QUESTIONS ABOUT WEDDING PLANNING

FAQS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What does a wedding planner do?

A professional wedding planner learns about their clients, helps them find their vision, is a resource in every way needed and gives their clients peace of mind and confidence.  The professionals at Gemini Event Planning are trained experts in all things wedding; especially destination Colorado weddings. We manage every detail, so you and your family can enjoy the day but more than that, we think of things you may not, we anticipate, we plan ahead, we save you money by helping you find the right vendors for you and we provide copious creative guidance.

Your Gemini consultant knows weddings, from etiquette on invitation formats through vendor selections.  We know what is necessary to unveil the perfect wedding; we have planned hundreds of weddings in the Vail Valley and our experience stands out.

Your consultant will ensure that all timelines and event specifications are met and all aspects of the wedding day are smooth, flowing and effortless. We turn your wedding dreams into reality.

Why should you worry about the wedding details? Your consultant will work with and oversee all the hired professionals to ensure everything is set up and executed according to the plan.We utilize our excellent relationships with local vendors and venues to get you the best choices, suggestions, ideas.

Financial Planning
If you’re working with a budget (and who isn’t?), your consultant can help you stick to it.  Gemini helps you create a budget, extracting information on your perceived value and goals for each line item.  We provide feedback on local market value, and provide custom vendor selections based on this information.  We have vendor options for every budget! We do get the best prices available, because in addition to making your day seamless, we do so for the other vendors, who pass on that savings to you as they are confident knowing their day will also go smoothly with the Gemini team.

Mediator.
Caught between “ex”-families “step”-families, in-laws and other family issues? Your Gemini planner, as an independent third party, can help navigate any situation.  We have been known to smooth ruffled feathers, mediate disagreements and prevent hurt feelings.  Sometimes your consultant may be nothing more than a “sounding board” to support you during the entire planning process or “shoulder the responsibility” for a particular decision.

Can’t I do the planning myself?

You certainly can do the planning yourself, and that sometimes is part of the fun.  But there are many details that make for a perfect day that often get overlooked, purely from lack of experience.  We are here to help and guide to whatever degree you desire.  Additionally, planning can be challenging especially for destination weddings and those with busy careers simultaneously.  Do you have time to tour venues, research and interview many sources for each vendor category and you aren’t worried whether you’re getting the best vendor for your needs and budget?  Once you arrive for your wedding weekend, will you have the time to oversee the details, vendors and ensure whether everything will turn out perfectly?  Does the venue you selected require that you have a coordinator?  A Gemini wedding coordinator has the training and experience to perfectly orchestrate your vision, while you relax and enjoy your wedding weekend.  Our clients have diversified needs, which is why we have a custom approach. Each client and wedding is unique.

Do I need a wedding coordinator?

A professional wedding coordinator will be a distinct asset as you plan your wedding.  Wouldn’t it be nice to spend time with your fiancé and your families, rather than worrying about all the details of your special day? A coordinator will take care of the details, leaving you to have the fun.  And, on your wedding day, you can shine and also relax, while your coordinators work behind the scene to make it all happen!

Who are we actually hiring?

When you hire Gemini, you are partnering with our team.  We have over 15 years of experience in design, décor, contract negotiation, customized vendor selection and flawless event execution.  The on-site team has assisted Gemini for over 10 years, and each member excels in a different aspect of coordinating and implementation.  As experienced coordinators, we handle the details while you spend time with your family and friends.

Can you assist me with the design, décor and details of my wedding?

Absolutely! Our weddings have been published by Town & Country Weddings, Brides Magazine and The Knot and filmed by Platinum Weddings due to the extreme level of interaction we have with clients.  Our years of immersion in wedding culture, fashion and design prompted the development of a design process that creates an incredibly fun milieu for Gemini clients.  It encourages the bride and groom to become creative and uncover what inspires them individually, while discovering their traits as a couple.  This progression leads to cutting edge design elements, thoughtful details and incredible memories.  These particulars are just what our couples cherish forever, the guests recall as their “favorite vacation ever”, and leading publications admire.

How do we determine the cost of your services?

A wedding coordinator is a part of your budget, not an extra expense.  In fact, you often save money because your coordinator can suggest less expensive alternatives that still enhance your wedding.  At Gemini every wedding coordination package is custom to produce your dream wedding – all within your budget.  We begin by reviewing a list of comprehensive services Gemini Event Planning offers and clients check off the items where they would like assistance. Gemini offers clients anything from day-of coordination to comprehensive planning, design and event implementation.

How do we move forward with your coordination services?

Gemini Event Planning offers a straightforward contract that includes all the services you wish to incorporate.  The contract does not highlight the exclusions, but rather spells out exactly what you are hiring Gemini to do on your behalf.  A signed contract and 50% deposit is retained to save the date and then the fun begins!

