// ARE WE A GOOD FIT? //
Got questions? Your question may be addressed here! Read on to learn about us and determine if we’re a fit!
What are your office hours?
While we prefer to conduct during normal business hours, we understand sometimes it can be a challenge to meet during the day, so we do accept some after-hour client meetings. Some Saturdays are available, but we can never guarantee which Saturday. On occasion we may work a Sunday wedding, but we don’t make it a habit. We are closed Sundays and Mondays, because we all need a weekend, right? Having some days off alleviates burn out, allowing us to be our best for our clients.
What is the A Day To Remember process?
It starts with your initial inquiry, where we gather as much information from you, whether it’s through our inquiry form online, your email or your first call. Once we move past the inquiry process and you have booked us, we do require a 50% retainer to reserve your date and we start the planning journey together! We start with an initial meet-up over drinks, coffee or dinner and we get to know each other. Honestly, we don’t like wedding talk at this point, as our goal is to get to know each other and bond. We will have plenty of time for wedding talk. From there, we have a questionnaire we have you complete, which will give us some excellent insight into your vision and expectations, allowing us to map out the best course of action to design and plan your wedding – unique to your style and personality!
We do offer numerous collections of our services from planning, event management, design and stationery. Our most common requested services are:
EVENT MANAGEMENT
From the moment you retain us, we start with a 2-hour consultation where you can ask away to your heart’s content. Throughout the planning, you are welcome to reach out to us for quick questions [ie: vendor recommendations]. As long as we can get your question answered super quick without additional research or work involved, we will be happy to accommodate. Our goal is to ensure you are on the right path while you’re planning your BIG day, allowing us to be a part of the process will only become more beneficial to us both as we get closer to your date!
At about the 6-8 week mark before your wedding, we will assign your wedding coordinator, who will take over all those final details, schedule walk-throughs with your ceremony and reception spaces, reconcile all vendor details and logistics. Your coordinator will produce the final documents to ensure your BIG day is “a day to remember”!
FULL SERVICE
Including what we have discussed in Event Management, services do also include providing you with the best vendors for you, attend the vendor meetings with you or on your behalf. In addition, we design and create a branding for your wedding, design and detailed budget spreadsheet, handle the logistical aspect of planning and serve as a liaison between you and your vendors.
Why do I have to get on a call with you before receiving a proposal? Can’t I just get a price from you over email or your inquiry form?
If you’re willing to hop on a call with us, it means you have done your research and like what you see. Many are price shopping [which is totally OK and understandable] and their price shopping can take up the precious time we prefer to spend on our active clients. Our goal is to focus on couples who have us on their short list of planners to interview! 😊
In addition, just as you are interviewing us, we are actually interviewing you as well! Say what? Yes! It’s super important to us to ensure we are the right fit for each other. We only accept a certain number of clients each year, so we use this time to ensure both parties connect and vibe! Getting to chat with you over phone is a more productive way to understand your vision and needs, allowing us to provide you with a more accurate investment!
Do we have to meet in person to book you, or can we handle everything online?
We are here to ensure the booking process is as easy and convenient for you as possible. Most of our couples book us online, as it is an easier and faster process. We have had some couples who do prefer meeting in person, as they prefer a face-to-face interaction. Whatever works for you, works for us! 😊
We’re getting married in a church and our church already has a coordinator. Do I really need you there? Can we save money in this area?
Most churches do prefer to handle the rehearsal and the ceremony and that is A-OK with us. We are very respectful of all houses of worship and would never impose on their rules. In these situations, we take a step back and adopt the supportive role. We still need to make sure the florist arrives, the musicians aren’t lost, etc. In addition, we will be checking in on both of you and pinning on flowers. Oh, and can we talk about the pre-ceremony shots? We are there to ensure you guys don’t see each other beforehand, should that be the case! Should you decide you don’t want us at the ceremony at all, we completely understand. When you retain us, you are retaining us for your date, so the cost will not change either way.
What’s the difference between a venue coordinator and a wedding coordinator? I mean, if my venue already comes with a coordinator, why should I hire you?
We invite you to check out our blog post which lists out these differences. In addition, we have yet another great blog post from a fellow planner in California who, at one point was a venue coordinator. Her viewpoint is valuable, so check it out! Afterwards, you can make the call and decide what route works best for you!
How many weddings do you take on per year?
Each of our planners manage anywhere from 10-15 weddings per year, depending on the combination of services hired to provide. Wedding planning is ranked, year after year, in the Top Ten most stressful jobs among first responders and C-Suite execs, so for this reason, we are adamant about work-life balance.
