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vendor reviews: wedding planners/ coordinators
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Ultimate Affairs raises the bar and makes hiring a wedding planner seem simply obvious Reviewing Teresa Medeiros & Nelia Da Silva, Owners, Ultimate Affairs
You might want to mentally file away whatever you thought you knew about wedding planners. Ultimate Affairs makes you feel like hiring a wedding planner is simply obvious and the attention they’ve received from the press, the kudos they receive from local brides and their long-standing, well-known reputation adds to this fact. Ultimate Affairs have grown larger each year they've catered to the Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and surrounding areas. They have a team of associate planners, two business leaders who've done more than their fair share of wedding planning footwork and they're a company that is one of the first to say, "Wedding planners are definitely not only for the big budget, formal weddings with mile-long guest lists... With all the demands on a bride's time, even a smaller or more casual wedding design merits the help of an expert wedding planner."
Their goal is to bring everything you love most about your wedding day (and those things you don't even want to know about) together. "We give you a wedding day experience that no DIY bride will ever know, the feeling of being the VIP Guest of Honour at your own affair."
Owners, Teresa Medeiros and Nelia Da Silva, and their team of planners strive to either meet or beat your wedding budget while giving you the chance to 'make like a movie star' and walk into a wedding day that is exactly how you envisioned it. The best part about it is that you will never have to know that your flowers were delivered to the wrong address or that your officiant had car trouble on the way to the ceremony site. As far as the Ultimate Affairs team is concerned, you should only know that your wedding day was a perfect reflection of what you dreamed it would be.
Ultimate Affairs in person... Teresa Medeiros and Nelia Da Silva are your down to earth, detail-focused, fun-to-be-with wedding planners. Teresa and Nelia are also true best friends. Since first opening their doors in 2004, Ultimate Affairs has gone from executing several weddings, to being booked solid with weddings. Over the past two years, Ultimate Affairs has brought on two Associate Planners – Amanda Gauthier and Shelley McGregor – to help Nelia and Teresa meet the huge demand for their services that has been built over the years thanks to an excellent reputation and lots of attention from the press. Shelley, who was hand-picked by Nelia and Teresa, is WPIC certified, has done numerous weddings over the past two years and also has a background in corporate events.
Each of the two company founders have their own unique style, but admit their common passion for their craft and for creating a customized 'wedding experience' is something they've always shared.
Ultimate Affairs says their brides see them as more than their wedding planners, but as both a friend and a confidante. "We're like having extra bridesmaids, but with a lot more contacts!" Their personal approach is obviously working. Teresa says, "The wedding planning side of the company is really exciting right now. We're booking over a year in advance most often, and the brides we're working with are so much fun.... Some just need a little guidance while others are just too busy to put their wedding dream into action. Either way, it's great to get to know them and their families and to be a part of their day."
Teresa and Nelia say they're happy to have Amanda and Shelley’s help with wedding dates, and expanding the team has meant they can offer different levels of planning to suit each bride’s needs. "It's so difficult to tell a bride that we're booked for their wedding date when you can tell that they really want our help, said Nelia. "Having Amanda and Shelley on the team gives us the option to work with a bride up to and after the event, and still have an experienced and creative wedding planner on-site on the wedding day - all without taking attention away from any other bride." Nelia and Teresa told us that the ladies at Ultimate Affairs always work together as a team to help each other out – even if something needs to be done on a wedding that they weren’t initially involved in, so you can be sure that tons of extra help is available on your special day if it’s needed.
Expert training Nelia and Teresa are both WPIC certified - the only way to get your Wedding Coordinator's Certification in Canada as recognized by the International Special Events Society (ISES). Wanting to work from the best knowledge base possible, Nelia and Teresa continue to update and educate themselves through workshops and seminars wherever possible, "We want to make sure we're always on top of the latest trends in weddings and events around the world."
Ultimate Affairs comes highly recommended by some of the best wedding designers in the city such as The Cake Box and award-winning barebonephoto. Weddings they've planned range from intimate outdoor weddings in private estates to large weddings with hundreds of guests, held at locations such as Hauser Hall, Elm Hurst Inn, Langdon Hall, Whistle Bear Golf Club and outdoor, tented events on private estates. And equally important to The Ring, Teresa and Nelia are regular life savers in our chat boards, thus further earning them the trust of the local bridal population (not an easy feat in itself). June 2, 2007 bride, Jennifer Arruda, said she couldn't find anyone else in the region that had a reputation as professional as Ultimate Affairs, "They had a great website and great references from The K-W Wedding Ring... Teresa was fantastic! She had great ideas and I knew I could trust her..."
But it isn’t just brides who love this team, as Agnes, mother of a groom in June 2006 and a bride in July 2008, was so impressed with their knowledge and professionalism that she hired them not once, but twice. "Nelia and Teresa were lots of fun and full of great ideas. Their suggestions and advice were always practical, but with an eye for creating a lovely, memorable event. They could handle a difficult vendor or calm a jittery mother, drive back to the house for a forgotten garter or hurry an over-zealous photographer." And with those responsibilities taken off of the bride and groom's shoulders, as well as their families, the day is an experience like it should be. "Everyone at the wedding including the bride and groom and the families are able to enjoy a stress-free day," Agnes told us.
The appeal of an ultimate affair When planning a wedding, brides often look to websites, planning books, the maid of honour, mom, or even Aunt Edna to help you cover all of their angles and make sure they don’t miss any steps along the way. By using the help that Teresa and Nelia offer, you are essentially giving your family, friends and yourself the day off.
Karen Miller and James Seesahai were married on September 29, 2007, with the help of Ultimate Affairs. Karen explained to staff at The Ring, "I didn't have to worry about anything on the day of my wedding. I knew I had two great ladies there to help. I would recommend them to anyone."
