Best Wedding Planner in Milwaukee
There are some strange folks who find a unique joy in researching wedding vendors, comparing quotes, making spreadsheets and planning their own wedding. For the rest of us who are either too busy to plan a wedding or find the whole process to be unbearably tortuous, hiring a wedding planner is the unquestioned way to go.
If you decide that this is the path for you, the wedding planner should be the first hire you make. This is the person who is going to realize your vision for your wedding and make it come to life.
With that said, I did some extensive research to see who are the best wedding planners in the Milwaukee area. I initially intended to write this article featuring a number of different people. But as I progressed, I realized there was one who clearly stood above the pack.
Danielle Horvatin
There are plenty of planners in the area who have good experience and impressive websites. What makes Danielle stand above everyone else is her genuine care for each couple she works with. I had the pleasure of chatting with her and her authenticity poured out in every question she answered. Here’s what she said:
1.) What were your biggest challenges starting your own company and how have you overcome them?
When I started Rosewood Weddings, I (fortunately) had a great community of colleagues and 'friend-ors' who supported me. However, I left an existing wedding planning company where I worked as an Associate Planner. That company didn't allow me to use any previous client photos, reviews, or content to promote my new business. This meant I had no photos, reviews or kind words for my new clients to review. No real legitimization outside of vendors who could vouch for me. With all that being said, I used my own wedding photos, and random stock imagery to stand in until I had organic galleries and reviews from Rosewood clients. It might not sound like much, but for a new business starting in the social media-driven market...it was tough to have nothing!
2.) Why do you think so many couples choose to work with you over so many other wedding planners?
There is an ideal planner for every client - and I firmly believe that. I may not be a fit for certain couples, and that's completely fine! Sometimes, I even refer other planners to clients I have consultation calls with when I think they'd be better off.
I believe that the clients who choose me do so because I'm genuinely interested in their partnership and wedding vision. They're drawn to my honesty, warmth and expertise. The clients who select me do it because I've been doing this for 10 years, and I'll use that experience for the good of their wedding day. My workload is 12-15 weddings a year because quality of quantity is how I ride.
3.) In your mind, what's one thing couples should spend more money on for their wedding? What's one thing couples should spend less money on for their wedding?
That's tough! I always encourage clients to allocate their budget to areas they're passionate about. For instance, if my clients are really into music - I encourage them to allocate much of their budget to entertainment...and not worry so much about the wedding meal.
However, if you break down the wedding day as an experience and celebration, it's easy to see where a lot of the money should go to achieve the most 'wow:' design and entertainment. Especially if you're having a 100+ person wedding, most of the guests' time will be spent drinking, dancing and taking in the ambiance. With that being said, money spent on floral/design and bar (especially in Wisconsin) and entertainment goes a long way.
Everyone who knows me knows this...but transportation is an expensive wedding vendor that I'd nix right away. Everyone can make it work with walking/driving and ride shares these days. Save the thousands on motorcoaches unless you're making them haul across a city between the ceremony and reception.
4.) Do you have any advice for couples planning their own wedding?
This sounds super Disney-inspired, but my biggest piece of advice for planning couples is: follow your heart. Don't do anything because it's what you think you should do, or it's what other people do, or it's what your parents want you to do. Plan your wedding - which is a celebration of your love and commitment - how you want to...and with important elements that resonate with you as a couple. Leave all the other fluff behind.
If you love pickles, then have a pickle bar! If you're both into jazz, then hire jazz musicians! If you hate cake (then you're an alien, but), then serve pies instead! The day should look and feel like you two.
5.) What is the craziest wedding you've been a part of? You can define crazy however you'd like!
I love crazy! Crazy doesn't scare me. I've seen some things. How do you define crazy? I've produced weddings that were crazy-labor intensive. Weddings that are crazy-expensive. Weddings that are crazy-awkward.
What comes to mind is a wedding that I produced with a client whose father was opening up a brand new venue. Hers was the first wedding to debut at the new venue! It was crazy-stressful. The family was hustling to complete the construction up until the weeks and days before the wedding. You could smell fresh paint during the reception. It was that close. Everything worked out, though! A true labor of love.