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WHEN DO WE START PLANNING?My services start as soon as you sign your contract and pay the deposit. We'll begin the onboarding process, which includes customizing + sending documents like our planning guide, planning checklists, vendor payment tracker, guest list, and more. We'll also connect your client portal. If you're planning a wedding - you’ll receive a wedding planning workbook. The workbook is something I’ve created after 20 years in this industry, that really helps you put your ideas down on paper. It also allows those who prefer to work ahead the ability to do so! The scheduling of our first meeting is up to you. We'll have an initial consultation meeting where we dig into the nitty-gritty details and begin mapping out your dream event! For all other clients, we'll also have an initial consultation meetings as soon as we're hired, and it's geared towards figuring out the main logistics - guest count, what you're considering to be included in your budget, must haves, and goals for your event. At Events by Autumn, we realize that putting together a wedding or event is a very fluid thing. Clients change their minds continually over the course of the planning. My timeline helps us work together in setting goal dates for major decisions. From there, since every wedding and event is different, we’ll move at a pace that is personally acceptable to you. We want to relieve planning stress as much as we can.
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HOW DOES THE PLANNING PROCESS WORK?SHORT VERSION: I pull your ideas and inspiration, and I turn them into a functional plan that meets your budget needs as well. LONGER VERSION: Through an initial (virtual, for destination clients) meeting and follow up consultations, I get a feel for your budget, goals and your story. From there, I can create a design plan customized for you. We work through all those little details and decisions to make your event a unique experience for you and your guests. By the time the event date rolls around, I’m so well versed in what you want, and what your vision is, the stress of handling so many details is off your shoulders and on to mine. The perk of hiring Events by Autumn, is that you're hiring Autumn as an artist, so we can create custom decor, paper products + more, to truly customize your wedding or event in a way that no one else can. It makes for an incredibly cohesive and fluid design. More of the detailed planning process can be found HERE.
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HOW MANY MEETINGS WILL WE HAVE, AND HOW WILL WE BE INVOLVED?With our Full Service Planning packages, access to us is unlimited! Email us as many times as you need. You're always welcome to call any time during our office hours. However, we recognize that our clients have busy schedules, and many live on the other side of the country. Should you need to talk outside of business hours, it's as simple as just setting up an appointment time to talk. When it comes to being involved, no decisions are made without you - we want your input. Some clients want to be VERY involved, and others want to be completely hands off (or a mix of both!). Part of our on-boarding process is getting to know your personal preferences, so we can tailor our planning services to you. We've scheduled weekly meetings with clients, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings - we'll work to set a schedule with you that makes you most comfortable. You are relying on our expertise to help reduce the legwork, but we do need to check in and make sure you're updated on progress and able to give feedback or future direction.
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HOW DOES THE VENDOR SELECTION PROCESS WORK?Once we're at a good place with designs + budgeting (usually after the first month of planning), we'll send over a list of vendor suggestions that fit your specific event needs and style. We don't have a "preferred vendor list" - we tailor our suggestions to your individual needs. You'll receive a few suggestions in each vendor category, when possible. We encourage you to take some time to get to know them - visit their websites, review their social media. The decision of who you want to work with is always in your own hands. You can definitely suggest + choose vendors outside of our suggestions - we're always willing to work with new businesses! Either way, once you've selected your vendor team, we'll get involved again, and request contracts on your behalf. You are responsible for signing the contracts + paying your vendors, but having us ask for contracts ensures vendors know we're on board (and that makes future communications a lot easier!). Yes - in many cases, you're signing contracts with vendors without meeting in person. Later on in the planning, we'll set up a FAM (familiarization) trip, and that is the time for you to confirm which products you want, once you see everything in person. Please note, we DO NOT receive kick backs from vendors - our suggestions are professional vendors, who have a great track record, and do outstanding work.
