how to find a wedding planner? Help!

[GemFever]

Dear PSers,

To start, I have to admit that I'm completely overwhelmed with the wedding planning process. We're not really going to have a full-traditional American wedding, and I started out with the hope that we can have a very home-made event, down to cooking everything ourselves and hosting our guests at my parents' house. However, now it looks like grandparents and aunts & uncles may be flying in from overseas, so it would be nice to do something bigger and more special... but the date is just 4 months from now (turns out this is last minute planning, eh). In any case, I think the best investment for me right now would be a competent wedding planner. I'm sure there's a way to find one online, but the overabundance of information out there is leaving me confused. So, the point of my rant (thanks for getting through it!): do you have any tips/guidelines on how/where to find a good wedding planner? I'm in the DC area (Maryland) and hoping not to spend too much money.

Any advice would be veeery much appreciated!

- Anya

 

[mary poppins]

Wedding planning can certainly be overwhelming. You can definitely plan a great wedding in four months, with our without a planner.

Kristi Hartig of GLOW Weddings and Events provided very helpful and reasonably priced services for my 2010 wedding in Montgomery County. DH and I chose a venue that did not include any services, so we vetted and hired all of the vendors (catering, music, photographer, florist, videographer, hair stylist, make-up, officiant, etc.) and made general plans. After that, we hired Kristi as our day of event coordinator - she handled a lot of details and made sure our day ran smoothly. She offers a variety of packages, including full planning, depending on the couples' needs/desires. Kristi was organized, calm and responsive to phone calls and emails (maybe texts, too. I don't remember).

http://www.glowweddingsandevents.com/index.php

We were very happy with all of our service providers. Let me know if you want recommendations for anything else.

ETA: None of our vendors are related to to us, so I'm not promoting family or friends.

 

[GemFever]

Thanks MP! I'll look into them.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I was actually just talking about them with a co-worker last week. Add them to facebook and you can see some really fun pictures from their events.

 

[GemFever]

I'm trying to compose an email message to them in my mind, but I'm so undecided about how I envision this wedding that it's tough. I looked at some of the pics in their blog (most from 2010), and they are nice... but not what I have in mind. I wish we had a super huge house with a spacious dining/living room area where we could host everyone. But that's not the case, so I'm conflicted about wanting a super-small family wedding that *would* fit in the house, and facing the reality that we will probably need to rent a banquet hall or something. But I'm so averse to banquet halls Maybe a barn? That may be something to ask the wedding planner about, right? Off I go to compose the email.

 

[Efe]

Check on Washingtonian.com. They have a "best of" list for all things wedding related, including planners. I think Sara of Bella Notte is amazing, but she is pricey. Hope this helps.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I'm trying to compose an email message to them in my mind, but I'm so undecided about how I envision this wedding that it's tough. I looked at some of the pics in their blog (most from 2010), and they are nice... but not what I have in mind. I wish we had a super huge house with a spacious dining/living room area where we could host everyone. But that's not the case, so I'm conflicted about wanting a super-small family wedding that *would* fit in the house, and facing the reality that we will probably need to rent a banquet hall or something. But I'm so averse to banquet halls Maybe a barn? That may be something to ask the wedding planner about, right? Off I go to compose the email.

Where exactly do you want to get married? I live in Maryland and may be able to recommend a few places!

 

[GemFever]

Thanks Effe! I'll talk to Nicki from GLOW first, then maybe check out Washingtonian. Though I don't think I can afford a "best of" that's listed in Washingtonian.

Stacy: Our original dream plan was to rent a few cabins somewhere in a beautiful nature-y setting, maybe in WV. One of the cabins would be the central one, and it would need to have a huge living room or common area where we could all have a feast. And a kitchen, so we could cook the feast. And there would need to be enough smaller cabins nearby to put our guests in there. But, since the guest list is growing daily, I don't think we can pull this off. That, and my general aversion to wedding packages that some nice resorts in pretty locations might offer. I really wanted to do this under the radar of the traditional wedding business -- cook ourselves, have friends take pictures (luckily I have two who are really into photography), play music from a computer, get our own flowers, etc.

Now it looks like it would be more realistic to rent a larger space and do it the more traditional way. But I still don't want it to be a restaurant, so maybe a barn? Somewhere in MoCo. We'll probably be getting officially married at the Rockville Courthouse. And I'd still like to keep it to under $10K, if possible. With around 45 people. My mom's friend's daughter is getting married this August in Rockville (Brookville Inn, I think), also with ~40 guests and for $20K. That worries me a little.

