Planner - Ashly & Melissa Kennedy
- Business: Events by Kennedy
- Location: Carmel, Indiana IN
- Experience: 5 Years
- Profile: Events by Kennedy
- Website: www.eventsbykennedy.com
1. Introduction: What's your story?
We are Ashly & Melissa Kennedy and we are the owners of Events by Kennedy. Although we may be sister-in-laws, we have grown up together and have always been extremely close. We began planning events over 10 years ago as something fun to do while spending time together and help our close friends and family. Over time we realized how much we loved planning events and especially weddings, so we decided to go all in about 5 years ago and start our own business here in Central Indiana. We could have never imagined as kids that we would one day marry brothers & run a business together!
2. What's your experience as a wedding planner? How many weddings have you planned?
Our way of running this company, has always been to build the best possible relationships with our couples and provide them with as much of our time as needed to feel comfortable with the planning process and putting all of the details in to our hands. With that said, not only do both of us work every wedding together, we also never take more than 10 weddings a year. Over the years we have planned 40+ weddings and events that we have put our heart and soul in to!
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3. What sorts of services do you offer (month-of coordination, full-service planning, or à la carte planning)?
Our services are flexible around the needs of our clients! We offer month-of-coordination, full-service planning and design, which is created around what best fits what our clients are looking for. We offer a free consultation to talk through our services and understand further what fits the budget and desires of those looking for planning assistance.
4. How do payments work (a percentage of the wedding budget, a flat fee etc.)? What are the different packages that you offer and which one is your most popular package?
Our services are outlined in our proposals after we have met, had a consultation and come to an agreement on the package desired by our clients. The fee is broken down to allow for the best possible payment option for our clients leading up to the event. The most popular of services we offer is the Full-Planning services, as it allows us to begin working with our clients from day 1 and allowing us to really kick start the planning process in a great direction!
5. Who else is in your team and how many people on your staff will be at the wedding?
Both Lead Planners/Owners of EBK will work with you from the start of planning up through the day of the wedding! On-site the day of your wedding will be both as well, which allows for more organization overall - may it be from being at 2 different locations at once or to allow for one planner to stay at a given place, while allowing for the other to go off-site for any necessary reason that may arise on that day. Either way, you get double the attention!
6. What happens if you're sick or otherwise unable to be there on the day of the wedding?
If for any unforeseen reason 1 of us as the planners was to be unavailable, we have several assistants Wedding Planners that join in our place along side the other Lead Planner. Pending the size of a wedding and the amount of day of design/set-up, we do offer to also bring on an assistant to both Lead Planners for the day of as well.
7. How many meetings will you have with the couple and how will they be involved?
With our Full Service planning offer, we provide unlimited meetings needed, which typically includes a number of consultations, vendor selection meetings, meetings with vendors during the planning process and final detail meetings. All of these meetings are necessary in order for us to better assist in bringing all of the visions together! These meetings begin as soon as we start working with our clients, in order to provide them with our planning packets & begin working together.
If we work with clients on a month-of-coordination package, we can proposal any number of meetings needed prior to the month of the event, however, we typically have an initial consultation and then a meeting 1 month prior to the event. In between those times, we do have a number of touch points including calls that will allow for us to understand every last detail at least 2 weeks before the event to finalize all the details.
8. Will you handle the invitations, from wording and ordering to the addressing and mailing? What about guest list coordination and RSVPs?
With invitations, we are always happy to provide recommendations on vendors to work with and order from, as well as, offering our expertise in what should be included with the invitation suite. With our Full Service planning services, we do offer assistance in guest list coordination, RSVP management and seating chart assistance.
9. Do you handle rentals? Will you coordinate delivery, arrival and set up times with the photographer, the florist, the musicians and the caterer/banquet manager?
We absolutely handle rentals! May it be from selecting or recommending the vendors to rent with, to negotiating pricing, to meeting on-site to walk through every detail, to coordinating all of the delivery, arrival and set up times/details. We make sure to oversee and assist with all set-up to assure it meets the details laid out by our clients. This is a service we offer for any and all vendors that work with us for every event!
10. Can you create a timeline that tells everyone involved in the planning process (other pros, members of the wedding party, to-be-weds and families) what to do and when to do it? How will you make sure everyone sticks to the schedule?
It is extremely important for us to create a highly detailed timeline for every party involved in events we are planning! We will put together a formal overall timeline that will reflect any and all specific times starting with any events leading up to the day of the event, including welcoming party, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, day of events and day after events if needed.
In addition, we will create a separate timeline for any vendors that would benefit from a version specific to their requirements, such as the the entertainment vendors who need to know when to arrive for set up, how long they have for set up, all announcements required, significant events & songs that are aligned, even though we are on-site at the same time we find that this type of timeline allows for our vendors to stay on track more easily.
All of our final timelines are shared with vendors, families, & couples, at least 2 weeks prior to the event and we provide printed versions on the day of!
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