Much like a scene out of The Wedding Planner, Ultimate Affairs takes care of everything you don't want to (or didn't know you had to). One of your coordinators might be at the hall to manage the set-up of your event while another is by your side, as your assistant - each staying in contact with each other by phone, email and instant-messaging-equipped cell phones.
According to Teresa and Nelia, "When you hire us to help you plan or coordinate your wedding, you're getting more than a service... We want brides, grooms and their families to feel like they now have a support system in place to help them through this journey... Contrary to the belief of some that all an event planner does is make a bunch of phone calls, we are a resource for brides, a confidante, counselor, advocate and facilitator. Our goal is to make sure that the bride and groom have the best possible experience on their wedding day." Nelia and Teresa always make sure to mention that they never take over. "It's not about that. It's about being that one tool that pulls your wedding day details, plans and ideas together. Those plans and ideas though, are always yours."
The team at Ultimate Affairs makes itself available to their clients in person, by phone and by email throughout the process, so that they always feel taken care of. When they're not planning or executing events, Ultimate Affairs spends their time sourcing new talent, wedding ideas and anything with style that might fit in with their brides' weddings and wedding budgets. "Our goal is to stay on top of what's hot. We strive to attend seminars whenever possible for fresh new ideas, and excellent service is our commitment to each of our clients."
What's a bride to do? If you're even considering a wedding planner, you should know how it works. With Ultimate Affairs, you get as little or as much help as you'd like. Jennifer said her wedding was the best day ever and that everything was perfect. "At least that's what it felt like... I was in the receiving line and we had 200 people! I had a panic thought that maybe we were taking too long and dinner would be delayed! I must have looked really worried because I looked over to Teresa and asked 'Are we good?' She responded with a very calm 'We're right on schedule, don't worry about a thing.' She was so great!"
Your initial Expert Consultation is your jump start into setting a budget, theme, overall design, and plan for your wedding. This first meeting is designed to get you on the right track, and organized. The fee is $100 for the first hour and $50 for each hour after that - and is waived entirely if you hire Ultimate Affairs as your wedding planner.
The Essential Package (or wedding month coordination) is a popular choice for brides who are getting close to their wedding day and have started feeling the pressure of hundreds of last minute details. More brides want help for a full month before their wedding instead of just the day-of, but don’t need full planning services. This package essentially pulls everything together, just when it may start to feel like things are falling apart. This option gives you a wedding planner and an assistant for the price of one, at your disposal, exactly when you need it most. The Essential Package commonly begins with an Expert Consultation approximately four weeks before your wedding day. There are no limits on the emails and phone calls in the following weeks as Teresa and Nelia help you review all details, make timelines, and make your rehearsal and wedding day festivities run smoothly. Then, you have the full services of a planner and an assistant for your wedding. The Essential Package is $800. Karen and James chose the Essential Package and told The Ring, "They were professional, prompt, intelligent... All around great!" And for Karen, getting two helpers for the price of one - particularly on her wedding day - was another good reason for choosing Ultimate Affairs.
The Ultimate Package gives brides partial wedding planning without sacrificing any of the luxury of having a wedding planner at your side. Some brides like to treat themselves to their own personal wedding planners from the very beginning. Other brides opt for help later on when details seem overwhelming and they feel like they've run out of steam... and time! Planning begins with an Expert Consultation to determine how Ultimate Affairs can help you and what the fees for your service will be. The Ultimate package includes all of the elements of the Essential Package.
With the Exclusive Package you have wedding design and planning services from beginning to end. This package is perfect for the bride who wants to have the help of an expert through the whole process, from creating a theme to choosing and booking a venue and all of the little details in between, making the planning much less stressful and much more enjoyable. This means, Ultimate Affairs will help with all of the planning, quoting, hiring, details, set-up, deliveries, and payments to vendors - all you have to do is tell them your ideas and show up on your wedding day to enjoy the dreams as they’re played out in reality. An Expert Consultation will determine how Ultimate Affairs can help you and what the fee for your services will be. Services include all of the elements of the Essential Package or 'Crucial Moment Management' to ease the stress of the weeks leading up to the big day. Monthly payments make it easy to 'pay as you plan'.
Inotherwords... "I was specifically looking for a person to execute my plan the day of the wedding. I did not need assistance with any planning, but rather had planned so many things (lots of details) for our special day I needed a person to be in charge that wasn’t me. I was surprised to see that this 'executing' service was offered... it was exactly what I was looking for. My experience with them was FABULOUS! They did an AMAZING job and I have a high expectation for execution (ask Teresa). Teresa offered lots of helpful hints with regard to ceremony flow and small details. I found them to be EXCELLENT for the quality and time they gave me. I think they were worth every penny we spent to ensure they were a part of our day. Overall when I think about working with Ultimate Affairs I have NO COMPLAINTS! I truly enjoyed all the assistance they gave us." - Jennifer Mullin-Lewis, married February 21, 2009
"Ultimate Affairs was GREAT! They really do allow a bride to focus on her day, and not on the dramas unfolding throughout it! They also have those little headset thingys, which is very cool! (is it bad that I'm so thrilled with the head sets??)... I'm extremely impressed with the way they handle themselves, and how they do things - anyone who's on the fence about hiring them... DO IT! Even if it's just the wedding day co-ordination package, it's so worth it!" - Amy Grigg
To get off on the right foot, you are welcome to contact Ultimate Affairs for a consultation. To contact Teresa and Nelia, they can be reached by email at info@ultimateaffairs.ca and by phone at 519-729-7460. You can also find out more on their web site and blog, located at www.ultimateaffairs.ca.
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The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca |
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