Why should we choose you as our wedding planner?

Gemini Event Planners know the honor that it is to have you choose us to assist in one of the biggest days of your life and we reflect that respect in our service and care.  We prides ourselves on creativity, communication and organization throughout the planning process.  Because we get to know our clients on a professional and personal level, we often become friends with our clients after the event is complete. That is one of the best elements!

We offer clients the widest breadth of experience, with over 15 years in the design and event industry.  Many clients take advantage of these assets and choose to use our talents for innovative décor ideas.  At Gemini, we believe in custom wedding coordinating packages to fit each client’s needs. Every wedding is different and there isn’t a “one-size” fits all package.  The Gemini team may assist with the day-of planning or an entire weekend of events.

Gemini Event Planning is the only wedding planner in Colorado to be published nationally multiple times in Town & Country Weddings, Brides Magazine, People Magazine and featured on television’s Platinum Weddings as well as multiple blogs and other print magazines such as The Knot and Rocky Mountain Bride.

We have won service awards based on customer reviews and are the Wedding Wire Couples Choice winner for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 as well as the “Best of” winner for The Knot for 2016 and 2017.

We are the only luxury and experienced company to focus on the Vail Valley exclusively so we know every local venue and are not spread across the state.  That also has helped us develop excellent relationships with each venue- we know personally the people you will be working with.

With our extensive negotiation experience, you will have a seasoned professional as your voice in the Vail Valley.

NOTABLE | AWARD

WEDDING FEATURES

KIND WORDS | VAIL COLORADO BRIDES

I don’t even know how to begin.  I met Jeni 14 months before my wedding date of Sept 15, 2018.  From the first conversation on she was amazing.  Extremely organized, on top of everything. Through the months that preceded the wedding, my now husband and I grew closer to her. Her vibrant energy and dedication to the service that she provides.  If you ask any vendor in the Vail Valley, they will tell you how much they enjoy working with her.  5 weeks before our wedding I was in a horrific car accident that left me i the hospital for 21 days.  Since it was crunch time and, I was unable to even get out of bed, Jeni came to visit me on the hospital and told me that if we wanted to go through with the wedding, she could handle the rest of the remaining details.  Since she had worked so closely with us in the previous months, she had a handle on what it was that we would love.  Although I went down the aisle in a wheelchair, the venue, Allie’s Cabin, was like a fairy tale!  All I could do was look around in awe how beautiful it was and every detail from decoration to food to music was perfect.  I couldn’t have done a better or probably couldn’t have even done such a wonderful job taking care of the finishing touches myself.  If you’re searching for the perfect wedding planner...  let your search end here!

Denise and John | September 15th 2018

BEAVER CREEK

If anyone is looking for someone to make sure you have THE most special wedding day, well, you found her!  Jennifer Pletcher was not only my wedding planner, but she is my friend!  Jennifer, thank you for making the day I have dreamed of as a girl even better than I imagined.  Jennifer is the most thoughtful, patient, kind, fun, awesome person to have in your life but to have her as your wedding planner is another level of amazing.

Cameron L, 2018

THE 10TH VAIL

When we met Jennifer Pletcher we immediately recognized that she was extremely knowledgeable about all it takes to plan a wedding and has deep connections to any vendors that you could ever need.  She started contacting people on our behalf at our first meeting, before we even hired her.  She made the whole process very easy and was always available whenever we needed.  Aside from being an expert in her field, Jeni is also a wonderful person and made every interaction a pleasure.  She could not have been more kind, caring, organized and involved through the entire process. She went above and beyond, doing things way outside the scope of her contract—she literally did EVERYTHING.  I’m sure we only saw a small fraction of what Jeni did to make our day perfect as she is constantly working behind the scenes with all the vendors, reviewing contracts, creating spreadsheets, and proactively dealing with issues before we were even aware of them.  During the wedding she is in the background orchestrating everything to make sure it runs as smoothly as possible.  Our wedding was the largest wedding that our venue had ever hosted, with more vendors and setup than they had dealt with before, and you would have never known because Jeni made the whole thing work seamlessly!  The wedding was more perfect than we could have ever imagined.  It was a dream come true thanks to Jeni  All of the vendors she recommended are truly amazing, we definitely had a dream team. We are beyond grateful to have met and worked with Jeni and would recommend her to our closest friends and family without any reservations.  She is the best. We are now lucky to call her a friend and look forward to seeing her anytime we are in Vail.