My wedding is not that big, will this be an issue?
Absolutely Not! Our sister brand, Intimate Celebrations, was born, specifically for Micro Weddings and Elopements, among other services, so please be sure to visit our website.
We also need someone who can set up and strike down at our wedding. Is this something you offer as well?
No. Our role is to plan, design and manage your event, overseeing everyone responsible for each aspect of your big day. All our couples are required to hire professionals and full-service vendors who will provide all installation and striking. In addition, our insurance will not cover our team members for any set-up or strike-down work. Now, we will most certainly assist with the distribution of guest favors, menu cards, etc.
How do you deal with staff emergencies or turnover?
In any industry, wedding-related or not, emergencies and turnover occurs every day. As any good business, we have a Plan A, B and C for all events within our team! Most engagements periods are long, and vendors, nor we, can promise staff will look the same by the time your BIG day comes around. Should anything occur [staff departure, illness, emergency, death], we institute Plan B. Another member, privy to your notes via staff meetings and our shared files will take over your event. Plan C comes into play, wherein our Lead Planner and Boss Lady jumps in to handle everything. In the unlikely event a turnover occurs for your event, we would provide additional meetings with our team, ensuring all details are covered.
So, I’ve already booked all my vendors, done all the planning, I’m super organized. I really just need you for the “day of”, plus that will help with my budget!
We invite you to hop on over to our blog post, specifically about this topic!
Do you plan Destination Weddings?
Absolutely! We love destination weddings and they require a separate skill set than locally based events. Destination weddings demand a considerable amount of logistical planning and coordination, along with knowing and understanding culture, language, weather and legal differences. Planning a destination wedding requires seasoned experience, more than just a love of travel. We are all about planning fabulous events, not just in Houston, but worldwide! Our preferences and specialties lie in:
Mexico
Italy
France
England
Spain
The Caribbean
South America
and throughout the USA!
Our planners are also multi-lingual!
What if the resort comes with a planner already?
A resort planner and a wedding planner are both full time jobs. While each resort is different in what they will offer you, many will even go as far as to telling you “you don’t need to hire an outside planner [yikes!]!!! Hiring an experienced destination planner ensures you, your vendors and the details are taken care of on your BIG day. We value resort planners and have partnered with some amazing ones; they play an important role in the success of the day as we work together!
Rule of thumb: A resort planner works for the resort, your destination planner [that’s us], works for you.
Do I have to use vendors from your Preferred Vendor List only? Are you OK with working with our selected vendors? How about family/friend vendors [aka friendors]?
No, not at all! We sure do prefer you use vendors from our list, though! Why? Our vendors are tried and true, time and time again. Each vendor we recommend has partnered with us a minimum of three times and have proven to be reliable, amazing, and quite frankly, align with our vision and ideology. We understand your friend had a great experience with her florist and that your boss loved his DJ. Anyone can rock it at least once – ours nail it EVERY SINGLE TIME! All of our Preferred Vendors have been vetted and we truly understand their process and they understand ours – eliminating risk for your big day! Our list of Preferred Vendors come in different price points, styles and personalities. We pair our vendors with our couples, and all our couples [past and present] who have used our vendors have always been happy!
We will not work with friendors, unless they have a legitimate business and are licensed. We have experienced working with “friendors” in the past and their lack of experience and/or knowledge have turned into disasters, which ultimately reflect on us. To avoid these negative experiences, we no longer accept unlicensed and hobbyists to be a part of our clients’ important day!
We hear you will ask for vendor discounts on our behalf. Is this true?
Our job is to connect you with vendors who will align with your budget. We believe you will agree with us when we say that to receive the best level of service from any vendor, they need to feel valued. Asking for a discount communicates to a vendor you don’t feel they are worth their value; therefore, assuming you know what it costs for them to run their business. Nobody enjoys working at a discounted rate, right? I mean, would you be OK working for less? Of course not! When a vendor is working at a discounted rate, you are no longer receiving the same level of quality which led you to that vendor in the first place, based on our recommendations and reviews.
The advantage of hiring us: We possess excellent vendor relationships with our vendors, who already partner with us to give you the best service and product; asking them for discounts places us in a negative position, especially since we’ve worked hard to nurture and maintain an excellent work relationship. Couples who want to hire us just so we can ask for discounts from our vendors are not couples who align with our ideology; therefore are not good-fit clients.
Are you LGBTQ friendly?
Absolutely! We believe #LoveIsLove and #LoveWins every single day. We are also certified through the Equality Institute.