Well CONGRATULATIONS! The first thing you need to do is just sit in the glow of being engaged for a minute. Maybe it is a week, or maybe a few weeks, but enjoy telling your friends and family, go on a few dates as fiancés, and soak it all in. Try not to think about “the wedding” just yet, it will come. When you are ready, talk with your partner about celebration expectations and your budget. If you think your parents may want to contribute financially, it is important to ask them about it. They might want to help with individual items like “the rehearsal dinner” or “flowers” or it might be a lump sum of cash they want to give toward the celebration. Next you can either start talking to wedding planners or venues. If you think you have a budget to work with a full service planner, talk with them first as they may have valuable input on venues or know of some you haven’t thought of. If you think month-of wedding management might be more in line with your budget you may start with venues first, but can certainly still consider a planner and their ideas too. After that, I recommend looking for a photographer. Scroll through your planner’s instagram to see who they have worked with recently. If you like their style, start there! Photographer selection can feel overwhelming if you don’t know what to look for. If your venue does not have in-house catering, now is the time to start looking for a caterer as well. Usually the venue will have some options to start with. That is a good start, happy to help guide you through a timeline or lay out action items for you on a consultation!
I just got engaged, what do I do now?
What is a typical wedding budget in San Francisco area?
It depends on your expectations. If you expect a certain level of design or lavishness the budget will vary. It is really important to decide what is most important to you and your partner in terms of the celebration and go from there. Maybe every detail is important, maybe not. You can save money or spend excessive amounts in just about every category of wedding planning. It is almost impossible to throw out a number just on the basis of your location, but an experienced planner could tell you averages on the spot. Weddings in San Francisco for 150 guests are typically $550-$1000+ per person. Of course, this varies based on my previous comments. This pricing is similar in Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, and Carmel.
Design stresses me out. I want it to be cohesive but my pinterest board looks chaotic and crazy. Can you help?
Absolutely. We offer three options that can help depending on the level of help needed. We offer a design-only service which will help guide you through cohesive design collaboration and rental cultivation. We also offer consultations where we charge hourly for help with anything you need. Our most exciting offering is the full planning and design service where we help with all of the design elements in addition to logistics. We are happy to create a cohesive pinterest board to get you vision across to anyone who views it!
How many planners should I talk to before I hire one?
We encourage you to speak to at least three planners, but I wouldn’t recommend more than five or six, because it will start to feel overwhelming at that point. Especially with the full planning and design service, we are talking to you more than some of your close friends, so it is incredibly important you like us as people, and also trust us to know what we are doing and have your best interest at heart. Sometimes the services are identical and prices are different, sometimes the services are slightly different. Do some homework, read reviews, and pick the best planner for you!
Yes! I typically help my clients sift through options for their wedding for all vendors including venues, but some come to me with a venue and date already in contract. This can be an a la carte service or part of the full planning and design experience. It is always nice to have an extra set of eyes on a space to help you envision all of the possibilities! I don’t typically visit the sites with you until the options are narrowed down to your top pick and we know where you are getting married, but I can do site visits with you for an additional fee.
Do you help search for venues in the Bay Area?
Yes we do!