Part of the joy of working in the Monterey Peninsula is that it’s a small community made up of amazing professional wedding vendors that service so many different couples and venues. One of the best parts of working in the Carmel, Pebble Beach and Big Sur communities is that we have incredible professional vendors that work really hard to treat couples to unforgettable wedding weekends. In addition to supporting the local business where you are planning your wedding there are some really great, and often unseen perks to hiring local! 

1. They know all the venues

This area is full of hidden gems and beautiful venues that don’t always come up on your internet search for wedding venues. One of the most overwhelming parts of wedding planning for many couples is picking a venue. A lot factors into the wedding venue selection including, style, location, guest count, budget, the date and so much more. When you start looking, sometimes you are limited to whatever venues have the best SEO presence even if they aren’t the best venues for what you are really looking for. A great local planner can easily guide you through the venue selection. We start by hearing in an ideal world what you want. Ideal locations, styles, setting, guest count, budget, and then guide you in finding the right place. It is not uncommon at all for couples to come to me with an interest in one venue but then after describing their vision and several arranged site tours, we find the right place for them, which may be different than the original they had in mind! 

Photo- Bernardus Lodge and Spa by Ashley Carlasico

2. We have the contacts

It’s not news to share that Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea are small and sleepy towns. The area kinda moves at its own pace, which often is not a super fast one. For many of my couples that work demanding corporate jobs and live in large cities, this can be a bit of a point of frustration. They send an email inquiry and then maybe hear back 3-5 days later, and that is speedy at times in Carmel (yikes, I know). It doesn’t make for an easy or smooth process in getting information. This is again where a planner can swoop in and save the day. Because of our vast knowledge on things like price points, and insider knowledge, we can often help give you the answer, or at least track down the answer faster than a couple can. Part of this is our 8+ years of experience and building solid relationships in the Northern California market. Often, when couples come to me in the beginning stages and haven’t booked a venue they say, “we haven’t heard back from x venue yet but we really want to tour it while we are in town”. That’s where we come in. We have cell phone numbers and ways of getting ahold of people beyond just the general email inbox. We are often much more successful and quick at arranging site tours and vendor meetings because we have the right contacts!

3. We are a fountain of local knowledge

These communities are our homes. We know the best place for sushi, or the best almond croissant in town, the best freelance yoga instructor to lead a group at Carmel beach. You name it we know it…. And if we don’t know it, a few phone calls to our fellow locals and we will get you the inside scoop. Planning a wedding is full of intricacies and often you are playing tour guide to 100+ of your closest friends. You want to give them the best possible information on where to go and what to do. That is where your local vendors can be a goldmine. 

Photo by Shannon Cronin

4. We know all the inside scoops

As Local professionals, we have the scoop… If your venue has a back entrance that is actually faster and we can avoid letting you be seen by all the guests, we will make it happen. If that company is going out of business or a little unstable, we know it. If the company you are calling isn’t returning your calls we typically have the inside scoop or can get it. Local vendors know all the details. 

The venues here are a great example. The Santa Lucia Preserve is a beautiful luxury wedding venue that is private and rarely anyone gets to visit. Having a wedding there is really special, but it’s also a tough venue. There are a lot of intricacies, navigation systems don’t work there, cell phones don’t get signal there, and all guests have to be shuttled in and you need a planner team to help manage each point and direct Every. Single. Detail. When we have weddings there it’s not uncommon for us to have 6-8 team members on site throughout the day to ensure every detail is flawless. With all the guests needing to be shuttled in, and it being a long ride, we need shuttles that know where to go and how to make the drops and turns without it impacting your guests. These are things that we have learned through countless hours of hard work and learning at these venues. You can not come in on the wedding day and wing it! 

THis also applies to vendors like photographers, and DJs, and more, they know the rules, where to go, the contacts, and go above and beyond to ensure they stay in the loop with all rules! 

5. They are here!

One of the common things that can really stress a couple out is hiring vendors from other areas and then having travel disruptions that could potentially impact their day. Look, this can happen anywhere and on any scale. Traffic or unexpected things can always happen on a wedding day (and it’s our job to manage it so you have NO CLUE!) But one thing that often stresses my couples out is when vendors are flying in from another state and they don’t plan their travel as well as they should. I have had photographers call at the last minute with delayed or canceled flights and sure, no one could predict these things, but they aren’t a factor when you hire local. I’m not opposed to having vendors travel in but I always have a conversation with the vendors pre-booking to ensure that they plan travel with enough of a buffer that if flight/travel delay happens there is enough of a buffer that it will not impact your day! 

Photo by Jenni Chapman Photography

6. We always have a back up plan

Being local, we always have a back up. Photographer is stuck in the Midwest in a tornado? (Yes, this happened) No worries, let me make some calls, we will figure this out. Cake delivery truck rear ended on the way to the wedding and ruined? (Yes, this too happened).  No worries, let us figure out a dessert bar that will not disappoint. Cloudy on the coast and can’t do the photos you want?  No worries, there is a hilly point over there that gives great golden hour photos. My point is that we know all the things and have all the solutions here. It’s kinda our job. 

If all of this seems overwhelming and stressful, you aren’t alone. Here at Pocketful of Plans, we are happy to take the stress away and help you plan your wedding day with all of our local favorites.