My 3 favourite Edmonton Wedding Planners

My, personal, 3 favourite Edmonton wedding planners. Friends I’m so excited about today’s blog post that I’m sharing! I feel that’s it’s important to show some love to local vendors. People that I personally trust and would happily work with over and over again. If I could get married multiple times I would, just so I could work with each one of these talented individuals. But I only plan on tieing the knot once (haha). So I’m going to share with you all my recommendations, why, and a little ‘get to know them’. There’s a lot to take into consideration when planning a wedding, it can be really overwhelming. If anything I share with you all today makes anybody’s lives a little bit easier I call that a win!

I’m currently in the process of planning my own wedding, it’s been a long process. Longer than normal because we’ve decided to postpone due to the dreaded current “C” word (Covid-19). All 3 of these wedding planners have given me advice, a safe space to ask questions and most importantly friendship over the last several months. Planning a wedding takes legitimate time and energy, throw on top, a worldwide pandemic, and things get stressful. Wedding planners offer peace of mind when all is said and done.

I would recommend any of these wonderful women ten-fold! So here are my 3 favourite Edmonton Wedding Planners!

Meet Sandra! of Sandra Bettina Events.

Photo by: Tracey Jasmin Photography

My why,

Sandra is an absolute pleasure to talk to! She is so professional and polite (while always keeping it real). Her design and home aesthetic are right up my alley! Clean, classic, neutrals with a little bit of elegance. Seriously her new home is to die for, I just want to copy and paste! You can check it out on her Instagram. So if you love a highly timeless feel to your wedding day Sandra’s style is perfect for you.

Sandra has been a wonderful person to talk too about my own wedding planning struggles, she is so sweet to check in with me and give me tips here and there. I’ve used her insider help multiple times and I’m so thankful! If she is as caring and attentive to me I know she’s that times ten with her couples!

A little bit about Sandra, from Sandra!

I’m Sandra, the owner and lead planner behind Sandra Bettina Weddings & Events – a wedding planning, coordination and design boutique in the Edmonton area.  I am absolutely obsessed with this beautiful wedding world that I get to call my career.  SBWE was born in 2015 combining my passion for creativity and business.  I am a  Certified  Wedding  Coordinator and Designer through the  Wedding  Planners  Institute of  Canada  (WPIC)  and a  Bachelor of  Commerce graduate from the  University of  Alberta  School of  Business. As SBWE has evolved, I’ve been lucky to find my unicorn employee, Jill, who is the calm to my storm and an amazing Coordinator for our Wedding Day Management couples.

What types of couples do you like to work with?

Our favourite weddings to plan are elegant in design but upbeat in execution. Our sweet spot is creating a refined and timeless look while also focusing heavily on a fun, easy-going and memorable overall guest experience. The couples we work with love an upscale vibe BUT with a kick of fun. They love details, they value and respect wedding vendors and aren’t afraid to invest in an amazing design, but also have a casual vibe about who they are. The best compliment I have ever received was “you’re fun but get sh*t done” so the more often I get to do just that, the happier I am.

What’s your favourite part about planning weddings?

What I find most fulfilling about this job is seeing something go from just concepts and ideas to an incredible event that makes our clients so happy and is a day they will forever look back on with happy memories. While there is “a formula” to planning a wedding, no wedding is ever the same – that’s where the magic really happens.

If you could give one piece of advice to a couple planning their wedding, what would it be?

As a good business owner, I should probably say “hire a planner” as the one piece of advice that I want to give couples but I won’t say that. What I will say, is that the one piece of advice that I want to give you is to invest in professional wedding vendors, from the photographer to the stationer, it all truly matters. Your wedding team can make or break your wedding experience, from the planning to the months and years after.  Yes it’s “one day” but it is a hugely important one that you don’t get to do over, so choose wisely.  Now that I’ve said that – you’ll probably end up wanting and needing a planner anyway ….  who else will have all of those vetted vendors at their fingertips?

Website/ sandrabettinaevents.com | Email/ info@sandrabettinaevents.com

Say hello to Joelle! of Hitched by Joelle.

Photo by: Ampersand and Grey

My why,

Joelle is all kinds of bubbly and excitement rolled into one big ball! Which I LOVE, I too am very easily excitable and loud so I’m naturally really drawn to other people like myself. She loves colour and consults, people like me and her get so much energy off of meeting new people it’s our favourite. Her Instagram stories are always packed full of helpful words of wisdom to brides and grooms. If you ever envisioned a tent wedding in a field for yourself then look no further, Joelle is your planner!