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HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIRE YOU?You should plan on spending about 10% - 20% of your overall wedding budget on a wedding planner. That being said, we don't charge based on that percentage - we contract a flat fee up front. This fee is calculated after reviewing your inquiry form and having a quick phone conversation. We've been planning events for so long, we're able to estimate the amount of time we'll spend working on your specific wedding or event just by reviewing the size + scope information during these initial communications. We know what's required to pull off a smooth and successful event, and that's what you'll get for the starting price. From there, we customize each and every quote based on the information you give us. You can always continue to add to your package along the way! ESTIMATED PRICING Event design package $$$$ Fine Art Wedding package $$$$$ Fine Art Event packages $$$$ - $$$$$
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CAN YOU WORK WITHIN OUR BUDGET?WEDDINGS, CORPORATE + SOCIAL EVENTS: Everyone has an event budget, from the most expensive events, to the smallest backyard soirees. Clients typically come to the table with a general budget in mind, based on what funds are made available for their event. But more often than not, clients don't know what everything will actually cost. But we do! We start the budgeting process by creating a "dream event" budget - we price out everything you've communicated you want. From there, we review the budget, and talk through your must haves. We work on ways to get you as much as we can for the funds you have available. We talk through the most impactful elements for guest experience and a smooth day. Sometimes that requires getting creative with your designs, but that's why we're here! It's our job as professionals, to not only educate about realistic costs, but it's also our job to design an event that does fit the aesthetic AND the budget. Typically our clients have a minimum budget of $1,000 per person for their major events (take your estimated guest count, and multiply x 1000). This monetary number encompasses ALL aspects of your event day budget: Catering, bar, photographer, videographer, attire, beauty, venue, planning, florals, rentals, transportation, etc. It's a good starting point. If your budget is sitting at this figure right now, you'll have more flexibility right off the bat to get more of what you want. If your budget isn't quite there, you'll need to have some flexibility with your designs and details. This is just what events in our portfolio typically cost. FUNDRAISERS When it comes to non-profit events, we still price out the dream event. But typically, you have less vendors involved in these functions than a wedding, which means less time spent in vendor and client communications overall. Often, non-profits are getting vendors to donate or deeply discount services as well. These differences mean less event expenses. But because each fundraiser is very different, we will work with you on your overall budget, and how best to utilize the funds for maximum impact.
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HOW DO PAYMENTS WORK? WILL THERE BE ADDITIONAL FEES ON TOP OF YOUR BASE FEE? (TRAVEL, PARKING, FOOD, ETC.).FINE ART/FULL SERVICE PACKAGES Deposit: $5000 due at the time of booking Remaining Balance - divided in half: First half due at 120 days Remaining half due at 30 days Additional Payments: Stationery items are discussed, budgeted, and paid for at the time of creation, via Winter Paper Co. Specialty hand-made linens are discussed, budgeted, and paid for at the time of creation Custom decor items are discussed + budgeted, but payment is typically due following the wedding Driving mileage for one trailer load of decor is already covered in your customized package quote, but should your custom build items exceed these space limitations, additional transportation will be discussed + charged to client Custom items are only created once you approve of the overall wedding budget EVENT DESIGN Deposit: $2500 deposit Remaining balance: Due to release final organizational documents Additional Payments: Stationery items can be hired separately via Winter Paper Co. Rental items can be hired separately via Made Rentals AUXILIARY EVENT ADD ONS (for Full Service Packages) - like rehearsal dinner assistance, or welcome party planning: Deposit: $500 at the time of booking. Remaining Balance: Divided in half: first half due at 120 days and remaining half due at 30 days. Additional Payments: If you rent items from our inventory, or we custom create decor, there is a separate invoice + payment due following the wedding. You will receive a rental agreement prior to the event, to approve items we're providing. ITEMS NOT COVERED IN YOUR PLANNING QUOTE Overnight accommodations, if the event takes place further than 60 miles from Stevensville, MT. We require one hot meal per staff person on the day of the event (we'll work out the total vendor meal count with your caterer for other vendors as well). If there are fees for flights or parking, these are added to the final invoice as well. If your guest count increases, or the size + scope of your event plans grow, we may need to add additional staffing to cover event setup and teardown. This will be discussed with you in advance.
