Aubrey has been in the wedding industry since 2008 and has worked various aspects of events from planning to serving guests to floral design. She offers day-of, partial, and full-service event planning. She also offers separate design services for events, such as custom paper products, signage, and macramé backdrops. In her spare time you can find her browsing wedding photography, watching Investigation Discovery, or spending time with her hubby and two little boys! Take a look below at some of her frequently asked questions!

1.) We’ve already booked all our vendors and know our photo timeline. What else would a planner do?

Answer: Booking your vendors and chatting about a photo schedule are just small pieces of the puzzle. Meeting with a planner BEFORE booking all your vendors is major bonus, as a planner will save you time and money by steering you in the right direction of vendors that they already know fit within your budget and your style. Vendor creeping is what we do and we do it for you. We can also provide insight on what works best as far as timing that day, so you get the most enjoyment out of your time with friends and family.

Weeks before the big day I send all your vendors a detailed timeline with information regarding load-in times, addresses, contact numbers, etc. Just imagine Jason’s photo timeline on steroids. We ask your vendors beforehand those little questions that are so simple, yet so many people always forget to ask! Are you saving that top cake tier? If so, I’m on the phone making sure that baker brings a box for transport, so grandma Gene isn’t hunting for a random sack to place it in that night. I also provide a timeline for your bridal party, so they know in advance when and where they need to be for photos, etc.

Does it stop at timelines? Heck no! As a planner, I’m there to help run or assist your ceremony rehearsal, and I also use a master checklist throughout the rehearsal and wedding day to make sure no detail is forgotten. We walk through your venue together weeks before the wedding to see where everything will go and I gather your decor/personal belongings before wedding day, so you don’t have to lift a finger.

Your wedding day should be all about YOU…not about planning and organizing those little details as you’re slipping into that dress, so you can look beautiful in front of the camera or being interrupted as you’re enjoying a moment with your new spouse. A planner is your voice that day, because they already know your vision and your details you’ve spent all year preparing for. When you’re off in those fields or back alley taking those money shots with Jason I’m right behind making sure you’ve had a drink and your hors’doeuvres are waiting for you warm at your head table, because you’ll be so busy talking to guests and doing intros you won’t have time to stop!

2.) My venue has a coordinator already. Isn’t that the same thing as a planner?

Answer: NOT AT ALL!! We hear this all the time. Is your venue coordinator stopping by to say hi when you are getting all beautified at 8am? Nope! Is your venue coordinator calling the shuttle to tell them that the pick-up location for the bridal party has changed last minute? I think not! A venue coordinator is strictly focused on letting vendors into the reception building for set-up and working closely with their own staff regarding timing based on the order of events timeline that your planner/Aubrey sent over weeks ago!! A good planner is at your wedding much longer than a venue coordinator. Is your venue coordinator making sure the wedding gifts/cards are making their way back to your wedding suite all locked up for safety or that the two large catering style boxes of leftover cookie favors and sub sandwiches are being dispersed to drunk guests as they head back to the hotel on a shuttle? Absolutely not!

3.) What are the top things couples forget when it comes to planning and working with their vendors?

Answer:  SO many couples don’t think about feeding/seating their vendors at a dinner table. The most commonly asked question I get from vendors at the wedding reception is “where can I place my things and where are vendors being seated to eat?” Photographers and videographers have a lot of STUFF! Creating a specific space for them to put their stuff and sit for a minute is just as important as feeding guests. Making a special table in the back corner or creating a grab and go space next to the reception room are all great ways to take care of your vendors. I also get lots of questions regarding vendor tipping. How much do I tip? Who do I tip? Each wedding is unique and it all depends on what your relationship was like with that vendor. Did they go above and beyond your expectations? If so, tip them! Just like great service at a restaurant, vendors strive for great service on your wedding day.

4.) What is your biggest piece of advice for couples going into the wedding day?

Answer: First off, SOAK IN EVERY MOMENT, because it goes so fast! We all hear it, but it’s so true! I always tell couples to take that moment right after they’ve walked their exit from the ceremony aisle to just be. It’s literally the only minute you have alone together all day. Give a kiss, soak it in, and then let’s go party!

Top three tips for planning:

-Once you find THE dress stop looking! You will drive yourself crazy!

-Bring in those little design and experience elements that are all about the two of you as a couple. Those are the things that guests remember!

-Pinterest Ideas = $$ (a.k.a. don’t show your florist a cascading bouquet of peonies, anemones, and greens, and then expect to pay $75)