frequently asked questions
Answers to Your Most Common Wedding & Event Planning Questions
Q: How long has MLE been planning, designing and executing events?
A: MLE has been executing events for 14 years! Owner, Michelle Cousins, launched MLE in 2010 with over 15 years of event planning experience under her belt. Fast forward another 14 years, Michelle and her team have over 75 years of collective event planning experience. Since 2010, MLE has produced hundreds of weddings and events and has served a wide variety of clients across the globe.
Q: What differentiates MLE from other event planners and designers?
A: EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, REPUTATION, TALENT & TRANSPARENCY!
MLE is THE ONLY planner in Utah recognized by Vogue, BRIDES & Martha Stewart as a top planner in the country for multiple years running. We are the ONLY 18 time BEST OF STATE winner for event planning and bridal services. These accolades are hard-earned, well-deserved, and coveted by our competition. Simply put, our reputation speaks for itself, and we encourage you to check out our 30+ five star reviews on Google, Yelp and Wedding Wire.
Other differences that set us apart? Our intimate style of service! We take the necessary time to get to know our clients, and we have a vested interested in designing and planning THEIR event, not serving a personal agenda. You’re not just another client, and your event isn’t just another celebration. We thrive on personal connections and take the time to get to know you and what you want. As such, we’ve built an efficient process that yields successful results time and time again based on the priorities of our clients.
Yes, we’re good at communication, timeline building and coordinating general logistics, but there’s more to an event than just planning. Have you seen our event designs? Michelle’s personal focus is working with each of her clients to gain an understanding of their taste, style, personality and overall vision (and if they don’t have a vision, she helps them discover one). Michelle then spends countless hours designing a custom proposal filled to the brim with ideas, design concepts, and a feasible plan on how to bring it all together. Because of her design talents and ability to keep all involved creatives on the same page, Michelle’s designs are more than just cohesive-looking. They’re thoughtfully and intentional designed to represent who her clients are and what they envisioned for their celebration.
In summary, MLE is an organized powerhouse of trained event planning professionals with years of experience working under pressure. We have been through the event planning process many times before, and we’re your ticket to a customized, successful and memorable event. We know the right questions to ask and when to ask them. We know who to contact to get the job done. We can predict what high-stress situations to be ready for and how to manage them. We oversee the big and little details that have not crossed your mind (and may never). We help our clients avoid costly mistakes and hours of wasted time. We offer our clients peace of mind and the freedom of enjoying a stress-free, memorable event.
Q: How many events does MLE execute each year?
A: Because we tailor our process to each client’s needs and provide quality over quantity, we only accept a limited number of events per year. This allows us to provide our clients with a personalized experience as we focus our efforts on creating custom events that exceed expectations. On average, our clients don’t hire us for one event. Typically our clients have multi-day celebrations, but we are happy to serve those with single event needs as well.
Q: How much do event planners charge?
A: Planner fees are dependent on years of experience, types of events executed, and overall demographics. Taking these factors into consideration, you should expect to allocate 15-20% of the overall budget for professional planning services.
Q: How much does MLE charge?
A: After an initial consultation, a custom proposal is created and tailored to the client’s specific needs. Pricing is based on the level of service selected and how many events that service will be applied to. To learn more about MLE’s services, please visit our services page. If you are not sure what service best meets your needs, or for information regarding pricing, please contact us to discuss further. We’re happy to conduct an initial consultation to help you determine which package best accommodates your event needs.
Q: What should my overall event investment be?
A: Every event is different, and no two clients have the same list of priorities or needs. Your overall investment will range depending on the following key factors: location, guest count, selected venue, menu selections, entertainment preferences, main priorities, and overall personal taste & style. Most of our clients celebrating in a luxury destination spend roughly $1,250-$1,500 per guest with an average guest count of 150+ guests. For multi-event celebrations including 2 or more events, most clients spend around $1,850-$2,000 per guest.
Q: How does MLE handle vendor contracts and payments?
A: Transparency! We pride ourselves on making sure you understand (and approve of) your overall investment. We understand this isn’t just a financial investment, it’s an emotional one as well. And that’s why transparency is so important; we firmly believe our clients make better decisions and are able to better prioritize their investments when they understand the true value of a product or service. If you invest $30k in floral, you receive $30k in floral. MLE doesn’t make a commission off of vendor services, and we don’t charge your vendors a “referral fee”. There’s no invoice-padding or photoshopping happening on our watch. Clients enter into contracts directly with each selected vendor (we will review contracts alongside you to make sure everything looks correct from our standpoint before you sign). You will then pay all hired vendors directly, not through MLE.
