*Please take a moment to read this before hiring Janelle
and her event planning staff.
How long have you been planning events and how did you become a wedding and event planner, coordinator and consultant?
Professionally, I have been planning events for 5 years but my experiences started well before then. In the last 10 years, I have planned weddings, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, baby showers, birthday and graduation parties, anniversary celebrations, sports camps and tournaments, golf outings, silent auctions and fundraisers, walk-a-thons, baptisms, community events and much more. In 2009, I opened Janelle Marie Events to focus on my passion of wedding planning in Columbus and the central Ohio area, and it allows me the opportunity to assist clients with other celebrations as well.
Planning is a natural gift of mine and a huge part of my everyday life. I must be organized. I also love to give. Giving makes me feel good and it brings me joy to do something nice for someone else. So, naturally, being able to pair those two characteristics brought me to wedding and event planning. My career started early in life with planning family events and coordinating fundraisers and sports camps, and eventually led me to planning events for organizations such as the Women’s Sports Foundation, First Night Columbus, Red, White & BOOM!, and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. While planning my own wedding in 2008, I experienced a whole new world of event planning: one that is unique and personal to each individual it touches and is surrounded by pure love. Helping someone plan their wedding and being able to make it perfect for them is simply intoxicating.
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We love your services and your portfolio, everything sounds so fantastic. So, can you tell me what sets you apart from the other wedding planners in central Ohio?
Contrary to most of my colleagues, the fact that I successfully planned my own wedding is not what makes me a qualified event planner. I was planning events well before May 2008; I just fell in love with this type of event. I’ve worked on a variety of different events, ranging from small fundraisers to community events attracting approximately 500,000 spectators. An event is an event: it requires planning, organization, communication and implementation. What makes the event different depends on who the event is for and what you’re focusing on. Wedding planning allows us to have a narrow focus: on what the couple wants and what steps we need to follow to make it flawless.
In addition, I have spent many hours planning for events that benefit other people and not “the bottom line.” I’m in this profession to give: give my time, my expertise and my emotions. I want everything to be perfect for you and I’m excited that you are getting married and want usto be a part of your special day. Being able to see a smile on your face because of our efforts makes life worthwhile.
That all sounds wonderful, but expensive. How will I be able to afford your services?
I’ll be the first to say “hiring a wedding planner is an investment.”
Think of it this way. When you hire a wedding photographer, you primarily pay them for the amount of time they spend with you: approximately 6-8 hours on your wedding day plus 2 additional hours for your engagement shoot. In total, you're paying for 10 hours of "face time" costing approximately $4000. By hiring Janelle Marie Events, depending on where you are in the planning process, you may get up to a year’s worth of service, constant communication and weekly to monthly meetings, all devoted to helping you plan the biggest day of your life. If you divide the cost of hiring us by the number of weeks left until your wedding, the price may not seem so much.
I want you to ask yourself, “How much do I value my time, my nerves and how well my wedding day turns out?” We’re not here for ourselves, we’re here for you. We want to do the research, make the vendor calls, organize the day and send you down the aisle on time. And we want to you to be able to say “Janelle will handle it” and forget about it. In the end, so many couples end up spending way beyond their budgets because they didn’t know how to effectively plan their wedding day and a wedding planner was “too expensive.” I know you don’t want to be the person in that story and I guarantee that hiring Janelle Marie Events is an investment you will forever be happy you made.
Also, we’re willing to work with you on building a payment plan so you have time to save throughout your planning phase. Again, we’re here to help you and we’ll do everything possible to make things as simple as possible for you.
Who do you work best with?
Many times I work with couples that can visualize their dream wedding, but just don’t know where to start putting it all together. There are so many wedding vendors in the central Ohio area and each promise to be the best. So, how do you know which of them actually are and who can you trust? If you know what you want for your wedding day but need a little direction, or even have no idea where to start, I’d be happy to work with you to get things going and give you a picture-perfect end result.
Who will not benefit from your help?
Think of me as your planning partner – we work together to make things happen. On the day of your wedding, my staff and I will be with you almost the entire day, so you must be comfortable with us. In order for us to ensure that your day runs smoothly, we must have clear and complete communication with one another and continue keep each other informed. If you do not understand the investment and value of having a wedding planner, do not believe you deserve the best for your wedding day or are continuously skeptical throughout the planning process, we will not be a good match.
To ensure that we will be good together, I request (and require) that we have a complimentary “get to know you” meeting so I can learn more about you and answer any of your remaining questions.
Will I lose control of planning my own wedding if I hire you?
Absolutely not! I am here to help as you need it and take away your stress, not add to it by taking the control out of your hands. Most importantly, this is your wedding and it is to be all that you’ve ever wanted. Whenever you need an extra push, recommendation, suggestion or someone to bounce an idea off of, I'll always be there to listen and give my best response. Your wedding is exactly that… YOURS!
Will you work with vendors I’ve already booked services with?
We are happy to work with whomever you’ve chosen as a vendor for your wedding day. While we have a list of vendors that we’ve worked with in the past and trust, we do not require you to hire them specifically. All contracted vendors are up to your discretion. If you ever need a recommendation, we’re always happy to find the perfect vendor for you.
Do you have a payment plan?
Yes and we will gladly work with you to build a payment plan that specifically meets your needs. We accept cash, check and money orders. Because we are here to help you, we do not want to assist in starting your marriage with debt. Hence, we currently do not accept credit cards.
Do you book more than one wedding per weekend?
Contrary to other planners, I believe that booking more than one wedding or event per weekend is unfair to you. I would feel extremely guilty (and unprofessional) if you needed me the weekend of your wedding and I could not assist you because I was coordinating another couple’s wedding. If you have booked a date with us, that weekend is focused solely on you.
This looks like everything I am looking for, what is the next step?
You may call me at 614-219-1550 or email me so we can set up your complimentary “get to know you” meeting as soon as possible. This meeting allows us some time to meet face-to-face and for me to ask you questions about your wedding; letting me better understand what you’ll need from us and to make sure we’ll be a good match. Once I receive more information and hear all about your wedding vision and plans, I’ll better be able to fit you with one of our planning packages.
May we contact former clients of yours?
Of course you can and we'd be happy to put you in contact with them. Our testimonials page can give you a better idea of what our clients have experienced in working with us.
I have a few more questions; can I call you to discuss things further?
You most certainly can. To ensure that all of your questions have been addressed, I highly encourage you to schedule a complimentary “get to know you” meeting with me at your earliest convenience. Please feel free to contact me anytime at 614-219-1550 or by email.
I can’t wait to meet you. Congratulations on your engagement and
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Think of it this way. When you hire a wedding photographer, you primarily pay them for the amount of time they spend with you: approximately 6-8 hours on your wedding day plus 2 additional hours for your engagement shoot. In total, you're paying for 10 hours of "face time" costing approximately $4000. By hiring 
Who will not benefit from your help?
