Review is written by Staff @ The Ring and is based on • Interviews with this vendor • Interviews with past brides
To Nicole Harrison, Owner of She Said "Yes" Weddings, your dreams and visions are just as important to her as they are to you from the moment you're engaged to the end of the wedding day. She loves a challenge and thrives on seeing a wedding day celebration come to life. Offering patience when it's needed, and aggressiveness if necessary, there's not much that Nicole can't do. In fact, she doesn't believe in the phrase "I can't".
With a few secrets up her sleeve, Nicole makes sure each bride gets what she needs, regardless of how much she's involved – be it giving a few hours of expertise, tying up details during the last planning month, or helping you plan the whole wedding. And with a positive and personable attitude, and an honest approach, we think brides will want to work with Nicole and will find it easy to trust her with their most important wedding planning decisions. Let us tell you more…
Personally speaking…
Nicole opened She Said "Yes" Weddings in 1997, but started off by planning corporate events with over 1000 guests. This is when she discovered that she was pretty good at planning, and more importantly, really loved what she was doing, instigating her to do more. So, Nicole agreed to plan her friend’s wedding and discovered that she loved that even more. Between her natural ability to plan and organize, her passion, and her drive to learn more about the field, Nicole has been focusing her energy for the past eleven years on planning weddings for brides and their referrals in what she calls her "dream career".
"I love it," she told us with a glow. "I love the challenges that brides offer with their dream weddings… I love the aftermath of all the hard work that the bridal couple and I have gone through, to seeing the ultimate goal of their wedding day celebration come to life and have it be just what they envisioned."
Putting your trust in her…
We could tell just by meeting with Nicole that she's über-organized and pays a lot of attention to details, which any bride knows is important when planning a wedding. She looks at every angle and likes to think outside the box when it comes to giving you advice and ideas for your wedding. And, she never leaves home without a plan B and C for every situation in case of emergency. We found her (and think brides will agree that she's) easy to be around, fun and trustworthy.
Other wedding professionally certainly agree with us as Andrea Nielsen of As It Happens Photography Inc. told us that she loves everything about working with Nicole. “She's highly organized, very professional and tons of fun to be with.” She adds that if she were getting married, she would hire Nicole in a second. “I know that my day would be seamless and as un-stressful as a wedding could be.”
"I believe in being realistic, forthcoming and honest with my clients," Nicole told us. "If I don't know the answer, I don't try to make one up; I find the answer." This adds to reasons why brides will likely find it easy to trust Nicole. And, among other reasons to love her is her dedication to your wedding. "I don't believe in the words 'I can't'," says Nicole.
Lisa and Patrick had Nicole coordinate their August 2006 wedding day, scheduling the details, coordinating vendors and making sure the day ran smoothly and according to plan. They told us that they had an excellent experience working with Nicole, saying she was "very professional and highly energetic… she made the whole experience a lot of fun. Nicole and her team were easy to get along with and work with…" Lisa adds that her favourite memory of working with She Said "Yes" was talking to Nicole just before she walked down the aisle. "Nicole makes you feel as special as you want to on your big day and truly seems very excited and happy for you."
With her passion and drive, Nicole says she puts herself in the bridal couples' shoes when working with them and feels that their dreams and visions are just as important to her. "How can you help a bridal couple when you treat their wedding day celebration as a job?" she asks. "Every bride is just as important as the next."
Valeria and Nermin Jasarevic say they felt very special when Nicole helped them plan their July 2008 wedding. "I knew Nicole could get the work done, and after meeting with countless planners, her personality was the right fit for me," says Valeria. "I actually enjoyed my wedding and the whole process. Nicole was my rock and go-to person."
You said "yes", now what?
From coordinator to supervisor and financial advisor, Nicole will do just about anything to help her bridal couples as much or as little as needed – nothing seems out of reach or stress-worthy for her.
Nicole has a group of preferred vendors and can recommend them to you; but, she will deal with anyone that the bride requests. She will even negotiate with vendors on the bride’s behalf, sit down and help put together favours, and pick up where the bride left off at any moment of the planning process.
“She's the glue that holds the day together,” Andrea says when describing what Nicole does for brides and grooms. “Her knowledge of references, etiquette and locations, and ideas to make the day unique and fun is unparalleled.”
Perhaps most important (and a big reason why a lot of people hire a wedding planner), Nicole will help brides focus and manage their time and money while always keeping the bottom line in sight. She will find ways to save costs, if needed, and ensure that you stay on budget.
More specifically, Nicole offers different packages for different needs, but they're more like guidelines as she's flexible and willing to customize a package, or be an “as needed” consultant.
