Wedding Planning Questions, Answered
The questions couples ask us most. If yours isn't here, just ask.
How far in advance should we book a wedding planner?
For full-service planning, most couples book 12 to 18 months out. That gives time to secure a venue and the vendors you actually want rather than whoever's left.
For day-of coordination, six to nine months is comfortable. We start working together around 90 days before the wedding, but the good coordinators are booked well before that, particularly for summer Saturdays in Colorado.
If you're closer than that, ask anyway. Sometimes dates open up.
What's the difference between a wedding planner and a day-of coordinator?
A planner helps you build the wedding. Venue, vendors, budget, design, the lot, usually over a year or more.
A coordinator runs the wedding you've already planned. They take your plans, build the timeline, handle the vendors in the final weeks, and manage the day itself so you're not making decisions in your dress.
Most couples need one or the other, not both. Which one depends on how much of the planning you want to do yourself.
Our venue has a coordinator. Do we still need a planner?
Often, no. But it's worth knowing what your venue coordinator actually covers.
Venue coordinators work for the venue. They handle what happens inside their building: setup, staffing, catering timings, making sure the space is ready. That's genuinely useful and if your wedding is simple and mostly contained to the venue, it may be enough.
What they usually don't do is manage your outside vendors, build your full timeline, run your rehearsal, handle your décor, or solve problems that aren't the venue's responsibility. They also leave when their shift ends, which isn't always when your wedding does.
Ask your venue for a written list of what their coordinator covers. If it reads short, that's the gap.
How much does a wedding planner cost in Colorado?
Most couples spend between $2,500 and $6,500. Our packages start at $2,250 for day-of coordination, $3,650 for partial planning and $6,250 for full service.
We've written a full breakdown of what drives the price up or down, and when each level makes sense.
Do you travel to mountain venues?
Yes. We work across the Front Range and Colorado's mountain towns, including Estes Park, Breckenridge and venues further out.
Mountain weddings need more planning, not less. Vendors travel further, guest transport usually becomes necessary, and weather contingency is real work rather than a formality. We'd rather have those conversations early than the week before.
Do you work outside Denver?
Yes. Denver and the surrounding metro is where most of our weddings happen, but we work across the Front Range and into the mountains. If your venue is further out, tell us where and we'll be straight with you about whether it works.
What happens if the weather turns?
In Colorado, you plan for it. Every outdoor wedding we work on has a weather plan agreed well in advance, with a decision deadline so nobody is debating it two hours before the ceremony.
We'll walk you through what your venue can realistically do, what rentals would cost if you need them, and when the call gets made.
How many weddings do you take on at once?
Deliberately few. We don't run a team of coordinators sending whoever's available. Marissa is the person you meet and the person who's there on the day.
That means dates do run out, particularly summer Saturdays, so earlier is better.
Do you only plan weddings?
No. We also plan rehearsal dinners and corporate events, including retreats and company celebrations across Colorado. Pricing for both is on request.
What happens at the first meeting?
We talk about your day. What you've booked already, what you're stuck on, what you actually want the day to feel like, and what you're working with on budget.
By the end of it you'll know which level of help makes sense, what it would cost, and whether we're the right fit. No obligation either way.