Evelyn Clark Weddings is a Calgary based wedding planning and design company that builds a relationship of trust with couples so that they can treat their guests to a top-notch affair while being relaxed enough themselves to enjoy the emotions of their wedding day.
Recognized for use of colour and tasteful styling of details, Evelyn Clark Weddings works with clients who want a modern wedding with Classic simplicity. This means weddings tailored to today’s lifestyle that still have beautiful elements that stand the test of time.
Led by Director Evelyn Clark, Evelyn Clark Weddings commits to working with a limited set of couples at one time to allow the most dedication possible so that their clients stress less because they trust Evelyn Clark Weddings to run the show. Kindness, a calm demeanour and approachable professionalism are all keys to their success in developing strong relationships with clients and colleagues in the wedding industry.
Evelyn Clark Weddings is available for Full-Planning & Design as well as Wedding Management for weddings in Calgary, The Rocky Mountains and beyond.
Click on the video to check out my interview with Evelyn! The transcript is available below the video.
You can visit Evelyn Clark Weddings, Calgary Wedding Planners’ website by clicking here.
Anna: What sorts of services do you offer (day-of coordination, full-service event design or a la carte planning)?
Evelyn: Full planning & design and Wedding month Management, and Custom service based on availability.
Anna: Do you handle professional services, contracts and payment processing?
Evelyn: I help my full-planning clients acquire professional vendors and services by matching them with vendors appropriate for their style, budget and personalities. I do review contracts for them and help facilitate payments, but ultimately my clients are responsible for signing contracts with and making the actual payments to vendors themselves.
Anna: Do you handle rentals? Will you coordinate delivery, arrival and set up times with the photographer, the florist, the musicians and the caterer/banquet manager?
Evelyn: Yes and no. We handle the “light” decor and rentals such as linens and centrepieces and guestbook, etc. We leave the heavy-lifting such as loading and setting rental chairs, draping, lighting and large florals like arbours to the rental companies or florists/cake artists that we work with. We concentrate on design, planning and coordination, so we work best handling the small details and answering questions and coordinating people — all the timing, arrivals and set-up with vendors. We leave the heavier duty rentals to those that are trained and have the steel toe boots and know-how to install and dismantle safely.
Anna: Can you create a timeline that tells everyone involved in the planning process – other pros, members of the wedding party, bride/groom and families — what to do and when to do it?
Evelyn: You bet. Couples can struggle with this because this is likely their first wedding.
While most couples know what time they are taking their photos, the time of the ceremony, cocktails and dinner, they don’t know what to do with all of the little details and logistics in between. With our experience, we know how much time to allocate for your guests to take their seats before the Grand Entrance so that your dinner doesn’t get cold.
So we provide an itinerary to the couple that they can pass to their bridal party and family. We also create a wedding itinerary for vendors. This lists more logistical details, arrival times and loading times, when to start an installation and how long they have before guests start arriving, etc. everyone knows what happens and where they need to be for a seamless event.
Anna: What’s the cost of the average wedding you plan?
Evelyn: This varies. Most couples have a starting budget of $40-50K, but this number depends on your guest count. A $40K wedding for 50 looks very different than a $40K wedding for 150. So the way we look at it is $ per guest. You take your overall budget and divide that by your number of guests. Our numbers start at roughly $400+/guest.
Anna: How many weddings do you do per year, and do you plan events other than weddings?
Evelyn: We are a small firm and we like it that way. It gives us time to focus and work closer with our clients and a bit more of that work/life balance. So we like to take on about 15 weddings a year. This doesn’t mean every year is like this, but the beauty of owning your own business is being able to take on more or less when you need to. We only plan weddings because of this too to keep our focus.
Anna: Will you handle every aspect of the planning or can the couple do some things on their own? In other words, what parts of the planning will the couple be responsible for?
Evelyn: This depends on what service a couple books with us. Full-planning clients get the benefit or starting from scratch (or near scratch) with us — we scour venues, match them with vendors and manage all vendor communication and meetings, plus develop a budget and manage that budget, in addition to coordinating all the details on the day-of. So, yes,we have a hand in all aspects their planning.
Anna: What has been some of the most memorable wedding planning/wedding experiences you’ve had?
Evelyn: As much as you can plan the details and choose beautiful decor, a wonderful wedding is nothing without a great group of guests.
You can visit Evelyn Clark Wedding, Calgary Wedding Planners website by clicking here.