Need A Wedding Planner? Here Are Ottawa’s Best Wedding Planners

When it comes to planning a wedding, the options, budgets, logistics and details can really be overwhelming. Luckily, Ottawa has some amazing and experienced wedding planners who have made dreams come true for a host of other happy couples.

Here are 3 wedding planners in Ottawa who may be exactly what you need to bring your wedding dream to life.

Bourbon & Bloom

Bourbon and Bloom wedding planner Cait O’Malley & team are experienced event planners in Ottawa with an amazing eye for detail. She’s a master at creating elegant and modern weddings that fit any style, inspo and budget. Their resume of beautiful weddings can be seen on their instagram page, where they bring to life wedding dreams and shows us the process in between.

Bourbon and Bloom has been creating dream weddings and planning weddings in Ottawa for over 5 years, and now have a branch in Halifax.

Erica Irwin

Erica Irwin is an experienced wedding planner in Ottawa who will create the classic and timeless fairytale wedding of your dreams for you. She’s a high tech exec-turned wedding planner, who knows what it takes to coordinate the perfect day.

Erica’s mandate is to create a stress-free and fun wedding day of your dreams. And, she’s been in the business since 2008- over 12 years of wedding planning in Ottawa.

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The Planner in me is finding these times tough. As a wedding planner, I am working with my clients to try and decide the best path to take for their weddings right now. Wish I had a crystal ball for that! At home, we have 7 people and no one is in a routine. My hubby and I both work from home so our work environment is the same though these times are busy for us both! We have 1 tween and 4 teens, none in school, none able to work so it's a lot of sleep-ins, puzzles, board games, walks/ workouts, eating and screen time … very little of this is on any schedule. What about you, are you missing a routine or are you embracing the quiet life of quarantine?⁠ Photo by @greyloftstudio Venue @venuetwentytwo @thewestinottawa Planning @ericairwinweddings ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ⁠ #ontarioweddingvenue #engagedottawainsta #engagedottawa #ottawabride #ottawabrides #ottawabridetobe #ottawawedding ⁠ #ottawabrideandgroom #ottawaweddingdecor #bridesofottawa#ottawaweddingplanner #ottawawedding #ottawaweddingvendors #ottawaweddingdesigner #ottawawedding2020 #ottawaweddingvenue #weddingvenueottawa #ottawaweddingphotography #ottawaweddingphotographer #blackbridesmaiddresses #weddingpartyphoto #ottawasummerwedding #weddingmoments #weddinginspirationphoto⁠ #EricaIrwinWeddings #ericariwinbrides⁠ #aliandbatoulweddings #chateaulaurierwedding⁠ #OttawaRealWedding #weddingplanning2020

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Kennedy Wedding and Events

Kennedy Events creates spectacular weddings in The Capital; no matter if they are big, grandiose celebrations or small and intimate elopements. They have a huge portfolio of sophisticated and elegant weddings that their team has created over the past decade.

Kennedy Events and their work has been featured in many wedding magazines, like Wedluxe, Wedding Bells, and Bride & Groom Magazine.

Kennedy Events plans weddings for the modern day. Their weddings, in three words, are Timeless, Classic, and Elegant. We like the sound of that.

Are you considering hiring a wedding planner in Ottawa? Here’s some things to consider that will help you choose your perfect wedding planner.

Style

You know this one by heart; you look for a wedding planner whose style and vision matches your own. But how can you tell? Have an extensive look at your wedding planners online portfolio and social media, but also check out the galleries from the wedding photographers of those weddings if you can. Wedding planners will post only the best photos of their work, while wedding photographers will post the whole day.

Workload

Its a funny balance; you want your wedding planner to have experience, but not so much as they have too much on their plate. Its okay to ask your wedding planner how many clients they take on in a year and in a season. If you feel like their answer is too high, or they don’t give you a clear answer of how they manage their time, then you might want to steer clear.

Vendors

Wedding Planners usually work with a list of vendors that they regularly use. It might be worthwhile to ask for and take a look at that list ahead of time to see if you don’t like the end-products of a specific vendor.

Emergency Planning

A great question to ask a potential wedding planner is what their backup plan is should they for some reason not be able to attend the big day. Do they work with partners? An experienced wedding planner will have a backup plan. And, you’ll want to make sure they do.

How Much Should You Expect To Pay For A Wedding Planner In Ottawa?

Prices vary greatly for wedding planners, and will also depend on the scale, scope and timeline of your wedding. You should expect to pay anywhere from $1,500 – $5,000 for a wedding planner in Ottawa.

Wedding Inspiration

Here’s some amazing work done by wedding planners:

We’re in love with this set up. The florals and colour details are amazing:

This shot is a tell-all about the importance of a wedding planner. They aren’t just organizers; they are your right-hand for the big day.

Wedding planners are all about atmosphere. They know how to work with your venue, decor and lighting to create amazing scenes, like this beautiful candlelit scene adorned with white roses and gold accents.

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Dinner for 50… 📷— @ashlyarts #shannonsmithevents

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Wedding planners work with a ton of vendors, including those who rent out specialized furniture for weddings. That’s where (and why) you see the extravagant chairs, couches, and lounges in your favourite wedding pictures.

Vendors also include food and drink service specialists who are masters at bringing amazing experiences to your wedding! From live pig roasts and mobile bars to creative food stations made right in front of your guests, wedding planners know all the right people to bring your wedding to life.

Any time and any place works, too. Thinking of a new year’s wedding, or a wedding on the beach? No location is too strange for an expert wedding planner. These gurus can take the largest, corporate venue into an intimate setting and small, family backyard into an extravagant event space.

It’s About The Moments, Too. Wedding planners thing about the things that you don’t have to, like planning the moments. Planning time for photo-ops that you’re too full of butterflies to think about. Helping you to stop, slow down, hug your mom, and take a minute to take it in. They make sure you’re big day doesn’t go by too fast, and without the best photos and vids to help you look back on it years from now.

Wedding planners bring your vision together, from big scheduling plans, to the minor details, they’ve got it covered.

Here’s some other things that wedding planners can help with:

Wedding Invites Ottawa

Guest Coordination and Accommodations

Wedding Budgeting

Wedding Flowers and Floral Displays Ottawa

Booking Wedding Photographers and Videographers

Deciding On A Colour Scheme, A Theme, And Decor

Assisting In Viewing And Choosing Wedding Venues In Ottawa

The average wedding takes about 200 hours to plan, not including any last minute problems on your big day. Phew!

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