Q: Why should I hire an event planner?
A: Hiring an event planner is typically a non-negotiable requirement for most venues. Venues have their own set of responsibilities to worry about, and planning your event isn’t one of them. Instead, venues partner with reliable and talented planners to get the job done THE RIGHT WAY, knowing their clients are in good hands, and things will run smoothly for all involved. Aside from this common requirement, investing in an event planner is one of the smartest decisions you can and should make.
Planners offer a working knowledge built on years of experience and relationships. When it comes to expenses, planners know how to forecast a budget to help you obtain your biggest priorities without making costly mistakes. When it comes to building a vendor team, planners already have solid relationships in place with reliable, quality, vetted, licensed, and insured vendors. When it comes to timelines, layouts, communication, vendor contracts, and those lengthy to do lists, planners know what to manage and (more importantly) when to manage it. On event day, planners are there to direct everything and everyone so YOU, your family and your guests can focus on what matters and enjoy the event instead of run it. And when (not if) something goes wrong (because no amount of planning can guarantee perfection), your planner is there to extinguish a fire before it even starts, without you ever knowing there was potential for one.
Planning an event is a full time job! With busy careers and personal obligations, planning an event (especially a destination event), is all-time consuming. It’s even more time-consuming when you don’t know what you’re doing (not to mention costly). And let’s be clear- there’s no such thing as a “small event” that doesn’t require much attention, because every event (no matter if the guest count is 30 or 3,000) requires design, management, coordination and execution. Working with a planner ensures things get done on time, and in the most efficient, orderly way possible. Planners take the wheel so you can continue to remain focused on other important areas of your life and avoid wedding planning burnout.
Q: What are the differences between a planner, designer & coordinator?
A: Here is a breakdown of these roles and services to help you better understand the importance of each:
Event Planners: Planners love logistics and have a complete roster of vendors and venues they’re able to recommend on the spot. Planners manage proper delegation of the event budget and the overall event planning timeline. They oversee the vendor acquisition process all while looking for red flags, and answering important client questions before contracts are ever signed. Planners obtain information regarding venue spaces to ensure all rules and regulations of the venue are respected by all involved parties utilizing the space. They familiarize themselves with the venue’s electrical capabilities and special logistics to develop layouts that accommodate the size of the event. Planners create timelines, orchestrate rehearsals, coordinate transportation efforts, and communicate all expectations, important dates, times and other vital information to the entire vendor team ensuring that load in, set up, execution and strike happen according to plan. Planners are the first individuals on site the day of the event and the last ones to go home.
Event Designers & Stylists: Designers thrive on creative details and décor and have the ability to completely transform a space into an amazing atmosphere. They focus on colors, textures, lighting and ambiance, floral selection, table-top design, ceiling and wall treatments, paper details, cake design, furniture and more. Event designers focus on the big and small details that make events truly unique and personal while coordinating with design-related vendors to ensure all the visuals are cohesive and streamlined to produce amazing and memorable results.
One of the biggest benefits of working with MLE is that we offer BOTH planning and event design services. We feel strongly that in order to successfully orchestrate a custom event full of personal and unique details our clients will love, we need to have a hand in designing the stepping-stones that help us get you to the finish line.
We often hear this: “I don’t need a planner because my venue comes with a coordinator who is taking care of the details for me.” Really? Are you sure? While MLE is well aware of what your venue coordinator will and won’t do, the real question is, are you?
Venue Coordinators: Venue coordinators work at event venues. They don’t manage any details outside of their contracted services as a venue. Therefore, they are looking out for the best interests of the venue, not your event. A venue coordinator will only deal with aspects pertaining to the venue such as the set up of a room or space within the venue. They dictate set up and end times and communicate the rules and regulations covered in your contract pertaining to the use of space you’ve rented. They only manage details regarding the items the venue might provide such as tables and chairs. The venue coordinator is absent through the majority of the planning process. They aren’t necessarily there when set up begins and they often leave before the event has concluded. Their job isn’t to help you hire the right vendors (although they might provide you with a list of people they know). They don’t put out any fires when your cake doesn’t show up on time or your DJ forgets an extension cord. They will look at you and shrug when the breakers blow because you didn’t account for adequate power and your band brought in too many fancy lights and blew all the circuits. Venue coordinators recommend (and typically require) their clients to hire an event planner to take care of everything they as coordinators don’t handle.
