Wedding Wednesday: Who is My Wedding Planner?

Hi, loves & Happy Wednesday!
Last time I spoke on whether you should get a wedding planner or not (you can read more about it here) and asked if you thought I hired one for my wedding. Well, the answer is YES! & I could not be happier with the decision. Today I’m going to share my experience with looking for the right one and what lead me to choose my planner.

Having a wedding planner is not for everyone and that is okay but for me, I knew it was a must. After speaking to friends who had previously gotten married, they pretty much all told me that they either regretted not hiring a planner or were so thankful they did! There was never really an in between. So there began the google search for a wedding planner in Houston. I started doing this 3 weeks after being engaged (which I 100% recommend doing before selecting a venue or any vendor) & I emailed about 10 planners. That’s a lot, I know. Your girl likes to have options! I found them all via google or The Knot and after reading reviews, checking out their previous work whether it was on Instagram or their website is how I determined whether to reach out or not. Usually, when requesting to speak to a planner, their website will ask for the basic info; name, date of wedding (if you have one), venue (if chosen) & best time/way to speak. Typically they will email you introducing who they are, sometimes they immediately send their packages, sometimes they ask if a phone call is okay & I cannot stress this enough, SPEAK TO THEM ON THE PHONE. Emailing is great and probably a lot easier to do but it’s SO different from hearing a person’s voice and seeing if you click with them or not. Your wedding planner is someone you want to get along and feel comfortable with while still keeping it professional. After all, they are the one who will help you with everything from day one of planning. There were a handful of planners I spoke to where you could feel it was just about the money. I didn’t feel as if they cared about me & my fiancé or what I had envisioned. Some were an immediate no because I knew how much I was willing to spend on a planner and they would go over by an easy 5k. I just couldn’t see myself spending THAT much on a planner. As much as I know they deserve every penny, it just didn’t fit in my budget. I narrowed it down to 3 then to 2. The last two, I connected with so much! They were so genuinely interested in how Henry proposed (read more about it here) & our love story which is what drew me in. You want someone to be just as happy and excited for you as you are for yourself. So after a long debate, it became an easy decision. I spoke on the phone with Kelsey from Belle of the Ball after an email or two while she was in Cabo just days before a wedding she was planning and we clicked immediately. I expressed to her the type of wedding I wanted, what my budget looked like, how my fiancé and I met and it felt like talking to a friend. I was so impressed by the fact that she was willing to talk to me one night while in Mexico just days before a wedding, it showed just how hard of a worker she is and her dedication! One thing I really enjoyed was having her answer honestly on if my dream wedding could happen with the budget I had. She was quick to say that anything was possible and how she would ensure that we stay under a certain number. Immediately she started giving me recommendations on vendors like which videographer has high-quality work for an inexpensive price. That really showed me that it wasn’t just about if I was going to give her business or not, she truly just wanted to help. Other planners charge just to give their recommendations. Crazy right!? I expressed to her that I was not impulsive and needed some time to think it over. I LOVED the fact that she didn’t pressure me to make a decision right there and then. In fact, she even took the time to meet with me in person and get to know each other more before making a decision. So after a couple of emails, 2 phone calls, & one meeting, I was rushing to sign a contract with her.

Kelsey is just one of the 10 who work at Belle of the Ball and they really are so different from other wedding planners. You basically get 10 for the price of one. So if Kelsey doesn’t know something, she can easily go to one of her colleagues who 99.9% of the time will have an answer. Talk about getting the biggest bang for your buck.

I can’t wait to write about my full experience with Kelsey from Belle of the Ball but till then check out some of her & the other Belle’s work over on Instagram, Facebook & their website.
Xx, Es <3