Hey Samantha & Jake,
I'm excited that you have chosen me as your planning partner for your wedding, and cannot wait to start creating a truly memorable experience for the two of you and your loved ones. To get started, I want to share an overview of what you can expect until the wedding weekend. Below you will find our planning calendar and an overview of the process. Most items referenced here will be stored and found in Aisle Planner where you can easily access them.
You should have received a countersigned copy of your agreement and can always find a copy in your account. Your Aisle Planner account invitation was just sent over to you. Please check your email for an invitation to join your project! We will make this process as seamless, stress-free, and as FUN as possible. After all, it is a celebration! There is also a lot to do, and I am here for you every step of the way. Please feel free to email with any questions big or small - that's what I'm here for!
Let’s dive in,
7 things you need to know
Timing is Everything. The best time to reach me is during regular business hours Tuesday - Friday 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
A "Paper" Trail Keeps Things Organized. Email is my preferred method of communication so we can keep track of our conversations and stay on the same page.
A Good Wedding Planner Is Always Prepared. Being at my desk during our phone calls means I'll have all of your files at my fingertips. So if you would prefer to chat by phone, let's schedule calls in advance. I always follow up with an email to recap our discussion (see above re: paper trail).
Weddings Are Time Sensitive. Weddings are full of deadlines to keep track of - that's why you hired a planner! I do my best to respond to emails within one-two business day. If you don't hear from me within three business days, I most likely did not receive your email and you may need to resend it. In return, I kindly ask that you check your email at least once a day and try to respond to me within 24 to 48 hours. If something is urgent, I will let you know.
This Is A Busy (And Exciting!) Time In Your Lives. Let's plan ahead and schedule meetings at least a week or two in advance so we can work with everyone's schedules.
Weekends = Weddings. During the busy season, my weekends are devoted to making magic happen for my clients. I promise to give every couple my undivided attention on their wedding day, and will do the same for you when your big day arrives! If I don't have an event over the weekend, my attention goes to my family. I'm all yours come Tuesday!
A Planner Plans Ahead. If I plan to be out of the office for an extended period of time, I'll let you know in advance so we can make sure your wedding is in a good place before I'm off the grid.
Getting Started
REMEMBER IT’S A PROCESS
The reason wedding planning happens over many months is that it takes time to explore your options, make decisions, and finalize logistics. There will be elements that may go through multiple versions before they are perfect, such as custom stationery, building a website, curating your menu, and the design itself. If something isn’t perfect at first glance, don’t worry. The reason we allow ourselves time is to correct contracts, let the design evolve, create with concepts, and more. It’s normal and our process is built to account for revisions, edits, and modifications.
WE ARE ON YOUR TEAM
Think of us as an extension of your relationship. We approach wedding planning as if you were part of our own family. We are fully invested in the outcome. We are part of your team and totally by your side. There may be times where we have to deliver disappointing news, attempt to guide you in a direction you don’t initially agree with, and so on. Keep in mind that we are coming from a perspective of creating the best possible experience for you, your family, and your guests. None of our guidance is personal preference or trial and error. Instead, it has developed from years of experience in crafting beautiful weddings and events. While at the end of the day you make all the decisions, keeping in mind that we are always on your team can aid the process to flow that much better.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO COMMUNICATE
If at any point you find yourself stressed, frustrated, or feel like we can support you in another way than we are naturally inclined to, please let us know. We are happy to schedule more time together, less time, or take the lead on things you simply don’t enjoy. I want you to feel at ease. This process is about you and we want to make it work in a way that works for your schedule, preferences, and personality.
Let’s have fun!
Planning and Design
GATHERING INSPIRATION - January-February
Seeing your inspiration and background ideas on your wedding helps me to curate the best version of the atmosphere we will create for your guest experience. I will send over a series of questionnaires to get to know you as a couple, what is most important to you, what ideas you already have in mind, and start to craft a story for your wedding.
MOOD BOARD & BUDGET EXPLORATION - January-February
A Good/Better/Best Budget projection is presented with the elements broken down into categories. We will have a call to review this together and refine the investments. Based on the selections made we will present a Mood Board.
BUILD YOUR CREATIVE TEAM - January-March
Once a clear vision is present and the budget is discussed, we start to source your creative team. Starting first with locking in your logistics vendors such as photography, video, tenting, flooring, catering, etc. Then onto design vendors including stationery, floral, furnishings, linens, and more.
DIGITAL DESIGN DECK - March-April
The design deck will be delivered as a digital, comprehensive overall look at the elements broken down by section. This includes all visual and interactive aspects of the day including ceremony, cocktails, reception, floor plans, personal goods, paper and florals, lighting draping, and so much more.
DESIGN & INVESTMENT PRESENTATION - March-April
The design deck is delivered in partnership with a budget projection to give you the best high-level view of your wedding from both angles. We will have a call to review each page and line item in detail. We will refine the vision to then take the steps to build your creative team. This is delivered through our online planning platform, Aisle Planner.
