Everything you want to know, answered.

Traditional planning models (day-of, partial, and full-service) are built for couples who want to be closely involved in every decision. There’s nothing wrong with that. Higher Love was designed specifically for the couple who is overwhelmed, short on time, or simply doesn’t want wedding planning to be their part-time job.

It’s a fixed planning formula with published pricing and pre-curated options at every turn, including eight complete decor collections available to every planning client, with linens, place settings, glassware, candles, florals, and a matching signage suite. Design is included in every package, and the collections mean you never have to start from scratch. The goal is to minimize decision fatigue and help you feel as calm during planning as you will on your wedding day.

As much or as little as you’d like. If there’s a part of the planning process you’re excited about (florals, music, the aesthetic), let’s collaborate on it. If you’d rather hand it off entirely, I’ll take it from there and only check in when a decision actually needs to be made. The goal is to meet you where you are, not force you into a mold.

No more than two a month, with at least two weeks between wedding dates, so every couple gets my full attention. I don’t pack the calendar, and my rates reflect the level of service, time, and attention you get because of it.

Yes. Petite packages cover celebrations of up to 50 guests. For an elopement of up to 20 guests, I co-created Married Under the Bridge with Weddinglandia: an intimate elopement package at Cathedral Park in St. Johns, right under the bridge.

A realistic starting budget for a Portland wedding with 50–75 guests is $20,000, and that’s a lean, well-planned event with mid-range vendors and minimal florals. The average Portland wedding runs $28,000–$35,000. Magazine-worthy tablescapes, lush florals, a live band, and a stunning venue put you at $40,000–$60,000+. For Hood River and Gorge weddings, the floor is closer to $24,000.

For vendor-by-vendor ranges, from venue and catering to bar service, photography, and gratuity, see my Portland wedding budget guide. For how bar service and bartender pricing work, see the bar section of the guide.

Higher Love works exclusively with licensed, insured, and experienced vendors, because your wedding day deserves nothing less. The minimums in my budget guide reflect the real cost of that standard in the Portland and Hood River markets.

Think of your wedding like a symphony. Your coordinator is the conductor, but the musicians still have to show up and know what they’re doing for the show to go on. No amount of coordination can compensate for a vendor who is underqualified, understaffed, or unreliable.

If those numbers feel out of reach right now, that’s okay. It just means the timing might not be right yet, and I’d rather you know that now than after you’ve booked. If you’re close but have questions, reach out. I’m happy to talk it through.

Planning packages start at $3,800 for a Reception Only celebration and $4,500 for Ceremony + Reception. Pricing is published on the website by celebration type and guest count. No inquiry required to see what it costs. Decor design is included in every package. The decor itself is priced separately, scales by guest count, and is billed at cost: rentals are invoiced directly by our rental partner, and florals and items I purchase, like candles, can be added to your final invoice.

The $1,500 deposit reserves your planning package, locks in your spot on my calendar, and is credited toward your planning package total. Your decor is billed separately.

Your planning fee is paid in three installments: the $1,500 deposit at booking, a second payment at the midpoint of your planning, and the final payment one week before your wedding date. The remaining balance after your deposit is split evenly between the second and final payments, and the final payment reflects your confirmed guest count.

Your decor is billed at cost, in a few parts:

Rentals and delivery (linens, place settings, glassware) are billed directly by our rental partner: a deposit when your initial rental order is placed, and the final balance about two weeks before your wedding, once the order is finalized. Your rental agreement is with them, so any breakage or damage is settled directly with the rental company.

Florals have no up-charge. You pay only what the florist charges, and I can add those charges to your final invoice to keep your number of payments down.

Items I purchase, usually candles, are added to your final invoice.

Planning payments are processed through Square; cash and checks aren’t accepted.

Your tier is based on your estimated guest count, and it’s locked at the planning midpoint, when your second payment is due. Until then, your tier can move up or down to match your estimate. After it’s locked, there’s a 15-guest buffer: you only move up a tier if your final count goes more than 15 guests past it, and your final payment adjusts to match.

