Walkthroughs
(Frequently Asked Questions)
Weddings & Events
What does a wedding planner or event planner actually do, and do I really need one?
Think of me as your dungeon master: I help take the giant, sometimes overwhelming adventure of planning a wedding or event and break it into manageable quests, while keeping an eye on the big picture. I’m here to wrangle timelines, vendors, budgets, logistics, and all the tiny details that can otherwise eat up your evenings, but I’m also here to help you dream bigger. You don’t have to hire a planner, but if you’d rather spend your time actually enjoying your engagement, celebration, or milestone instead of fighting with spreadsheets and chasing down RSVPs, I’m happy to carry some of that party inventory for you.
What’s the difference between full-service planning, partial planning, coordination, and wedding/event design?
There’s no one-size-fits-all way to plan a wedding or event, so I offer different levels of support depending on where you are in your adventure. Full-service planning is the whole campaign: I’m alongside you from the early brainstorming through the final send-off. Partial planning lets us team up on the quests where you need backup. Coordination is more like bringing in a seasoned adventurer for the final boss fight; I take over the logistics so you can actually experience your event. And design focuses on building the world: the colors, décor, atmosphere, details, and visual storytelling that make your celebration feel like your universe.
Can you help us create a wedding or event that’s nerdy, themed, or completely outside the traditional mold?
YES. Bring me your fandoms, your lore, your hyper-specific references, your “this probably sounds ridiculous, but hear me out” ideas. I love taking the things you love - games, books, movies, fantasy worlds, pop culture, travel, history, hobbies, or even the weird little details that make your relationship or family yours - and turning them into thoughtful, intentional experiences. You don’t have to choose between “nerdy” and “elegant,” and your celebration doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Whether you want an immersive fandom experience or just a few perfectly placed Easter eggs that only your favorite people will catch, we can make the magic feel completely at home.
Do we need to have everything figured out before we reach out?
Absolutely not! In fact, “we have a vague idea and no idea how to make it happen” is a perfectly valid place to start. You don’t need a venue, a color palette, a Pinterest board with 4,000 pins, or even a fully formed vision before reaching out. Sometimes all you have is “We know we want it to feel like us, but we don’t know what that means yet.” That’s where the storytelling and brainstorming part of my job comes in. We’ll figure out what matters to you, turn the chaos into a plan, and build the adventure from there.
How much does wedding or event planning cost, and when should we hire a planner?
Every adventure has a different party size, difficulty level, and amount of loot to manage, so there’s no universal price tag. For weddings, my full-service planning starts at 10% of your wedding budget, with coordination, design, and partial planning available for couples who need different levels of support. For other events, I use custom pricing, because a cozy backyard birthday, a milestone celebration, a corporate gathering, and an elaborate immersive experience are all going to require very different levels of planning, logistics, and metaphorical spell components. As for when to hire me? The sooner, the better, especially if you have a specific date, venue, or in-demand vendors in mind. But if you’re already knee-deep in planning and realizing the quest log is getting a little overwhelming, it’s still worth reaching out. We can figure out what kind of backup makes sense for where you are.
Can you help with venues, vendors, décor, entertainment, and guest experiences?
Absolutely! An event is so much more than finding a room and putting some balloons in it. I can help you think through the whole experience, from finding a venue that fits the vision and connecting you with vendors who are a good match, to developing décor, entertainment, activities, and those little details that make guests say, “Wait, this is SO you.” I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all vendor list, either. I’d much rather understand what you’re creating and connect you with the people who make sense for your particular adventure.
Do you work with LGBTQ+, differently-abled, non-religious or religious, and/or multicultural couples & families?
I work with people of all kinds, full stop. Your identities, cultures, traditions, beliefs, abilities, family structures, and lived experiences are all part of your story, and I’m here to help you create a celebration that honors the things that matter to you, not squeeze you into someone else’s idea of what a wedding or event should look like. Whether you’re LGBTQ+, differently-abled, religious, spiritual, secular, multicultural, blending traditions, navigating different family expectations, or simply figuring out which traditions you want to keep, change, or toss out the window, we’ll build an experience that feels authentic to you. There’s no prerequisite identity, aesthetic, religion, relationship structure, or Pinterest board required to work with me.
What kinds of events do you plan besides weddings?
Weddings may be my main quest, but they’re definitely not the only adventure on the map! Celebrations of life are actually my second most-requested type of event, and they’re a particularly meaningful part of the work I do. I also plan and coordinate birthdays, anniversaries, showers, milestone celebrations, themed parties, fandom events, corporate and professional gatherings, Quinceañeras, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and all kinds of gatherings that don’t necessarily fit neatly into a category. Whether you’re gathering to celebrate a life, mark a milestone, honor a relationship, welcome a new chapter, or simply spend time with your favorite people, I believe the experience should feel intentional and personal. Big, small, traditional, wildly nerdy, joyful, bittersweet, or somewhere in between - I’m here for the story.
