Events by Brea | Advice from a Wedding Planner

It's Brea from Events by Brea and she's making stuff pretty near you!

Wedding planning. Those two words may strike a couple with equal parts excitement, confusion, and dread. That’s why I am featuring Events by Brea on the blog today. Brea started her wedding and party planning company because she wanted to provide clients with an unparalleled level of service, commitment, and one-on-one attention. Events by Brea provides everything from Full Wedding Planning to Day-of-Coordination and everything in between (even surprise proposals too)! I recently got the chance to sit down with Brea and chat with her about her business. Brea shares her story, tells us what it’s like to work with a wedding planner, and gives us some great wedding tips. Plus, we had a lot of fun with her photoshoot - yes she is as fun and energetic as she looks!

Brea can trace the roots of her career back to when she was a child. She has always been a planner and found her love of creating when her great-grandmother taught her how to sew. This act of creating something out of nothing is still her quest to this day: turning her clients’ ideas into a reality. Brea says, “It’s fun to go on that journey with them to figure out who they are and what they love!”

Why work with a wedding planner?

To keep your sanity! It makes the process easier and less stressful. Brea says that many couples don’t really know what the want, or if they do they may not know how to turn that into a reality - especially within their budget. Wedding planners know how to take your idea and make it tangible, because they do it all the time. They also have a large network of vendors that they trust who they can consult.

What are the steps of working with a wedding planner?

• After the initial contact, Brea sets up a meeting where she and her clients discuss the scope of what they want. She will gather a lot of information such as the number of guests, the look and feel of what they want, their budget, family constraints, and food restrictions.

• With this information, a checklist is created which contains all the things that need to be decided and when.

• The most pressing item is the venue, as they fill up fast!

• Next, Brea helps her clients choose their vendors and communicates with them about what her clients want. She is available to attend all the meetings with the couple - even helping the bride decide on her dress.

• Decor is discussed, and then a wedding day timeline is created.

• Brea directs the wedding rehearsal which often includes teaching people how to walk down the aisle and where to stand during the ceremony for the best photographs.

• On the day of the wedding, Brea and her team are the first to arrive and the last to leave. They direct the whole day and make sure everything stays on time and everyone knows what they are doing.

• Then at the end of the day, Brea delivers the final checks and collects all the bride and groom’s personal items so that they can enjoy the rest of their night.

If you don’t think you need a wedding planner or if it’s just not within your budget, I recommend Day-of-Wedding Coordination. I loved my wedding, but my one regret is that I didn’t hire a coordinator to manage everything. If I had, I could have enjoyed the day more instead of worrying about when and where the flowers were being delivered, how to get the chairs from the ceremony to the reception, when to put the cake out, etc. For Day-of-Wedding Coordination, Brea starts working with clients about 30 days before their wedding and will create their timeline when all the vendors are booked. She calls all the vendors and talks to them personally to familiarize herself as much as possible with what her clients have planned. Then she directs the rehearsal and wedding day the same way she does for Full Wedding Planning.

Having fun in Downtown San Jose and in front of the mural "What You Are I Once Was" by Stephanie Azevedo.

Events by Brea is growing rapidly and Brea says she is happy about bringing more options and services to her clients such as rental items including a Photo Booth. Since she started working in the wedding industry, Brea has seen a lot of changes. Most notably, smaller weddings are becoming more popular in the Bay Area and it’s a great opportunity for brides and grooms to redirect their energy into personalized details and really getting the look that they want. When your wedding gets smaller, your budget goes further and you can make things more special. As an example, she says a charger plate (the decorative plate under the dinner plate) is a nice way to take your table decoration up a notch.

Here are more of Brea’s top tips for couples planning a wedding:

• Schedule an extra 30 minutes for hair and makeup on your wedding day. There are many unexpected things that can happen, and if you don’t end up needing the extra time, you can just relax or have more time for photographs.

• Before you meet with a wedding planner, do a little research into what things generally cost in the Bay Area. Also, take some time to discuss with your partner what your priorities are for your wedding.

• If you are having a smaller wedding, check out Shelldance Orchid Garden. It’s Brea’s top hidden gem venue.

• To really personalize a reception, think about having the caterers prepare a favorite family recipe.

• Don’t forget the ring pillow, the cake cutting utensils, the bride and groom toasting flutes, and flats for the dance floor. These are among the most overlooked items!

Fun Fact: Brea is getting married in September in San Antonio, Texas. She was able to plan the majority of her wedding in 2 weeks flat!

Brea moved to the Bay Area in 2010 from San Antonio, Texas and received her Bachelors in Hospitality with an emphasis in Management. After graduation, she worked for a prominent Bay Area event planning company. She enjoyed learning how to manage all the different aspects and how every piece adds up to create a while. Brea worked with the company for several years before she decided to branch out on her own. Brea’s favorite couples to work with are people that are excited about their wedding. She also enjoys working with grooms that are involved in the decision-making process.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and tips with us Brea!

Contact: @eventsbybrea | 408.753.5948 | https://www.eventsbybrea.com

Photography: Ellie Honl Photography

Mural: Stephanie Azevedo