FAQ

If you’re planning a wedding there are bound to be questions that come up for you. When do I send my save the dates? Do I need a wedding cake? We’ll answer all of your outstanding questions, provide you with recommendations when dealing with vendors, logistics, family dynamics. We can create contingency plans and assign additional tasks where necessary. These consultant sessions can be added to any coordination or Partial Planning package for $75/hour. 

Monthly Date Nites are part of our Full Planning Package. Once a month, we get together via Zoom Meeting to tackle each month’s projects. Breaking tasks down by month reduces how overwhelming your wedding can feel and also prevents us from doubling our work by planning aspects that may change as time progresses.

It’s extreeeemely easy to say “our wedding budget is $30,000”…. But now what? In these meetings we help you organize your priorities so we can allocate your budget to items you care about most. We will continue to track your purchases over time to ensure you always know where your money is going, and we reality check you when we notice things are getting out of hand. 

Based on your taste, theme, formality, travel preference and budget, we research and present up to 10 wedding venues we think would work for you. Once you’ve narrowed it down, we organize tours at your favourites so you can see them in person. Once you’ve settled on the perfect one, we help with negotiating the contract and communicating with the venue contact as we continue to plan your day.

Based on your preferences and budget we research and present up to 3 wedding vendors per category (3 DJ’s, 3 Photographers, etc.) for your review. Once you’ve narrowed it down, we organize meetings with your favourite vendors so you can meet them in person. Once you’ve settled on the vendors you’d like to hire, we help with negotiating the contracts, managing payments and communicating with the vendors as we continue to plan your day. 

Absolutely!  Should your guests need assistance with researching hotels or transportation, or if you need a room block coordinated and shuttle services organized, we are happy to manage these details for you.

As we get closer to your  wedding day we visit the venue in person to walk the space, envision decor, discuss layouts and plan logistics.

We spend a considerable amount of time planning what your day looks like so everything flows perfectly. From taking variables into consideration like catering service time, sunset, first look, guest arrival, liquor licensing, local bylaws, etc, we take everything into consideration. Recording behind the scenes details such as vendor arrivals, setup of specific items, and surprises are just the beginning. Designing the floor plan so we can avoid situations where decor/stations don’t fit, there is good flow and few bottlenecks, and so your guests aren’t cramped (and if necessary, socially distanced).

We make sure we have contacted vendors prior to the wedding to ensure last minute changes and miscommunications don’t impact your day.

We spend time training the wedding party on when to walk, where to stand, managing wedding bands, how to move to the signing table, being the legal witness, the order of the ceremony, and tips & tricks so your ceremony runs smoothly.

Anything from place cards, centrepieces, candles, favours, table numbers, gift table, welcome table, candy bar, napkins, linens, or signage totally fall under our wheelhouse of set up and tear down.

When you work with us on a day-of-coordination package basis, we take care of everything on your special day so you don’t have to worry. From greeting vendors and making sure they have everything they need and stay on time and on task, to ensuring your wedding party and guests are comfortable at all times – this package allows you to sit back, relax, and enjoy your wedding. We do have a full list of what is included in this package, breaking down each section, so just reach out to see everything that is included.

Our Principal Coordinators have been with Thistle & Thorne for a number of years in a lead position and have lots of experience within the hospitality sector and wedding industry specifically. They take on an average of 20-30 weddings each year.

Our Associates have been assisting at weddings under the tutelage of our Principal Coordinators and have shown the drive, skills, and knowledge that is necessary for a Lead role. Our Associates lead a number of weddings each year under the direction of a Principal Coordinator so working with an Associate is really the best of both worlds!

Some of our assistants are studying in Hospitality Programs, some are retired wedding professionals looking for some fun, and some are other Wedding Coordinators who are looking for the fun of weddings without the responsibility of leading. 

To ensure that your guests, vendors, and wedding party are looked after to the best of our ability, and that your Lead Planner can focus on the tasks you’ve hired them for, we typically schedule 1 assistant for every 25-30 guests. Once we have met with our potential couples and gotten to know their wedding a bit better we write a custom quote based on their unique needs.

At the early stages of wedding planning, the assistant labour we include in our quotes is an estimate will be adjusted to better suit your needs as we know more about your decor and the services of your other vendors.

Depending on the size of the wedding and the scope of work needed, our team is most commonly scheduled as follows:

1. Opener – greets early arriving vendors and begins setup
2. Mid Shift – arrives 2-3 hours before the ceremony to finalize setup & manage guests 

Closer – arrives just before the reception for any final setup, responsible for tear down

This rolling kit is onsite for all weddings and includes a VAST collection of supplies that have come in handy over our years in the industry. For example, it includes bobby-pins, a hammer, twine, a glue gun, scissors, mints, deodorant, safety pins, combs, ribbon, double-sided tape, tent cards, nail glue and much more. We do not charge you for this kit as it is just as vital to our jobs as a hammer is to a carpenter, but its content is valued over $1000!