A Beautiful Wedding

If you’re looking for a wedding planner or officiant I highly recommend A Beautiful Wedding. Carmen made the process so smooth and was excellent with communication. We had some last minute hiccups and Carmen stepped up immediately to help resolve the problems. Could not be more grateful.

We went with the lowest level of service and still allowed me to ask questions pre service to begin. She also stepped up as my last minute officiant. She allowed me to deal with the drama I had with family for my wedding. Was very patient and respectful.

Carmen helped make our big day very special & took the time to listen to what my wife and I wanted. Carmen is professional and friendly, and made our ceremony unique to us. Carmen took the time to get to know my fiancé and I, and I felt like at the end of our wedding I had gained a friend. If you are looking for a true professional, Carmen is the one.

Carmen helped us with every detail of our wedding (the ones we didn't even think about) and ensured we were on-track throughout the entire year, despite us only hiring her for the 6-week period! She was available on the phone just about every time I had questions and came up with solutions to problems on the fly. Her 30+ year experience shows!

Everything was super nice and your advice and help helped us a lot to have our perfect wedding day, you did a great job helping us plan our wedding. I feel so blessed. It was the best week ever for us that we will never forget and it will be always in our hearts.you are the best. You are the best wedding planner!

The wedding took a lot of work, but Carmen helped us with all of it. She recommended venues, vendors, decorations, and officiated for us. On the wedding day, everything went perfectly. I thought it was quite miraculous how well it went, considering how many details had to come together.

We highly recommend Carmen Hocking! We were recommended to her when we had reached out to another contact that fell through. Our first call was very thorough discussing our relationship and the type of ceremony we envisioned. Once we got a copy of the ceremony, we worked on a couple of rounds of revisions and Carmen was receptive to all our changes. Our wedding was at The Elms and Carmen had led ceremonies there before so that made it really easy as the staff were comfortable with her and vice versa. She stayed for our reception and my family really enjoyed getting to know her. Carmen was always very responsive and just a delight to work with. Thanks, Carmen!

Carmen was amazing and heartwarming! She really cared about us and the time and work she put into our ceremony. Her planning, punctuality and professionalism is superb! Definitely will refer her to friends!

Carmen coordinated a very special event for us on May 21, 2021. We had a party celebrating life after life threatening illness. Carmen’s guidance, timing and suggestions were perfect, from the venue, the wonderful caterer, the DJ, the bartender, the vendors that enhanced the experience, even bringing us a personalized taste testing of signature cocktail recipes. Our guests rave about this unique fun uplifting experience. She is an amazing event coordinator.

We loved working with Carmen from A Beautiful Wedding. She made our wedding planning stress free and she was available for occasional appointments on Sunday afternoons when both of us were available to meet. Very flexible which was nice. She is very professional in all aspects and she came highly recommended to us and when we met with her the first time we knew we wanted to work with her. She was amazing and we highly recommend her.

Carmen was amazing!!. She was punctual, professional and friendly. Carmen provided a great service.

Carmen was AMAZING! With only a 3 day notice until our wedding she was on her A game. Our original officiant was unable to make it and called in Carmen. She asked and got more information from us in the 3 days than the original officiant. I would recommend Carmen for an officiant and she helps coordinate. I would have hired her to do our day coordinating but I didn’t meet her until day of wedding.

Carmen is great! We had a very small ceremony in my parents back yard. She made sure to take our requests seriously and guide us in things we might be missing!

Carmen was absolutely wonderful and captured my husband and I perfectly. The small details she added had us smiling, reflecting and even laughing. It was wonderful

Could not have asked for a better day and could not have done it without Carmen. She is very knowledgeable and there for you whenever you need it. I highly recommend!

I was thrilled with Carmen. She did a great job making sure everything ran smoothly. She put in a lot of time and effort working with my son and his Bride. She did an awesome job and I would recommend her to everyone.

Carmen and Blake were amazing. Quick to respond to me anytime I had any questions, sent us readings and vows to review to help us with picking ours...it was great working with both of them, would definitely recommend!!

