An Informative Interview with a Seasoned Kamloops Wedding Planner
Planning a wedding can be stressful, time-consuming, and expensive. What if there was a way to make wedding planning easier? Well, there is! Hiring a wedding planner has so many benefits. I sat down with Emily Talerico of Behind the Veil Weddings to learn more about her and the booking process.
BTV Weddings on IG: @btv.weddings
— Tell me a little bit about you. Were you born and raised in Kamloops?
Sure, well I am a wedding planner, social worker, wife, auntie, daughter, and fur mom to twin sister cats. I am not from Kamloops, but I spent most of my childhood growing up in Merritt - so just down the road! I lived in Denmark for a year and attended an international school, traveled, then I did my associates degree in Vernon, and finished my BSW here in Kamloops. My husband and I are equal parts homebodies and adventurers. There is no in between… if you see us at Costco it’s only because there was a crisis.
— What made you decide to become a wedding planner?
This is a funny one because I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a wedding planner. When I was in school and had to answer the dreaded “what do you want to be when you grow up?” question - my answer was always wedding planner. I still have the write up and my briefcase doodle from back then! I will have to find it and post it on our social media account. I have always loved celebrations and I am an organizer and creator at heart. My mom is a creative person as well and always inspired and motivated me to pursue my passion. After a few years working front lines as an addictions social worker, COVID, and some medical issues, I started to re-evaluate what I wanted. I reached out to some wedding industry pros and started working with Renee at Wild Sage Events for 2 years. It was just perfect timing that Renee wanted to pursue an educator role and start a mentorship program. I had the best opportunity for hands-on learning as we worked on wedding weekends together while also learning how to start my own business. And here we are! When I am not planning weddings or working wedding weekends, I am at the TRU supporting students with disabilities part time.
— Tell me a bit about the process of hiring a wedding planner and what your job is day-of.
I love it when clients reach out right from getting engaged and before they have committed to any vendors so that they can get the most out of our expertise from the get go! The earlier we are hired, the better foundation we can set for planning moving forward. When couples connect with us, we offer a free consultation and send off a copy of our contract and a proposal for review; once we receive a signed copy of the contract and a 25% deposit, we send a new client questionnaire and are ready to get started! The first step to wedding planning is setting priorities and a budget since that sets the foundation for all the decision making moving forward. Our planning clients have access to our aisle planner database where we create customized documents (timeline, floor plans, etc), track budgets and checklists, and plan all the details leading up to the wedding day. On the wedding weekend, we run our client’s rehearsal, set up their ceremony and reception spaces, liaise with the vendors, and coordinate the entire celebration until the dancing kicks off!
— What's the difference between a full wedding planner vs. a day-of coordinator?
This could be a whole blog post on its own! But to keep it relatively short:
A wedding planner is your planning partner and involved in all of the details during the planning process from day one, often working with clients for 12+ months. We are there every step of the way through vendor sourcing, contract negotiations, booking, and ongoing management. We help our clients with their overall design style and development; custom made wedding websites, stationary management, and keep track of all the details and logistics. Wedding coordinators are not involved in the detailed planning process and instead start about 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding date.
A coordinator is someone you hire if you are keen to plan your own wedding, but would like a professional to help finalize the details and manage the logistics of the celebration. We confirm all the vendors, create a final timeline, and create a floor plan. For the wedding weekend, our services are the same whether it's a planning or coordination client: we run the rehearsal, set up their ceremony and reception spaces, liaise with all the vendors, and coordinate the entire celebration until the dancing kicks off! Whether you are hiring a wedding planner or a wedding coordinator, it is a great idea to book them as early as possible to maximize the benefits of having access to an industry professional.
— What are the key benefits of hiring a wedding planner?
Whether you hire us as your planner or coordinator, you are getting a professional that can offer expert advice and support. Planning a wedding can be a very stressful, expensive, and time consuming task so there is benefit in having someone to guide you through the process, come up with creative ways to stay on budget, and do all the research, vendor management, and time-consuming work behind the scenes on your behalf. One of the main benefits in addition to all of the hours we put into planning your wedding, is that you have a support person throughout the wedding planning journey to give valuable advice and be there to help with transitions should something occur (covid, venue cancellations, contract issues, etc.) We save couples time, unnecessary stress, and we ensure couples get the most out of their budget.
— What's one thing you wish couples knew when hiring a wedding planner?
Hiring a planner or coordinator is like the ultimate wedding gift to yourself and to your friends and family. If you are depending on others to help take on the wedding to-do list, important things tend to not get done (or they don’t get done well). What ends up happening is instead of being present and enjoying the celebration you have tirelessly planned, you are now micromanaging and stressed about what hasn’t been done. If you have a planner or coordinator, we are there to take on those tasks, and to give you the very best advice, support, and inspiration to make your celebration an authentic reflection of what you want.
“The earlier we are hired, the better foundation we can set for planning moving forward.”
— Do you tend to stick to a theme or do all your weddings look totally different?
I don’t have a theme or specific look for weddings that I take on, being a wedding planner is more about offering guidance, inspiration, and expert advice rather than pursuing our own preferences or themes. That being said, I tend to showcase a lot of cozy, neutral, and outdoor weddings on my social media pages because that is what I love to work with and I hope to attract couples who love that too! :)
— Do you work with LGBTQ+ couples?
Yes, yes, and yes! I believe that love and wedding celebrations belong to everyone.
— What's your favourite part of a wedding day?
I can’t answer this… the whole thing!? I have so many favorite moments -- it’s hard to choose! I do love the quiet moment right before I send the wedding partners down the aisle, that last deep breath before stepping out is full of all the emotion and authenticity. It almost always makes me tear up! So that is one of my favorites and of course I love seeing our couples reaction to our set up.
— What are a few of your favourite wedding venues in and around Kamloops or BC in general?
I love outdoor weddings, so I have to say that I have really grown to love private property weddings! That being said, BC is home to some truly great venues that have a lot to offer. To name just a few local venues, I have really enjoyed working with Quaaout, Sun Peaks Grand Hotel, and Monte Creek Winery.
— What is your approach when it comes to planning a wedding?
My approach to wedding planning is ensuring that while I take care of the behind the scenes work and research, our couples remain fully involved in the decisions, vision, and overall direction of their celebration. I am for clients who love all forms of love, who are passionate about connections, are kind, and value what I bring to the table.
Thank you so much, Emily, for sitting down and helping me educate couples on why they should consider hiring a wedding planner for their day!