GUEST COMMUNICATION - July-September
While building your team, we will start preparing for guest communication including address collection, building your website, designing save the dates, and more. Invitations will be sent out sometime in early March, and RSVPs due no later than 5-6 weeks out from your wedding date.
DESIGN EDITS & FINALIZATION - August-September
Once we have a better idea of guest count, create team commitments and contracts in hand, we will begin to make edits and finalize where needed.
FINANCIAL UPDATES - August-September
Based on your guest count and final decisions made, we will outline all of your preferences and changes. Delivering financial updates along the way. Final invoices will be presented once the final guest count is in hand.
FINAL PREPARATIONS
RSVP’s, seating charts, final payments, and final review preparing us for on heck of a party!
WEDDING WEEKEND
We will assemble welcome gifts, run the rehearsal, manage vendors, and more while you enjoy the week with friends and family.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM
VENDOR REFERRALS
We will share who we find to be the best of the best for your consideration. The first vendors we will focus on include catering, photography, band and/or DJ, and videographer. We will subsequently explore hair and makeup artists, officiants, cake designers, and other specialty vendors you may be interested in.
QUOTES AND DETAILS
Once we have your top preferences, we will check availability, secure quotes, and provide all of the details needed to make your decision. We can also schedule a meeting or phone call with your top choices upon request.
SECURE CONTRACTS
Once you’ve decided on your preferred vendors, we will request and review the contract before sending it your way. From there we will guide you through any questions or concerns prior to signing.
REPEAT AS NEEDED
We will follow a similar process until all non-design-related vendors are secured.
GUEST COMMUNICATION
EMAIL CREATION & ADDRESS COLLECTION
We will create a personal email account to be used throughout the planning process for guest communication. At your request, once we have the guest’s emails we will collect mailing addresses from guests on your behalf. These addresses will be used for save the dates and invitations.
WEDDING WEBSITE
We will work with you to create a wedding website that communicates all necessary information for guest to plan their attendance at your wedding including itinerary, lodging and travel details, and any optional information you wish to share such as your engagement story, wedding registry, and more.
SAVE THE DATES & INVITATIONS
We will send Sale the Dates and Invitations following the process outlined later.
RSVP MANAGEMENT
Once invitations have been sent, we will begin tacking RSVP’s, meal selection, accommodation information, and any other details needed for the wedding weekend.
STATIONERY DESIGN
SAVE THE DATES
To be sent around 8-9 months out. We will work with the appropriate stationery designer to curate a look based on your overall design aesthetic. From there a few rounds of proofs will be made. Once the final proof is approved we will begin printing and send it to your guests.
We will work with you to create a wedding website with communicates all necessary information for guests to plan their attendance at your wedding including itinerary and travel details as well as any optional information you’d like to share such as your engagement story, wedding registry, and so on.
INVITATION SUITE
To be sent 2-3 months out. Working with your stationery designer we will curate a look based on the overall event design. A few rounds of proofs will be made and once the final proof is approved we will begin printing. They will be sent to a calligrapher and then mailed to your guests.
DAY OF STATIONERY
Designed 3-5 months out. Based on the invitation suite design, we will work with a designer to create a cohesive day-of stationery for day and /or weekend events. Examples include but not limited to programs, menus, escort display, table numbers, signage, and welcome gifts.
LOGISTICS & PRODUCTIONS
FLOOR PLANS
An initial floor plan will be presented within the original design presentation. We will then make the alterations needed to be based on the guest count adjustments and final rental orders.
BUDGET & PAYMENT SCHEDULE
The initial budget projection will be delivered with the design presentation, and alterations will be made once the design is reviewed and refined. The budget and payment schedule will be kept in Aisle Planner, your online planning space. This tool tracks our financial standing throughout the process as well as any payments made and payments outstanding; including due dates, for each vendor.
DAY OF STATIONERY
Once we have the final guest count we will introduce you to the seating tool within Aisle Planner to assign seats at the wedding and any other events where needed. We will then use these assignments to create our final floor plan, escort cards, and any other charts needed for executing on the wedding day.
FINAL PREPARATIONS
FINAL RSVPs
There are always last-minute guests who don’t respond by the RSVP deadline. Once the deadline is passed, we will ask you to make one more attempt to find out if they are coming, where they are staying, and any other details such as food restrictions or other special arrangements they may need.
SEATING ASSIGNMENTS & CHARTS
Seating charts and escort displays will be finalized once every guest has RSVP’d because we do not know the relationships and dynamics of your guest list, seating assignments will be done by you. With the easy-to-use tools provided, we will create your seating plan efficiently together.
FINAL PAYMENTS
We will advise you of all payments due and can process payments on your behalf with your permission. For vendors requiring checks or cash, we will remind you prior to the wedding and take those payments off your hands as early as possible throughout the wedding week for distribution.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES: Please contact our team directly for any questions regarding additional services fees.
