why choose belovd?

Let me tell you a story about my wedding. I never cared about my wedding day. There was no prep since I was little like many people have, so I started entirely from square one. Everyone felt like they were the one to tell me what to do - how to dress, who to invite, where to put things, even what flavors to have in my cake and songs to play. Everyone with these opinions thought their opinion and experience was more valid than everyone else’s - even mine. “I’ve done this,” they said. “My day was PERFECT. Follow my example.”

My problem with this is, we care about our loved ones’ opinions. And their days were probably perfect. But they were perfect to THEM, during the time they happened in. Things are different for every person, especially as the years pass. Why should my appearance, music, cake, guest list, etc. be just like the ones they had in 1986, according to their aesthetic and style and what was popular at the time? Or, even worse, according to some pattern or formula or - the dirty wedding word, in my opinion - tradition? (Don’t get me wrong, traditions are fine - but not when it’s just “I guess I’m supposed to, so I will.”)

We are the generation of not doing things that we’re supposed to - sometimes specifically because we’re not supposed to (don’t lie, it’s true). This is no different. Your day is YOUR DAY.

The internet is an amazing place filled with every resource possible. Pinterest is filled to the brim with wedding planning ideas and pictures that will grab you by the heartstrings and get you so worked up for what your day is going to look like that your forget things like budgets and time limits exist, which leads to stress as time goes on. On top of that, most of those absolutely beautiful photos aren’t real weddings. They’re called “styled shoots” - designed specifically to do exactly what they’re doing, as well as get the vendors involved in them some recognition for the amazing work they’ve done (which they deserve, have you seen them?). If they ARE real weddings, they cost like $50,000-$100,000+. Don’t get me wrong, I love Pinterest. When one of my kids got her first phone, it was the first thing I showed her how to use. I have over 170 boards on my personal account. Pinterest is absolutely one of the best places there is for inspiration. But that’s just the thing - it needs to stop there. Pinterest is mostly going to show you amazing things that couples with a $100,000 budget did, or styled shoots, with some really cool DIY ideas and things thrown in. A wedding planner does the things that websites like Pinterest fall short of. The amazing content on Pinterest is like a seed, and I am here to grow it into a garden, customized to your interests, aesthetics, hobbies, inside jokes, favorite things, budget, and the two of you as a couple. Not what that couple did, or those vendors did, or your parents did. Pinterest only shows you what’s already happened. Like the wall of a tattoo shop, it’s full of great ideas and really amazing work, but it’s already been done. I’m here to create something new, tailored entirely to you.

“Well, actually,” you might say, “websites like The Knot have a free planning service.” You’re right. And it’s an extremely valuable tool. Hell, you may have found me on The Knot. However, their planning service is entirely cookie cutter. It’s like renting a dress that’s tailored to someone else. Yes, you have a dress. But is it your dress? It’s just enough to get started, but you need a tailor. Someone to make it yours. Automatic planning services are great, but they don’t care about things like:

• whether your budget should account for a really great dress, and cheaper invitations;

• spending less on the flowers to have a great DJ;

• spending money on having your fiancé build this really amazing arch and you crafting a backdrop that goes behind it that turns your entire ceremony into The Deathly Hallows, you being the Elder Wand, but opting for cheaper rings. (That’s something I actually did. Before Harry Potter was…not okay, for the record.)

The point is, everything on these free, automated sites is just that. It’s all the same as your parents’ and grandparents’ opinions - the same as using things other people have done on Pinterest - the same as wearing a dress tailored to someone else. It doesn’t know you, or your plan, or what you want. The budget feature is almost always according to a specific formula. Give a full budget, and it gives you what percentage you should spend on each thing. Just like the engagement ring rule - that a man should spend 3 month’s salary on an engagement ring - these formulas and traditions are outdated and do not apply anymore. How many people can even set a full budget anymore to figure out those percentages? What if you don’t want all the vendors it’s telling you to hire? What if you think save-the-dates are pointless? (Hint: I might.) Automated wedding planning services don’t care. It’s a formula. You need someone who just knows the price ranges of the good vendors in the area. Who is great, who is mid, who is a scam. You need real advice,, tailored to you, your needs, and your area, not a formula.

Your relationship and marriage and wedding day ARE NOT a formula. They are a very specific, tailored set of steps that are not pre-decided. They change every time. You are not a cookie cutter person, and you are not in a cookie cutter relationship. You will not have a cookie cutter marriage. Why should you have a cookie cutter planning process? All it does is cost you more money and get you less of what you really want. Do you know how many things are possible to do on your wedding day that some people never even think are an option? Your wedding can be anything you want. It’s YOURS. It’s one of the most memorable days of your entire life. Let me help you make it seem like you and your significant other’s personalities exploded all over the venue, for as cheap as possible.

Here’s another story about my wedding process, because it’s the most legitimate explanation that I can give under no pretense at all. My engagement was stressful. Everyone had an opinion, and there were a million things to do with a million different deadlines. My entire life was consumed by it - and honestly, that was okay with me. I mean, clearly, it’s my career now. But lives are busy, and a lot of people just aren’t made to juggle so many things at once. It can ruin engagements, and has often. Couples argue about nothing just because of stress. The wedding planning memes are everywhere - bring the wine, never thinking about a wedding again, wedding planning has made me hate everyone - they are rooted in truth, and what often happens. Enjoy your engagement. I thrive on planners and deadlines and having 200 things to do. Even if you are good at that, should you have to? Wouldn’t you rather walk around gushing about color palettes and your amazing fiancé and cake tastings? Don’t think back on your engagement as a stressful time. It should be one of the best times of your life. When you have a full-time wedding planner, you only have to do the fun parts. You get a person who legitimately cares about every piece of your wedding and is as invested as you are, messaging you like, “Hey! Here’s 20 color palette options…let me know which ones you like!” or, “You have a tasting at that really great bakery at 4 on Thursday and linens order is good to go!” I handle the things. You have as much or as little in the decision making process as you want, and just get sent to do fun things here and there and get all the work presented to you on a digital red carpet.

