it can be incredibly time consuming but some couples simply don't know how or don't have that kind of time. This is where a wedding planner can be essential to the success of your wedding day.
It is not your wedding planners job to plan your wedding....it is to help you plan your wedding!
Why are your prices not on your website and what should we expect to invest in planning services?
This is somewhat of a loaded question but here are the primary reasons!
1. Every couples needs are different and every wedding is different so we prefer to actually talk to you and get more insight about you, your wedding and your availability so we can recommend the level of service to best suit your needs.
2. As in any industry, changes in cost of running a business will most often determine pricing. We are proud that our pricing doesn't change too frequently but on occasion it becomes necessary.
3. Planning & Coordination services are not an area you want to skimp on. Your wedding day literally depends on great planning & execution! Depending on the service level best suited for your needs, you can expect to budget a minimum of $4000 for planning/coordination services.
Do we need to have a certain wedding budget to hire a wedding planner?
Our small to mid-sized wedding of 75-100 guests have an average cost range $45,000-$50,000, before planning fees and most of our clients with larger weddings typically invest a minimum of $75,000 or more on their wedding. We are happy to assist clients with a minimum budget of $20k
If you are working with a budget of less than $20k, our Boss Bride Wedding Planning Mastery Course might be a great fit for you!
Are there additional wedding planner fees that we should prepare for?
Typically no, but there could be! Things you should expect to pay additional fees for would be:
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Travel Fees - if your wedding is outside of our base location (Huntsville, Madison County AL)
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Additional Coordinator Fee - if you have a larger guest count
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Set Up Fees - if you have elements outside of a few simple things like your guest book and table numbers that need to be set up. Such as placing linens, decorating, table & chair moving etc and you don't have vendors that are responsible for these
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Clean Up Fees - if you don't have vendors or volunteers to handle cleaning up and taking out the last of the trash after the party is over
When it comes to the set up & clean up parts, there are things couples assume that their vendors will do but they are most often assuming wrong. This is why having a planner to help you catch and prepare for these kinds of things can be vital!
Why do you need to know how much we plan to invest in our wedding?
Weddings are more of an investment than most couples realize! One of the most common things we see is couples camping out on Pinterest and then experiencing "sticker shock" when they find out what things actually cost. While the fees for our services ARE NOT based on your wedding budget, managing a couples vision on a very small budget can be much more challenging. We work with top-tier vendors so knowing how much you are prepared to invest in your wedding helps us understand if your guest count & your vision are realistic and achievable with your budget. It's important that you are honest and up front with this number so that we are not at a disadvantage by not having all the cards on the table before even starting the relationship as your planners!
Are you only available for a certain number of hours on our wedding day?
Heck no! You are not booking us by the hour but to be there to make sure your day is perfect and that isn't something that can always be limited within a certain timeframe however we do require that all events and tear down end before midnight. Many times, we are one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave, depending on your timeline and the flow of your event.
Will you set everything up on my wedding day and clean up at the end of the night?
Occasionally, couples need someone to handle set up & clean up on their wedding day and it's a common misconception that this is the wedding planners role. Our job as your wedding planner & coordinator is simply to plan and coordinate. While we are happy to set up a few of your placement ready details like your guest book, signs, photos or favors on your wedding day, our focus must remain on our actual responsibility of making sure everything is running smoothly. For that reason, we recommend hiring a decorator and clean up crew who can take care of the labor for your set up and clean up. We are always happy to provide direction but cannot take on those tasks.
What if we want to DIY the decor or have family serve as our vendor team?
We love DIY but not for weddings because all those friends you were sure were going to come and set it all up, bail. For this reason, we do not manage DIY weddings. Having a vendor team made of of family & friends is also something we never ever recommend. There is too much risk for conflict and it almost always ends up being a much larger undertaking than they (or you) anticipated...and your wedding day suffers for it.
Do you only work with vendors you trust?
We are willing to work with any vendor that serves our clients well. We provide every client with access to our extensive vendor list as well.
Note: We have trusted vendors that we recommend to clients based on our experiences working with them. Unlike some planners, we DO NOT charge vendors to be on our vendor list. There are many on our list that we have never worked with before but our "trusted" vendors have earned it...not paid for our trust.
Wedding planners are so expensive! Why shouldn't I just book someone who is cheap, use my venues coordinator or use one of my vendors?
Cheaper: In general, wedding planners base their pricing on their experience and the work they produce. We are thankful that our tremendous success has enabled us to maintain our company as a full time operation that is 100% dedicated to our clients, 100% of the time! This is not something we do as a side hustle on top of a full time job and this is not our "hobby". If you needed an operation, are you going to hire a doctor to perform your surgery because he is the cheapest?
Venue Coordinators: The reality is in their title. They are looking out for the best interest of the venue, not the clients. A venue coordinator is not going to get on regular planning calls with you, request quotes from vendors, review contracts for you or advocate on your behalf with the bridal shop because they haven't delivered your dress yet. They will offer their standard list of vendors that they give to every couple that books the venue and they will be there off-and-on for wedding day to make sure no one has burned the place down.
Vendors dba Wedding Planners: We are not a wedding industry vendor "dabbling" in wedding planning to supplement our income. (watch out for those!) Would you hire a car salesman to work on your cars engine, just because he works in the automotive industry? Of course not! Secondly, when it comes to your other vendors who don't fancy themselves a wedding planner...remember that you are not paying your vendor to be your wedding planner and it simply isn't their responsibility to act as one.
We will never beg, bargain, offer discounts or chase clients just to book us. Simply put, we understand that just as we are not a good fit for every client, every client may not be a good fit for us.
Why should we invest in a Wedding Planner?
Think of wedding planners as wedding day insurance. It is one of the most valuable investments you can make for your wedding day. Hiring a planner will give you peace of mind that the substantial amount of time and money that you will spend on your wedding will all be worth it and handled by a seasoned professional who knows the in's and out's of the wedding industry.
Wedding planners not only take a burden off the bride and groom on wedding day, but they also free up the parents. You and your parents are going to be pulled in a million directions seeing loved ones that you may have not seen in a long time....everyone just wants a piece of you on your wedding day. We want you all to be able to visit and enjoy yourselves instead of solving problems like finding a missing cake knife.
A WEDDING IS A SYMPHONY...
You are the composer and we are the conductor.
The wedding vendors are the orchestra and the guests are the audience.
At the end of the night, the guests should be left with an overwhelming feeling that they have just witnessed a masterpiece.
Every part of the composition is important but the most pivotal elements of any performance are the tempo and volume of each piece.
The person in control of the ebb and flow of every song, the individual to whom every section looks to for the dynamics...is the person that can make your wedding a showpiece.
This person is your Wedding Planner
At The Event Planner we have created a fantastic orchestral community led by our skillful conductors.
As your Certified Wedding Planners, we will take your vision...the sonata that you may have spent years composing and bring it to life through the connection we have with the brass, woodwinds, percussion and strings that make up our own Carnegie Hall ready orchestra of preferred vendors.
Are you ready to compose your own unforgettable symphony?