Valeria loved that Nicole had a plan for every aspect of her wedding and pre-wedding events. "I didn’t feel trapped by unrealistic options," she adds. "Nicole was flexible to what I needed. No cookie cutter kind of stuff."
A Consultation, which is usually about two hours, includes a meeting with the bride and groom where Nicole discusses the available services, offers budget guidance and money saving tips, and answers questions to get the planning started. A consultation typically costs $100 (deducted from the chosen package if the couple books, but for couples who book from The Wedding Ring, a consultation with Nicole is FREE! Just tell her where you heard about She Said "Yes" Weddings.
Nicole also offers an Hourly package at $55 per hour for couples who want help at various (but not all) stages of the wedding planning; so, you can hire Nicole as you need her.
For $1,500 you can book Nicole for her 3 Weeks and Counting package if you've done a majority of the wedding planning (i.e. securing vendors, locations, etc.) but still need some help with the three weeks leading up to the day. "I will pick up where you left off and take over all of the logistics remaining to make you feel comfortable and calm for the days prior to your wedding celebration," says Nicole. "I will work behind the scenes so that your wedding day, starting from 'sunrise to sunset', is the day you both envisioned."
The 3 Weeks and Counting service is Nicole's most popular among brides. "When coming to crunch time and having so much to do at the last minute, it can be overwhelming," she says. "This is where my services become critical. Bridal couples love planning their wedding day celebration; as the coordinator, I am the glue that holds it all together."
"Using She Said 'Yes' takes away the stress of ensuring the day is running smoothly and allows you to just enjoy the day," say Lisa and Patrick. "If anything did go wrong on the wedding day I did not even know it happened because Nicole deals with it and resolves it without stressing out the bride and groom or their families."
The I’m All Yours Package has it all. From suggesting themes, designs and décor, venue and vendors selections, to money saving ideas and tips, helping with contracts and budget management, to building a timeline for your day, Nicole says she will manage all of the logistics from “Concept to Completion”. Having Nicole from start to finish costs 15% of your wedding budget (as discussed with the bridal couple/family).
"The prices were right on what we wanted to spend," say Valeria and Nermin. "We totally got the value for the amount paid." And they add that Nicole helped them with their budget and worked with what they wanted to spend. Valeria suggests to other brides that hiring Nicole will be the best money you could spend on your wedding.
Lisa and Patrick say that hiring She Said "Yes" is worth the money you spend to have Nicole eliminate any extra stressed on your wedding day. "Other than giving my speech, I was not at all stressed as I did not have to watch the clock or worry whether the floral centrepieces had arrived, as Nicole managed this seamlessly for us," Lisa says.
Tips & trends
With over ten years in the event planning industry, Nicole has tons of experience and knowledge in the area, and has seen many trends come and go. Here are some of her best pieces of advice…
• Be realistic so you don’t get disappointed – don’t expect a $100,000 wedding with a $20,000 budget.
• Be patient with family and see other people's point of view. "Everyone will have an opinion," she says. "Remember, your mom has been dreaming about your wedding day since you were born."
• Give yourself as much time as possible so you only do wedding related things every other weekend. "Don’t let it consume you!"
Some trends that Nicole is seeing right now is couple's wanting a simpler and more romantic wedding. "Where couples may not have the 300+ guests, but have more of an intimate gathering," she says.
Nicole loves a couple who thinks outside the box and takes their guests' interests into consideration when planning their wedding. "It is, after all, about friends and families coming together to become one large group celebrating the union of a special couple, not about how much money they can spend, or how elaborate they can get," she says.
Walking you through it…
Nicole recommends booking She Said "Yes" as soon as you know you want to, especially if you want her to help out with the beginning stages of your wedding. The best way to get in contact with Nicole is by email, which she says she checks on a regular basis; but phone is also an option – whatever is easiest for you.
When you book a consultation with Nicole, she'll meet with you at your home, for coffee, or wherever is most convenient. "Once we sit down, I go over the couple's thoughts and ideas," says Nicole. "I explain to them where I can help them, how my packages are arranged… and we go through some items to give them a great jump start to their planning."
If the consultation seems like enough for you and you don't end up booking any of Nicole's other services, she'll still give you a package to help you start your planning. "I never leave a bridal couple with nothing to work from," she says.
If you do decide to book with She Said "Yes", you just have to decide which package works best for you and secure your date with a deposit (which varies depending on the service booked).
On the wedding day, Nicole is the one who is present, and if the wedding guests are over 150, she'll also have an assistant. "I am the shadow of the bridal couple and family, the organizer of the wedding professionals, and the guest management of the friends and family," she says. "I do everything possible to have the couple's wedding day visions come to life."