Jump forward to my wedding day. I arrived at the venue at 9 am to start setting up and ended up having to literally run from one side of the place to the other, repeatedly, with my husband doing the same on the other end, to get all the decorations set up and every little piece in it’s place before my hair appointment. Then I literally ran to my bridal suite to do my makeup as fast as possible, something I am still lightweight upset about. I had planned on sipping champagne with my bridesmaids, swapping eyeshadows, listening to a playlist I specifically designated one of the girls to make (that never even got a chance to get played). Instead, it was me sweating, digging through piles of makeup looking for my missing eyeliner (that I never found), while my photographer (bless her soul) stood there and took portraits that made me not look like a sweaty crazy person. I did get champagne, though. I had to kind of chug it but, dammit, I was getting some champagne. The ceremony was amazing, the reception was amazing, but thank god we wore Chuck Taylors, because I spent the entire night running from one spot to another as well. When I wasn’t running, my Matron of Honor was, and she ended up missing a lot of key moments because of things happening elsewhere.

With a wedding planner, or even a day-of coordinator (NOT a venue coordinator - different jobs), this is all entirely prevented. Wake up, have breakfast with your SO or bridal party. Slowly head to get beauty services done, well slept. Everything is being taken care of and set up for you while you glow because today is your day, the only day of your adult life that is entirely centered around you and your person and how absolutely in love you are. Someone who knows every intricate plan is handling everything, from decor to vendors to where everyone is at all times. It is all taken care of. All of it. You just have to show up, say “I do,” and enjoy the perfect day you’ve been waiting for.

Take back your day means a lot of things. Take it back from everyone. It’s yours. Enjoy it the way you should. Presently, actively, and so involved in your new husband or wife’s eyes that you don’t have to worry about the confetti or where the flower girl is. It’s all handled, everyone is where they need to be, and you don’t miss a thing. It’s all handled. I got you.

Most wedding planner packages consist of the following levels:

Design Consultation: Someone to bounce ideas off of, usually charged by the hour, or a single timed meeting

Day-Of Coordination: No planning involved, usually meets with the couple a few days before the wedding, makes sure the day runs smoothly

Partial Planning: Involved with the planning process the entire time, but with your involvement

Full Planning: Plans the entire wedding for you, with little to no involvement on your part

Most wedding planners charge based on the following:

By the hour

One flat rate, which changes based on the size of your event, your budget, etc.

A percentage of your overall budget

How BELOVD is different:

1. My full planning package doesn’t mean I insist on doing everything for you. You can be fully involved, and jut have an expert to rely on; barely involved, and just have your potential wedding served to you on a platter; or anywhere in between. Either way, it’s the same price.

2. I consider my job to be helping you save money while achieving the day you want, not taking the budget you’ve set aside (which isn’t easy) and taking a massive chunk of it for myself.

3. I don’t plan weddings for the money. I really, genuinely, thoroughly, whole-heartedly love love, and love weddings. On top of that, I really do believe that brides should not have to pay what a lot of people charge for this service. Now, let’s be real and transparent - this is my full time job. Planning and coordination supports my family of 4. Also, planning is a LOT of work - you know that, that’s why you’re here, and I do it for a lot of brides at once. I do have to charge a fair wage. That being said, I offer many ways for brides to save money, even when it’s on my services: super flexible payment plans (you literally make up a plan yourself), deals, utilizing add on services (so that brides don’t have to pay for things they don’t need), and for those who are completely lost, but have almost nothing in their budget to cover a planner, I’m currently working on PDF planners made specifically to help brides plan their own weddings in the same way I would. The point is, I’m cheaper on purpose, not because I’m less experienced.

4. My day-of coordination package doesn’t consist of me having you fill out a paper two days before and going into coordinating your wedding with little to no knowledge of how things will look. It includes the final 30 days, finalizing all of your vendors, distributing timelines, full understanding of every precious plan you’ve made, and everything else that needs done the final month (which is a LOT). Still have some things to plan or figure out? I’m here for you. You’ve hired me for the final month of your wedding planning, whatever that may include.

5. I am here to help. I have completely flexible payment plans. We will always find something that works for you. Some clients pay as little as $20-$50-$100 a month after their deposit is made. Whatever makes the payments easier for you, don’t hesitate to ask, and we’ll discuss.

6. I do not only serve one region. BELOVD has brought a much outdated field into the technological age, working remotely to do everything for you that a client next door to me would receive. My travel fee and mileage are both laid out in your contract upon signing, and not due until a week before the wedding. Want help planning but can’t afford travel fees for coordination? I have a reduced rate for that. Just ask.

7. With me, you do not still have to mostly plan your own wedding while getting advice sometimes (unless that’s what you want - every client is different!). I do not operate on meetings one, three, six months out to see what you’ve planned. We are in near constant contact, doing everything together.

8. You are not just a paycheck to me. Once I am involved, I’m involved all the way. In the end, I am as invested in your big day as you are, and as determined to have it run perfectly. I am your employee, not the other way around - and I like to consider myself more of your friend that is helping you plan your wedding than I do another one of your vendors.