Carmen was absolutely fantastic. The ceremony she wrote was great and several guests even complimented the writing, flow, and wording. She was great to work with and was quick in reaching out to make sure we were good with everything. I couldn't have asked for a better officiant. Not only was the wording great but her speaking skills and reading of the ceremony were perfect.

Carmen was fantastic and very accommodating. She makes you feel like you have a trusted partner and confidant to help you with all the details and decisions. She quickly grasped what I wanted to helo my son’s proposal to his bride to be go off with out a hitch. Because of Covid, I could not be there. I am in Houston and she in Kansas. She didn’t miss a beat and went above and beyond to make it a most momentous occasion. The proposal took place at a park. She went to the park to get acclimated with the area and to measure the tables and space. This park was over an hour out of her way! Her table design and set up at the park way exceeded expectations! It was even better than I could have imagined! She was there on time, picked up the food, and set it all up. The flowers and linens were elegant and definitely added to the joyous day. It was easy to pay her via Venmo, and she was readily available on the phone, text and email.. This is our first child to get married and it was very emotional not to get to be there for such a huge milestone. However, Carmen was instrumental in being our “proxy” by doing all the set up/take down work Carmen, I am very grateful to have found you !! Thank you for everything!!!

Carmen was wonderful to work with! We had planned our daughter's wedding at a venue and because of covid we had to change our plans about two weeks out. Carmen had many contacts to help us plan the perfect wedding in our backyard! She arrived at home early in the day and stayed on site overseeing the wedding and handling all the details beautifully. We many obstacles to overcome and Carmen was flexible, encouraging, and worked hard to make sure my daughter's wishes for her wedding were everything she had hoped it would be. It truly was a beautiful wedding! I would highly recommend Carmen!

Carmen Hocking was amazing from the beginning to the end. We had to postpone our wedding due to COVID-19 . Carmen reached out to us on our originally planned date to ask if we were ok. That meant the world to us. She was supportive throughout. We highly recommend working with her.

Carmen Hocking was a great officiant for our wedding. We were very impressed with her professionalism. We knew after five minutes with her at our first meeting, she was the best choice for us.

Carmen was fantastic! We hired her on early in the planning process. We used the package where she really dives in 6 weeks before the wedding up until the day of. We also asked her to be the officiant. When COVID-19 hit Carmen was an essential reason why we truly did have a stunning wedding. She was on top of everything. It was beyond perfect and everything I had hoped for in our wedding. Carmen wrote a beautiful wedding ceremony and even helped preserve my wedding dress after the wedding. We cannot thank you enough for her constant support, skill, and professionalism. It truly was a beautiful wedding!!

Carmen was an ideal officiant for our wedding ceremony. She obviously has a great passion for celebrations of love and was always accommodating and receptive to our requests throughout the entire planning process. I would definitely recommend her to anyone in need of an officiant or wedding planner.

Carmen is a wonderful officiant! She writes very personable ceremonies that fit the couple she is writing for. She is a very kind person and wants your ceremony to be perfect for you. She was timely with writing and open to suggestions. I HIGHLY recommend Carmen.

Carmen was a pleasure to work with! Her attention to detail with everything and quick reply’s to emails made everything SO easy and having that peace of mind that she responds in a timely fashion. I cannot wait to work with Carmen for future events!

We had a great wedding experience because of A Beautiful Wedding. We began working with A Beautiful Wedding at the beginning of our engagement and everything went smoothly. We hired her the day we got engaged. All the preparations that it took to make this experience happen is because of Carmen and A Beautiful Wedding. She was professional, organized and attentive to me. Thank you Carmen and A Beautiful Wedding for a wonderful wedding experience we will never forget – the best day of our lives.

Carmen was our wedding planner and she did an amazing job! As an out of town bride I really appreciated Carmen’s advice and opinions. Leading up to the wedding Carmen made sure everything was organized and within style and budget. On the day of the wedding she made sure everything was perfect! I would definitely recommend Carmen as a planner, she really cares about the couple!

Carmen was great! She helped me piece together my ceremony and even helped me proof read a little something I wrote. She helped me make sure my time line wasn't a disaster and tried her best to keep us on time for our ceremony😁her calm nature definitely helped me remain calm on our big day! I can't thank her enough for making our day wonderful!!