My fiancee Jonathan and I sat down with Joelle last winter for what she calls a ‘Hitched Hangout’. A two hour+ long meeting covering big-ticket items like the floorplan, what to do about rentals, and timeline. Something that I was majorly stressing over, as while I’ve gone to over 80 weddings I’ve never had to make a floorplan. She helped us work out a lot of kinks and I’m so grateful for that!

A little bit about Joelle, from Joelle!

Hello! I’m Joelle and I’m definitely not your typical wedding + event planner. In fact, I’ve been described most accurately by one of my brides, Cat who said: “she’s the most perfect mix of your outrageously fun and trucker mouthed cousin from the country and your cosmopolitan BFF who gasps in delight at all your over the top ideas!” After being in the industry for 6 years, I now specialize in tented weddings all across Alberta and focuses on creating custom experiences for my clients and their guests. I’ll have 50+ weddings under my belt, myself and my team never tire of the work and we just feel so incredibly privileged to be curating and designing weddings for our couples that are as wild as their hearts and as BIG as their story. We’ve got the best damn job in the world!

What types of couples do you like to work with?

I love working with couples who want to really create something different and unique and not just by using a different napkin and linen combo. Ones who really like to stir the creative pot and come up with something extremely unique to them as a couple whether it be via decor, the venue, or maybe the events of their wedding day. Our couples love to challenge the norm and it’s something I absolutely adore about them.

Photo by: BRZ Photography

What’s your favourite part about planning weddings?

I think I would have to say that my favourite part of being a wedding planner is the new challenge that every year brings. It’s never the same thing over and over again and that’s the type of environment that I thrive in. New locations, new ideas, new everything…literally! I have yet to truly “duplicate” something and I love putting my own spin on things… I call that my magic sauce!!

If you could give one piece of advice to a couple planning their wedding, what would it be?

Website/ hitchedbyjoelle.com | Email/ info@hitchedbyjoelle.com

Finally, meet the team behind Save The Date Weddings & Events Inc. Danielle and Megan!

Photo by: Rhiannon Sarah Photography / Danielle is on the left, Megan on the right

My why, 

Danielle and Megan are two people you need to meet! They are two passionate and delightful people who I feel lucky to know. They love anything their couples love, Danielle and Megan are so flexible. Save the Date Weddings & Events Inc. are very budget-conscious so that you know you can get quality wedding planning and design without having to sacrifice any of your vision. If you love country chic, industrial glam, or even sweeping mountain landscapes as a backdrop to your nuptials Danielle and Megan will be there with you every step of the way.

I’ve worked with both of these wonderful ladies on multiple projects. They bring an air of calmness, sophistication and beauty to any wedding that I personally adore. I’ve sat in on the planning process with Danielle and Megan and they are nothing but amazing listeners. Gently giving strong advice and support, I would trust these two with anything!

A little bit about Danielle and Megan!

What types of couples do you like to work with?

We love working with all kinds of couples who feel they need an extra set of hands for their wedding day. Working with couples to help them truly embrace their special day by enabling them to immerse themselves deeply into such a monumental moment. We believe that ‘together’ truly is the most beautiful place to be, and our promise to our couples is to bring their vision to life while remaining true to that!

What’s your favourite part about planning weddings?

Our favourite part about planning weddings is not only seeing the relief on our couples’ faces when we’ve been brought on board to help but seeing all of the pieces of the ‘planning puzzle’ come together. As the Planners/ Coordinators and Event Designers, we truly have the best point of view on our couples’ wedding day. We are able to see, experience and feel the laughter, happy tears, heartfelt vows and love that circulates and radiates throughout the entire celebration. Just seeing the look on our couples’ faces when they walk into their wedding day, relaxed and excited about this next step in their journey together; well there really aren’t any words to describe the feeling that brings to us.

If you could give one piece of advice to a couple planning their wedding, what would it be?

While planning your wedding, (regardless if you’re planning an elopement, a big party with a large guest list, or something in between) make time throughout the process to focus on each other and to break from the stress that we all know planning can bring! Go on a date, try something new and talk about something other than ‘the wedding’. There is so much planning that goes into one day, and there is a whole lifetime of memories to be made beyond your vows. Enjoy the process and reach out for help when it gets tough. When you’re ready to pass off your plans for a flawless delivery! After all, we’ve noticed that sometimes asking your friends and family to take care of the important elements of your big day can bring on more stress than necessary. Let them relax alongside you and let us help! That’s what we’re here for.

Website/ wesaveyourdate.com | Email/ wesavethedate.events@gmail.com

favourite Edmonton Wedding Planners