Ever wonder whether hiring a Professional Event Planner or Wedding Advocate is right for you? Here are some common Q&As to help familiarize you with the value we bring as your Wedding Advocate.
A wedding planner can partner with you to develop a Concept & Design for your wedding and help to incorporate your style, personality and culture into the blank canvas of your venue space. Denyse Galiothe firmly believes a wedding is about exchanging vows and beginning a new life together, so what better opportunity to express your passion for a vintage or winter wonderland motif, your love of nature, or your love affair with ranunculus? Perhaps you simply lack the time, patience or energy to sort through all the details and help you prioritize wedding expenses. Your wedding planner is conveniently the ideal person to offload distributing payments to your vendors at the end of the evening – don’t want dirty money rubbing off on your fancy gown or suit.
Right away. For some couples, their wedding planning process begins when he or she says “YES”. For others, they’ve been brainstorming for several months or years (you know who you are :)). You can certainly benefit from meeting a planner to get a sense of their passion for their work, their experience, availability, and sense of urgency. The earlier you partner with a planner, the sooner you have someone who is your wedding advocate and accountable for making your wedding day seamless. Denyse Galiothe encourages her couples to tear out pictures of everything you love and take notes of what inspires you: a dress, suit/tuxedo, hair & makeup, veil, cuff links, shoes, jewelry, photo poses, a landscape, a flower, simply everything! Its never too early to begin preparing for your most special day!
A Day-Of Wedding Coordinator (DOWC or DOC) is responsible for synchronizing ALL logistics on your wedding day, while reducing the stress that comes with gathering that much family, friends, vendors, and nervous energy into one place. Plus, you’re spending a lot of money that day, shouldn’t you do all that you can to reduce your stress and responsibilities? A DOC is responsible for troubleshooting any issues that may arise, so you can focus on getting ready and thoroughly enjoying the celebration in your honor. A DOC is especially useful if you have a number of DIY elements that you would otherwise have to set up yourself (escort cards, welcome bags, table arrangements, cake knife… to name a few). As your wedding advocate, your DOC will be aware of the expectations you agreed with your vendors and will be on-site to make sure your vendors’ services are fully maximized.
Regular communication is KEY between the couple, wedding planner and venue coordinator. An on-site coordinator has knowledge about their facility and what works best there, however your wedding planner will spend an extensive amount of time learning about you, your wishes and every wedding detail to be able to answer questions and troubleshoot any issues that may arise on the day of the wedding. Your wedding celebration begins well before you walk into your venue. Your relationship with your wedding planner is extremely personal because your best interest is exactly what you have hired them to be responsible for – there should never be any ambiguity about this!
The cost of your wedding planner largely depends on the level of involvement you require. If you need someone to manage your invitations, seating chart, arrange and set-up your decor, maximize vendors’ services, pay all vendors on your behalf, assemble your Guest Welcome Bags (etc etc), the cost will be higher than if you need just an accountability partner on your wedding day to keep everyone and all vendors on-schedule, as well as to help usher guests through the maze of the day. Events With Intention charges based on the services that best suit your planning process. You don’t pay for what you don’t need. Some wedding planners charge a percentage of your wedding budget or just a flat fee, therefore the importance of meeting with your potential wedding planner for a free consultation in advance.
At Events With Intention, we hold weekly Planning Consultations over the phone, via Skype or over coffee/tea with each of our clients. Why? To brainstorm, provide updates and prioritize the to-do’s. A wedding planner should give you the flexibility to be involved in as many or as few of the planning details as you wish. Because your wedding planner is hired to be your advocate in creating your unique celebration, it should go without saying that you will not be charged for a phone call or email. That is why you hired them… to be available and be present!
You suggest, we suggest, and then we’ll find the perfect vendor to fit you! Your wedding planner should be open to booking both vendors who they do not know and those on their preferred vendor list. With your best interest at heart, your wedding planner should do their homework and identify vendors who fit your personality, style and list of requests. For example, your photographer should capture images of you and your 95 year old grandmother at all costs… if that’s what you asked for. Your wedding planner should inform you whether they profit-share with specific vendors, so you know of any conflicts of interest up-front.
Despite there being fewer guests, hiring a wedding planner can be essential to the process of creating the look and feel for your celebration that you envision. Weddings of all sizes use a variety of vendors (photographers, caterers, bakers, florists, marriage officiants, entertainers) and require a gentle touch to synchronize the commotion. Denyse Galiothe has learned that attention to detail, tailored design and meticulous execution are equally important in both intimately-sized and enormously-sized wedding celebrations.
Yes, absolutely. Typically one hour in length, an initial free consultation will allow us to identify any unfulfilled to-do’s and answer any coordination questions you may have. A meeting gives us the opportunity to discuss how to best partner together to ensure your wedding is a celebration that you will cherish for a lifetime. Events With Intention is available to meet with you to discuss every single component of your event. Denyse will bring samples of her work, a detailed list of services, and an open mind. She values your time and will listen to your needs. If you need advice or recommendations, Denyse has that covered too! Just call (917) 541-3199 or email Denyse directly at denyse@eventswithintention.com.
At Events With Intention, we will make vendor suggestions during the brainstorming process to find a suitable vendor who fits your personality and budget. If there is an issue with a vendor who does not hold up their end of the bargain, whether we recommended them or not, Denyse will work to find an appropriate replacement who can transition into their new role as seamlessly as possible. We will have a vendor back-up list, as well as the list of vendor office/mobile phone numbers if vendor-hunting is required. We also Triple Vendor Confirm, meaning we speak with each vendor 1 month, 1 week and 1 day before your wedding day. It is important to have a discussion on troubleshooting before you agree to hire your wedding planner.
Introduce your wedding planner to your mother/mother-in-law as early as possible and communicate what specific responsibilities you hired your wedding planner to fulfill. Everyone’s task list should be made available to everyone else. There are regular calls/texts/emails between Denyse and her couple’s mothers/mothers-in-law. A wedding is about the couple, so what they value is what your wedding planner should value too. Denyse understands that family involvement is important to many couples. Other couples, not so much. If you value mom’s input, we do too! You just educate us on how and how often to collaborate with mom.
Yay, Events With Intention loves Destination Weddings! The flight and accommodations of your wedding planner will typically be paid by the couple. These details should be explicitly discussed with your wedding planner in advance and included in your letter of agreement.
In 2004 while in graduate school, Events With Intention owner, Denyse Galiothe, was asked to plan a business conference because she was “on top of it, plays well in the sandbox, and always has a sense of urgency”. After saying “yes”, friends liked her work and asked her to plan their weddings. Those wedding experiences were surprisingly so enjoyable, so creative, so freeing, Denyse decided to start her own wedding and events planning company.
Previously a Vice President at a global investment bank, Denyse was responsible for servicing highly discerning clients. As a wedding and events planner, she brings the same laser focus and commitment to carefully creating the celebration of her client’s dreams. Some of Denyse’s key strengths include her enthusiastic personality, relentless attention to detail, and a genuine commitment to making every wedding and proposal a true celebration for her couples. Through tailored design and meticulous execution, she becomes a couple’s wedding advocate and takes her role in their special day very seriously – its an honor!
Denyse was born and raised in sunny Southern California. She pursued her MBA at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine.
A what? Typical client, you say…
Difficult to say, as every single couple and every single wedding is unique. Denyse works with you to make your wedding represent you, your style, your personality, your culture. Events With Intention firmly believes there is no one-size-fits-all wedding celebration!
Many of our clients are busy couples, those with discerning taste, those who have a sense of what they want and know how they want the day to look and feel. We partner with you to make it happen!