Carmen and her team helped ensure that we had a stress free wedding day! I can’t thank her enough for helping us plan our wedding and making it special. Brian

Carmen was so great meeting with her from the very first time we met with her. She has been in the business a very long time, and that gave us comfort knowing that she would be there for us on our special day. We met with her a few other times to outline the details of how we wanted our ceremony to go, and she quickly created a perfect ceremony for us with the vows we wanted, and all the readings & poems. We had a non-traditional wedding, but still wanted to do a few bible readings, but wanted them short & sweet. She also helped us incorporate our teenagers & young adult children into our ceremony with a sand ceremony that was just perfect & so beautiful and meaningful to us. If you have Carmen as your Wedding Officiant, you definitely won’t be disappointed as she’s got your back! ❤️ Carmen is simply the best!!!

Carmen did a great job officiating our wedding! Thank you for everything!

Carmen did an amazing job! She is so sweet and helpful!

Carmen was amazing! We had a ceremony planned at a place that closed due to weather 4 hours before our wedding was to begin! I happened to get Carmen’s number from someone and called her, last minute She veered through the terrible weather and help does have a beautiful ceremony at our home which she wrote in less than an hour and charged a reasonable price… I am so thankful that she was able to come on such short notice and make our day perfect… Thank you Carmen

Carmen was the officiant for our wedding on 6.10.17! She was easy to work with, responsive, and very professional. Carmen made sure that our ceremony was unique to us. She shared her unique ideas with us, but also listened to our ideas. Carmen made sure that the ceremony ran smoothly. We got many compliments on the quality and uniqueness of our ceremony. Strongly recommend!

Carmen officiated our wedding on 9/9/17. We are so happy we went with her! Not only was the ceremony beautiful and exactly what we wanted, but she truly went above and beyond to make our day perfect. Unfortunately, the Day of Coordinator was absolutely awful - and when Carmen arrived about an hour and a half before the ceremony and saw the chaos that was taking place, she stepped right in to help. She helped my mom with decorations, helped make lemonade for guests, helped keep ME calm, and did so many other things that just weren't part of her duties. She really went above and beyond to make sure that we had a beautiful wedding day.

Mike and Carmen were awesome. Mike was our actual officiant for our ceremony. However, we got tons of tips and planning advice from both of them leading up to the wedding.

Carmen and Mike are both amazing! They helped us have the best experience possible. Thank you Carmen and Mike!

My wife and I are so grateful our lives crossed paths with Carmen Hocking of A Beautiful Wedding. Carmen helped plan our wedding that was in January of this year and she also officiated for us. Carmen took time to listen to our love story and helped create the most comforting, intimate and spiritual day that truly represented our life and love for one another. She was very professional and wonderful to work with. Her company and wedding team offer a variety of services. She gave us 100% of herself and she created a stress free day for us to truly enjoy together. We highly recommend Carmen's services. Working with Carmen and her wedding team we feel so blessed to have our unforgettable memories forever. Thank you, Carmen and A Beautiful Wedding team you are truly the best!

Carmen Hocking with A Beautiful Wedding is the most amazing officiant and planner. She is so down to earth and genuine that she really makes you feel special throughout the whole process. She really brought our whole rehearsal dinner and ceremony together and made everything flow so seamlessly. I am not sure what we would have done without her. She is definitely the best of the best!!

Awesome service.

Carmen was awesome, she was available last minute and did a wonderful job

She was the greatest!!

Carmen was such a joy to work with! She has tons of experience in the industry, and gives great advise! We hired her as our wedding officiant, and she let us write our own ceremony script, but also gave guidance when we needed it. She was on time and all smiles for the rehearsal and day-of. Thank you Carmen, you truly made our day special!

I got in touch with Carmen the week of the day we wanted to get married. She was very responsive and organized. I am SO happy we found her (on FB)! Her words were perfect and it made out day even more special!

great job, went well, glad i picked this service, organized, easy to work with.

