A: Hiring an event planner is often a non-negotiable requirement for many venues. Venues focus on their own responsibilities and rely on experienced planners to handle the complexities of event management. By partnering with reliable planners, venues ensure their clients are in good hands and events run smoothly for everyone involved.

Beyond being a venue requirement, investing in an event planner is one of the smartest decisions you can make. Planners bring:

• Expert Knowledge: Years of experience and strong relationships with vetted, licensed, and insured vendors ensure a seamless planning process.

• Budget Expertise: Planners know how to forecast and allocate budgets effectively, helping you prioritize without making costly mistakes.

• Time Management: From timelines and layouts to vendor contracts and communication, planners manage every detail and know when to address it.

• Day-Of Direction: Planners handle every aspect of event execution, allowing you, your family, and your guests to enjoy the celebration instead of running it.

And when (not if) something goes wrong, your planner is there to resolve issues before you even realize they existed.

Planning an event is a full-time job, especially if it’s a destination event or if you’re juggling busy careers and personal obligations. Even smaller events require thoughtful design, management, and coordination. Working with a planner ensures everything is done efficiently and on time, freeing you from the stress of planning.

Ultimately, hiring a planner means you avoid wedding burnout, stay focused on what matters, and trust that your event will exceed expectations. For more information, click here.

A: At Michelle Leo Events (MLE), we pride ourselves on delivering an exceptional planning experience rooted in expertise, creativity, and unmatched service. Here’s why our clients choose us:

• Award-Winning Expertise: MLE is Utah’s only planner recognized by Vogue, BRIDES, and Martha Stewart as a top planner for multiple years, and we’re the only 18-time Best of State winner for event planning and bridal services. These accolades are a testament to the hard work and dedication we bring to every event.

• Client-Centered Service: We take the time to know you and your priorities, designing and planning events that reflect your style and vision—not our own agenda. Your celebration isn’t just another event to us; it’s personal.

• Custom Designs: Michelle works closely with each client to craft thoughtfully designed proposals filled with intentional, cohesive ideas that represent who you are and what you envision for your celebration.

• Extensive Industry Relationships: With years of experience and trusted connections, we ensure seamless collaboration with top-tier vendors to deliver a flawless event.

• A Proven Process: Our team’s professionalism and experience allow us to anticipate challenges, handle every detail, and give you the freedom to enjoy a stress-free, memorable event.

Simply put, MLE is an organized powerhouse of trained event planning professionals who bring your vision to life with creativity, precision, and care.

A: Understanding the roles of planners, designers, and coordinators is key to appreciating their unique contributions to an event. Here’s a breakdown:

Event Planners

Planners excel at logistics and managing the overall flow of your event. Their responsibilities include:

• Recommending trusted vendors and venues from their network.

• Managing your event budget and planning timeline.

• Overseeing vendor contracts, identifying red flags, and ensuring all rules and regulations are respected.

• Developing layouts that accommodate the size of your event and venue logistics, including electrical capabilities.

• Creating detailed timelines, orchestrating rehearsals, and coordinating transportation.

• Communicating vital details to the entire vendor team to ensure smooth setup, execution, and breakdown.

• Being the first to arrive on-site and the last to leave on event day.

Event Designers & Stylists

Designers focus on the creative and visual elements that make your event unique. Their expertise includes:

• Transforming spaces through cohesive design concepts.

• Curating colors, textures, lighting, floral arrangements, table settings, furniture, and more.

• Coordinating with design-related vendors to produce a stunning, personalized ambiance.
  At MLE, we combine planning and design to ensure every event is both flawlessly executed and uniquely tailored to your vision.

Venue Coordinators

Venue coordinators are responsible for aspects directly tied to the venue. While their work is important, it’s limited in scope. They:

• Set up the venue’s provided items (e.g., tables and chairs).

• Dictate set-up and tear-down times and enforce venue rules and regulations.

• Focus on the venue’s interests, not the overall event.
  Venue coordinators are not involved in hiring vendors, managing timelines, or resolving day-of challenges like missing cakes or blown circuits. They often leave before the event concludes.

This is why most venues recommend (and often require) hiring an experienced planner to oversee the details they don’t handle. Click here for more details!

A: Planner fees vary based on factors such as experience, the types of events they execute, and the demographics of their clientele. As a general guideline, you should plan to allocate 15-20% of your overall event budget for professional planning services.

A: Pricing is customized based on each client’s specific needs and the level of service selected. After an initial consultation, we create a tailored proposal that reflects the scope of your event(s) and the services required. To learn more about our offerings, please visit our services page. If you’re unsure of which service best fits your needs or have questions about pricing, please contact us. We’re happy to guide you through an initial consultation to determine the ideal package for your event.

