May 21 2020

Yall are about to FREAK out about thisstarting today every Wednesday the blog will feature a brand new interview from a fellow wedding vendor small business owner or brand that you NEED during wedding planning season I am so incredibly excited about this and I cant wait for you to see all of the knowledge that these incredible people have Im beyond grateful that I have been able to connect with the people that will be featured and even more excited you will get to hear all of their advice Its going to be so good

Kicking the series off TODAY are the stunning ladies of Joyfully Gathered they are a wedding planning team here in Northern California and truly the cutest duo I have ever seen Keep reading to hear their tips for your wedding day and so much more Enjoy

Tell us a little about you Where are you located and what services do you offer

We are Hannah amp Danielle a wedding planning duo based in Northern California We offer wedding coordination planning and design for lifes big moments

What would you say to a couple who does not think a plannercoordinator is important to fit into their budget

We like to find out a couples priorities in our initial consultations to hear what is most important to them about their wedding day If a full service wedding planning team isnt feasible we always recommend a day of wedding coordinator at the very least Someone who isnt related to you and who has the experience to handle executing the wedding day that youve worked so hard to plan We hear from couples all of the time that the best investment they made was hiring a wedding planner it relieves the families of having to take care of the details on the wedding day so that they can be present with the couple

What is the difference between day ofmonth of and a full wedding planning package

Day Of Month Of wedding planning packages are great for couples that have the time to dedicate to researching and planning or couples that are on a budget but still want that planner for the wedding day Full wedding planning packages are great for couples that want someone to walk them through each step of the process with ease For many couples the expertise of having a planning team help you streamline your decision making come up with a cohesive design review contracts and ultimately create and execute a seamless and stress free wedding day is absolutely worth the investment

What are some wedding planning trends you see taking place this year

If weve learned anything this year it is to throw the rulebook out the window Trends towards micro weddings are obvious but we are also seeing couples re prioritize what is actually important about their wedding day Simplicity seems to be the trend right now

How are you unique in how you handle wedding days

We have the benefit of offering two experienced planners reviewing all of the details of your event weve worked together for so long that we are damn close to finishing each others sentences at this point We work hard to create a calm atmosphere for our team of vendors and our couples We do our best to be an advocate for our couples and help them through a process that we know well

What is your favorite part of the job

Well besides the fact that we love working together we really love getting to know our couples to the point that they trust us with one of the most important formative times in their lives together

What can a couple expect from you once they book your services

They can expect a whole lot of love from us From welcome gifts to monthly emails and check ins we do our best to help our couples manage expectations make the best decisions for their wedding day and ultimately to create a day that feels like the best reflection of their love story

What type of role do you have when it comes to wedding vendors Do you handle contracts payments and all contact leading up to the wedding

We like to be as involved as the couple wants Once they select a planning package that will determine when we start direct vendor communication We always offer our preferred vendor list to our Day Of Month Of brides so that even if we arent doing the vendor communication right away they can still see our top picks in each planning category We also are happy to review contracts for those brides as well We really partner with our couples more than we control every detail A common misconception is that when couples hire a full coordination planner they are effectively giving up their right to have any say in their wedding Thats not true We ultimately want to create the day that you have envisioned We are just bringing our expertise into the mix so that the decision making can be as easy as possible

What is a mistake you see couples make often that you can give some insighthelp into

Attaching themselves to a venue before really figuring out what their priorities are if the budget is the number one priority but they are in love with a venue that is going to put them over budget then every decision after that is going to be stressful We ask our full coordination clients to fill out a questionnaire that among other things identifies their priorities so that we can come back to those throughout the planning process If any decision deviates from those priorities then we re evaluate before committing to that particular item

If you could offer a couple one piece of wedding advice what would it be

Take a few minutes throughout the day to sneak away from the party with your honey and soak in the day it goes by FAST and if you are running from one thing to the next youll miss it reason 547 why we love First Looks they give you more time with your soon to be spouse pre ceremony so that you can get those family or sunset photos in during the reception without the stress of running out of time

Are there any other questions you get asked often or wish you could share more about Feel free to add anything

The wedding industry is full of creatives devoting their time and talents to their clients and that comes at a cost You are not only hiring a vendor for their service but for their experience and their knowledge within their field We hope that our clients value the time and love we put into planning their big days as well as the other vendors they hand select to be a part of them as well Also a thank you note or positive review goes a long way

Wait dont you just love Hannah amp Danielle I met them last year and they have become sweet friends of mine that I hold so dear and Im beyond grateful for the two of them Be sure to find them on Instagram joyfullygathered or head to their website or email them at hellojoyfullygatheredco

Photos by South amp West Photo