I was Matron of honor at a wedding Carmen officiated. Her words were beautiful and even in the Kansas heat of the afternoon she made my friends wedding a hit! I don't know how because Carmen was involved in a car wreck on the way to the wedding and STILL managed to make their day about them. Weddings are usually chaotic, this was not. We all absolutely loved the DJ they picked as well, he interacted with our wedding party and we all had a wonderful day. I highly recommend A Beautiful Wedding and hope I get to see her soon....maybe for my daughter :)

We hired Carmen Hocking With A Beautiful Wedding to officiate our wedding. The whole process was seamless and Carmen is so easy to get along with. She was very knowledgeable and provided us with material and templates to look over to help us prepare for our ceremony since we had no idea where to start. She was thorough and on time and she's truly a lovely woman. both the bride and I are more than happy that we went with Carmen to officiate our wedding. We got nothing but compliments from many of our guests about how beautiful the ceremony was.

We hired A Beautiful wedding to help us plan our wedding and so happy we did. Great experience. They were very professional, organized and friendly. We highly recommend them. Money well spent.

I can't say enough nice things about Carmen. From the very first meeting we had to the ceremony itself, she was on top of it and very thorough. We didn't have to worry about a thing. She is so kind and easy to get along with. The ceremony went on without a hitch and everyone kept saying how beautiful it was and loved how smoothly it all went. She was even there to capture a candid moment with my son before the ceremony and it is by far my favorite picture of the whole wedding. I will always be referring anyone I know to Carmen. A Beautiful Wedding is top notch!

Carmen was amazing! My husband, Dennis and I LOVED working with her. She was very sweet,fun to work with and very professional. We hired her for wedding planning and also to officiate our wedding. Her selection of invitations was good so we ordered them through her and programs to. Half way through planning we decided to book our honeymoon through her company. she gave us a lot of destination suggestions and we decided to go to Puerto Rico. If you want the best hire Carmen. Great planner and great officiant.

Carmen officiated our recent wedding and did a great job. She even added in a last second request to the ceremony without breaking a sweat. Carmen is a very organized and nice lady.

Carmen was kind in the beginning and we met with her only once for 45 min. The night of the rehersal Carmen introduced herself to us like she had no idea who we were. She had evwrything written out as we had discussed previously but my husband came to me concerned because it seemed she had no idea who we were or what was going on with people involved in our ceremony. She asked about a lapel for hwr to use and I asked who paid for that added expense and she said we did. I talked to our DJ and he said it was too late to get one. The day of the wedding we asked her to use a podium for the ceremony. She refused after being asked by my personal attendant, multiple bridesmaids and my husband. Some of our friends got thw wrong address and were late. We waited on them and she was upset about that. Carmen also tried to walk down with the bridal party when that wasn't discussed previously. Our DJ basically took over the whole thing and saved our ceremony. Many people in the bridal party and involved in rehersal commented on her behavior and saying it she seemed clueless. She acted like it was her day and not ours. She was very difficult and only looking for her best interest. I also politley said on a swap shop that I would not recommend her and she went off on a rant that she later deleted. Calling me one of the rudest brides she has ever worked with and that my husband was inconsiderate to wait for our very best friends who were lost. All in all a terrible experience.

Carmen helped plan our wedding from day 1 and was also our officiant. She's extremely detail oriented and won't let anything slip between the cracks. She was a HUGE help!!! We got many compliments on our ceremony, as well as our reception. Thank you!

Carmen was amazing at helping us come up with a ceremony that fit our personalities and that everyone could enjoy. She has great insight on organizing and setting up for ceremonies and receptions, she is so easy to work with!!

