Sustainable wedding planning and design in Central Oregon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The Team

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OUR mission

The team at Ponderosa Planning is committed to demystifying the wedding industry and giving couples a roadmap to planning. We’re passionate about couples being guests at their own wedding and investing wisely in their special day.

Our values

We are committed to sustainability, authenticity, and playfulness. If you believe love is love, honesty matters, and the outdoors feels like home, we’ll be a good match.

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We plan weddings for adventurous couples who aren’t afraid to trade tradition for the wedding they truly want.

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The Process

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Reach out! We’ll schedule a free consultation to see if it’s a good fit. After hearing more about your needs, we’ll create a customized proposal. Once the proposal is signed and 50% deposit paid, we are officially on your team!

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You can expect to get onboarded right away with a robust digital planning platform called Aisle Planner. From there, your lead planner walks you through each step of planning. The number of meetings and deliverables vary by package.

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4-6 weeks before the wedding we start the Hand Off Process. This is when we finalize the vendor schedule, layout, seating chart, day-of timeline, decor placement… Basically the who, what, when, + where so we can be the hosts.

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Wedding day! We’re there from start to finish managing vendors, problem solving, and overseeing all the little details. You + your honey enjoy the wedding as guests, knowing that wedding planning was the best investment you ever made.

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Frequently Asked Questions


Do you offer day-of coordination?

Do we fully manage + execute your wedding day start to finish? Yes.

Do we offer day-of coordination as a stand alone service? No.

Why? Day-of coordination is a misnomer. Showing up on the wedding day with no prior communication or legwork isn’t a real thing. Most planning firms start communication 4-6 weeks before the wedding, so why do folks call it ‘Day-of’ when it’s clearly more than one day? When hiring us for Wedding Management, you have access to our expertise and resources from Day 1. Our team plays such a huge role on your wedding day; we want to start building that relationship from the beginning instead of waiting until crunch time.

how much do you charge?

We custom quote each planning package to offer exactly the right amount of support. In general, our couples are spending between $30k to $120k total on their entire wedding. Our starting package, Wedding Management, starts at $3,000. A good rule of thumb is to spend approximately 10% of your budget on a planner. For that reason, we normally work with couples who have at least a $30,000 total wedding budget.

WHAT IF I HAVE A SMALLER BUDGET?

If you need help from a professional wedding planner but ultimately want to do it yourself, we offer two options to support couples at any budget:

1) Power Hour Consulting Calls. If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed in planning, or maybe just got engaged and have no idea where to begin… This option is for you. You’ve got a professional wedding planner in your corner.

2) The Wedding Roadmap. This online resource helps modern couples navigate the wedding planning journey with affordable, step-by-step guides that lift the weight of planning stress off your shoulders. Our signature digital course, Designing Your Wedding Day, will help demystify the planning process and get all your details tied together before you tie the knot. These resources allow you to do it yourself.

My aunt offered to Help on our wedding day. why hire a Professional?

Despite your aunt’s sweet offer, it’s important to hire a professional event management team because a) we have experience navigating unforeseen issues, b) we have established relationships with local vendors, and c) this ain’t our first rodeo. We know what to expect during a wedding, how to make things flow smoothly, and how to quietly problem-solve. We pride ourselves on serving as a proxy for you and your fiancé— our only job that day is to carry out your carefully crafted plans and be the host for your event! And with some leg work in the weeks leading up to big day, we avoid hiccups that perhaps your aunt wouldn’t see. Allow us to handle the nitty gritty, so your friends and family can focus on celebrating YOU!

I’m Getting married in Central Oregon, but I live in a different city/state. Can you help?

More than half of our couples getting married in Central Oregon live out of state. Planning remotely can be a seamless process with us on your team! As your local reps, we attend vendor meetings, conduct site visits, and chat frequently with you via phone, email, and Zoom meetings. As locals, we help offer insight into activities, weather, travel, lodging, and more!

My venue has a coordinator/catering manager. Do i need WEDDING MANAGEMENT TOO?

Absolutely. We work for you (the couple) while the venue coordinator works for the venue. The role of “venue coordinator” or “banquet manager” typically exists at resorts that require food & beverage services in house. They manage catering + bar service, supervise staff at the venue, negotiate your sales contract, etc. As your wedding management team or planner, we work closely with this person on the day of, but we’re there to execute your specific vision. We set the tables using your seating chart, set up décor, direct the vendors, guide your wedding party, run the ceremony timing, and much much more. Many venues actually require couples to have a day-of coordinator because those tasks really add up!

 
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