What does it mean that you’re grief-informed?
Some of the most meaningful celebrations happen during complicated seasons of life. My approach to event planning is grief-informed, shaped by my own experiences with loss and by my work supporting couples and families through celebrations involving passed loved ones. That can mean planning a celebration of life, honoring someone who couldn’t be there for your wedding, remembering a parent or grandparent, or navigating the complicated joy of welcoming a rainbow baby. Joy and grief can absolutely exist in the same room. My job isn’t to tell you how to grieve; it’s to listen, create space for what matters to you, and handle the logistics with care so you can be present for the people and moments that matter most.
Travel
Why should I use a travel planner instead of booking my trip myself?
You can absolutely book your own trip, but why should you, when you can book with me for free? Think of me as your travel quest guide: I can help you research options, compare destinations, accommodations, activities, transportation, and itineraries, then take care of the booking details so you don’t have to spend 37 tabs and three spreadsheets figuring it all out yourself. I’m especially helpful when a trip has a lot of moving pieces, when you’re traveling somewhere unfamiliar, or when you simply want someone who understands your priorities and can help turn “We want to go somewhere awesome” into an actual adventure. And because I’m not just handing you a generic itinerary from Google, I can help make sure your trip feels like you.
What kinds of trips, destinations, and activities do you plan?
A lot! I can help plan everything from weekend getaways and family vacations to honeymoons, cruises, international adventures, destination weddings, group travel, and big bucket-list trips. I work with a variety of destinations, suppliers, and travel styles, whether you’re dreaming about Disney, Universal, a Royal Caribbean cruise, a European adventure, a national parks trip, or somewhere completely new to you. I can also help build itineraries around the things you actually want to do: food, nature, beaches, theme parks, nightlife, cultural experiences, outdoor adventures, fandoms, relaxation, or a glorious combination of all of the above. Your vacation doesn’t have to fit into a pre-packaged box.
Can you plan honeymoons, destination weddings, hotel blocks, and guest travel for wedding & private event guests?
Absolutely! I love helping with the travel side of weddings and private events because there are so many moving pieces beyond the main event itself. I can help plan honeymoons, destination weddings, hotel blocks, guest accommodations, transportation, activities, bachelor and bachelorette trips, and travel logistics for your VIPs and guests. For destination weddings and larger events especially, I can help make the travel experience feel like part of the celebration rather than just “Okay, everyone figure out how to get there.” And if you’re the couple or host, I can take some of those travel logistics off your plate so you can actually enjoy your own celebration instead of becoming the unofficial travel agent for everyone on your guest list.
Can you plan a nerdy or fandom-inspired trip around the things I love?
Oh, absolutely. This is kind of my whole thing. If you’ve ever thought, “I want to take a vacation based entirely around this extremely specific thing I love,” please come talk to me. I can help build trips around Disney, Universal, gaming, books, movies, fantasy, anime, theme parks, conventions, filming locations, pop culture, food, history, or whatever your particular fandom rabbit hole happens to be. Whether you want to visit Middle-earth, chase Pokémon, explore the worlds of your favorite games, hunt down filming locations, or simply sprinkle some nerdy side quests into a more traditional vacation, we can build the itinerary around your interests instead of trying to squeeze your interests into a generic itinerary.
How does your travel planning process work, and does it cost anything to work with you?
It starts with a conversation! I want to understand where you want to go, what you want to experience, what matters most to you, and what kind of traveler you are before I start throwing destinations and hotels at you. From there, I research and recommend options, help build the itinerary, and handle the applicable bookings and logistics. I can also help with things like dining, activities, transportation, excursions, and the little details that make a trip feel more intentional. For most standard leisure travel, my planning services are generally complimentary to you because I’m compensated by the travel suppliers I book through. There are some types of travel or more customized planning services where a fee may apply, and I’ll always let you know that upfront: no surprise final boss.
How far in advance should I book my trip?
The sooner you know you’re going, the better! How far ahead you should book depends heavily on the destination and type of trip. Popular resorts, cruises, theme parks, destination weddings, holidays, and bucket-list international adventures can benefit from booking well in advance, while some shorter or more flexible trips can come together much closer to departure. If you already know your dates and have a specific vision, reaching out early gives us the most options—and usually the most breathing room to build a great itinerary without feeling like we're speed-running the planning process.
What happens if something goes wrong while we're traveling?
Travel doesn’t always follow the script. Flights get delayed, weather happens, reservations occasionally go sideways, and sometimes the universe decides to throw an unexpected side quest at you. While I can’t control what happens once you’re on the road, I’m here to help you understand your options and navigate travel disruptions when I’m able to. Depending on the situation and the supplier involved, that may mean helping communicate with travel providers, figuring out next steps, or helping you understand what changes can be made to your reservations. I also encourage every traveler to have appropriate travel insurance and to save important reservation and emergency information before departure. The goal isn’t to promise that nothing will ever go wrong. It’s to make sure you’re not completely alone when it does.
