Join us as we walk through Ellen and Colin’s planning journey and wedding day to give you a detailed look at our partial wedding planning offering.

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What to say about Ellen and Colin, other than they are amazing, and two of the kindest, coolest, down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet! Yep, that pretty much covers it! We first heard from Ellen three months before her wedding day. We talked on the phone and immediately clicked! Not to mention their wedding was going to be in northern Minnesota on a beach resort – how cool is that? Ellen wanted help primarily with day-of coordination, but as we talked further, she thought the additional help prior to her and Colin’s wedding would be valuable. As Ellen noted, “We absolutely can’t thank you enough for everything you did for us as we prepared and experienced the most wonderful weekend ever. You helped us enjoy the process.” We just love hearing that! The planning journey should be enjoyable and stress-free as well! And the partial wedding planning offering helps us accomplish that for you!

This planning process begins with a visit to your venue to meet with the onsite venue manager. At this meeting, you get to look at your venue with fresh eyes (very different from when you’re “venue shopping,”) and we confirm all of the necessary venue details for your big day, which sets us up for a successful planning journey. Since Ellen and Colin’s venue was more than three hours north, we worked out another arrangement. They had a trip to the venue planned that weekend, and we asked them to take lots of photos and videos to help us visualize the space. Following their trip, we had a planning call with the venue manager to discuss a number of venue details. We shared those details with Ellen and Colin, so we all had the proper information to continue planning. At this time, we also discuss the primary timeline items for wedding day – ceremony time, cocktail hour, dinner, dance. The main bullet points as we like to call them. Then you’re armed with those important times as you order and send invitations and continue booking your vendors.

There is then a bit of a break in our planning process as you continue working on wedding details, but we don’t disappear! We make this very clear with all of our couples – we are a resource throughout your planning journey, a partner, an expert, a confidant. We don’t care if the question is as simple as rose gold or gold for your invitations. Because we understand the details are important! And we’ll be checking in along the way as well. Six weeks before your wedding is when the process really picks back up. We have an in-person meeting at this time to deep dive into your timeline and vendor updates. This six-week meeting usually takes two hours and it’s details galore! YAY! This timing is really perfect. We’ve found if we meet much earlier, things are still too up in the air to begin to lock down timeline details, but any closer to wedding day, and we’re cutting deadlines too close. We were so excited for this meeting because it was our first time meeting Ellen in person! We always love getting to know our couples! Colin unfortunately wasn’t able make it, but we meet him later, don’t worry! Ellen and Erica, their lead planner, met at Local Roots, a little restaurant and coffee shop in Richfield that’s one of our go-to spots!

Following this meeting, we really start to take over planning logistics for you, including finalizing the timeline and all vendor details. We want less and less on your to-do list the closer we get to wedding day. We send a detailed recap and list of next steps following the six-week meeting, for each of us to tackle over the next two weeks. And of course, we’re talking more frequently now as well. Ellen would text us with questions or updates, as details were starting to move quickly, and we pride ourselves on fast responses! Then during the month before your wedding, we plan weekly calls to check-in and discuss timeline and vendor updates. We send a detailed list of next steps following each call to keep us on schedule for the week ahead. We connect with all of your vendors to confirm wedding day logistics and timing. We also create and send personalized timelines for all vendors, which trust us, they love! This is literally for each vendor; hair and makeup schedules, shuttle bus schedules, florist set-up details, and so on. We also create personalized timelines for your family and wedding party so they know the plan, and where to be and when on wedding day. We become your primary wedding vendor contact from this point on, so if vendors have questions, they’re coming to us! Of course, if it’s a payment or decision question, we loop you in as needed. For example, Ellen’s DJ needed their final song list, which of course we can’t create for you. We planned a final call with Ellen, Colin, Erica and their DJ so we could confirm all final items. Ellen and Colin were on the call to confirm any music selections, and we were on the call to confirm all timing and logistical items.

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We had one of our monthly meetings in person with Ellen and Colin, so we got to meet Colin before wedding day! This meeting had us back at Local Roots, enjoying the outdoor patio and rosé. These in-person meetings are the best, and really allow us to get to know the couple, which also sets us up for wedding day success! Our meeting went much longer than planned because we had so much fun chatting. A good problem to have, we must say!

During this time, we also help you finalize your reception layout and table assignments as your guest count is final. For Ellen and Colin, this became a pain point of the planning process, but we helped to minimize the stress as much as possible. Their venue didn’t have an existing reception layout or examples for us to work from, so we contacted them to ask for room dimensions, and built a room layout from scratch. Keeping Ellen and Colin’s communal, laid back vision in mind, we created layout options for them to review and consider, and then shared the layout with the venue to confirm it would fit the space. After some back-and-forth, the layout was final! We then input the layout into PowerPoint and assign table numbers, so you just have to group your guests and let us know how many people are at each table. Two weeks before your wedding we discuss all of your décor and how and where you want it set. We create a very detailed list, so that everything is set exactly how you want, and we’re not bothering you with any questions come wedding day.

The week of your wedding, it’s our goal to have all tasks complete! We touch base with all of your vendors to confirm everyone is set, but no one is a stranger to us by this point! The final check-in call is typically 15 minutes, and we’re touching base on any final items. In talking with Ellen, we actually canceled the final call, and just exchanged a few texts because we were more than ready to go! They left Wednesday for the drive up north before their Saturday wedding, and were able to enjoy an entire long weekend of wedding fun!