Btw, Nicki wrote me back, so I'll be meeting with her next week. Looking forward to it, maybe she'll have suggestions. But if you have any suggestions, I'd be very glad to hear them!

 

[MsP]

Thanks Effe! I'll talk to Nicki from GLOW first, then maybe check out Washingtonian. Though I don't think I can afford a "best of" that's listed in Washingtonian.

Stacy: Our original dream plan was to rent a few cabins somewhere in a beautiful nature-y setting, maybe in WV. One of the cabins would be the central one, and it would need to have a huge living room or common area where we could all have a feast. And a kitchen, so we could cook the feast. And there would need to be enough smaller cabins nearby to put our guests in there. But, since the guest list is growing daily, I don't think we can pull this off. That, and my general aversion to wedding packages that some nice resorts in pretty locations might offer. I really wanted to do this under the radar of the traditional wedding business -- cook ourselves, have friends take pictures (luckily I have two who are really into photography), play music from a computer, get our own flowers, etc.

Now it looks like it would be more realistic to rent a larger space and do it the more traditional way. But I still don't want it to be a restaurant, so maybe a barn? Somewhere in MoCo. We'll probably be getting officially married at the Rockville Courthouse. And I'd still like to keep it to under $10K, if possible. With around 45 people. My mom's friend's daughter is getting married this August in Rockville (Brookville Inn, I think), also with ~40 guests and for $20K. That worries me a little.

Btw, Nicki wrote me back, so I'll be meeting with her next week. Looking forward to it, maybe she'll have suggestions. But if you have any suggestions, I'd be very glad to hear them!

I had a friend do a wedding along the lines of your original plan... but in upstate new york. They rented one quite large cabin (er, more like... estate!) for 4 nights and had the ceremony out back on the patio one evening. I *think* everyone actually stayed at the cabin and chipped in lodging money (ie they would have gotten a hotel but instead paid for part of the cabin). Their rental cost almost $10K though. If that's what you want to do, I wouldn't give up on the idea quite yet.

 

[GemFever]

Miss P: Oh, that sounds dreamy! Do you know how many guests they had? I wouldn't mind paying near 10K, if all my guests had a wonderful time in a beautiful setting, got to relax all throughout the weekend... oh, that would be so perfect!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I totally think your $10k budget is VERY doable for the size and wedding type that you're thinking. Hell, we're doing a budget of $5-7k for mine and we've invited 240 people! I'm doing exactly what you were thinking in regards to our families doing the cooking (not only is it cost effective, but I know I'll like the food lol)! Our main costs are the photographer (who is AMAZING!) and the tent/chair rentals (we actually have tables to accommodate). We're doing the wedding and reception on FI's family farm in Jefferson Maryland. I have a few places in mind for you, but they're located more in Frederick county. Is that too far? There are some LOVELY farms/barns and all that. My cousin got married in may of last years at Shade Trees and Evergreens (close to Walkersville/Libertytown) and it's a nursery that does weddings right by this pond. So serene and the pictures were awesome.

I definitely want to check on the cabin idea though! That would be fabulous!

 

[GemFever]

Frederick is not too far! Shade Trees and Evergreens looks nice, and I guess they have an indoor place too for the reception? I'm a little worried about weather in late October.

It's great to hear that you guys will be doing the cooking. I thought I was a crazy nut. But in my view, cooking together is such a great activity, and yes -- we will like the food! Also, I just remembered yesterday the book called Like Water for Chocolate. I didn't make the connection before, but perhaps reading that book (a few years ago) had some impact on my idea of what wedding food (and its creation) should be like.

I wonder... would a wedding planner be able to scout cabins that would fit our specifications? Or is that not really her job? Hmmm...

My MOH found this beautiful place:

http://primland.com/accommodations/mountain-homes/patrim/

But it's far away. Even that could be overlooked, but they don't have enough cabins for all of us (and the main hotel is ridiculously expensive). And the cabins are far away from each other. Still. Such a beautiful place.

 

[GemFever]

Btw, Stacy, 240 people for under $10K -- amazing job! And sounds like you've got a wonderful wedding planned. Way to go!

May I ask who your photographer is? I'm pretty sure I'll just rely on my friends, but I am curious...

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Btw, Stacy, 240 people for under $10K -- amazing job! And sounds like you've got a wonderful wedding planned. Way to go!

May I ask who your photographer is? I'm pretty sure I'll just rely on my friends, but I am curious...

Thanks! I'm pretty stoked about it! We shall see...64 days (I think lol) to go!

