Wedding planning comes with questions – lots of them! Private Planning Sessions with Jeanenne La Bella of La Bella Planners can provide the answers, guidance, and support you need.
Image courtesy of La Bella Planners
It’s a familiar timeline for any bride-to-be: there’s the unbridled excitement when your fiancé slips the ring on your finger, the exuberant joy when you share the news with loved ones, all quickly followed by the daunting realization that you have to plan one of the biggest (and most expensive) events of your life.
The thought of wedding planning leaves many Brides of Long Island feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and exhausted – even before they’ve met their first vendor. And while hiring a planner to take care of every intimate detail would be a dream, for many brides on a budget, it just isn’t a realistic option.
That’s why Jeanenne La Bella, CEO and co-founder of BOLI Preferred Vendor La Bella Planners, has developed a new service that allows any bride to benefit from her vast expertise while keeping expenses manageable: Private Planning Sessions.
Image courtesy of La Bella Planners
“Every phone call that came in, we treated it like it was a five-million dollar wedding. And that is how we built our company from the ground up.” – Jeanenne La Bella, La Bella Planners
For Jeanenne, a recession opened the door to a different yet similar career path. “Post-college I entered into the PR world where I worked in luxury travel, so I got to travel around the globe producing events at these crazy five-star hotels while also publicizing them,” she remembered. “Then the economy tanked, I lost my job, and my mom and I started thinking about what I was going to do with my life. She said ‘why don’t we become event planners? Our family always asks us to plan events.’”
The mother-daughter duo opened La Bella Planners, planting the roots of an incredibly successful venture. “We worked our asses off. Every phone call that came in, we treated it like it was a five-million dollar wedding. And we built a company from the ground up.”
Jeanenne’s tenacity and dedication led her back into a more luxury-focused market, but above all else, she still values personal connection. “The client relationship always makes the wedding,” she said. “No matter if it’s a $75,000 budget or a $500,000 budget, the clients just make it so magical. We will go to bat for our clients any day of the week.”
“There has to be some way that I can help them.”- Jeanenne La Bella, La Bella Planners
With La Bella Planners firmly established, Jeannene began to brainstorm ways she could be of service to a wider community. “I have BOLI brides reach out, or brides that can’t afford our services, and I thought ‘there has to be some way that I can help them.’”
What she created was an affordable way for brides to tap into her knowledge and expertise: Private Planning Sessions. In either 60 or 90 minute virtual meetings, Jeanenne and/or a Lead Planner will offer suggestions and advice as you make your way through the planning process. “I can lay the groundwork to ease into wedding planning,” she explained. “We have hundreds of weddings under our belts, so clients can come to a trusted source and talk things out. If they bounce their ideas or suggestions off of me and I provide guidance, they might be able to solve a lot of problems themselves.”
“I think [a Private Planning Session] is a great opportunity for clients to come with specific questions,” Jeannene continued. “Like, ‘hey, I have my timeline blocked out, does this make sense to you?’ Or ‘How much time do you really need between getting ready and your first look?’”
Image courtesy of La Bella Planners
She can also be another set of eyes on all your important paperwork. “We’re really well versed in all [contracts],” she said. “I can’t promise that I’ll know the ins and outs of your specific contract, but we can go over everything and talk it through, and I can share helpful pieces of advice.”
Since January through April are quieter months in the wedding world, Jeanenne is excited to provide Private Planning Sessions during this window. “It’s a minimal amount of money to put towards your wedding planning, and I think brides would get a lot out of it. Even during our intake calls, clients generally say ‘Oh, this was really helpful.’ And that’s just the intake call.”
“We evolved together.” – Jeanenne La Bella, La Bella Planners
Jeanenne has been at the helm of countless gorgeous affairs, but one recent wedding stands out in her memory. “My favorite wedding that I’ve ever planned was actually a COVID wedding. She called me in January 2021, when we weren’t sure we were going to be allowed to have anything,” she described.
“The wedding was in June. It was outside on a private estate in Sands Point, New York. The reason we worked so well together was because we started with a concept or idea, and it turned into a concept that we developed together. Every time we had a meeting, things evolved. We evolved together. We understood that to do it this way would make things better and more beautiful.”
Image courtesy of La Bella Planners
“You have to go with your gut.” – Jeanenne La Bella, La Bella Planners
As a true expert in the field, Jeanenne has some valuable words of advice for Brides of Long Island. “Right after you get engaged, really sit down with your partner and discuss what your ideals and must-haves are,” she suggested. “This is a big endeavor, and an expensive endeavor. I understand that spending $50,000 on a party is a lot of money, but for $50,000 you’re getting a certain amount of things. Go in knowing what your must-haves are, but also be able to be a little bit flexible.”
Jeanenne also suggests listening to your intuition when choosing a wedding day team. “Talk to vendors who meet your expectations and who understand your expectations. There are a lot of vendors out there and you have to go with your gut. You know who the good ones are, and you have to really like them.”
To book your Private Planning Session with La Bella Planners, email contact@labellaplanners.com
Image courtesy of La Bella Planners