To Nicole Harrison, Owner of She Said "Yes" Weddings, your dreams and visions are just as important to her as they are to you from the moment you're engaged to the end of the wedding day. She loves a challenge and thrives on seeing a wedding day celebration come to life. Offering patience when it's needed, and aggressiveness if necessary, there's not much that Nicole can't do. In fact, she doesn't believe in the phrase "I can't".
With a few secrets up her sleeve, Nicole makes sure each bride gets what she needs, regardless of how much she's involved – be it giving a few hours of expertise, tying up details during the last planning month, or helping you plan the whole wedding. And with a positive and personable attitude, and an honest approach, we think brides will want to work with Nicole and will find it easy to trust her with their most important wedding planning decisions. Let us tell you more…
Personally speaking…
Nicole opened She Said "Yes" Weddings in 1997, but started off by planning corporate events with over 1000 guests. This is when she discovered that she was pretty good at planning, and more importantly, really loved what she was doing, instigating her to do more. So, Nicole agreed to plan her friend’s wedding and discovered that she loved that even more. Between her natural ability to plan and organize, her passion, and her drive to learn more about the field, Nicole has been focusing her energy for the past eleven years on planning weddings for brides and their referrals in what she calls her "dream career".
"I love it," she told us with a glow. "I love the challenges that brides offer with their dream weddings… I love the aftermath of all the hard work that the bridal couple and I have gone through, to seeing the ultimate goal of their wedding day celebration come to life and have it be just what they envisioned."
Putting your trust in her…
We could tell just by meeting with Nicole that she's über-organized and pays a lot of attention to details, which any bride knows is important when planning a wedding. She looks at every angle and likes to think outside the box when it comes to giving you advice and ideas for your wedding. And, she never leaves home without a plan B and C for every situation in case of emergency. We found her (and think brides will agree that she's) easy to be around, fun and trustworthy.
Other wedding professionally certainly agree with us as Andrea Nielsen of As It Happens Photography Inc. told us that she loves everything about working with Nicole. “She's highly organized, very professional and tons of fun to be with.” She adds that if she were getting married, she would hire Nicole in a second. “I know that my day would be seamless and as un-stressful as a wedding could be.”
"I believe in being realistic, forthcoming and honest with my clients," Nicole told us. "If I don't know the answer, I don't try to make one up; I find the answer." This adds to reasons why brides will likely find it easy to trust Nicole. And, among other reasons to love her is her dedication to your wedding. "I don't believe in the words 'I can't'," says Nicole.
Lisa and Patrick had Nicole coordinate their August 2006 wedding day, scheduling the details, coordinating vendors and making sure the day ran smoothly and according to plan. They told us that they had an excellent experience working with Nicole, saying she was "very professional and highly energetic… she made the whole experience a lot of fun. Nicole and her team were easy to get along with and work with…" Lisa adds that her favourite memory of working with She Said "Yes" was talking to Nicole just before she walked down the aisle. "Nicole makes you feel as special as you want to on your big day and truly seems very excited and happy for you."
With her passion and drive, Nicole says she puts herself in the bridal couples' shoes when working with them and feels that their dreams and visions are just as important to her. "How can you help a bridal couple when you treat their wedding day celebration as a job?" she asks. "Every bride is just as important as the next."
Valeria and Nermin Jasarevic say they felt very special when Nicole helped them plan their July 2008 wedding. "I knew Nicole could get the work done, and after meeting with countless planners, her personality was the right fit for me," says Valeria. "I actually enjoyed my wedding and the whole process. Nicole was my rock and go-to person."
You said "yes", now what?
From coordinator to supervisor and financial advisor, Nicole will do just about anything to help her bridal couples as much or as little as needed – nothing seems out of reach or stress-worthy for her.
Nicole has a group of preferred vendors and can recommend them to you; but, she will deal with anyone that the bride requests. She will even negotiate with vendors on the bride’s behalf, sit down and help put together favours, and pick up where the bride left off at any moment of the planning process.
“She's the glue that holds the day together,” Andrea says when describing what Nicole does for brides and grooms. “Her knowledge of references, etiquette and locations, and ideas to make the day unique and fun is unparalleled.”
Perhaps most important (and a big reason why a lot of people hire a wedding planner), Nicole will help brides focus and manage their time and money while always keeping the bottom line in sight. She will find ways to save costs, if needed, and ensure that you stay on budget.
More specifically, Nicole offers different packages for different needs, but they're more like guidelines as she's flexible and willing to customize a package, or be an “as needed” consultant.