Q: can’t other vendors help plan my event?
A: Plain and simple, anyone whose professional title isn’t Event Planner shouldn’t be offering you planning services. Industry professionals should focus on providing the service they specialize in. And no, planning her own wedding doesn’t make your best friend an expert, either. When you allow random vendors or unqualified people to handle the work and responsibility of a seasoned event planner, things get messy very quickly. In the end, the client always pays the price.
Q: What type of client does MLE work with?
A: We work with all types of clients each seeking a unique and personalized event experience. There is a common thread among our clients: they not only enlist our services, THEY TRUST US to do our job. Our clients place an emphasis on amazing guest experiences and trust MLE to deliver such an experience. Our clients know that little details are just as important as big details, and throughout our partnership, our clients trust the direction and expertise we provide them. This dynamic is absolutely vital in order to continue executing the caliber of events MLE is known for and our clients expect. We do our best work when our clients hire vendors we know and trust to do the best job. We do our best work when we are enabled and trusted to do so.
Q: Does MLE Work with and support the LGTBQ+ Community?
A: Absolutely! We are proud to be an LGTBQ+ friendly company and would be honored to work with you to plan an amazing celebration!
Q: What type of clients aren’t a good fit for MLE?
A: MLE works best with trusting clients who choose to engage one-on-one, completely and directly with MLE without the distraction of others. MLE isn’t a good fit for everyone, and that’s okay! We’d rather see you hire a planner that is a good fit than struggle through a rocky relationship and an event that doesn’t meet your expectations. MLE isn’t the best fit for the following types of clients:
Disengaged Clients: Clients who are completely disengaged from the planning process and aren’t interested in giving us the necessary input needed in order to make important decisions leading up to the event aren’t a good fit for MLE. We prefer to establish a collaborative relationship with our clients in order to fully deliver an event that is as unique as it is personal.
Micromanagers: MLE appreciates clients who hire us and then trust us to do the job we were hired to do (and that includes trusting the vendors hired to do their job). MLE brings years of experience and expertise to each event we manage. We prefer our clients to realize the complete benefit of hiring MLE by allowing us to collaborate with them when necessary but then execute on their behalf when the time comes, especially on event day.
“Too Many Cooks In the Kitchen” Clients: We realize sharing the event planning experience with your friends and family is fun, and we understand that our clients may wish to enlist the feedback of others when making big decisions. However, when too many cooks are in the kitchen, timely decisions can’t be made and often times the clients find themselves overwhelmed by the volume of unsolicited opinions and advice. We want to plan YOUR event. As such, we won’t engage in meetings or conversations that include a client’s entire entourage of friends and family. Additionally, MLE will not work with or take direction from anyone other than our legal clients (legal clients are identified as the individual(s) who sign our contract). This strict policy protects both MLE and our clients throughout our working relationship, and helps everyone avoid unnecessary miscommunication.
Q: Does MLE accept payment plans?
A: Yes, our payment plans are broken up into four total payments. An initial reservation fee is due upon signing our contract followed by 3 additional payments with the final payment due 14-30 days prior to the event date. MLE accepts many forms of payment, all of which are discussed and defined during the contracting process.
Q: How many staff members will be working my event?
A: No two events are ever the same and neither is the number staff required to execute them. We customize the size of our day-of event staff to meet the needs of each event we execute. For weddings, our day-of team is generally a staff of 4-5 while large corporate events may require a staff of 6+. We throughly evaluate the needs of every event and the timeline of execution so that we can adequately prepare to have the proper size team on site for a seamless execution.
Q: What are the next steps and how soon should I book MLE’s services?
A: We encourage clients to book as soon as possible. The more time we have to spend working with our clients, the more time we have to make their events truly amazing and unforgettable. Since we only accept a limited number of events per year, it’s best not to wait if you’re considering our services. If you’re interested in partnering with us, please contact us and Michelle will be in touch with additional information.
Q: What are other clients saying about their experience working with MLE?
A: We’ve received a large number of sweet and gracious testimonials from our previous clients. We encourage you to read what others have to say about working with MLE via the below links: