Wedding Planning Made Easy: Advice from a Wedding Planner

This week on Wedding Wednesday, we interview wedding planner Josey Stafford, owner of Sixpence Events & Planning, on how she helps make wedding planning enjoyable for brides-to-be.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name’s Josey, owner of Sixpence Events & Planning. A self-professed adorable planning service, which focuses on making the planning process (you know, that thing they call "the engagement") a truly enjoyable time in your life. As the name would infer we plan events. Not just weddings, which means I could be by your side for practically every major event in your life - your wedding, your birthdays, your children's births, their birthdays, their graduations, their weddings. Just a little bit of Josey’s planning expertise, for the rest of your life.

What are the services you offer as a wedding planner?

Sixpence Events has three packages: Day of Coordinating, Partial Planning, Full Planning. Regardless of which package you pick, I am available for consult. If you pick the larger package, I do more of the work; if you pick the smaller package, you do more of the work.

But either way I am available to bounce ideas off of, to answer blue vs. teal questions, so the sooner you book, technically, the more help you will receive. Check out our website for package information, or just drop me a line - because... I’m here for you and I care (for reals).

More information is available upon request but the obscurity allows us to cater our packages to meld into just what it is that you need. Not every wedding has a photo booth, not every reception features a cake. But every. single. fricken. wedding. should include love, and joy, and happiness.

What do you feel makes you unique from other wedding planners?

Sixpence Events is based here in the Twin Cities, but I’ve certainly got a grand proclivity to travel. Wherever you go, I’ll go. Wherever people have been - I want to be.

If you are planning a destination wedding, it’s best to hire a planner early on. While you may be inclined to book someone in the same city that your festivities are, this might narrow the options for a high quality planner.

If your wedding planner is located at your wedding destination, how ever will you meet with said planner? But then again, I do have clients getting married here that don’t live here - and we make time, darnit! We skype and call and text, and they visit and we do major cramming planning sessions, then in the interim I plan and toil, and look forward to the next time I get bride-time.

Perhaps my point is, no matter where you get married, you’ll likely fare much better if you hire a planner that you get along with and who cares about you.

What do you think is the biggest misconceptions that people have about wedding planners?

As a wedding planner, and a human being who can pick up on body language in general, I know not everyone is happy to hear there’s a planner involved. In fact, some people quite detest planners.

More than one person’s exclaimed “Ohhhh. You’re a nice wedding planner.” Yup, I sure am. Until you mess up and then I am the worst. Just kidding. I’m not horrible ever. But honestly my philosophy is to kill ‘em with kindness, the golden rule and all that jazz.

I think some people might be incorrect to assume that planners are pointless or bossy, or make more work for everyone. In some instances we might just be (only when it’s to your benefit). However, I mostly just have invaluable insight about the best vendors, the best prices, the dos and the don’ts, and I’m not afraid to think of the what ifs… and then prepare for them. This isn’t a job for me, this is a passion, loving love, 24-7, forever.

What is your favorite color palette to work with?

Light Pink and Black.

What are your favorite wedding trends right now?

A current wedding trend that I just cannot shake: floral head crowns. Picture you, in an effortless dress, one that doesn’t wrinkle easily, and perhaps sans-corset and plenty of greens as an accessory. Check out more of these stunning head pieces on MN Bride’s website (Photographed by Dillinger Studios).

Best piece of advice from a planner perspective?

Figure out what you’ll need to make sure your engagement is a happy one, one where at the end of the rainbow there’s an amazing wedding night, filled with frivolity and love, friends and family. If this scenario requires some additional help, a ‘wedding secretary’ or ‘personal secretary’ if you will, then get one. Get yourself some help, you won’t regret it; neither will your family, your wedding party, and your other wedding vendors. (This is a statement that I can only guarantee if you hire Sixpence Events & Planning). So cheers to you and yours!

Prosperity, Love & Happiness,

Josey