A: Every event is unique, and no two clients share the same priorities or needs. Your overall investment will vary based on key factors such as location, guest count, venue, menu selections, entertainment, main priorities, and your personal style and taste.

For luxury destination celebrations, most of our clients invest approximately $1,250–$1,500 per guest, with an average guest count of 150+ guests. For multi-event celebrations, including two or more events (e.g., rehearsal dinners, welcome parties, and farewell brunches), the investment typically ranges from $1,850–$2,000 per guest.

A: We work closely with our clients to establish a realistic budget that aligns with their vision and priorities. Through meticulous planning, vendor negotiations, and transparent communication, we manage expenses to ensure your event stays within the agreed-upon budget while maintaining the highest quality standards. Click hereto learn more about how we help our clients create a realistic budget. Click here to learn about the traditional break down expenses and who pays for what.

A: Yes, we have a carefully curated list of preferred vendors that we require our clients to work with for many reasons:

• Proven Excellence: Each vendor on our list has consistently delivered exceptional results, ensuring your wedding or event meets our high standards.

• Seamless Collaboration: We have established relationships with these vendors, which allows for smoother communication, coordination, and execution—ultimately saving you time and reducing stress.

• Trusted Professionals: All preferred vendors are licensed, insured, and have a deep understanding of the high level of service Michelle Leo Events clients expect.

• Expert Guidance: Our familiarity with these vendors means we can recommend the best fit for your unique vision and style, ensuring your event is perfectly tailored to you.

By working with our preferred vendors, you benefit from a team of experts who are not only familiar with each other but are also committed to making your event a flawless experience. If you have a specific vendor you’d like to use, let us know, and we can discuss how they may fit within our framework. Click here to learn more about the benefits of working with In-Network Vendors.

A: Our goal is not to reduce the value of what you’re receiving but to connect you with trusted vendors who deliver the quality and experience you’re envisioning. Pricing reflects not just the cost of a product but also the expertise, labor, and resources required to bring your vision to life.

With years of experience in the wedding industry, we know what constitutes fair pricing and what is truly out of line. We carefully review quotes with a discerning eye and advocate on your behalf when necessary. However, our approach is not to challenge every quote we receive—when pricing is fair, it’s fair.

Most clients don’t have the expertise to fully understand what weddings cost, but we do. Behind the scenes, we diligently evaluate and ensure fair pricing, leveraging our industry relationships to secure the best options for you. While you may not see every step of this process, our efforts are integral to curating an exceptional event that aligns with your vision.

A: Our preferred vendor list is proprietary business information that we share exclusively with our clients. Rest assured, we have a vast network of trusted professionals to recommend, ensuring there’s a perfect fit for every budget, style, and personality.

By working with Michelle Leo Events, you’ll gain access to these carefully curated partnerships, allowing us to match you with vendors who align with your unique vision and ensure a seamless and exceptional event experience.

A: Transparency! We want you to fully understand and approve your overall investment, knowing it’s both a financial and emotional commitment. We firmly believe that when clients understand the true value of a product or service, they can make better decisions and prioritize investments effectively.

At MLE, if you invest $30,000 in floral design, you receive $30,000 in floral design—period. We don’t take commissions from vendors or charge referral fees. There’s no invoice-padding or hidden markups on our watch.

Clients enter into contracts directly with their selected vendors, and we’re here to review those contracts with you to ensure everything aligns before you sign. All vendor payments are made directly to the vendors, not through MLE, keeping the process clear and straightforward.

A: Plain and simple: anyone whose professional title isn’t Event Planner shouldn’t be offering planning services. Industry professionals should focus on their area of expertise—whether that’s photography, floral design, or entertainment.

And no, planning her own wedding doesn’t make your best friend an expert, either.

When you rely on unqualified vendors or individuals to handle the responsibilities of a seasoned event planner, things can quickly become disorganized. Missteps and oversights are inevitable, and ultimately, the client pays the price—whether through unnecessary stress, poor execution, or additional costs to fix issues that could have been avoided.

A: MLE has been executing events for 15 years. Owner, Michelle Cousins launched MLE in 2010, bringing with her more than a decade of event planning experience. Fast forward to today, and Michelle and her team boast over 75 years of collective event planning expertise. Since its inception, MLE has produced hundreds of weddings and events, serving a diverse range of clients across the globe.

A: We prioritize quality over quantity by accepting a limited number of events each year. This approach allows us to provide each client with a highly personalized experience and focus on creating custom events that exceed expectations.

On average, our clients engage us for multi-day celebrations, including welcome parties, rehearsal dinners, weddings, and farewell brunches. However, we are equally happy to work with clients who only require assistance with a single event.