Valeria loved that Nicole had a plan for every aspect of her wedding and pre-wedding events. "I didn’t feel trapped by unrealistic options," she adds. "Nicole was flexible to what I needed. No cookie cutter kind of stuff."
A Consultation, which is usually about two hours, includes a meeting with the bride and groom where Nicole discusses the available services, offers budget guidance and money saving tips, and answers questions to get the planning started. A consultation typically costs $100 (deducted from the chosen package if the couple books, but for couples who book from The Wedding Ring, a consultation with Nicole is FREE! Just tell her where you heard about She Said "Yes" Weddings.
Nicole also offers an Hourly package at $55 per hour for couples who want help at various (but not all) stages of the wedding planning; so, you can hire Nicole as you need her.
For $1,500 you can book Nicole for her 3 Weeks and Counting package if you've done a majority of the wedding planning (i.e. securing vendors, locations, etc.) but still need some help with the three weeks leading up to the day. "I will pick up where you left off and take over all of the logistics remaining to make you feel comfortable and calm for the days prior to your wedding celebration," says Nicole. "I will work behind the scenes so that your wedding day, starting from 'sunrise to sunset', is the day you both envisioned."
The 3 Weeks and Counting service is Nicole's most popular among brides. "When coming to crunch time and having so much to do at the last minute, it can be overwhelming," she says. "This is where my services become critical. Bridal couples love planning their wedding day celebration; as the coordinator, I am the glue that holds it all together."
"Using She Said 'Yes' takes away the stress of ensuring the day is running smoothly and allows you to just enjoy the day," say Lisa and Patrick. "If anything did go wrong on the wedding day I did not even know it happened because Nicole deals with it and resolves it without stressing out the bride and groom or their families."
The I’m All Yours Package has it all. From suggesting themes, designs and décor, venue and vendors selections, to money saving ideas and tips, helping with contracts and budget management, to building a timeline for your day, Nicole says she will manage all of the logistics from “Concept to Completion”. Having Nicole from start to finish costs 15% of your wedding budget (as discussed with the bridal couple/family).
"The prices were right on what we wanted to spend," say Valeria and Nermin. "We totally got the value for the amount paid." And they add that Nicole helped them with their budget and worked with what they wanted to spend. Valeria suggests to other brides that hiring Nicole will be the best money you could spend on your wedding.
Lisa and Patrick say that hiring She Said "Yes" is worth the money you spend to have Nicole eliminate any extra stressed on your wedding day. "Other than giving my speech, I was not at all stressed as I did not have to watch the clock or worry whether the floral centrepieces had arrived, as Nicole managed this seamlessly for us," Lisa says.
Tips & trends
With over ten years in the event planning industry, Nicole has tons of experience and knowledge in the area, and has seen many trends come and go. Here are some of her best pieces of advice…
• Be realistic so you don’t get disappointed – don’t expect a $100,000 wedding with a $20,000 budget.
• Be patient with family and see other people's point of view. "Everyone will have an opinion," she says. "Remember, your mom has been dreaming about your wedding day since you were born."
• Give yourself as much time as possible so you only do wedding related things every other weekend. "Don’t let it consume you!"
Some trends that Nicole is seeing right now is couple's wanting a simpler and more romantic wedding. "Where couples may not have the 300+ guests, but have more of an intimate gathering," she says.
Nicole loves a couple who thinks outside the box and takes their guests' interests into consideration when planning their wedding. "It is, after all, about friends and families coming together to become one large group celebrating the union of a special couple, not about how much money they can spend, or how elaborate they can get," she says.
Walking you through it…
Nicole recommends booking She Said "Yes" as soon as you know you want to, especially if you want her to help out with the beginning stages of your wedding. The best way to get in contact with Nicole is by email, which she says she checks on a regular basis; but phone is also an option – whatever is easiest for you.
When you book a consultation with Nicole, she'll meet with you at your home, for coffee, or wherever is most convenient. "Once we sit down, I go over the couple's thoughts and ideas," says Nicole. "I explain to them where I can help them, how my packages are arranged… and we go through some items to give them a great jump start to their planning."
If the consultation seems like enough for you and you don't end up booking any of Nicole's other services, she'll still give you a package to help you start your planning. "I never leave a bridal couple with nothing to work from," she says.
If you do decide to book with She Said "Yes", you just have to decide which package works best for you and secure your date with a deposit (which varies depending on the service booked).
On the wedding day, Nicole is the one who is present, and if the wedding guests are over 150, she'll also have an assistant. "I am the shadow of the bridal couple and family, the organizer of the wedding professionals, and the guest management of the friends and family," she says. "I do everything possible to have the couple's wedding day visions come to life."
