You may have heard the phrases “full-service” and “partial planning”, but what the heck do those even mean? For me, it’s about how much assistance you’ll need with booking your vendors. This post has a little more info to guide you towards the Sonnet Weddings package that will fit best if you’re considering a more full-service package.
Didn’t see the other “how to decide” posts? Check out The two biggest differences between Month-of Planning and Day-of Coordination and How to choose between Planning & Design and Month-of Planning.
The Basics
Throughout the process, I will help you select and book vendors that will help the day look and feel exactly how you’re imagining. The biggest difference between these two packages is exactly which types of vendors I’ll assist you with booking and which you’ll be more responsible for booking.
Vendor Booking
With Planning & Design, I’ll assist with booking your design vendors including venue, florists, rentals, bakers, designers, and lighting (I help set up the meetings and attend meetings to help with the discussion). You’ll receive personalized suggestions for the remaining vendors and you’ll be responsible for booking and selection for any other vendors (examples may include: alcohol, catering, favors and welcome bags, hair and makeup, hotels, music, officiant, photo booth, photographer, staffing companies, tents, transportation, and videographer).
With Full-Service Planning, I’ll assist with booking all of your vendors. This might look like me setting up a catering tasting at a time when you, your soon-to-be spouse/your family/your friends, and I can all attend together and then being there to answer timeline questions, help you work through what your favorite food option might be and how it would hold up in a buffet or stay hot in plated-style. It might also look like me having a phone call and booking you the most reputable bartending staff and sending you the invoice (that fits exactly within your budget!). At the beginning of the process, you let me know which vendors you will have fun choosing, and which seem like they will just lead to decision fatigue and overload!
Oh my goodness. Where to begin? After a crazy experience with an old wedding planner, I reached out to Maddie on a Friday two months before our wedding, she met with us that Sunday, and we hired her on the spot. Maddie was a game changer. She made wedding planning joyful & easy, a celebration of our marriage. Communication was phenomenal, trust and transparency were natural, and fun was constant. She was creative and made our vision a reality, even when I had no idea how to communicate what I was thinking. She offered suggestions and helped us stay on track. She took care of hard conversations and stressful moments, whether with vendors or our own family members. Maddie allowed me & my family to just enjoy the day before and day of. She’s the coolest and our wedding was the best day ever because of her!!
– Milly T, Planning & Design client
Budget
With Planning & Design, you’ll share your budget goals with me in our first meeting. I’ll do a quick estimate of the different things you’re wanting (“a DJ costs about this much, a band would cost about this much”) and help you get a better sense of whether your expectations match your finances. I can offer suggestions for vendors who will be in alignment with your goals but when it comes to booking and tracking, you’re in charge of your budget!
With Full Service, once you share your overall budget goals I create a comprehensive budget and track the budget throughout planning. The budget is on a shared document that you have access to at all times and I update it frequently. I work to keep your budget at or under your overall spending goal as we meet with vendors and can send reminders about payments due!
How to Choose
If you want my assistance through the entire process, Full-Service is for you. It is usually the most popular with clients who don’t live in the area, have a large enough budget where it wont take away from other budget items, who have busy schedules, or for folks who are just feeling stressed by the prospect of planning a wedding and want to know I’ll be with them for all of it. I will say that at least three of my clients have had Full Service planning gifted to them by a relative!
Have more specific questions? Check out our pricing page which details what each package contains. Email me at maddie@sonnetwedding.com and let’s chat!