Anyone who needs their own seat counts toward your guest count, since that’s what sets your tables and decor. Babies and little ones who’ll be on a lap don’t count.

Above 120 guests, pricing continues from the Grand package rather than stopping. You add a charge for each table beyond 15, plus a third onsite coordinator: $450 per additional table and $800 for the coordinator for Ceremony + Reception, or $400 per table and $550 for the coordinator for Reception Only. I’m happy to give you an exact total when you get in touch. 200 guests is the largest celebration I plan.

Decor collections are always invoiced based on your final confirmed guest count, so you only pay for the tables you actually need.

No, on both counts. Pricing is published before you reach out, and I never accept commissions or kickbacks from vendors. Every recommendation I make is based on what’s right for your wedding, not what benefits me financially.

Cancellations are submitted in writing to hello@higherloveeventco.com. The $1,500 deposit is non-refundable. Beyond that, what you owe depends on timing: more than 90 days before your wedding, the remaining balance isn’t charged; within 90 days, 50% of the remaining balance is due; within 30 days, the full remaining balance is due.

If you need to move your date, send the request in writing and I’ll check my availability. If I’m available, planning work already completed (venue research, vendor outreach, contract management, and timeline work) is invoiced before work on the new date begins. If I’m not available for the new date, the deposit is forfeited and the agreement ends.

It’s not required, but it’s the easiest way to start. Pricing is published, so you can see what everything costs before you reach out. When you’re ready, send me a message and I’ll send over your agreement and deposit invoice. A discovery call is always a good idea, not because you need to be sold on anything, but because hiring a planner is a real commitment and you should feel confident in the fit before you sign anything. It’s a chance to ask questions, get a sense of how I communicate, and make sure this model is genuinely right for you. I’d rather you make the right choice than the fast one.

A minimum of three months before your desired wedding date. That’s the minimum lead time needed to source a venue, build your vendor team, and plan the logistics properly. The earlier you book, the more options I have to work with. Popular venues and vendors fill up fast, especially in summer and fall.

You start with a season or a window rather than a single date. It helps just as much to tell me which dates won’t work, whether that’s a holiday, a family conflict, or a month you’d rather avoid.

From there, two things narrow it: venue availability in that window, and mine. Because I plan no more than two weddings a month, with at least two weeks between them, my calendar is part of the equation rather than an afterthought. Your date is set when you sign your venue contract.

St. Johns is home. It’s where I’m based, where I have the deepest vendor relationships, and where a lot of my couples end up celebrating. I plan weddings across the Portland metro, Hood River, and the Columbia River Gorge, and I love working in new spaces. Weddings outside that area include travel costs for my team, billed at cost: lodging, airfare or other transportation, and a daily meal allowance. You’ll get a written estimate before you book.

Wherever your wedding takes place, the process is exactly the same: a fixed formula, a curated team, and someone who knows how to make a day run beautifully no matter the venue.

Once your agreement is signed and your deposit is paid, we’ll schedule your one-hour planning call, where we work through your vision, guest count, budget, and priorities together. From there, the venue search begins, followed by your vendor team. Depending on your timeline, we can hire vendors in waves to keep decision fatigue to a minimum. The full planning timeline shows every step from booking to wedding day.

You’ll get up to five researched and ranked venue options, each with honest pros and cons. My top pick is always listed first, with clear reasoning so you can agree or push back. We tour your top three together.

Vendors follow the same approach: a curated shortlist of up to three per category, matched to your vision, budget, and aesthetic. Already vetted, already narrowed. You choose; I take it from there. See the planning timeline for how each step fits together.

No problem at all. I work with whatever team you’ve already assembled and fill in the gaps. Just let me know who’s confirmed at the time of booking and I’ll take it from there.

