When The Ring met Jackie Nerlien, owner of The Prepared Bride, we knew we had to break our rule of only reviewing vendors that have been in business for more than two years.
Jackie’s services, from full planning to day-of to consulting, include everything that brides in the KW area might need to plan a dream wedding....on any budget.
With her Blackberry glued to her hip, Jackie’s brides can be rest assured that this is one planner that will bend over backwards for their dream wedding. Here’s why we love The Prepared Bride.....
Personally Speaking
Jackie has always adored “everything wedding”. But it was her own wedding in 2007 that truly inspired her to become a wedding planner. “It took me about three years to actually start my business due to international moves...but I am here now and loving every second of it! I want every bride to have the same wonderful experience I did in planning my own wedding.”
Jackie, a member of the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada, says that while her business officially opened in March 2011, she has been planning weddings for the past four years.
So far, Jackie has planned six weddings, with more booked for 2011 and 2012. Her experience ranges from coordinating day-of services to full planning.
One of Jackie’s up-coming 2012 brides, Trish Beardsley, told The Ring, “After meeting with five different wedding planners in this area we chose The Prepared Bride because Jackie is flexible, has lots of time for us, she is always open to feedback (and asks for it!), she is creative, she is open to using vendors she does not know, and she is just a genuinely nice and caring individual whose goal is to ensure I have the wedding of my dreams.”
Jackie also spends part of her time as a Bridal Consultant at a Waterloo bridal store, where she helps brides find the perfect gown. Jackie says it’s also great for The Prepared Bride, “I ask all of my brides a lot of questions about their weddings. This keeps me in the loop with any new trends and fun wedding ideas.”
For Jackie, The Prepared Bride is a dream career, “I LOVE working with brides and grooms. Making my couples happy is what keeps me inspired. If a couple is willing to pay me their hard earned money to plan their wedding (and trust me to plan their dream wedding), I am inspired everyday to give them what they want. I am truly honoured when a couple wants to hire me. That is the ultimate compliment."
Tamara Hundt raves about The Prepared Bride’s services, which she used for her May 2011 wedding day, “I thoroughly enjoyed my wedding day because I had nothing to do but get dressed - Jackie had already taken care of everything. She confirmed details with all of our vendors and made sure the venue was set up exactly the way we had discussed. She made a very pleasant and professional first impression as she greeted our guests and ensured that everything ran smoothly. Our wedding was even better than I expected and I still have guests commenting on how perfect it was. Although I would like to take credit for this, I owe it all to Jackie!”
Johanna Fischer agrees. She was married in October 2010 and says that Jackie’s services were priceless, “Every meeting with Jackie gave me more and more comfort and reassurance that my wedding day would be exactly what I wanted, and run as smoothly as I hoped. Jackie loves weddings so much, and her passion and excitement showed in all of her work. It was very fun to share the planning of my wedding with someone who genuinely seemed to share my excitement for the day. She came to every meeting fully prepared and always thought each item through fully. She thought of things I never would have thought of! Her ability to so thoroughly organize the logistics of my wedding day took a tremendous weight off of my shoulders."
Tropical Inspiration
Jackie pulls much of her inspiration from Bermuda, where she lived for two years. “Everything is beautiful there! The exotic flowers, fantastic beaches, and island living were just the start of my wedding muse. A lot of my ideas for décor and centerpieces are drawn from my experiences in Bermuda.”
In fact, Jackie planned her own wedding while she was living in Bermuda. Although she was getting married in Minnesota, she was able to plan from afar. While she admits it was trying at times, she says that everything turned out perfectly. “I wouldn’t change a thing!”
Packages and Pricing
The Prepared Bride offers five packages. If you don’t see something that works for you, Jackie is also able to put together a custom package to fit any couples needs.
Here’s a peak at each package:
Day-Of Diligence – ($600) This is the perfect option for couples who want to take care of all the preliminary planning but understand the importance of having a wedding planner on the day of your wedding to manage and take care of all the details. Enjoy your day, stress free!
Full Planning Precision – (the fee for this package is 10% of the total cost of all items or components, vendors and venue(s), with a minimum fee of $1,600)
With this package, you can trust your entire wedding planning process to The Prepared Bride. Jackie will be with you every step of the way, from the very beginning until the last person has left your reception site.
The Ultimate Full Planning Experience – (The fee for this package is 10% of the total cost of all items or components, vendors and venue(s), with a minimum fee of $3,000)
This is Jackie’s top of the line wedding planning package, which includes every aspect of the Full Planning Precision package as well as engagement party, rehearsal dinner and honeymoon planning. Every wedding-related detail will be taken care of and all you have to do is enjoy the outcome.
Jackie also offers consulting services for couples who want help with an item or two, like the budget or theme development. The fee for a consultation is $150 for the first hour and $50 for each hour thereafter.
Pre-Wedding Perks
Apart from her packages, Jackie believes it’s important that couples maintain mental and physical health throughout their planning process. The Prepared Bride offers Bridal Wellness packages as well.
Jackie explains, “While The Prepared Bride will remove stress from the planning experience, I believe in assisting couples in finding outlets for wellness if desired, such as yoga, pre-marital counselling. I work directly with a Certified Yoga Instructor and Marriage & Family Therapist who is able to provide relaxation yoga sessions as well as pre-marital counselling on a personalized basis.”
