F.A.Q.s: An Interview with Martina
Want to know a bit more about how we got here, what makes us different and how we can help you pull off a worry-free destination wedding without compromising at every turn? I personally answer the most common, burning questions we get from our couples in the below interview. Enjoy!
How did you become a wedding planner?
I have to admit, it is a bit strange today to find that I am a wedding planner. As a young teenager and throughout my 20’s, I said many times that I would never get married myself. By then, I‘d been a guest at more than 30 weddings, a Maid of Honor 3 times and an Assistant at dozens more…and I didn’t even like attending weddings!
Ironically, this entire time I was working in the hospitality industry, first as an event planner for a yacht (boat shows, charters, parties), and then as a manager/director for a large multi-national company in Split, Croatia that owned a four-star hotel and upscale restaurant.
Little did I know, I was rapidly gaining experience as an organizer, planner, supervisor and coordinator. But the leap to wedding planner didn’t occur until I had to plan my own wedding in Malta.
As I made our wedding plans, researching all the possible venues and negotiating with vendors, I realized the skills I’d developed working in the hospitality industry in Croatia were all coming into play. Not only was I able to juggle the many details of planning the wedding, to my shock and amazement, I found that I loved it!
But there was another side of the coin. I was facing a number of challenges because I wasn't a local and didn't know Maltese culture or the wedding market very well.
It was very important for me to have a wedding that truly reflected my personal vision, but which was also fun and relaxing for my friends and family who traveled such a long way to celebrate this special day with us. Unfortunately, not all of the local planners and vendors made this very easy to accomplish.
Planning my own Malta wedding taught me about the many obstacles that couples face because of the added challenge of planning a wedding long distance and not being familiar with the local culture and market.
I didn’t believe that I should have to sacrifice my style or preferences just because I was a destination bride and I don’t believe other couples should have to either.
In the end, this perspective and my newfound passion for wedding planning inspired me to provide the type of service I never had as a non-local Maltese bride.
Today, I have the privilege of blessing other brides and grooms with the support I myself wanted when organizing my own destination wedding in Malta so that they can create the custom, personalized destination wedding experience they envision without compromise or stress.
What makes you different from other wedding planners?
What truly make me different is that I've been in your shoes.
I genuinely understand, from a very personal perspective, what it's like to have planned a once-in-a-lifetime affair from afar. Because of this unique perspective, I have the patience, flexility, understanding and compassion for my couples that simply can't be taught by a book or certification course.
I planned my own destination wedding in Malta before I moved here and know all too well the lack of trust, lack of control and lack of information available as non-local.
I also understand how powerless it can feel sometimes when you can't see all preparations in person. You aren't sure where to start or in which order to do things and you don't know if you can trust suppliers enough to put one of the most important days of your life in their hands.
You are not even sure if you can set up your budget because you don't know anything about the wedding industry in Malta. So you waste hours online looking for trustworthy information.
I know. I've been there. I know all challenges of planning a custom wedding in Malta and I learned how to overcome them. This is what truly sets me apart.
Today, I share my lessons learned and wisdom gained with my clients so that they can avoid costly mistakes and plan the kind of wedding they would want to attend as a guest!
Are we going to be able to afford your services?
While every couple has a unique budget and priorities, the question that may be even more important is "how much more will you spend without our support?"
Without local, professional guidance and support, many destination couples drastically overspend.
In start contrast, our clients typically find that they saved enough funds and time because of our assistance, insider knowledge and exclusive local resources that it more than made up for the investment to have us by their side.
Here are just few ways you can save tremendously by working with us:
No Mark Ups
It is standard in Malta for wedding suppliers and planners to mark up services and venue pricing in order to earn additional commissions. We do not participate in this practice. What you pay for any wedding services we recommend is the bottom line price.
Save 100-250+ Planning Hours
Planning a wedding is a very daunting and time consuming task that often becomes a full time job for the couple.
Most of our prospective clients don't know how much time does it takes to plan a wedding, especially from a long distance...until they get stuck dealing with never-ending tasks, unreliable vendors, cultural differences etc.
Couples typically invest minimum of 100-250 hours of their own precious time planning their weddings. If you were to get paid your regular salary for those hours, how much would that amount to? (Not to mention all the fun weekends you're losing!)
Overspending
Many studies have shown that couples end up spending 25-50% more on their wedding then they budgeted. A seasoned wedding planner can help you avoid this pitfall by keeping you on track and sharing secrets for how to save in some areas so you can splurge in others.
