• Gretchen, who is Altared Events? Altared Events is my wedding consultation and design company created out of my desire to have a career I loved and that is a professional wedding consultant. For the last ten years I have educated myself, researched wedding traditions, customs and trends and gained all the experience I could in an effort to be the best wedding consultant I can and make my dreams and the dreams of my couples come true.
• Where did the name come from? The name popped into my head when I was working as a communications specialist in 2003. I wasn’t trying to come up with anything clever or unique and yet I did. The name means so much to me, not only because of the wedding altar reference but because I aim for each wedding to be above and beyond what the couple wanted or expected. I do personal and meaningful weddings for wonderful and unique people and my company name reflects that.
• When did you know you wanted to be a wedding consultant? I should have known at the age of six when I planned Barbie weddings that included borrowing my Mom’s camera for photos. Instead it took a Plan Your Wedding Project in my junior year Sociology class and my teacher giving me the highest grade and recommending it be my profession. It still took five years before I really believed I could make a living doing what I love, thankfully it finally set in!
• Where did you train for this discipline? After years of planning weddings for friends and family I knew this was my calling. I wanted to set myself apart professionally so I researched the best certification programs for wedding consultation. I decided on the Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants because of their national reputation, California location, and dedication to member support and continued education.
• Do you have a team and if so tell me about them? My regular Altared Events team is my family, really they are! In order to keep my services affordably priced, I work from my home office and have staff willing to work for a homemade dinner! My associates consist of my husband Tom and my mom Sherri. Both of them are my best friends and the best assistants I could have since they can read my mind and know what I need done simply by the look on my face. They love me, I love them and what I do.
• If Altared Events had a dinner party what would the theme be? Potluck. No really, I think the best dinner parties consist of either BBQ or everyone bringing a dish and making a really casual fun evening of it. I have dreams of Martha Stewart dinner parties and I get pretty close on holidays and birthdays but the rest of the year I am a potluck lover for sure.
• What is your favorite thing about being in this business? Aside from getting to be a part of the best day of someone’s life, which is a pretty big favorite of mine, I would have to say helping couples who are overwhelmed by the amount of time, work, effort and decision making that goes into planning a wedding. When my knowledge, experience and creativity can let a bride and groom breathe and enjoy the time leading up to their wedding, I consider myself very fortunate.
• What would you consider Altared Events style to be? If I can be allowed to let my mind run a bit I would have to say “Modern Sense mixed with Respect for Tradition and Dedication to Individuality without forgetting Wedding Customs, in short, Altared Events.
• Where do you draw your inspiration from? Where don’t I draw inspiration from? I have art books that cover everything from cave paintings to Warhol. I subscribe to every wedding and fashion magazine. I follow nearly fifty design and wedding related blogs. I attend professional trainings and courses. I study foreign cultures and customs. I study sub-cultures like Rockabilly, Goth, and Emo groups. I listen to music from Mozart to Lady Gaga to Frank Sinatra to A Fine Frenzy. I do floral, gown, stationary, jewelry and interior design. If a bride and groom hire me to do a wedding that incorporates something I don’t know about I learn it and love it quickly!
• What professional in your discipline do you admire? There are so many BIG names in wedding events; Jo Gartin, David Tutera, Colin Cowie, but its easy to admire creative people who have access to limitless budgets. I tend to admire wedding professionals who care more about their clients than making a name for themselves. People whose creativity and passion doesn’t decrease when the budget does and who will put in extra effort for their clients to see that their day is a dream. I believe Altared Events fits that description perfectly.
• Is there ever a moment, when doing an event, that you get butterflies? I have butterflies all the time doing weddings…not in my stomach, but in my heart! When the bride walks down the aisle, when the couple says I do, when the dances with parents happen, during the toasts and speeches…those are all amazing moments that still warm my heart, take my breath away and give me butterflies.
• Any particular event you are most proud of? Thankfully I am proud of every one of my weddings but a recent wedding comes to mind in which the previous wedding planner had been fired. I was brought in to pick up the pieces of a wedding that had been taken over by an unprofessional planner and try to make sense of a wedding that had lost every touch of the couple getting married. The couple was depressed (partly due to being overcharged and losing so much money), the families were stressed and the vendors remained unpaid with contracts unsigned. In a few days I had every detail recreated to fit the couple, every family member and vendor called to reassure them of my commitment to the success of this event and hugs from the happy couple. They even thanked me in their speeches at the reception!
• How far in advance do you recommend a potential couple should start looking for a wedding consultant? The good thing about hiring Altared Events is that we can do as much or as little as you need or want us to do. If you want to hire us the day you get engaged we will help you plan the entire wedding from start to finish. If the week (or the day) before the wedding you get overwhelmed give us a call and we can be there to help at the last minute. You can also hire Altared Events at any point in between…whatever suits your needs. The minute you think, “I need help, I need a wedding planner!” that’s the time to hire Altared Events.
• What questions should a Bride and Groom ask when interviewing a wedding consultant? There are three things I think are important to know about a wedding consultant before or during an interview.

