It’s wedding consultation season!

For many of you this is your first time and you may not know what to expect going into this process. That’s understandable. The purpose of an initial consultation to get to know one another. It’s an excellent opportunity for me to hear all about your wedding and to see if we would enjoy working together. Here are few suggestions that will prepare you for and set the expectations of this meeting.

Who should come to the initial consultation?

It is common for the bride to come on her own or to bring her fiancé, parent, sister, friend or decision maker. Please keep it to a minimum of two other people if possible, but don’t think you need to bring someone.

What should you bring to an initial consultation?

-The Wedding planning binder, if you’ve started one
-All contracts from Venue and Vendors
-Any printed material
-Pictures from magazines or photos of dress, flowers, cake, venue and other design ideas.
-Fabric swatches
-Inspiration boards
-Ideas
-Invitations, save the dates
-Budget information
-Question and concerns
-Thoughts on what the priorities are in terms of the wedding, and allocation of the funds.

Where will we meet? How long will it last?

I typically try to schedule initial meetings in a mutually convenient and comfortable location where we can relax and get to know one another. If you live in New York, I am happy to come to your home, if you’d prefer, as it’s an excellent opportunity for me to get a sense of your style and aesthetic. If you are not in New York, we can certainly speak by telephone or video chat via Skype. These meetings are usually an hour, but I typically do not schedule anything right after, in case more time is needed.

When in the process is best for us to meet?

Depending on what type of services you are looking for: Full planning, day of coordination or hourly consultation, reach out to me as soon as you want to. The sooner I get involved, the sooner I can ease your wedding woes. Some people have a hard time getting starting with the planning and need an initial meeting to jump start the process. Others start out on their own and then further into the planning process start feeling overwhelmed and want to enlist the help of a professional planner. Neither is right nor wrong. I actually like that my portfolio is made up of clients who request a variety of services and bring me in at different stages of their planning depending on what suits their needs and budget most appropriately.

When you are ready, give me a call at 917.860.3312 or email me directly at tammy@tammygolson.com.

Initially, I will ask that you provide me with your:

*Wedding date and venue (if you have decided this)
*Estimated number of guests you plan to invite
*Overall projected budget for the wedding

I do my best to reply quickly to schedule the initial consultation. I prefer not to discuss pricing by phone as each wedding is different and I sincerely try to personalize a proposal based on your wedding planning needs.

I truly look forward to hearing all about your wedding.

(Photo credit: Jen Huang Photography)