While I was fairly comfortable planning the wedding myself, I knew our wedding day would be complicated and that I might need help so we hired Carmen as a weekend of coordinator. Our wedding combined American and Indian traditions and Carmen had experience with this type of wedding. She was helpful in providing recommendations for vendors from weddings she had helped with in the past, one of which (a dhol player, used for the groom's entrance to the wedding hall) we ended up using and wouldn't have found otherwise. Carmen was helpful in providing lists and tips of considerations not to overlook as the wedding approached and was available as needed to discuss wedding details leading up to the event. She contacted all of our vendors leading up to the event to confirm details and sent a detailed weekend itinerary to everyone in the wedding. During the wedding weekend she helped to provide guidance during the rehearsal and ensured that the wedding ran smoothly, doing such things as helping decorate and checking in with day of vendors, dismissing guests for dinner, and making sure all needed items (throw bouquet, toasting glasses, etc) were accounted for and available when needed. She was not overbearing and approached the groom and I only a few times with necessary questions. She requires an assistant for events with over 200 guests (total cost includes assistant fee). Our event was complicated, but I definitely needed a good amount of additional help from family and friends to get everything set up and ready to go. We had a family friend "take charge" to make sure our decor was taken care of. Carmen was very kind and easy to work with. I'm sure she took care of more details that I am unaware of. Our wedding was pretty seamless with no real mishaps, and we have A Beautiful Wedding to thank for helping to make the day run smoothly.

Carmen Hocking, owner of A Beautiful Wedding, does outstanding work and is extremely thorough. You need these qualities to seamlessly get through the wedding with the least possible worry. She will guide you and work behind the scenes to keep things flowing smoothly.

Carmen helped us with the planning of our small ceremony in August 2014, as well as acting as officiant. We couldn't have been more satisfied with the service she provided. She was at our disposal whenever we wanted to discuss things with her, and her professional service made sure the day went as smoothly as possible. We will always remember our wedding day and be especially thankful for the role Carmen played in making it such a special day. Highly recommended!

Carmen does an excellent job of knowing just what is needed before even being asked!! She knows all of the vendors, can make anything happen and has a calming, delightful personality. Just let her do her magic and sit back and enjoy!

We met with Carmen a year out from our wedding date to talk about our wedding and we felt she really understood what we wanted. We hired her and front the beginning of our planning, she was fun, had some great ideas to share with us, kept us on a timeline the entire time and had given us a wedding organizer to keep both of us organized. We were impressed with how much was in it and we followed it throughout the planning. It was great to have. She introduced us to many things we had not even thought about having and it was all within our budget. Our wedding was more than we could have imagined. We recommend Carmen very highly, she was great to work with.

I remember thinking we could plan our wedding ourselves but we decided to visit Carmen and immediately I felt that by hiring her, everything would be well organized and under control. Well needless to say she didn't let us down. My wife and I had great peace of mind and Carmen was an excellent wedding planner. And she knows everyone in the industry as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Overall she is A+!!

My husband Eric and I got married on April 12th, 2003. We hired Carmen Hocking with A Beautiful Wedding in Lawrence, KS to be our wedding planner for the 10 months that we were engaged. She went above and beyond my expectations! She saved me so much time and money because I was finishing my degree at KU, working full time, buying my first home, and trying to plan for my special day. I honestly don't know how we would have had such a beautiful day without her help. Everything was perfect and our family and friends STILL talk about our wedding day almost 11 years later. Carmen is kind, warm, creative, hard working, intelligent, and beautiful inside and out. She truly wants brides and grooms to have the wedding of their dreams! I couldn't be more grateful to call her my friend. Andrea & Eric, April 12th 2003

Early on in the planning stages for our wedding, I knew it was time to hire a wedding planner. We attended the wedding of some friends and they used a wedding planner so we asked their opinion and if they were happy with who they used. They couldn't say enough great things about Carmen Hocking of A Beautiful Wedding. They hired her one month after getting engaged and loved working with her so we called to set up a meeting with Carmen. We both felt very comfortable with her and hired her immediately. Best decision we made! Carmen is so knowledgeable, offered great ideas and really listened to what WE wanted for OUR wedding. She exceeded our expectations in every way. Many of our guests told us we had the most beautiful and fun wedding they had ever attended. We highly recommend A Beautiful Wedding.

We had originally wanted to elope but our families wanted to have a wedding, so I hired Carmen to plan a smaller family oriented wedding. When we found out that she could officiate too, that was an easy decision. Her rates as a planner and officiant are reasonable and she ultimately saved money thru referrals, etc. I was really thankful that Carmen was able to accommodate my interests to have a small, simple no-frills wedding, but it often seemed like she was used to catering to bridezillas. She also came thru with getting the reception site ready, etc. It turned out great and both families appeared happy!