1. The first thing is their Prices. Most wedding consultants aren’t up front with their prices and I don’t agree with that. We are providing a valuable service to our clients and if a wedding consultant isn’t confident enough in their abilities to publicize their prices I question their motivation in being a wedding consultant. Altared Events has our prices posted online and we charge the same hourly as in our packages with no extra charges for overtime
2. The second thing that is important to know is how many weddings they take on a week, a month, a year and how many they have at the point you hire them (and how many they will take on from that point). You want to make sure your wedding consultant will remember you when you call and also have the time available to provide you quality service which often includes quantity too. Altared Events only takes on one wedding a month typically, with the maximum being two weddings at least a weekend apart so that we can always be available and reached by our couples.
3. The third and final thing I think is greatly underestimated is that you feel comfortable with your consultant and that she or he are someone you would feel comfortable going to coffee, shopping, or meeting up with socially. You don’t have to be best friends instantly but having someone beside you professionally who you could like personally will make the most important day of your life a success without a doubt. Altared Events always offers free consultations with no commitment to make sure that the couple is comfortable and happy with us as their consultant before they ever pay any money or agree to any plans.

• What words of wisdom are you willing to bestow upon a young couple ready to make the leap into marriage? Remember that the wedding is one day but how you treat each other is for the rest of your life. Kiss and hug often and always put effort into your relationship as a couple and as friends. Take the time as often as you can to remember how much and why you love the person you are marrying and never ever forget to value the love they feel for and give you.
• Where or how can they find more about Altared Events? Our website, www.altaredevents.com, email Gretchen@altaredevents.com, our blog, www.altaredevents.blogspot.com, or give us a call 916.607.0108 and we would love to answer all your questions and talk about your big day in detail!
• Ok here is a hard one. If you were a shoe would you be Flats, Boots, Pumps, Sneakers, Thongs or Loafers? Flip flops and sneakers for sure. Not for a wedding of course but Old Navy flip flops and Converse Chuck Taylor’s are my personal shoes of choice. I have a ton in every color and they suit my busy life and casual style. When it comes to weddings I like to wear sensible shoes for set up and glam up a bit for the big show!

Any last words? – These words are not my own but they mean so much to me… “All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.” – Leo Tolstoy

Photo by Altared Events

I had the good fortune of meeting Lora Ward on September 22, 2007 as I worked as a second shooter for Allison Stahl.  The day began at the Hyatt Hotel and ended at the four-story, 24,000 square foot 58 room Grand Island Mansion.  She ran the whole operation with a smile and never broke a sweat.  At first I thought she was a family member of the Bride, but later I learned that is the type of service she provides all her clients. No wonder why “A Day to Remember” is one of Sacramento’s premier wedding coordination and event planning companies.