Tori and Adam | August 10th 2019

PINEY RIVER RANCH

I have so many feelings about Jeni and my experience working with Gemini, so this is going to be a long one.  I can easily say that she was the best investment we made on our wedding, and she has become such a dear, life-long friend in the process.  Her planning services are invaluable - honestly I would have been so lost without her! Jeni is truly a visionary, and an expert in planning and executing beautiful and grand weddings, with unique and personal touches.  Planning a wedding can be extremely stressful, but with Jeni, the process was nothing but FUN.  As someone who didn't really have a vision for their dream wedding, Jeni helped pull that out of me.  What we created together was so above what I ever could have done on my own, and having her by my side allowed me to really be present and enjoy my own wedding. I knew she had our backs and every detail was handled.  After meeting with Jeni, I knew quickly that she was my girl.  She was so thoughtful, and above all the other planners I met with, I could tell how much she cares about her clients and the work that she does.  She went so above and beyond for me before I was even a client of hers.  Throughout the planning process, Jeni and I grew to become such close friends - she is not only an amazing planner, but the most wonderful and genuine person.  She has executed so many beautiful weddings, and as an expert in her field, I knew I could trust her opinions and recommendations.  Every vendor that she recommended to me were top notch - she helped me assemble a team of only the best!  Because she has such a strong rapport with all the best vendors in the Vail Valley and Denver areas, she was able to help us negotiate significant price discounts, additional services and preference over other potential clients that were inquiring about the same date.  Going in to the day, we knew Jeni had every single detail organized and ready to execute on.  But there are so many things that happen on your wedding day that you don't anticipate, and Jeni was there to manage all of those.  Like our backup plans had backup plans.  My husband and I got stuck on the mountain during our first look due to rain and the ceremony was delayed an hour plus - this is a situation that could stress out any human being.  We felt none of that because we knew Jeni had our backs and would help execute our vision no matter what.  Literally every detail in human control was planned and executed perfectly by Jeni and the team we assembled, and she mitigated the impact of those events that were out of our control so we were able to enjoy every moment of our wedding.

Erin and Jack | July 21st 2019

FOUR SEASONS VAIL

Jeni not only was my wedding planner but became a big sister.  I met Jeni over FaceTime while I was living in Australia.  We immediately clicked and I trusted her endlessly with the biggest day of my life.  She was available all the time, which was hard because I was living across the world, but she made it so easy.  She had an amplitude of different vendor suggestions and advice in what would be the best fit for my vision.  She was also always available to talk through any concerns or to tell me that everything is going to be okay.  I could not have imagined my wedding anymore perfect and that has everything to do with Jeni.  She made the day run smoothly and made sure that I was taken care of the entire day, and always had an espresso martini in my hand :).  I cannot thank Jeni enough!!  If you are looking for a wedding planner you would be nuts not to hire Jeni!  I want to do it all over again just so I can work with her again!  We love you Jeni!

Morgan and Sean | January 11th 2020

FOUR SEASONS VAIL

It’s difficult to illustrate how extraordinary Jeni and Gemini Event Planning is in words…it’s truly a special experience getting to work with the best in the business.  My fiancé (now husband) and I got engaged in December 2018.  We live in Atlanta, and we knew we wanted an intimate, destination wedding that captured who we are as a couple.  Vail Resort/Mountain was an easy choice for us to make! With the ability to google and research, we thought we would be able to wedding plan without a planner.  After about 2 weeks of being price gouged or turned down due to a winter, on-mountain wedding, we knew we needed help to make our snowy, winter wedding work.  We came across Jeni/Gemini, and she was so easy to work with from the very start.  I’m not sure if people accurately warn you about how difficult it can be to set up calls and meetings with vendors, especially if you are planning a destination wedding.  With Jeni, we had a call set up super quick, and can I add that she did the call on a Saturday to make it easier on me and my husband?!  Less than 1 minute into the call, I felt a connection with Jeni.  You know when you meet a special person and you can just feel their energy/aura/spirit?  Well, that’s Jeni.  She put us at ease and got to know us as a couple.  My husband and I viewed wedding planning as relationship building, not a transactional service.  After all, you are entrusting a team to support and guide you through the most special day of your life.  Relationship building is how Jeni works.  She really cares, and she goes every extra mile to ensure the whole planning process is calm, smooth, and fun (like it should be)!  Jeni also connected us with equally incredibly vendors.  We literally had the “dream team” for our wedding, and every detail turned out perfect.  Throughout our wedding, our families and friends commented on how talented and kind all of our vendors were --- from décor, flowers, photography, videography, music, etc.  Jeni, the Gemini team, and all of our vendors ensured that our intimate, destination, snowy, on-mountain wedding dreams came true!  Choosing Jeni as our wedding planner was the best decision we made, and we will forever adore her!  Overall, Jeni is the most beautiful human-being, and we feel honored that we got the privilege to know her, work with her, and now call her our life-long friend.  I wish ‘thank you’ could express how truly grateful we are.

Jessica and Cory | December 6th 2019

THE 10TH VAIL