How long have you been in business and how many events do you do a year?
Our company has been around since 2002. I purchased the company, I Do, I Do Wedding Planning in spring 2014, and started with the company as an event assistant in 2010. I am actually a former MVE Bride! While much has changed in the last 3 years, including changing our name to Magnolia Vine Events in 2017, what remains the same is our integrity, care, and devotion to each client. I prefer to do between 22-25 weddings a year. For myself & our team, that is our sweet spot to serve our clients well.
Do you have ideas on how to make a wedding special, unique, and memorable?
Our favorite things are getting to know our clients, their story, interests and family history. These are the things that are going to make the event unique & special. We learn about them, their taste & style to be able to weave that into the wedding design. One of the benefits of our design service is that we ensure the details are planned well and are a true reflection of the couple. Some of our favorite ways to do that is through the paper details of the wedding weekend and incorporating personality there.
There is a lot of talk about the “Day Of Service.” Can you share what your experience has been and maybe the misnomer of the title “Day Of”?
We call our service wedding day management for a reason. There is literally no way anyone could come in and execute the plans of someone else on the day of an event. Typically there are weeks of communication between the vendor partners, client and planner to establish everyone’s needs, & wants for the big day and it is our responsibility to make them all happen in a well choreographed way. Typically weddings have at the very least 6 vendors, with our clients averaging around 10-12 vendor partners per event. We start working with you and give you tools to use the moment your paperwork is confirmed. This is the true difference.
What exactly does a wedding planner do?
We are the middlemen. We negotiate on your behalf until the proposal and contract are perfect, we worry about vendors showing up, centerpieces arriving on time, directing guests, and setting up so you don’t have to. We take that stress off of you, your mother, best friends and family so they can all fulfill the roles they should be and everyone can truly enjoy.
We are the secretary. This is where our logistics skills come to use. There is so much to keep up with while planning a wedding and it is our job to keep up with it all! We keep notes from every meeting and identify all the action items. We type out and organize timelines, budgets, photo and song lists; we keep track of vendors and their contact information; and we even help with contract language. There is a ton of paperwork when it comes to weddings and we manage it all.
We are a neutral party, a therapist and a mediator. There is always some type of situation where we are putting on our referee shirt and grabbing our whistle. Sometimes it might be battling opinions in choices made, sometimes it’s family members that don’t get along, but we are here to take that stress off and redirect those conversations. Do you have a super “helpful” Aunt Sally who really wants to be involved and wants a task but drives everyone crazy? We will make sure she is loved on and tasked with something that makes her feel like she is contributing, but also redirects her away from you or your mom. We are here to give you exactly what YOU want on YOUR special day!
We see the bigger picture. Our job is to have the eagle eye view of your wedding plans. It is so easy to become overwhelmed with the tiny details, that sometimes the bigger picture can get overlooked. Our master checklist ensures that the smallest & biggest things are tended to. We are here to help you take a step back and focus on the details as well as the bigger picture.
We put out the fires that arise. We fully believe wedding planning is marriage planning. Every couple should be able to enjoy their engagement & relax and enjoy their wedding day, and especially be able to enjoy one another. It’s hard to do that when you have a million people running up to you with questions and mini disasters when all you want to do is soak up the happiness and enjoy yourselves. Our job is to handle the questions and mini disasters for you, and make sure you have as many happy moments as possible.
We have access to the best vendors in the area. You may think, “Well, why would I hire a wedding planner to contact this vendor when I can just do it myself?” From Brides UK, they say the average bride WITH a planner spends 112 hours planning & doing wedding related activities, the average bride WITHOUT a planner spends 288 hours doing the same thing. That is more than double the amount of time spent on planning your wedding day. With a full time job, it can be a daunting task. A bulk of that time is spent researching vendors, meeting with them, securing contracts and invoices as well as the ongoing planning communication you will have over your engagement. We know the creative vendor partners that are going to be the best for you in regards to style, taste, & budget. We will be doing the research and heavy lifting for you rather than you doing it yourself.
We are always your advocate. Did the weather change your plans for a beautiful outdoor setting? We make sure Plan B is equally as lovely and beautiful, and arranged perfectly like it was always supposed to be that way. Did mom’s zipper break right before it was time to go down the aisle? We will sew her into that dress and no one will notice. Did you forget to get reserved signs for your family tables? Not a problem–we have got them!
Ashley can answer your questions regarding your big day or events at ashley@magnoliavineevents.com or visit her website at magnoliavineevents.com
