Wedding Planning Madison/Huntsville, Alabama

Over 100 5-Star Reviews for Quality of Service, Responsiveness, Professionalism, Value, and Flexibility – Winner of Weddingwire Couple’s Choice Award

Voted Most Popular Wedding Planner in Alabama by Wedding Industry Experts Award 

Awarded Top Wedding Planner in Alabama by Global Wedding Awards 

Awarded Top 10 Planner in the US by Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Abroad

  

Planning A Wedding?

Planning a wedding but could use help orchestrating your wedding and reception?  We at Helping Hand Parties & Weddings love to plan beautiful and timeless weddings and events creating unique and memorable celebrations for all.  We put the fun in and take the stress out of any event and would love to be your planner! We can make sure the day runs smoothly from setup to send off. Let us plan your personalized wedding or if you have planned your perfect wedding, let us oversee the day so you can just relax and enjoy your very special day.  Whatever your need, we are here to make your day run as smoothly and as beautifully as you always imagined. 

Rehearsal and Ceremony Only Director

Directing the ceremony rehearsal and sending bridal party down the aisle on the day of 
  • Phone conversation to go over ceremony lineup
  • Attend and oversee/run wedding rehearsal – Please have all participants in attendance
  • Lineup and send wedding party down the aisle at the ceremony
  • This plan can only be booked within 3 months of the wedding date

Wedding Day Coordinator (aka Day of)

For the couple who has already planned their wedding but need someone there on the day of to oversee the ceremony and reception
  • Initial meeting to go over package and answer questions
  • Meet with Bride 3 weeks prior to ceremony to go over bridal plan and obtain all contact information and Bride’s timeline
  • Create wedding day ceremony lineup
  • Attend and oversee/run wedding rehearsal
  • Service on day of starts 2 hours before wedding and ends after cake cutting/toasts
  • Verify that setup of the wedding and reception is according to Bride’s plan
  • Assist Bride, Groom, and Wedding Party
  • Line up and cue wedding party for processional
  • Cue wedding party to essential components of reception – entrance, cake cutting, food service, speeches, first dances
  • Take care of all the little details and problems that arise so the Bride, Groom, and family can just enjoy their special day
  • This plan can only be booked within 3 months of the wedding date

Month of the Event Wedding Coordinating Services

Help during the last month before the wedding through the wedding day
  • Initial consultation
  • The New Bride Consultation meeting is now included in this plan.  This includes help with vendors, checklist, personalization, design ideas, etc.
  • Meet with Bride three to four times starting the month before the wedding for consultations
  • Create wedding and reception timelines
  • Attend and oversee/run wedding rehearsal 

  • Meet and direct all vendors – caterers, florist, DJ/band, bakery personnel, etc.

  • Direct wedding and reception setup 

  • Coordinate and direct wedding and reception from venue opening including overseeing decorating and  venue layout.

  • Assisting guests and wedding party as needed

  • See that personal flowers are distributed to wedding party, family members & special guests

  • Direct wedding processional and coordinate movement of items from wedding to reception

  • Cue wedding party to essential components of reception – entrance, cake cutting, food service, speeches, first dances and send off

  • Take care of all the little details and problems that arise so the Bride, Groom, and family can just enjoy their special day

  • Have an emergency bridal kit on hand

  • Stay after bridal exit to make sure everything is packed up and the venue is clean

Partial Planning Wedding Coordinating Services

For the Do-It-Yourself Bride who could use some help getting started, a little help along the way and extensive help the last month through the wedding day. This package also includes a second coordinator to help on the day of.

Our most popular option:

You want to plan your own wedding but could really use an experienced professional to help with staying on track, making decisions along the way and running your rehearsal and overseeing your wedding and rehearsal so you and your family can just relax and enjoy this very special day.

  • Initial consultation meeting

  • This package includes a second meeting right after the initial consultation where we meet to discuss all vendor options in detail. We brainstorm with you to come up with the perfect theme for your wedding including table decorating ideas and reception decorations to create a truly unique wedding that fits both your style and budget.

  • Periodically, a to-do list will be emailed to the bride and/or bride’s mom to help you stay on track

  • Unlimited phone calls and emails

  • A meeting 3 months out to the start the day of timeline

  • Weekly meetings starting four weeks out to go over all aspects of the wedding day

  • Accompany bride to venue for decoration, layout design and wedding flow plan

  • Create wedding and reception timelines for the bride

  • Contact all vendors the week before the wedding and send them all timelines for the day

  • Direct rehearsal

  • Meet and direct all vendors – caterers, florist, DJ/band, bakery personnel, etc.

  • Direct wedding and reception setup 

  • Coordinate and direct reception from venue opening including overseeing decorating, and venue layout

  • Assist guests and wedding party as needed

  • Coordinate movement of items from wedding to reception

  • Cue wedding party to essential components of reception – entrance, cake cutting, food service, speeches, and first dances

  • Organize and cue send off

  • Have an emergency bridal kit on hand

  • Stay after bridal exit to make sure everything is packed up and the venue is clean

  • Pick up wedding gown from hotel for cleaning and restoration if requested

Full Wedding Coordinating Services

Help with planning the wedding from conception through the wedding day

All that is included in partial planning package plus:

  • Budgeting assistance if needed

  • Schedule and accompany bride to all initial vendor meetings

  • Help secure accommodations for out-of-town guests

  • Meet with bride monthly to go over wedding design and assigned to-to lists

We take care of all the little details of the day so the Bride, Groom, and family can just enjoy their day.

Wedding Planner Huntsville AL

Popular dates go fast, so book yours today!
Erica@helpinghandparties.com

 

Erica Thimsen is the dream wedding planner. She is the best of the best. She is one of the most organized, creative, and genuine people I have ever met. She made the entire process of planning our wedding 10x better and easier. And on the actual wedding day, she was absolutely perfect! 

Cindy B.

Our daughter and new son’s wedding was perfect! That was only possible with the amazing help and guidance of Erica Thimsen of Helping Hand Parties & Wedding. A rating of 5.0 is not high enough for the level of support she provided us! Erica is so professional, kind, thorough and easy to work with. She has a sweet laugh and gentle style, but there was no doubt that she was in control and invested in making sure that the wedding was exactly what we wanted. Planning a wedding is hard enough, but we live in Atlanta and were planning a wedding in Huntsville. Erica listened and really understood our vision, which at times was not very clear to us. She knows everyone in Huntsville, recommended top vendors, and made it possible for us to put together the A team of people who made the vision a reality. She used a planning process that ensured that we discussed and planned every aspect of the wedding, and so that nothing would fall through the cracks. Prior to the wedding she sent checklists every few months, breaking down what needed to be done into manageable chunks. She was always available to answer questions, make wonderful suggestions and help us think through details we didn’t even know we needed to think about. No detail was too small to escape her attention and she was on top of everything. My highest praise for Erica, is that on the weekend of the wedding we were all able to relax, have fun and really enjoy the celebration. We knew Erica was in charge and she would be sure everything was perfect. And it was!

Anne Marie C.

Erica and her team are the BEST!! There are people that might tell you "Oh, you don't need a wedding director/planner”, but I knew planning our Daughter's wedding and the dream that she had for her day you needed help to make it a reality. I'm so glad we found Erica!! Erica helped us every step of the way, with EVERYTHING!! All the awards that you see that she has received is so deserving!! So, if you need a director/planner, Erica with Helping Hands Parties is the BEST of the BEST!! 

Jennifer H.