My wife and I were absolutely impressed with Brianne and her team at MAE. I can say that hiring Brianne was, unequivocally, the best, 'most important' decision we nailed in preparing for our wedding weekend. Having done a lot of due diligence ...and tirelessly searching the 'best of's' for a wedding planner, we fundamentally believe there are 5 key differentiators in Brianne's approach that sets her far apart from the marketplace.
1. Network - Brianne's relationships are expansive and deep. Through her connections, we were able to access vendors and 'squeeze more juice' in the services that otherwise wouldn't have been offered had we simply DIY. Yes, there are a lot of lists out there you can access, but having it curated and tweaked based on your circumstances (cultural, tastes, preference, themes) cuts a lot of the noise and allows you to focus on vendors most aligned with what you're looking for. You can tell Brianne has a lot of clout... you work with vendors who are fully invested in you and your plans ---- you can't help but feel pampered and like royalty.
2. Strategy and Coordination - We were absolutely impressed at the execution and Brianne's ability to run the show. Full disclosure, my wife and I are unsophisticated when it comes to planning, but through her eye's wide open approach, seeing the flow of the evening, vendors and timing all working flawlessly allowed us to fully indulge in the evening and spend quality time with friends and family who traveled from across the world. We felt comforted that Brianne had organized complex weddings with different cultures backgrounds (like us), for celebrities, and weddings with up to 1200 guests!
3. Cost and negotiation - my wife and I are atypical in the sense that we did not have parents pitch-in big dollars for our wedding. From the guy perspective, this was the best value-add in hiring MAE. Her ability to sit on the same side of the table and find ways to scale, and negotiate minimums on your behalf was an absolute game changer. In helping you get the 'most bang for your buck,' we were able to have our dream wedding without overextending -- simply put, Brianne drove a ton of value, both quantitative (ie. minimums, discounts, upgrades) and qualitative (engaged vendors, availability after hours, second opinion, energy, creative solutions and surprises, etc.).
4. Rolling up the sleeves. In speaking with competitors, it felt mass produced and like we would not be considered a big enough relationship for quality service. Brianne brought new meaning to boutique, from serving wine to guests at our rehearsal dinner, to helping steer hotel guests away for our 'first look', it would be difficult to find someone who hustles harder. There's this south-side Chicago meets friendly midwest charm to Brianne, a combination of getting it done and 'go the extra mile' mindset that you absolutely appreciate when the unexpected occurs. She is available during uncommon hours, and was accessible whenever we had questions.
5. Know how - Yes, Brianne's track record and planning expertise is why we hired her. What you don't know is how helpful she is with the inbetween things, texting her about how my wife and I had a difference in opinion, where to do bachelor(ette) parties, etiquette, how to word things, etc. - there are so many nuances that arise and having someone who lives and breathes this space guide you in decision making was incredibly helpful.