Myself and my team are creative. We thrive on finding clever ways to help you get everything you want without surpassing your budget. When you combine our unconventional ideas our exclusive, lesser known local resources, it's possible to stretch a practical budget much further than you expected.
Flexible Programs & Payments
In addition to sparing you costly mistakes and saving you a tremendous amount of precious time, we also try to offer flexible financial options to our clients to make our services as accessible as possible. We have a variety of programs to suit different needs and budgets and we offer payment plans for those that need it.
How much will a destination wedding cost?
Whether you're getting married in Malta or Croatia, budgets will vary a lot. Naturally we work with our clients to help them strike a balance between the wedding they truly want and the budget they can be happy with.
We have created a number of useful articles that may give you a general idea of what to expect and how to save:
Setting up a wedding budget is one of the first steps we take with our clients. I would like get to know you first , learn about your preferences and help you setup your priority list. We will create a budget projection at the beginning of the planning process enabling you to put your mind at rest instead of being frustrated and thinking how much you will spend at the end.
We will also match you with suppliers who are the best fit for your budget and vision. Don’t worry if you are not sure about how to execute this step right now, we will discus everything during our consults. I will let you know straight away how to get real about your Malta wedding budget.
Another resource you will love are our Venue Discovery Apps. Not only do our exclusive venue member areas reveal the best sites to get married in Malta and Croatia, they each come with venue pricing estimates and budgeting tools so you can determine what you can afford. And the best part is that it's free! Register for free membership access to the Malta Venue Discovery or Croatia Venue Discovery.
Are we going to lose control over our wedding planning if we work with you?
Absolutely not! Because I've been in your shoes, I know how important it is to retain control of the decision-making so that you can customize a wedding vision that's right for you.
With us, you will have even more free time to spend on the aspects of wedding planning you simply love, like dress hounding and theme design, while you spend far less time on the tasks that annoy you or stress you out (those you can delegate to us).
Who will benefit from your services the most?
Couples who wish to have a custom made wedding and flexible planning approach will simply love having us by their side!
Couples who live abroad, have busy lifestyles and long for a tailor made wedding experience are the perfect fit for our programs. We work the best with couples that need flexibility and want to make things simpler.
I find that the most of our couples want someone who listens and genuinely understands their vision, who they can trust, who will stay flexible and make sure everything goes smoothly before and on the wedding day.
Here are just a few of the benefits of working with us:
- You will have a wedding day that is totally you
- You will stay happy and relaxed during your engagement time
- You will spend more time with your fiancé planning your marriage
- You will gain control over your wedding budget
- You will get exclusive access to insider local knowledge and resources
- You will get to enjoy your wedding day and feel like a guest at your own wedding
- You will get the help you need and enjoy peace of mind
What type of couples might not be a good fit for your wedding planning services?
I admit that we are not the right fit for everyone.
Couples looking for an all-inclusive, one-size-fits-all wedding package probably won't appreciate the benefits of our tailor-made services.
Also couples who consider a wedding planner to be a cost rather than a valuable investment that will save them time, money and stress may not find value in our offerings.
Do you subcontract vendors or work on a price markup structure?
No. We do not markup third party services.
Integrity is a very important part of our working ethics. We actually have a guarantee of transparency of the prices from vendors booked on our behalf. This is a standard clause in our agreement.
Furthermore our clients often get special discounts from the best professionals with whom we have established business relations since we are their repetitive clients.
How many weddings do you manage in a day?
We only accept one wedding per day in order to give our clients the utmost attention and focus throughout their event.
Can we book our own vendors?
Yes, absolutely! If you have preferred vendors you'd like to be part of your wedding team then we are more than happy to help you coordinate their work.
Can we speak with your past clients?
Your services seem like a great fit, but we still have more questions.
It would be our pleasure to answer all your questions and help you get clarity about where you need the most support for your upcoming wedding during a complimentary Creative Consult.
You can schedule this consultation from either our Holiday Escape or Full Service Planning pages.
Everything sounds perfect. How can we get started?
We are thrilled about your eagerness to create your own custom destination wedding experience in Malta and can't wait to support you!
The next step is to schedule a complimentary Creative Consult to get all your ideas on the table and solidify a vision for your event. You may schedule this complimentary session from either our Holiday Escape or Full Service Planning page.
