At The Society in Milwuakee hosts Sonja and Dan sat down with expert wedding planners Jaffe and Sara of Graceful Events for this episode of Wedding Day Podcast. The duo work to plan weddings and keep stress levels low for couples with their enthusiastic positivity. Graceful Events was initially named after Jaffe's daughter, and has also evolved to reflect the prevailing trait of their wedding planning services: grace. 

A big question for many is should they even hire a wedding planner? Jaffe and Sara had tons of insight about their experiences planning their own weddings and working with real couples as wedding professionals. It's important to note, if you don't choose to have a wedding planner you should still find someone to designate to help with any last-minute problems on the wedding day. Believe it or not, wedding days prove to be a great way to get your steps in - the duo said they typically get in about 30,000 steps on the day of their events, and there are so many small details that a wedding planner can seamlessly bring together to ease stress. Sonja is a huge supporter of investing in a wedding planner to keep communication outsourced so you can enjoy your day without a ton of last-minute questions and calls from guests. 

A wedding day is a curated timeline of events and Jaffe and Sara dove into considerations for your reception and timeline. Building in time for couples to savor their day privately is a big suggestion, Dan even added in some trends he has seen about couples eating dinner before their guests so they can eat alone and then mingle to maximize time. Wedding planning is problem solving: Graceful Events worked to plan a gala at the Yerkes Observatory Gala and had to adapt to last-minute downpour, but the duo is all about "grace under pressure" and they specialize in doing high-quality work with a smile. 

Ok so, the whole crew is in agreement that having a wedding planner is a worthwhile investment for couples. Graceful Events offers an array of packages that vary in price points to cater to different levels of planning and they always have backup options. It's a security blanket to have a planner that can take all the wedding details into consideration from weather to last-minute sicknesses. It's also common for couples to come to Sara and Jaffe at different stages of their process, some have already booked a venue and other vendors while others have nothing booked. For the duo, the joy of their job is being able to connect with couples personally and find vendors and details that can reflect their vision and personas. Being honest with your planner about your budget is also so essential - they are in your court to help negotiate and manage your budget (no matter what it is). For couples that opt to plan themselves, they have to take on much more of the negotiating with individual vendors which can be challenging if you aren't familiar with standard pricing. 

One of Sonja's hot topics this week was mood boards. Pinterest is a huge one right now that Jaffe and Sara see, and they love to be able to see specific examples and vibe inspiration. But it can be dangerous to get too deep in the mood board world - oftentimes couples go big with their inspo and have different colors and styles intertwined in a single board that don't accurately reflect their budget. Mood boards are bringing in a lot of trends like vintage cars to weddings, and booking specialty vendors early in the planning process is also key to ensure availability. Planning is nuanced and curated, and Sara and Jaffe dove into their passion for the industry with Sonja and Dan in this episode - and ended with a shoutout to Wisconsin Bride! 

At The Society in Milwuakee hosts Sonja and Dan sat down with expert wedding planners Jaffe and Sara of Graceful Events for this episode of Wedding Day Podcast. The duo work to plan weddings and keep stress levels low for couples with their enthusiastic positivity. Graceful Events was initially named after Jaffe's daughter, and has also evolved to reflect the prevailing trait of their wedding planning services: grace. 

A big question for many is should they even hire a wedding planner? Jaffe and Sara had tons of insight about their experiences planning their own weddings and working with real couples as wedding professionals. It's important to note, if you don't choose to have a wedding planner you should still find someone to designate to help with any last-minute problems on the wedding day. Believe it or not, wedding days prove to be a great way to get your steps in - the duo said they typically get in about 30,000 steps on the day of their events, and there are so many small details that a wedding planner can seamlessly bring together to ease stress. Sonja is a huge supporter of investing in a wedding planner to keep communication outsourced so you can enjoy your day without a ton of last-minute questions and calls from guests. 

A wedding day is a curated timeline of events and Jaffe and Sara dove into considerations for your reception and timeline. Building in time for couples to savor their day privately is a big suggestion, Dan even added in some trends he has seen about couples eating dinner before their guests so they can eat alone and then mingle to maximize time. Wedding planning is problem solving: Graceful Events worked to plan a gala at the Yerkes Observatory Gala and had to adapt to last-minute downpour, but the duo is all about "grace under pressure" and they specialize in doing high-quality work with a smile. 

Ok so, the whole crew is in agreement that having a wedding planner is a worthwhile investment for couples. Graceful Events offers an array of packages that vary in price points to cater to different levels of planning and they always have backup options. It's a security blanket to have a planner that can take all the wedding details into consideration from weather to last-minute sicknesses. It's also common for couples to come to Sara and Jaffe at different stages of their process, some have already booked a venue and other vendors while others have nothing booked. For the duo, the joy of their job is being able to connect with couples personally and find vendors and details that can reflect their vision and personas. Being honest with your planner about your budget is also so essential - they are in your court to help negotiate and manage your budget (no matter what it is). For couples that opt to plan themselves, they have to take on much more of the negotiating with individual vendors which can be challenging if you aren't familiar with standard pricing. 

One of Sonja's hot topics this week was mood boards. Pinterest is a huge one right now that Jaffe and Sara see, and they love to be able to see specific examples and vibe inspiration. But it can be dangerous to get too deep in the mood board world - oftentimes couples go big with their inspo and have different colors and styles intertwined in a single board that don't accurately reflect their budget. Mood boards are bringing in a lot of trends like vintage cars to weddings, and booking specialty vendors early in the planning process is also key to ensure availability. Planning is nuanced and curated, and Sara and Jaffe dove into their passion for the industry with Sonja and Dan in this episode - and ended with a shoutout to Wisconsin Bride!