Yes, her name is Maya Pilkington. She has only done weddings for friends of hers, but is branching out (another reason I got her at such a great price!). I'm her first non-friend wedding...she has done several things for a mutual friend and the friend ALWAYS looks so stunning. I was attracted to her for her lighting use. Check her out on facebook. She is a complete doll and I think so highly of her!

If you're looking for nice in the fall, have you checked out stone manor? It's in Middletown, MD and is a really nice area. This is if you're doing the wedding/reception NOT in a cabin. I'm not sure on pricing though, but I'm sure they'll work with you. I found that by just simply asking for a discount (in a non-tacky way lol), I was able to get a good deal. I explained my vision and how it was important to me to have a beautiful day, while realizing that it's only ONE day! You would be surprised how many people were impressed by not wanting a princess/fairy tale day and focused more on the love FI and I have and how we do not want to start our marriage off with debt. Explain that and I KNOW people will be willing to work with you.

 

[MsP]

Miss P: Oh, that sounds dreamy! Do you know how many guests they had? I wouldn't mind paying near 10K, if all my guests had a wonderful time in a beautiful setting, got to relax all throughout the weekend... oh, that would be so perfect!

It was up in the Catskills and it had like 12 bedrooms plus a den and loft (and a ridiculous number of bathrooms...) I think it could sleep up to 40. It was on a small lake and had some acreage. It's pretty easy to search for these kinds of properties on VRBO.com

 

[GemFever]

Stacy: Just looked her up on fb. I love her style, and it's actually exactly what I hope my pics will look like. Candid, and full of love. I think I'll whip out my camera too, if the wedding doesn't end up being too formal, to shoot pics of the guests. We're going to have grandparents coming from overseas, and I want to get great pics of them, too.

MissP: VRBO! How could i have forgotten about it! I used it once to find a place to stay in Florida. And I'm off to search it.

What would i do without PS!!! Thanks gals!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Stacy: Just looked her up on fb. I love her style, and it's actually exactly what I hope my pics will look like. Candid, and full of love. I think I'll whip out my camera too, if the wedding doesn't end up being too formal, to shoot pics of the guests. We're going to have grandparents coming from overseas, and I want to get great pics of them, too.

MissP: VRBO! How could i have forgotten about it! I used it once to find a place to stay in Florida. And I'm off to search it.

What would i do without PS!!! Thanks gals!

Send her a message and let her know I sent you (clearly, my name is Stacy lol). She has several different packages/options and is very easy to work with. She did our engagement pictures, which should be on her page as well.

 

[GemFever]

Stacy: Just looked her up on fb. I love her style, and it's actually exactly what I hope my pics will look like. Candid, and full of love. I think I'll whip out my camera too, if the wedding doesn't end up being too formal, to shoot pics of the guests. We're going to have grandparents coming from overseas, and I want to get great pics of them, too.

MissP: VRBO! How could i have forgotten about it! I used it once to find a place to stay in Florida. And I'm off to search it.

What would i do without PS!!! Thanks gals!

Send her a message and let her know I sent you (clearly, my name is Stacy lol). She has several different packages/options and is very easy to work with. She did our engagement pictures, which should be on her page as well.

I think I'll stick with my friends for photos. I think their style of photography will be similar to hers, and I can at least show them some of her pics for reference on what I like. But if I change my mind, I will definitely contact her.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Friends are free, so that rocks lol

 

[GemFever]

I may have found a potentially great place through VRBO. It'll be a 5 hour drive into WV, but the house is huuuge and the nature pretty. What would I do without PS! Seriously. Thank you!

Now gotta check with both families that it's a good option, maybe browse VRBO a bit more... but wow. I'm happy.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I may have found a potentially great place through VRBO. It'll be a 5 hour drive into WV, but the house is huuuge and the nature pretty. What would I do without PS! Seriously. Thank you!

Now gotta check with both families that it's a good option, maybe browse VRBO a bit more... but wow. I'm happy.

Did you decide to book this? Any updates on decisions?

 

[GemFever]

Hi Stacy! Thanks for asking I didn't go with the house I mentioned here, because it was 5 hours away. But I found two houses that are about a 2-hour drive away and seem to be big enough to fit our entire party. One of the houses also has a huge living/dining room where we can have the reception (sit down dinner). So it's all coming together

Also, I met with Kristi from GLOW. She is nice, but in the end I decided to go with the home-made option in the rented house, so I won't need her help for that. Still, GLOW was a good recommendation.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Very cool! I'm glad it's all coming together for you! I really like the idea of a little family vacation and wedding in one. I hope it is awesome for you! Definitely keep us posted on things that you're getting done for the wedding