A: We work with a wide variety of clients, each seeking a unique and personalized event experience. The common thread among all our clients is trust—they trust us to do our job and deliver an exceptional event.

Our clients prioritize creating amazing guest experiences and understand that both the little details and the big ones matter. They rely on our direction and expertise throughout the planning process, which is essential to achieving the level of quality MLE is known for.

We do our best work when our clients:

• Trust our process and vision.

• Allow us to collaborate with trusted vendors we know will deliver exceptional results.

• Enable us to lead the way so every detail is executed to perfection.

This dynamic is vital to ensuring we meet and exceed expectations, creating events that are truly unforgettable.

Click here for more detailed information about the MLE approach and the type of clients we work with.

A: We thrive when working with trusting clients who engage directly and collaboratively with us. While we aim to provide the best experience for every client, we understand that we’re not the right fit for everyone—and that’s okay! We’d rather you hire a planner who aligns with your needs than struggle through a mismatched relationship that leads to unmet expectations.

Here are the types of clients who may not be the best fit for us:

Disengaged Clients- Clients who are completely hands-off and uninterested in providing the input necessary for important decisions aren’t an ideal fit. Planning a personalized and unique event requires collaboration, and we value a dynamic partnership with our clients to ensure their vision is fully realized.

Micromanagers- We appreciate clients who trust us to do the job we were hired to do—including collaborating with experienced vendors. With years of expertise, we want our clients to enjoy the full benefit of our work by allowing us to execute effectively. On event day, especially, trust is key.

“Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen” Clients- While we understand the desire to involve friends and family in the planning process, having too many opinions often leads to delays and unnecessary stress. We are focused on planning your event, not managing conflicting advice or direction from an entourage.

To protect our clients and maintain clarity, we only work directly with our legal clients—the individuals who sign our contract. We will not engage in meetings or correspondence with third parties. This policy helps prevent miscommunication and ensures the planning process is streamlined and enjoyable.

A: Absolutely! We are proud to be an LGBTQIA+ friendly company. We wholeheartedly support love in all its forms and are honored to work with couples from all backgrounds to create meaningful, personalized, and unforgettable celebrations.

A: The planning timeline varies based on the scope and complexity of the event. Generally, we recommend starting the planning process 12 to 16 months in advance for weddings and large-scale events. However, we have successfully planned events in shorter timeframes and can tailor our services to meet your specific needs.

A: We understand that many brides worry a planner might take over and dictate decisions, but that’s not how we operate. Our goal is to collaborate with you to bring your vision to life while making the process as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.

We start by gaining a deep understanding of your unique vision, top priorities, and investment preferences. With this knowledge, we focus on achieving everything that’s possible within a framework that makes you feel comfortable and in control.

While we take the lead in organizing and managing the process—determining what tasks to tackle and when—we don’t take over creatively. Instead, we ensure you’re involved in key decisions, so every detail reflects your personal style and preferences.

Our approach strikes a balance: you’ll have the freedom to enjoy the process without feeling overwhelmed by the details, while we handle the logistics and ensure everything comes together seamlessly.

A: Absolutely. We respect and value the diverse backgrounds of our clients and are experienced in incorporating various cultural and religious traditions into our event planning. We will work with you to ensure that all important customs are thoughtfully and seamlessly integrated into your celebration.

A: Our team is trained to handle unexpected situations with professionalism and efficiency. We develop comprehensive contingency plans for each event, including backup options for vendors, weather-related issues, and other potential challenges, to ensure a seamless experience regardless of unforeseen circumstances.

A: Yes, we plan and execute destination events beyond Utah. Additional fees may apply for travel and accommodations, which we discuss transparently during the initial consultation to ensure there are no surprises.

A: The size of our day-of event staff is customized to meet the specific needs of each event. For weddings, our team typically consists of 5-6 staff members, while larger corporate events may require 6 or more.

We thoroughly evaluate the details and timeline of every event to ensure we have the appropriate team size on-site for seamless execution.

A: Yes, we offer a payment plan divided into equal installments, customized based on the length of your planning timeline. An initial reservation fee is due upon signing the contract, followed by three additional payments, with the final payment due 30 days before your event.

We accept various forms of payment, which will be discussed and finalized during the contracting process to ensure convenience and flexibility.

A: We encourage clients to book as early as possible. The more time we have to collaborate, the more opportunities we have to make your event truly unforgettable. Since we only accept a limited number of events each year, it’s best to secure our services as soon as you’re ready to move forward. If you’re interested in partnering with us, please reach out, and Michelle will follow up with additional information to begin the process.