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WHY SHOULD I HIRE YOU? WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER PLANNERS?You won't find another planner in Montana with our specific skill set or years of experience. I've been delivering fun, relaxing event days to clients for the last 20 years. I've planned nearly 6500 events during my career so far - the most event planning experience of any planners in Montana. What have I learned over the years? Some "planners" are good at planning. We are! Some "planners" are better at designing. We are also classical art trained designers! Others planners are just coordinating the details for the event day. That comes easy to us, as we LIVE for the details! We're type A planners - organized + methodical. You'll have everything you need at your fingertips, since we use an all digital planning portal to store your budget, designs, event order, timeline, etc. Everything we offer is accessible on your smart phone, making it easy to plan/reference if you're on the go. Our processes are smooth, and easy to use. We break the planning into manageable sections so you can focus on the parts that you really enjoy! If you're a visual person, we have tools you'll like to use. If you're a numbers person, we have tools for you too. No matter your personal preferences for planning, we can help! We're very creative, professional artists. With our "Fine Art" wedding and event package, we're able to design an event based on your personal style + wants, by hand crafting everything from stationery, to linens, and custom decor installs. Other planners would need to source each of these vendors at retail prices, but we're able to provide a lot more on a wholesale budget. This lets you splurge in areas that hold the most importance (frequently a more elaborate dinner, a fully hosted bar, a videographer, live band, etc.). Not to mention the items we create are professional quality, beautifully crafted items, so you're getting it all, and it's one of a kind. And finally, we're great event day leaders! We do this by organizing and communicating with vendors in advance, in a very clear way (Event Order, Timeline, Maps, etc.). These tools help all the moving pieces of the long planning + design process come together flawlessly, and each vendor sees their involvement, and how it fits into the larger plan. We excel at managing the event timeline, by working very closely with your vendors - we're flexible, but also know when to apply pressure to make your day run smoothly!
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DO YOU TRAVEL?Absolutely! My background is very diverse. I was born in the South, raised as a Midwest city girl, and returned to the South for college. But I completely embrace my life as a Montana wedding + event planner (my office is located in Stevensville, which is part of the beautiful Bitterroot Valley). I’ve lived in Greece, and love to travel, so I am sensitive to cultural differences, and have planned weddings of many religious denominations. I'm very familiar with Montana weddings + events, which often means planning events in very desolate, but beautiful locations. I specialize in backyard events, and "off the grid" style events where I'm completely creating all the infrastructure. That means I'm fluent in challenging setups, but it also means working with full service venues is a welcome treat! In a typical year, about 75% of my clientele are "destination wedding" clients, coming to Montana from another state. But I also travel often, and have planned weddings + events in Colorado, California, Ohio, North Carolina, and more! If you want a destination wedding; whether that’s coming to me, or me coming to you, I would be happy to work with you. For destination events (where we're traveling), you'd pay our base planning rate, and then simply add on transportation and accommodations fees. Custom builds are discussed separately, as travel varies depending on location.
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HOW MANY PEOPLE ON YOUR STAFF WILL BE AT THE EVENT?On-site staffing is based on the size + scope of your event plans, as well as location. When we're quoting any of our Full Service planning packages, we're providing ample staffing to set up a standard event at your location of choice, with your estimated guest count in mind. Our staff assists in setting chairs, linens, place settings, paper products, and more. It's our responsibility to get the room set in enough time for other vendors to do their jobs according to the timeline we've created. We are not the type of planners to stand there with a clipboard and point. . . we are do-ers! We always want the room setup completed in enough time, so your photographer can get plenty of detail images. If there's more in depth set up needs, beyond what's "standard," we will talk about updating the staffing counts. If your guest count drops, and the plans are possible with a smaller staff, we'll cut back, and you'll save some money. The same staff is on site all day, and remains through the end of the event, to help pack up your decor and prep your rentals for vendor pickup.
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DO YOU CARRY PERSONAL LIABILITY + PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE?Yes! We're fully insured, with $1,000,000 coverage. Although our business is insured, you'll be required to get event insurance too. It's the smartest money you'll spend (we budget for it), and it covers additional items, like damages due to unforeseen circumstances like weather, vendor or guest mishaps.
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