Hiring a Wedding Planner is no doubt a very personal experience. You are bringing in an outsider to be a part of planning one of the most intimate and personal moments of your life. When we start the consultation process with a potential client, it's very important for us to feel like we are the right match for them and vice versa. It's important that we feel we have the similar values, priorities and work styles. All of these make the process not only fun - but efficient and simple. 

These are 5 questions that we are always sure to address with our prospective clients during the process, and we encourage you to ask them to any Wedding Planners you are speaking with as well. They will help you feel comfortable working with them long-term and will help ensure your personalities blend (not just design aesthetic).  

As with any relationship - great communication is extremely important between you and your Wedding Planner. In order to make decisions, meet deadlines and be on the same page, you need to be able to communicate effectively and efficiently. Think about how you prefer to communicate. Are you on email all day and able to get back at any notice? Perhaps you have a job where email is tough and texting or phone calls are better. Think about what your lifestyle is and what method you prefer from your Planner.

The majority of the time the Wedding Planner you are speaking with will be the person on-site with you on the day-of, but it's still important to confirm who it will be. In addition, asking what their resources are for replacement if for any reason they are not able to be there is an important question to consider. You want to make sure you feel comfortable and trust the person that will be with you during this intimate moments!

Priorities are a very important part of the Wedding planning process for you and for Wedding Planners. There are so many decisions that need to be made and often in quick moments, so ensuring you are on the same page with what is important on the day-of is key to a successful partnership. For example, if your priority is to ensure you can focus on your friends and family and not worry about all the details, make sure that your Planner will be there with you from start to finish and that their priority is to be there for you AND your family!

Most Wedding Planners have clear and concise packages that outline what's included in their pricing, however be sure that you understand how many meetings and consultations that includes. An "all-inclusive" package should be unlimited, but some Planners stick to a structure they outline for your planning and additional needs may result in extra fees. Everyone structures it a little differently so be sure to talk it out!​

This may feel like a cheesy question, but never underestimate passion in a Wedding Planner. Again - this is a very important day in your life - and you want to ensure you have someone that cares deeply about what they do. This may help you get a sense of their personality as well which can confirm with you whether it would be a good match. 

Over the years, we have had the pleasure of working with clients with weddings of all shapes and sizes. No matter the format, number of guests, location, budget etc, something that's always helpful is what we call a Wedding Audit about 4-5 weeks out. With our Day of Coordination Plus clients, we meet with them at this time before their wedding and go through every detail of their plans. There are a few reasons this is important:

• 4-5 weeks is the sweet spot for resolving any questions/concerns. Most problems can be resolved or additional vendors found.
• You are not supposed to be an expert! Most likely, you have not planned a Wedding before. This evaluation will help do a check and balance of any traditions you may not have integrated but still want included.
• Peace of mind: why leave everything to the last minute? Doing this check will give you your final to-do list and help you feel organized going into the final days before your Wedding

We love doing this with our clients and find its such a useful exercise for them to go through to think about what they actually still need to do or realize they are even more prepared than you thought! 

Key things we discuss with our couples:

• ​Vendor Contracts: It's important to note when all your final payments are due and what information is due to them when in the final month before you wedding. If you don't already know any requirements they have for their setup on-site, reaching out to them to request these is also important. 
• Formalities: What formalities and traditions will be taking place during the Wedding? This includes the outline of the ceremony, introductions during the reception, toasts, formal dances (parent dances, first dance) etc. 
• Utilities: This doesn't apply to everyone, but those having tent and/or backyard weddings, thinking about power, water and lighting for the space is important. 
• Marriage License: As obvious as this may sound, ensuring you apply for your marriage licences with plenty of lead time is a important reminder. 
• Transportation: How are you and your partner getting to the ceremony and necessary locations? A simple logistics often forgotten about and last minute Ubers are called. 

Looking for a Wedding Audit? Contact us to schedule yours!

The Importance of the Right Event Venue
The success of every event starts with the venue.  The venue determines the atmosphere and sets the tone for the event.  Some events want energy and a location in the heart of the city, and others require serenity deep in the country.  No matter what type of setting you need, Kelly Elizabeth Events puts great care into finding the right location - whether party venue or Wedding venue, they all take time and close examination. 

Our Experience
Experience with local venues is important.  We know local venues, because we have hosted weddings and events all over Boston and New England.  Our relationship with different venues makes for a smooth process, and our knowledge of different spaces means we can find you just what you are looking for.

There are many different things to consider when choosing a venue.  An event venue needs to be convenient enough for your guests to arrive at easily.  Parking, traffic, noise levels, budget, space, and services can all come into play.  Some corporate events may need local foot traffic.  Wedding venues on the other hand often need to be near hotels where guests can stay for the duration of your Wedding weekend and easily commute after a night of celebrating! Some, more intimate events need privacy.  Other events need a highly specialized service, or at least the ability to accommodate one.  For instance, we have planned events with cigar rolling, an indoor display for a car, and even a rented yacht!

