FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

answered by Frank Damgaard

Why do people hire Wedding Planners?

Well, people consult financial advisers, legal experts, tax specialists for important matters – isn’t one’s wedding just as important, if not more???

Let’s put it another way: imagine you have to plan the biggest day of your life, with the largest budget you have ever been in charge of, with, as guests: a couple hundred of your closest friends and family, not to mention that you have to fulfill a whole array of tasks, with no experience, no contacts, and… in some cases… no time – and you want to make sure that it comes out perfect because you have been dreaming of this day like… forever and if it comes out anything less than perfect you would feel absolutely AWFUL…. Would YOU get an expert to come in and ensure success???

What does a Wedding Planner actually do?

In fact, according to statistics, the average bride spends almost 300 hours planning her wedding (or rather their wedding, I should say)! Many of today’s couples are very busy, and may not have that sort of time available. Plus – it can all be quite stressful. My job as a wedding planner is to take care all of that stress away, to offer them my experience, to negotiate on their behalf, to take care of details, and last but not least, to make sure that everything goes off to perfection – in other words, to ensure that they have the most magical day of their lives!

When you say, taking care of everything, where exactly do you begin?

The first thing I do is to sit down with them and get a good idea of what they envision for their wedding. More often than not, the couple has a good idea of the kind of wedding they would like, and it’s up to me to translate this dream into reality.

Actually, I really am lucky to work in this business – whenever I meet clients they are in a great mood! They are in love, they just got engaged, and they are just about to stage the best party of their lives – who wouldn’t be happy!

Once we have established what kind of wedding they wish for, I start to take them around to various venues. As most people already know, the French Riviera is known around the world for its romantic settings: old churches, lush gardens, fabulous private villas, etc.

And then, depending on how much time we have before the big day – we take it from there!

Once a couple gets engaged, and the venue has been booked, there are so many other things you have to organize: photographers, and flowers, etc. How can Monte-Carlo Weddings help out in these areas?

Once the venue is sorted out, and booked – we look at all of the other matters – so – yes, the photographer and videographer, since they are going to provide the couple with memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives (you certainly want to pick the right ones!), and then there’s the entertainment, the ceremony itself, etc.)

The most important thing for me is to ensure that my services will exceed the expectations of every couple hiring me as their wedding planner.

And speaking of offering couples a high level of service - I always suggest to couples that they contact me as soon as they get engaged, even if the wedding is many months away. That will allow me to show them as many venues as possible, and the more time we have – the wider the choice.

Do you specialize in destination weddings?

In fact, we specialize in destination weddings (weddings for people who come from abroad). This is a growing trend in the wedding industry.

The Cote d’Azur is a perfect place for a destination wedding, with easy access by air (so that all of the guests can fly in), good weather (an average of 300 days of sun per year), and – obviously, stunning, beautiful, romantic settings.

Do you also help arrange the legal requirements?

The legal system obviously varies from country to country, but in fact everything is very straightforward, if you know the ropes. In fact this is just one more area why couples hire the expertise of Monte-Carlo Weddings.

Is your business open all year long?

Definitely! Monte-Carlo Weddings organizes weddings all year-round, with the busy season being from March to October. In order to get every couple’s wedding ABSOLUTELY right, I make sure to not take on too much business – since the reason people choose Monte-Carlo Weddings in the first place is for the high level of service.

How many days of sun do you get on the French Riviera? Can you guarantee good weather?

I am sure that I am not the only Wedding Planner who would like to be able to guarantee good weather – unfortunately I cannot. However, with an average of 300 days of sun a year, you have more chances of great weather on the French Riviera. It goes without mentioning that we ALWAYS have a solution up our sleeves, just in case of rain. I never take any chances, especially not for a wedding.

Do you enjoy being a Wedding Planner?

Yes, I do! It’s a great business – and like I said, I get to organize the best day of people’s lives.

It’s actually lots of fun- I get to pay lots of attention to detail, I get to use all of my organizational know how and creative skills, and use all of my contacts in the business.

And then, once the whole thing is over, I get to hear kudos from the couples and their guests – because - one thing you can bet on – I make sure that it was the most seamless – flawless – expertly organized events they or any of their guests have EVER attended.

Some companies offer not only wedding planning services but also organize congresses, incentive travel, business meetings, etc. What about Monte-Carlo Weddings?

There are lots of companies in the area which organize all sorts of events – birthday parties, conferences, seminars, incentive travel, etc. but I opened a Wedding Planner company because I decided to focus only on one type of event: weddings. I think that weddings are special – and… I guess… so do most people! Weddings are my specialty, weddings are what I do, weddings are my passion.

How can I get in touch with you?