Planner - Christine Altieri
- Business: AE Events
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts MA
- Experience: 30 Years
- Profile: AE Events
- Website: aeevents.com
1. Introduction: What's your story?
Christine lives, breathes (and dreams) events (a not-unwelcome occupational hazard). She’s been throwing parties, both professional and non-, for more than 30 years and for clients that range from young couples planning a 50-person wedding reception to nonprofits throwing fundraisers for thousands. When it comes to event planning, she’s done it all: Catering, floral and room design, event property management. She founded AE Events in 2001 after a stint overseeing the corporate division of a large events firm. She’s known for her go-getter attitude, attention to detail, and quick reaction time; in events, after all, you’ve got to be ready for anything. In life and in business, Christine believes in being open-minded, thoughtful (and available), and to never stop growing. A mom of two grown children, she lives in Brookline with her husband and their 95-pound black lab, where her off-hours are filled with Iyengar yoga, tennis, a novel-in-progress, and planning her next adventure. On the list: New Zealand, Easter Island, Antarctica, the Grand Canyon, Alaska, Southern Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland. She’ll gladly take any recommendations.
2. What's your experience as a wedding planner? How many weddings have you planned?
My experience as a wedding planner started in 1986 at The Great Hall in Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston. Weddings were a big business but not at “unique venues”. I always felt that weddings were very cookie cutter, and the idea of hosting a wedding not in a hotel or traditional wedding hall really excited me.
Planning in Fanueil Hall helped me obtain a new skill set on creating weddings for couples that wanted to bring in their own look and feel, and capture who THEY are. That has always been my mission as a planner: to make the wedding unique to the couple - spotlighting their story. I love the moments that happen during the wedding process, and having been planning weddings for 35 plus years, I am still always amazed at how each wedding can be so different.
3. What sorts of services do you offer (month-of coordination, full-service planning, or à la carte planning)?
At AE Events we specialize in full service planning and partial planning. We want to spend the time to get to know you as a couple so that we can basically act as your brains on your wedding day so you truly just get to get married and not have to worry about anything.
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?
We typically work with couples for full service planning. This planning starts at least one year out and is what we describe a full service custom wedding planning. We have recently added Micro Weddings, for the 25 and under wedding; this has been a way to accommodate the bride and groom who were planning their wedding during the pandemic.
As for our fee, we charge a flat fee.
5. Who else is in your team and how many people on your staff will be at the wedding?
AE Events is currently a staff of 9, full time employees, and growing! For each wedding, we identify how many team members we need, but rest assure that there is always someone with the bride and groom.
6. What happens if you're sick or otherwise unable to be there on the day of the wedding?
AE Events is a team, and we work as a team on all weddings. There are always two people on each wedding, thus having a back up ...just in case!
7. How many meetings will you have with the couple and how will they be involved?
We work with every couple differently - we communicate solely over texts with some couples, others like to check in each week and others like to have bi-weekly meetings. We plan around the couples schedules and what works for them. We find that talking at least once a month works best to start, and then once a week as we get closer to the date!
8. Will you handle the invitations, from wording and ordering to the addressing and mailing? What about guest list coordination and RSVPs?
Absolutely! We work with you closely on all the above.
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?
Yes, we manage all vendor details! Based on the couple and their specific needs, we provide the with several options to choose from for vendor selections
We are the main communication with all vendor throughout the planning process, day of and follow up after the wedding.
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?
Our timeline, outline and run of show is the guide to creating the perfect wedding. We review this often, and cross out when we complete a task, and keep this updated. We share our timeline, and collaborate with our vendors to ensure that they buy off on the timeline and understand the expectations
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