FAQ
General Questions
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Statistics show that the average wedding takes approximately 540 hours to plan! In a survey of 2000 UK brides-to-be, 40% of ladies polled said organizing their wedding felt like taking on a second job. The Wedding Planning process is now more time-consuming than ever before!
Whether it is a Wedding or a Special Event — a Planner can save you time spent on researching and planning. A Planner can also help you prioritize your vendors, get your budget in order, provide qualified vendor referrals, accompany you to vendor/site meetings and know what questions to ask, review contracts and negotiate on your behalf, and save you money! A good Planner also provides creative décor and design ideas. The final month before your event is crucial and a Planner will be there to dot every “i” and cross every “t” to make sure that you, your family, and friends enjoy a totally stress-free day!
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Typically, Catering Managers and Venue Managers at hotels or venues have the job of overseeing event details that are directly related to the venue and food/beverage. They are in charge of fulfilling contractual obligations to the venue, and are often not there for the duration of your event due to other commitments around the property. It is not in their job description to confirm your vendors, run your rehearsals, oversee the vendors on your Special Day, cue you down the aisle at your Ceremony, and make sure all of the Day’s events are running according to schedule.
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As professional Coordinators, we are your biggest advocate and you are our first priority. We work with Catering and Venue managers to ensure smooth execution of your event. Our services supplement (and go far beyond!) the services offered by your Catering Manager, Banquet Manager & Staff, and other vendors.
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In our (humble) opinion, hiring a Planner is one of the most important decisions you will make in the Wedding and Event Planning process!
A Planner is an investment in making sure your Event or Wedding Day is beautiful and flawless - while also relieving you and your family of the stress and duties that come with planning an event. Just like you, your friends & family want to enjoy the day and celebrate with you, rather than working your event for you!
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Anywhere from 9-18 months prior to the Wedding date and 3-4 months prior to the Special Event date is a good time to start the hunt. According to an old Chinese proverb and subsequently, the best financial advice ever: “The best time to start was yesterday, the second best time is today.”
However, it is never too late to sign one on!
A Planner / Coordinator is an investment in your future Event or Wedding Day. It is always better to have an advocate on your side sooner rather than later.
Additionally, we would not want you to wait until the last minute and feel overwhelmed! Hiring your Coordinator right away, even for the “Partial Planning Package”, ensures that we are available for your date. Oftentimes, dates get booked up more than a year in advance!
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There are so many great Wedding Planners & Coordinators out there!
As a prospective Client, we recommend looking for someone who has experience and is highly attentive to detail. All the operational and tactical things aside, what we believe are most important in your Planner is compatibility and communication. Find someone that you trust (or will come to trust in the coming months of working together!) and jive well with. Consider how you found this person - does their portfolio reveal real Wedding and Event experience? Does this person not only have all the specifics, but also knows your goals, desires, and needs for your Wedding or Special Event? Do you trust that this person not only understands you, but also has your back? When push comes to shove, will this person go out of his or her way to protect your Special Day? Do you like this person? Does this person communicate clearly and humbly?
At the end of the day — your Wedding & Event Planner will likely be your closest vendor, ally, and (hopefully) friend! Whether or not you end up signing on with us, we hope that you end up finding someone who not only can execute beautifully on your special day, but is also your biggest advocate! That is our greatest wish for you!
The Fine Print
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Yes! We are a registered business within the state of California.
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We have been planning events and weddings since 2016!
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Yes, we have liability insurance coverage and all licensing. We are happy to provide this, should your venue or vendors require.
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Not a problem. We specialize in long-distance planning & coordination. In fact, most of our couples and clients are either partially based in SF Bay Area or long-distance. Thankfully, the 21st century comes equipped with tons of resources via the internet. Just as a local couple would experience, we'll be right there beside you for the whole Wedding & Event Planning journey.
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By choice, we take on a limited number of clients a year – this includes a combination of Full Service, Partial Planning, and Custom Event Coordination clients.
This often results to no more than 2 or 3 events a month. We are firm believers in not over-committing ourselves and manage our workloads in such a way that our clients get the quality time and 100% of our attention that they deserve!
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Yes we do! Please see here for more details.
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Unfortunately, “Day-of” service is a misnomer!
There is no such thing as “Day-of”. A Coordinator cannot just show up to your Wedding or Event Day without any context into the planning that’s already been done. Too many things can go wrong!
Your Event Planner should still meet with you many times prior to the actual day to gather information and details. This allows us to truly be the point person for you, ensuring that everything goes smoothly as well as be able to properly execute your vision and run a successful event.
As such, for Weddings & Events — we offer a “Partial Planning Package” because we meet with our clients ~3 months prior. We are able to really get to know our clients’ personalities (likes and dislikes, what makes them excited, what to watch out for, etc.), gather all of their information & details for the big day, plan out all logistics, flag and/or call out potential risks, confirm times with all vendors, and create a timelines and layouts. We are always available for you and provide constant communication with unlimited meetings during this time.
You might have done a chunk of the planning yourself, but you would be surprised how many things come up within the last few months of Wedding and Event planning! This is where we would come in and help you get organized for everything!
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While we are proudly based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Made by Connie Designs provides boutique wedding and event planning throughout Northern California and Southern California. We frequently plan weddings in San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Monterey/Carmel. We also love to travel and offer our planning and design services throughout Southern California (Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, and Anaheim) and worldwide, including all-inclusive destination weddings in Mexico!
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Absolutely! Multicultural events are our bread-and-butter. We celebrate the unique stories and traditions of all our couples. We have extensive experience planning multicultural weddings, traditional ceremonies (such as Chinese tea ceremonies, Korean Paebaek ceremonies, Vietnamese tea ceremonies, Filipino ceremonies, and so much more). We work closely with you to seamlessly integrate your cultural priorities and family traditions into a flawless, modern celebration!
We have also proudly handled many multi-day wedding weekends -- managing everything from accommodations, to transportation/shuttles, and to the event logistics for the full weekend itself. You will have the full team at Made by Connie Design’s attention and support!
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At Made by Connie Designs, our aesthetic leaning is subtle, elegant, and timeless. However, we don't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. We have planned, designed, and coordinated ALL sorts of weddings and events.
We prefer to focus on crafting sophisticated, personalized celebrations that genuinely reflect your style and priorities. From lush floral arches, to beautifully curated tablescapes, and to unique personalized activities - we handle every detail with care to create a breathtaking and stress-free reality.