I am so stoked to introduce my good friend Carlie to you this week! Not only is she a fantastic wedding planner, but she has a heart of gold. This gal has shown me such kindness and encouragement, which is no surprise to those of you who know her already. Getting to share our love of making wedding day dreams come true for couples is pretty great too!

Meet Carlie!

She is a coordinating extraordinaire, owner of Riding Tandem wedding planning. Along with being the sweetest, she is organized, down to earth and a super hard worker. 110 degrees outside or 2AM? It doesn’t matter, as she will work until the job is perfect. Knowing she is also a mental health counselor makes her care for people even more evident. Carlie decided to become a coordinator because she loved going over the top with birthdays, events and banquets for her family, and the non-profits she has worked for. The process of organizing and paying the details attention for her sister, friends and her own wedding won her over. Now, she is a voice for the couples who have her plan their wedding. She sees to it that their vision is brought to life just as they dreamt. Is your interest peaked? Want to know more about Carlie, or wedding planning and coordinating? Read on!

If you aren’t sure if a bride and groom really needs a coordinator, envision every vendor and family member running up to you on your wedding day asking you questions. The relaxing, fun, and romantic mood gets turned into a flustered and stressful event. Even if you are the most organized person, you do not want to be in charge of the wedding! You want to only enjoy the day and think about spending the rest of your life with your true love! A wedding planner plans weddings all the time. So, they know what you need and can help you make great choices. Planners know the tips and tricks. They tell you who to hire, who the nice people are to work with, and how to make your wedding work best.

“Your family and vendors will appreciate an approachable and fun loving coordinator to ask questions and get instruction from.” -Carlie

Planning and Coordinating

Carlie provides both wedding planning and coordinating. Planning involves making all of the decisions necessary for a wedding to happen. Carlie helps you choose vendors, the people or businesses you hire, to help with your wedding. She gives them all of the details so they can do the work for you that aligns with your vision. If a couple has no idea where to even start making their vision a reality for their wedding, then planning services is where they should look.

When Carlie is coordinating, she is making sure everything comes together with a heavy emphasis on communication and scheduling. A couple may want to plan out everything, but not want to give it another thought in the weeks leading up to their wedding. This would be a great fit for her Month-of Wedding Coordinating service. She jumps in to connect with the vendors and make sure everything is set 30 days prior to your big day. There is still time for her to help you make sure all the details are in place or add anything you might need. Every bride I talk to for our final meeting is caught up in the THICK of wedding planning because all of the details get REAL and never ending around a month prior to the wedding. Carlie would jump in and make the most stressful month the most fun by your side!

The Right Fit

Carlie enjoys connecting with a couple’s wedding vendors to make sure the day is all set.  A bride may have done a ton of organization leading up to the planning. But as Carlie reaches out to each vendor, she can catch any potential issues ahead of time and make sure everyone is on the same page to make the wedding day run smooth. If you are shaking your head and thinking all of this, yes, make sure you are choosing the right planner or coordinator for your big day.  You are going to be spending a lot of time with your planner or coordinator. Before you hand that wedding checklist binder over, you want to make sure you are the right fit.

“I have the chance to meet the vendors before the big day and to clarify any details with them to avoid miscommunications or contract errors.” -Carlie

Questions for Your Planner

What questions should you ask a wedding planner before booking them? Carlie provides some great suggestions below:

• How many meetings are included in your packages?
• Will you run the rehearsal or do I have to pay extra for that?
• Are you alone or do you bring a team?
• Is set up included or extra?
• Do you create my wedding timeline?

You will want to make sure you feel relaxed, trust, and enjoy being around your coordinator. So much of your wedding day and maybe months leading up to it will be spent with this person. Makes sure you are jiving with your coordinator so you are comfortable and worry-free!

”I genuinely care about you and who you two are, not just getting the job done.“ -Carlie

I love getting to work with Carlie as a fellow wedding vendor. So many couples would say the same after being her client, I’m sure. If you want to know more about Carlie or wedding planning and coordinating in general, the best place to learn more is her blog. You can find that here. She is also on Instagram here.

Photography | Emily B. Saunders Photography