We can suggest different types of venues, or find a very specific type to fit your exacting needs.   At Kelly Elizabeth Events, we combine our unique experience and connections with local venues with a keen instinct for knowing exactly what a client is looking for - starting each search with a clean slate to adapt what works for our clients. 

Your Home as  a Venue
For many types of events, your own home or space is a wonderful place to host!  Many birthday parties, cocktail hours, and even corporate functions have been planned in one of our client's lovely homes.  Kelly loves taking a client's space and tailoring the decor for the perfect atmosphere!
Hosting an event in your home can provide a more intimate setting, save money, and provide ample flexibility for anything you might want.  Don't be afraid to bring in catering, bartending, lighting, tents, or any number of other services right into your home! 

Our Services
Whether you need full planning and coordination services, or you need us to provide some knowledge of local venues, or if you want us to scout locations in other markets, we are happy to assist to find you the perfect space!

At Kelly Elizabeth Events, we are proud to offer full service event planning.  We specialize in making you look good, while we take care of all the details.  If you can imagine an event, we can plan it, coordinate it, and put all the pieces together to make it happen.

What Full Service Planning Means
Full service event planning is all encompassing, and it can mean different things depending on your needs and the nature of the event.   We can take an event through the planning and design phase, to finding the perfect venue and vendors, to day of coordination services.  It also means that we understand your budget.  No matter what your budget is, we bring you the best value and top notch service that you and your event deserves.

True full service planning starts with an idea.  It can be a nugget of an idea from a client, or it can be a very specific vision.  Either way, our job is to work  closely with our clients to bring their event to life.

Understanding our client's vision for the event is the most important step.  We take our time to listen to our clients, and apply our intuitive understanding and experience in event design to bring them exactly what they want.  Only by fully understanding our client's needs, are we able to deliver top notch planning. 

The planning phase is where we put together the full scope of the event.  It's important for us to understand the purpose of the event.  A corporate event for industry speakers is different than a networking event.  What is the design/aesthetic of it?  What services will be needed?  Do we need to coordinate a caterer, or AV equipment operation for presenters, or perhaps a florist?

We have an intimate understanding of local venues.  We can help you choose the perfect place to host the event, or host it at your own house or company.

We also know the best local vendors in Boston.  We are constantly working with new vendors, but we know where to go for every specific need.  Be it the best seating, the best florists, or the best pastry catering, a big advantage of working with a full service planner is that we know just where to go for your needs and budget.

Taking in the full event design and program, we are able to put together a comprehensive overview of the event.  We will coordinate all the seating, food, venue, equipment, and decor.   If any additional labor is required such as servers, models, speakers, bands or DJ, we have a proven track record of getting exactly what your event needs.  We will work to keep all the vendors and other pieces of your event in line and ready to go, up until the day of.

On the day of the event, we are there to help set up and coordinate.  We make sure everything goes exactly to plan, and eliminate any stress or anxiety you may have as a client.  You can rest easy knowing that you are in good hands.  Adaptability is an essential trait for any day of event coordinator, and we are constantly problem solving on the fly to make sure everything goes off without even a minor hitch.  We don't stop until everything is perfect.

Advantages of a Full Service Event and Party Planner
The biggest benefit of a full service package is that everything is taken care of for our clients.  No matter how complex your event is and how many different types of staff members might be needed, our event planners can handle every aspect.  Some of the important advantages for our clients can be:

• Local venue knowledge.  We know the best local venues for the best value.  Our relationships with so many venues gives our clients access to a large variety of settings.
• Local vendor knowledge.  When it comes to vendors, there are a lot of choices.   You can't always count on everyone., but we know who to go to  for top notch service.  Our preferred vendor network gets our clients the best service in Boston, and we can help negotiate it for the best value.
• Professional Decor and Logistics.  Event logistics have a lot of details.  This is what causes people the most stress when they try to plan their own events.   The decor at a wedding is very different than a birthday party, but no matter what type of event your planning we make sure that its beautiful.   Similarly, the flow of the event is important.  We make sure the whole event is seamless from your guests perspectives.
• Bringing lots of parties together.  Many events call on a variety of parties all being on the same page.  From the venue to the vendors to any hired help such as servers,  we make sure everyone knows exactly what is required from them so you don't need to do anything.  As a full service planner, we want to make everything as easy for our clients as we can.  We can worry about the coordination so you don't need to.
• Setup and cleanup is taken care of.  The setup and cleanup portion of any event can take hours.  If you hire a full service planner, you don't need to lift a finger (unless you want to).  We can take care of everything so you can focus your attention to other places.
• Less stress.  The biggest advantage of our full service planning is that you don't need to worry.   As professional planners, our experience in executing events of all types can give you peace of mind.

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Contact our Event Planners Today!
If you can benefit from full service event planning, we can help.  Contact us today for more information about how we can help you bring any event to life!