Going into our wedding planning, we decided not to hire a wedding planner to reduce costs (not to mention that my bride is the ultimate planner all on her own) but had been referred to A Beautiful Wedding for Carmen's services as an officiate. After we met with Carmen, we knew we were lucky to find her. She has made things simple and easy, which has been our motto when planning our wedding. She is always easy to contact and available to answer off-the-wall questions or provide suggestions we wouldn't have thought about. She made planning our ceremony easy, yet still personal and heartfelt, which has made my bride happy, and of course what makes my bride happy, makes me happy!

Carmen, of A Beautiful Wedding, has been so pleasant and great to work with. A true wedding expert who is patient, professional and willing to meet all our needs as we have been planning our wedding. I have taken great comfort in having her a part of my "wedding team", knowing that I am in good hands. I have great respect for how passionate she is about all things wedding-related! When my fiance and I met with her initially, we felt so relieved to have found someone so accommodating to help us design a ceremony that would suit us. She put together a ceremony with the perfect blend of traditional and non-traditional elements and helped us to consider all the details that wouldn't have occurred to us without her knowledge. Whether your needs as a bride and groom are simple or comprehensive, A Beautiful Wedding will not let you down!!!

Carmen was recommended to us by several vendors in the Lawrence area as an officiant and wedding planner. I am so thrilled that we took their advice. Carmen met with us and we talked for a long time; she was determined to get to know us as a couple and to understand what we wanted from our wedding service. She sent us sample ceremonies, suggested changes, and was prompt and detailed in her communications with us. Her ceremony was beautiful and touching, and I know that everyone thought so. We did not engage Carmen as a wedding planner, but she was very generous with her advice, vendor recommendations, and various other odds and ends to make our day go more smoothly. She went above and beyond her duty as our officiant and it was a treat to work with her.

I am a planner that loves To-Do lists and organization. Carmen helped fit my personal needs as a bride by giving me the best To-Do list and making sure I was staying on top of all my planning while finishing school with my fiance across the country. She also helped in little ways by finding the exact shoes I needed! Most of all Carmen was everything I needed on the day of the rehearsal AND the day of the wedding. I was able to be fully present with my fiance and family and friends on those days because I knew she was making sure all the little things were being handled. There is SO MUCH to think about when it comes to your wedding day especially when you invite over 200 people and are serving dinner and a dance for them. Carmen is all service and really knows her business. I was so happy she was available for our wedding date. She did such a great job for my older sister I knew as soon as I was engaged that I wanted her help. Our wedding day was that much more enjoyable because of all her help.

Carmen Hocking with A Beautiful Wedding not only helped in planning our beautiful wedding beyond our expectations, she also Officiated our wedding ceremony. We had a wonderful time and a store full of wonderful, happy memories of this most important day in our lives. We have received many compliments from those who attended, as well! Carmen was knowledgeable and gave us expert direction in helping us to achieve a beautiful and very happy wedding. Her resourcefulness was invaluable and we learned new and interesting things as well along the way while we were planning our wedding. We also were very appreciative of her ministry to us as she married us. I just loved this and all of her input on this and along with this we gained a new friend. Patricia and Jeff Brooks

I never imagined a wedding could be so beautiful and also so stress-free. I'm generally a stressed person and so I assumed having a wedding would exacerbate this, but I was wrong. I credit all of this to Carmen and if you choose Carmen to plan your wedding or any of her other services, you'll be glad you made that choice. A Beautiful Wedding/Carmen is the antidote to stress. Your wedding will run smoothly and be the day to remember you deserve.

My husband and I had original wanted to have a friend or relative officiate our wedding. We thought it would give our day a more personal touch. Two weeks until our wedding date, we suddenly found ourselves with out an officiant. I was crushed our friend wasn't able to do it and nervous about finding someone to marry us. The situation turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I am so happy I stumbled on A Beautiful Wedding. We felt very comfortable with Carmen after just the first meeting. It was great how easy it was to get a hold of her when we had any questions and Carmen often provided us with tips or suggestion we hadn't thought of. Most importantly, she was very helpful and willing to assist us in making the ceremony uniquely "us". Carmen had a key roll in making our wedding day special, a day that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.