Wedding Day

The morning of their wedding started bright and early for us as we made the trek up north for an 11am arrival. Podcasts were the saving grace for that trip! The partial planning package includes 12 hours of coverage from a Piece of Cake lead planner and an assistant for four hours, as deemed necessary by Piece of Cake as we confirm your wedding day details. In talking with Ellen, due to the long trip and amount of help needed, an assistant was not needed for their wedding day.

We arrived in Walker, Minn. on the chilly, early-September morning and it was gorgeous. The sun was trying to peak through and it was calm. We immediately saw Ellen outside her cabin door, and she was so happy! We had a quick powwow about some changes and details for the day, and then she continued getting ready. Erica immediately started to check the décor lists, confirming all ceremony and reception items were set and ready to go, and began chatting with the venue team about the timeline for the day. With all of our planning packages, we manage the wedding day timeline, décor and vendor communications and questions. This was no exception for Ellen and Colin. Their day had us moving between the main resort lodge, which is where the reception was, the ceremony location on the beach, and multiple cabins – one where Ellen was getting ready and another when Colin was getting ready.

Some coordination highlights of their day include: Getting a call and talking with their shuttle driver who couldn’t find the resort. All good! Erica gave him detailed directions, and the first guest shuttle was still on time. Tracking down the desserts, which were in grandma and grandpa’s room, and moving them into the main resort fridge for set-up during cocktail hour. Running back and forth between the cabins to confirm the groups were staying on time while getting ready, and letting them know when they could head into town for the first look, family and wedding party photos. Affixing corsages and boutonnieres. Their boutonnieres were magnetized – genius! Prepping the celebration boat for the couple and their wedding party following the ceremony, including champagne, blankets and their marriage license for signing! Lighting so many gorgeous reception candles so the room was fully ready when Ellen and Colin returned from taking photos. We always love a room first look, too! Sewing Ellen’s cape back onto her dress before the ceremony. We always have a sewing kit in our wedding day emergency kit! And yes, a cape! Wait until we blog this wedding; it’s unreal! The rental chairs that were used for the ceremony were also the reception chairs, so following the ceremony we led the charge of wiping the sand off the legs of each chair and moving them indoors to the reception room. Luckily, we arranged a few people to help with this task! Also, during cocktail hour, we corralled the entire wedding onto the beach for a group photo! The photographer even used our room balcony for the perfect shot! We cued speeches throughout the evening and made sure the bride and groom had everything they needed. We also headed outside to help the bride’s brother light a bonfire for the after party, and made sure everything was set for s’mores!

The night ended for us with the party still raging, and a very happy couple! Due to the distance, we stayed overnight at the resort, and Erica was up early the next morning for the drive home; exhausted and elated after another amazing wedding. Needless to say, it was a wonderful and busy day, and we love to do it. You shouldn’t have to worry about all of the details that pop up on wedding day! Let us expertly handle it for you, so you and your partner, as well as your family and friends, can be fully present and enjoy!

Each wedding planning experience will vary slightly, as we work with our couples to create an enjoyable experience that centers around them, their wedding and their personalities. Hopefully this glimpse into Ellen and Colin’s beautiful day gives you an idea of what our partial wedding planning package offers, and demonstrates the importance of having a professional planner on your side for your big day!

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“I put this review off because I know my words would not do the incredible work that Erica does justice. I had phone consultations with multiple day-of-wedding coordinators. None of them came close to Erica’s thoughtfulness, inquiry, and detail in the hour-long consult call. It was a no brainer that we’d choose her. From the start, Erica was incredibly accommodating and flexible. She worked with us to create a package that fit our specific needs. Erica is SO much more than a day-of-coordinator (if this is the service that you choose from her). I cannot stress this enough. She was not just there for the “one” day. She created timelines (for all vendors, family members, and bridal party). She took over all vendor communication weeks before the wedding. She asked the questions that I would have never thought to ever ask. We had weekly hour-long calls for the month leading up to the wedding. And two in-person meetings so that she could get to know us. Erica always made herself available to answer any questions or help outside of these calls. I tried not to abuse this, because she was so willing to give us her time and help, always. We had some pretty big challenges with our venue right before the wedding, and Erica went above and beyond her duties to take over the communication and to take the stress away from us. I am sure it was more than she bargained for, but she handled everything with so much grace and ease, and a calmness that I so needed in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Once the wedding weekend arrived, it went so incredibly smoothly because of Erica’s work. Or maybe it didn’t? If not, there’s no way she would have let us know on the day of the wedding. As Erica put it, “you should be the guests of honor at your wedding, and not the hosts” which is exactly how we felt. It turned out to be the best day (and weekend) of our lives, and I am so certain that it would not have been if we had not met and chosen to work with Erica. I cannot sing her praises enough. She was an absolute joy to work with, and our planning process would not have been as orderly, perfectly timed and scheduled, or stress-free(ish) if we had not had Erica. If I can recommend that you make one decision, in the hundreds that you will be making when you plan your wedding, it is this: HIRE ERICA. It will be by far, the best wedding planning decision that you make. I promise!” - Ellen and Colin