• Who is A Day to Remember? An (extremely helpful) wedding and event planning business with over 25 years experience in the industry.
• When did you know you wanted to be a Event Planner? As a wee babe of about 25 years of age
• Where did you train for this discipline? In the early years, I assisted the older “church ladies” with setting up receptions in the church social hall, and then later became involved with professional organizations such as June Wedding, Inc. (certified) as well as through the Association of Bridal Consultants
• How long has A Day to Remember been in business? Since rocks were soft – kidding! More than 25 years.
• What word best describes A Day to Remember? Only one word? Let’s go with one adjective and one noun – extremely helpful.
• Do you have a dream team and if so tell us about them? I have enjoyed working with many dream teams, who understand that there are no Prima Donas on wedding day. We are all there to serve the client and work together in a cohesive manner (no matter what!)
• What is your favorite thing about being in this business? Seeing the end results of months of planning, and perfection is achieved… and my bride is thrilled!
• What would you consider A Day to Remember style to be? Relaxed, fun, efficient, and stress-free.
• What would a party be like in your home? I’m not a home party kind of girl… too much work to get my house cleaned!!
• Where do you draw your inspiration from? I feed off my brides as most come into my office brimming with ideas. I do devour magazines (both home and garden as well as wedding/industry publications). Certain websites are addicting, too.
• What professional in your discipline do you admire? Colin Cowie – he’s so dreamy, and oh so talented as an event planner!
• Is there ever a moment, when doing an event, that you get butterflies? No nervous butterflies; only excited butterflies!
• Any wedding stories you are willing to share with us? Too many stories to share, and no I have no “horror” stories; all my weddings are well executed.
• Any particular event you are most proud of? So many to be proud of… where do I start? One comes to mind that was unique in that the wedding and reception was held at Thunderbird Lodge, Lake Tahoe (this is at a rather remote private estate built on boulders and outcroppings on the East Shore). The rental fee is high and so my client wanted to enjoy this historical venue for many hours. We shuttled the guests in at 1:00 p.m. and the last ones to leave was at 11:00 p.m. – 10 hours! We had four meal services throughout the day, starting with a greeting beverage and very light lunch, heavy appetizers after the ceremony, the wedding feast, and a dessert buffet with late night snacks. Tours were provided of the venue and short boat rides on a vintage Chris Craft were available for the guests to enjoy.
• I understand time lines are important. Could you give us an example of one? There is never enough time on wedding day, so I build in plenty of time for possible delays. I always allow enough time so there is no helter-skelter rushing.
• What is your ideal client? A bride who is willing to put her trust in my abilities and is appreciative of all that I can help her with. My brides are students with a job, or professional career women, and also out of town/state clients.
• How far in advance do you recommend a potential couple should start looking for a Event Planner? No earlier than 12 months prior; but I’ve had clients require full service coordination with as little as 8 weeks planning (easy!)
• Why should they hire A Day to Remember? OMG, I am such a helpful resource! If the bride is looking for a fun, easy-to- work with, organized, experienced wedding planner, they need look no further. I have a vast amount of knowledge, and because of the many different situations and experiences that I have encountered in my career, I have many “tricks up my sleeve.” My vendor resources are vast, my attention to detail is great, and my gentle nudging is appreciated.
• Where or how can they find more about A Day to Remember? My website, www.adaytorememberca.com is quite thorough and follow along with my blog. I am often quoted or have featured weddings in Sacramento Bride & Groom Magazine.
• Who do you recommend that I interview next? John Vu of ProFinish Design (if not for photography, then for the photobooth). Carissa of Sugar and Spice (specialty desserts) – www.sugarandspice.me
• If you were a shoe would you be Flats, Boots, Pumps, Sneakers, Thongs or Loafers? Dearfoam Slippers. And, Carlos… my teenaged daughters told me a long time ago to never refer to a sandal as a “thong.” Geez!
• Any last words? I don’t know how brides and grooms, and their mothers, manage without a knowledgeable wedding planner at their side, throughout the months. There is so much I can help with! I’m a “God Send” (and I’m very humble, too)