Epris Events: 10 Questions with Tess Bahbouche

Planner - Tess Bahbouche

Business: Epris Events
Location: Houston, Texas TX
Experience: 6 Years
Profile: Epris Events
Website: www.eprisevents.com

1. Introduction: What's your story?

My name is Tess and weddings are my passion! I have started my career in Ukraine, where I was planning and coordinating B2B and G2G events at the Embassy of The Republic of Korea. My love of marketing, design and logistics gave a start to my very own company in 2015 when I moved to Houston - Event Planner HOU. As I worked with various events and themes I have gained valuable experience in the event industry. I have cultivated a creative approach towards event making and production and it was a time for my company to reflect the style and all the hard work I have done to provide the best customer service experience along with the latest technological tools. That is when Epris Events was born - "loving events". Because I take every event personally and close to my heart, which allows me to provide the best possible service to my clients who not only have a planner by their side but a dedicated designer who listens to them and adjusts the plans according to their needs.

2. What's your experience as a wedding planner? How many weddings have you planned?

I have planned and coordinated more than 50 weddings which gave me an enormous experience. I do not book more than one wedding per weekend and two weddings per month in order to stay devoted to my current clients. Even though I have a team of excellent coordinators, I personally plan every wedding and event in order to ensure the best possible service.

3. What sorts of services do you offer (month-of coordination, full-service planning, or à la carte planning)?

At Epris Events we offer full planning, partial planning, and month-of coordination. We do not believe in day-of coordination because a wedding is a big investment and a big event. It is comprised of so many details and elements, that we are not able to get familiar with every aspect just days prior to the wedding. And considering how much time and money our clients spend on such an important life event, we want to make sure the Wedding day is handled professionally - with at least one month of coordination.

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 offer packages with flat fees for the weddings of the average market budget and a 15% percentage for the weddings with a high wedding budget just because the larger the event, the more supervision it requires.
Our most popular package is a full planning suite, where we design, plan and coordinate every detail while our clients just have to make the decision.

5. Who else is in your team and how many people on your staff will be at the wedding?

We always provide a standard team of one lead planner and one assistant coordinator for every wedding, but for larger events, we require additional staffing depending on the guest count, decoration complexity, entertainment options, etc.

6. What happens if you're sick or otherwise unable to be there on the day of the wedding?

So far, I have had zero events where I wasn't able to attend the wedding. Even when was pregnant with my kids I still coordinated the weddings at the same level, because I know how much depends on me and on my knowledge of the situation.
In the unlikely event of me being unable to attend due to serious illness, I will make sure to appoint my colleague who is also a wedding coordinator with at least 10 wedding coordination experience. I will train and instruct her (so far it is only ladies in my team!), maintain constant communication before and throughout the event, provide an additional assistant at no cost to the client, and provide virtual event support.
I also have protocols on decor setup, timeline management, and important decision-making. Therefore, my clients may rest assured that their event will be fully covered.

7. How many meetings will you have with the couple and how will they be involved?

Normally, for our full planning, we include 5 venue scoutings, 3 decor meetings, and 5 general planning meetings, where one of the meetings is fully dedicated to budgeting.
But, as every client is different, every wedding planning situation is different too! So, I may adjust the number of meetings according to the selected package.

8. Will you handle the invitations, from wording and ordering to the addressing and mailing? What about guest list coordination and RSVPs?

We cover all invitation-related matters in our full planning package, down to order placement. We also offer a discount tor invitations and save the dates for our couples. Our partial planning clients usually have already handled the invitation part by the moment they hire us.

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 handle EVERYTHING. Literally. That is why our clients love us! Sometimes, the family of the couple decides to handle the rentals/decor/alcohol by themselves. And that is totally fine! We will still make sure to address all important timing and logistics questions to the persons responsible for any particular task.

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?

I love creating and managing the timelines because I am usually is the person who knows how to shuffle things in order for the couple to get the most out of their wedding. I like to prepare several separate timelines filtered for every important part of the wedding: couple's personal timeline, catering timeline, decor and coordination timeline, photo and video timeline. At Epris Event we make sure every vendor knows their part, has a valid printed timeline on the day of (because sometimes the weddings take place just a bit away from the mobile coverage area), and have been communicated any changes in plans.