In addition to these services, The Prepared Bride also offers jewellery making classes. “This is a great way for a bride to take time out of the day to focus on an enjoyable task, to express gratitude to bridesmaids by creating customized gifts, or to bring together the bridal party in a social bonding activity.”
The Prepared Bride’s Style
Jackie describes The Prepared Bride’s style as friendly, inviting, and very easy to get along with. “My brides can see from the initial meeting that I honestly care about their wedding. They can also tell that I LOVE what I do. I believe brides find me to be flexible as well. I am willing to put together a custom package to fit any need. Also, I come to every initial meeting fully prepared with an information package about my business. Brides have complimented me on my organizational skills."
Andrea Bemis booked The Prepared Bride for her July 2011 wedding. She says she would recommend Jackie to anyone planning a wedding, “She was invaluable to my wedding planning process. I received responses to my questions within 24 hours, every time! She seemed like she was always available, which is amazing because I know she has other clients and her own life.”
Trends
Jackie loves to stay on top of current trends. Here are a few that she is seeing right now:
1.Letting your dream venues decide your wedding date. Instead of picking your wedding date just to find out that your dream venue is already booked; many couples are picking a month or a season that they would like to get married. Depending on what the venue has available during this month/season is what determines their wedding date. This reduces any stress resulting from not getting their desired venue.
2.Using personalized table names instead of numbers. For example, for the fast-food loving bride, using names of fast food restaurants as table names.
3.Instead of plated meals, using food stations. Guests are able to walk around to different food stations filling their plates with their favourite food options. This is a very social and relaxing environment for your guests.
4.Using guest photo booths at receptions allowing your guests to be photographed in a different light. Your guests can use traditional poses, or they can get creative with props and group shots.
Walking you through it
If you are interested in booking Jackie for wedding services, you can send her an email or give her a call to set up a meeting. Jackie usually meets couples for coffee so that you can both get to know eachother.
During your initial meeting, Jackie likes to find out about you as a couple. She’ll ask everything from “How long have you been together” to “How did he propose?” She will also share her experiences as a Wedding Planner, show you her portfolio, and discuss what she can do to help make your dream wedding a reality. At this point, she will give you her initial meeting package, with her package/services information and pricing, a sample contract, and references. Last but not least, she’ll show you her ‘emergency kit’, just to demonstrate that she can handle adversity, if it strikes.
If you decide to hire Jackie for full planning, she immediately gets to work on a wedding timeline, which details what should be done and by what date. She also starts to work on a general budget. She will schedule a meeting with you to go over the timeline and budget together. The team at The Ring loves that couples will receive an email every time Jackie updates the budget, and a calendar dedicated to each client so that everyone is informed of appointments and deadlines throughout the entire planning process.
At this point, Jackie meets with various vendors. Jackie can suggest vendors or you can choose your own. She will assist with everything theme development, décor, colour options, attire, hair, make-up, invitations, or anything else you might need help with. About a week before the wedding, she puts together an itinerary for every vendor, wedding party member, and all other VIPs to make sure everyone knows where they should be at all times during the wedding day. If applicable, she will direct the wedding rehearsal before the wedding.
If you decide to hire Jackie for day-of services, she’ll meet with you about a month before your wedding day. You’ll go over all of your wedding details with Jackie. She’ll take the next two weeks to go over vendor contracts and ask any necessary questions of you and/or vendors. She will look for any red flags that need to be remedied prior to the wedding day. One week before the wedding, you’ll go over any questions, discuss your itinerary and Jackie will make sure that everyone from the vendors to the wedding party knows where they should be at all times during the wedding.
On your wedding day, Jackie is there, along with her assistant. They arrive about two hours before the ceremony, to make sure that everything is set up perfectly. Jackie’s assistant, with the help of her well-equipped emergency kit, will spritz flowers with water, blot shiny foreheads, provide band aides for blistered feet, greet guests as they enter the ceremony and reception and help with anything else needed on the day of.
Depending on the package, Jackie is there until the last event of the evening (usually the cake cutting and late night table set up), or she can stay until the very last guest has left the venue.
Grainne Aitken of Art and Soul Photography has worked with The Prepared Bride on weddings. She told The Ring, “Jackie was a pleasure to deal with before and during the wedding day. Her attention to detail is second to none. During the photo shoot at the park, her assistant was always on hand to help out with anything that was required and was armed with all the essentials such as bottled water and Band Aids!”
Details, details, details
•Brides will love that HST is not applicable right now. “It’s a nice thing for my clients at the moment. Gratuities are nice, but I would rather receive a referral than a gratuity if you are satisfied with my services.”
•A deposit is required to secure The Prepared Bride for your wedding. $200 is required for day-of coordination services and $400 for full planning services. Consultations are paid by the hour.
•Depending on the service, there are different timelines for booking ahead. If couples are interested in day-of services, Jackie recommends booking at least a month in advance. If a couple wants full planning, booking a year in advance would be ideal, but not necessary. Jackie is flexible and willing to work with all timelines.
