Betsy McKay with Salt Style & Events
Meet Betsy:
Betsy is the owner of Salt Style & Events, which is a wedding and event planning company in Memphis! They put on fabulous events tailored to the bride and groom, adding flavor and spicing things up (Salt, get it??). I highly recommend them for any wedding or event planning you are in the market for. Betsy is VERY organized, and has a great hold on the wedding professionals in the market, which makes for great recommendations and results!
So, why we are here…
As a past bride, a wedding planner was something I wanted but didn’t think I could afford.
I think a lot of people feel this way, or they want to do it themselves (at least they think they do). So I wanted to chat with Betsy and get some good advice and see what’s the dealio with wedding planning these days.
Let’s get started!
So first things first, Betsy, when should you hire a wedding planner? Can you tell me a bit about the process? Do they meet with you and then you find the vendors, or do they come to you after they have found them, and you coordinate everything?
Brides can select their wedding coordinator at various stages of the planning process. Salt Style & Events recommends that brides choose a planner as soon as they become engaged.
It is wise to decide on the wedding budget as soon as possible and how much help they may need from a wedding planner.
Couples who select Salt’s full-service package are assured that we will help them every step of the way from vendor selection to the wedding day logistics. We recommend at the very least our “week of” package to ensure that the wedding party is able to relax, look pretty and enjoy the special event without worrying about all of the details.
I completely agree with that last statement…with at least the “week of” package, you are not scrambling around to make sure your centerpieces are perfect, and all you have to worry about is saying “I do!”
Honestly, that’s a great package for the DIY Brides and MOBs (Mother of brides) too because they can plan and decorate things, but have someone else help with the execution of the event. A little anecdote for you: my mom and sister are VERY crafty, and wanted to do the whole wedding themselves. But for the day of, my poor mom was working her little fingers to the bone to make sure the centerpieces were done and the reception hall was decorated. She was so stressed that she barely remembers the day, and she missed some of the important moments of my sister getting ready because she was decorating before people arrived. So lesson learned. Luckily, I’m not as crafty so my centerpieces were just the flowers my florist did.
Ok, moving on.
Now for me, I didn’t have a wedding planner because I was scared it would eat up so much of my budget. But, wedding planners can actually help save money, right? They practically pay for themselves when you count the discounts you get from rentals, not to mention how they can steer you away from some of the bad vendors who just take your money. Can you describe some of the ways you help save brides money and from being so stressed out?
Many brides share the same fear that you experienced. I always explain that the amount of pressure and stress your wedding planner can save you is priceless.
Weddings are a time to focus on friends and family, to concentrate on looking and feeling your best, and enjoying all of the wedding festivities to the fullest.
I have had multiple families remove my coordination fee from the bottom line of their wedding budget because they feel it was so worth their sanity. Salt’s experience in the wedding planning business allows them to know what vendors offer the best products at the best prices to better serve the client.
Alrighty then.
Let’s say I’m sold on hiring you for my wedding planning! Will you accompany brides to vendor appointments? How involved are you once someone has booked?
Depending on the coordination package chosen by the bride, I do attend and coordinate vendor meetings. Memphis has so many talented vendors and I love working with them all. I typically suggest two to three vendors per category (catering, floral, photography, etc.) to my clients that I feel would be a good fit for the type of event they want to host. I try to attend as many vendor meetings as time allows because it makes my job and the communication that much more efficient. I often serve as the mediator in meetings when it comes time to talk about budget and adding and deleting items.
That last statement is really telling here, folks. Talking money is hard! When you have someone kinda helping with that, it ensures you will 1. Stay in BUDGET, and you won’t feel pressured to add costs because of the vendor. AND 2. You can have your wedding planner talk about the awkward money part…am I right? (I feel like I hear a sigh of relief across the Internet).
Want to hear more from Betsy?? Stay tuned! She will be back later to talk more about different types of wedding planning and some fabulous destination tips!
So you’ve just witnessed Part 1 of Maddie Moree Getting the Vendor Scoop! Tell me what you thought! Oh and don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @maddie_moree!
xoxo