Every table includes a full-length table linen, coordinating runner, coordinating napkins, table number frame, charger plate, dinner plate, water goblet, dinner fork and knife, 6 bud vases with florals, 6 votive candles, and taper or pillar candles matched to the collection. Signage is included too: welcome sign, seating chart, table numbers, and bar and catering menus. I create your signage files, and you order prints directly through Canva. Matching templates for your wedding website and digital save the dates and invites are also available if you’d like to use them.

Specific items can occasionally be unavailable. When that happens, I source a comparable replacement at a similar cost that keeps the look and quality of your collection.

No. Design is included in every planning package, so you can choose one of the eight collections or create a custom design with me. Every celebration does include a decor plan, since decor design, coordination, styling, and clearing are all part of your package. All reception decor is designed with you, sourced by me, delivered by our rental partner, and styled by me, with larger items set up and taken down by the rental partner. That keeps quality consistent and the setup seamless.

Personal touches that aren’t part of the design, like your guest book, framed photos, favors, and other small details, are always welcome, and I’ll place them for you. Just unwrap them, assemble them as much as you reasonably can (photos in frames, for example), and pack them in one medium-sized tote. You’re responsible for getting the tote to the venue and for asking someone you trust to collect your personal items at the end of the night.

The collections exist for convenience. Design can be one of the most overwhelming parts of planning, with endless options and decisions. Each collection is a complete, professionally designed tablescape (linens, place settings, glassware, candles, and florals), so you can choose a cohesive look in a single decision.

They also make the day run smoothly. I have a close working relationship with our rental partner. I know their inventory, I know their process, and I trust the quality of what they deliver, so there’s no back-and-forth about who is providing what and the setup goes exactly as planned.

Our rental partner delivers, sets up the larger items, and picks everything up afterward. Delivery is a separate charge from them, estimated at about $500 and finalized once your location is confirmed. On the day, our team styles the smaller details (place settings, centerpieces, and candles) and clears the tables. Because we work with the same collections and the same partner every time, we know exactly what to expect when we walk in the door. You don’t need to coordinate any of it.

Yes. The eight collections are complete as-is, which keeps them quick to choose and their pricing clear. If your aesthetic falls outside them, we’ll create a custom design together. Design is included in your planning package either way. Your decor costs are based on the pieces in your finished design, so there’s no design fee on top.

The current decor collections cover reception decor, and ceremony decor collections are coming soon. In the meantime, ceremony florals and decor come through your florist and design vendors, which I source and coordinate as part of your planning.

Two, or three for celebrations above 120 guests. All are on-site for the full event, up to 8 hours for Reception Only packages and up to 12 hours for Ceremony + Reception packages, from the start of setup through the end of teardown. If the day runs past your coverage window, additional hours are billed at $65/hour, and whenever possible I’ll let you know before any extra time is added.

We oversee setup from start to finish: directing vendors, managing the production timeline, and making sure everything is executed according to plan. We style your tables and coordinate the placement of personal items like signage, guest books, and escort cards. The physical labor of setup (furniture, AV, catering equipment, and bar setup with alcohol you’ve purchased) is done by your individual vendors. Our job is to make sure every vendor knows exactly what to do and when, so the day comes together seamlessly.

We arrive before your guests, oversee vendor setup, run the ceremony and reception timeline, manage any issues that come up behind the scenes, and stay until the last vendor is out. You won’t be fielding questions or watching the clock, and neither will your family. Everyone who loves you gets to show up and celebrate you, not work your wedding.

It’s our job to anticipate problems before they happen and solve them before you know they exist. Between two coordinators on-site and a detailed production plan built well in advance, most issues are resolved without the couple ever knowing. If something truly unexpected happens, we take care of it. That’s what we’re there for.

Two things. For events longer than five hours, please include vendor meals for me and my coordinators, served at the same time as your guests, so we can stay sharp through the last dance. And if your venue charges for parking, those fees are covered by you for the rehearsal and wedding day.