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Wedding Coordinator

Weddings: Engaging Events by Ali, Chicago, IL
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Are you a person who sweats the details, can bring order to chaos, and turn stress into happiness? Is there also a romantic and creative side of you that loves flowers, music, candlelight and happy endings? If so, Ali Philips at Engaging Events by Ali, Inc., in Chicago, Illinois, can “walk you down the aisle” as a wedding consultant and give you a practical and fun experience of what it takes to make that special day a memory of a lifetime.

A native Chicagoan, Ali started her career in the corporate world of sales honing her business savvy and project management skills in the transportation and dot.com industries. But Ali is an entrepreneur and always wanted to own her own business. Having helped her friends plan their weddings, she knew she had a talent for it. She decided to explore the depth of that talent by working one summer with a wedding consultant. By the end of the summer, the consultant, who had become a wonderful mentor to Ali, told her “this is your calling.” That was five years ago. Ali said “I do” to the wedding planning business and Engaging Events by Ali, Inc. was launched.

Today, with a part-time staff of six, Ali has helped more than hundreds of couples tie the knot in ceremonies with 40 to 500 in attendance. From a wedding that featured a 28-piece orchestra for the one-hour ceremony, to a reception where the couple’s drink of choice was Pabst Blue Ribbon beer in the can, Ali brings the highest degree of professionalism, care and commitment to making every couple feel special. Couples can “dance” their way to the wedding by choosing from a variety of wedding planning packages which range from the “Fox Trot”, a two-hour consultation to create a “blueprint” for the wedding, to the “Viennese Waltz,” a full-service package which includes all the details from the engagement to the honeymoon.

Staying within budget, on schedule and on the right path can be challenging, but Ali manages it all with a smile. If you ask Ali if there really are “bridezillas” out there, she will laugh (as she often does) saying, “They all can be tamed if you understand what they are anxious about and offer them a solution that makes sense.” She continually reminds the anxious bride or groom, “To breath and breath again and remember your wedding day is about the two of you. Leave the details to me.”

Ali is well-known in her profession having been quoted in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-times, Cosmopolitan magazine, Modern Bride Chicago and Wedding Bells. She has also appeared on newscasts in the Chicago area. Ali was recently the featured wedding planner in Careerbuilder.com’s Seven Most Romantic Jobs. She is a certified Professional Bridal Consultant™ with the Association of Bridal Consultants and is a member of International Special Event Society, National Association of Women Business Owners, Women in Catering and Wedding Beautiful Worldwide, a division of National Bridal Service.

Ali knows that being a wedding consultant is not all bouquets and beautiful gowns. It is a demanding profession that requires you to work weekends and build your personal life around wedding dates. Is it worth it? What’s the icing on the wedding cake for her? “Being around people in love who are about to make a major commitment to one another is very romantic,” says Ali. “There’s nothing better than looking at a bride right before she goes down the aisle, puffing the train of her dress, and telling her to take a deep breath.”

Sound good to you? Do you hear wedding bells ringing? Spend a few days with Ali, and you will get hands-on experience, find out what dream weddings are made of, and how to be a good business person…..all shared with a sense of humor and a common sense attitude.

“Ali was fantastic.  She was very professional, honest and forthcoming with information and answers to my questions about all aspects of her job.  She helped me realize that I could do a good job as a wedding coordinator.”

Here's what a recent Vocationer had to say about their VocationVacation:

“Ali was fantastic.  She was very professional, honest and forthcoming with information and answers to my questions about all aspects of her job.  She helped me realize that I could do a good job as a wedding coordinator.”
L.S., Houston, TX

While on your Wedding Planner VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Ali Philips, activities will include:

A real life day in the office
  • Meet with Ali Phillips to talk about how she organized her business and the best way to get started
  • Walk through a sales meeting with Ali as if you were a client, followed with pointers on the best way to present yourself and win the client’s business
  • Review the sample booklet Ali gives to clients and talk through the importance of the worksheets she sends to her clients to complete
  • Talk about how best to set a budget for your client and the importance of them signing off on it
  • Ali will offer her advice on the best resources and organizations to join as a wedding consultant and the benefits of attending the local meetings and national conferences
Rehearsal
  • Attend the rehearsal with consultant to understand how to run an organized and concise rehearsal
  • Arrive early to be introduced to the person officiating the rehearsal
  • Assist in answering any wedding day scheduling questions the bride, groom, wedding party and family may have
  • Confirm readers (if any) have copies of readings
  • Make any changes to processional, recessional or flow of the ceremony based on the rehearsal
Wedding Day
  • Assist Ali on a wedding day. Act as her “shadow” to learn from the pro!
  • Assist at wedding location to hand out flowers, programs, direct people to washrooms, handle any last minute requests. Ali will offer fun tips on keeping everyone calm, putting on the boutonnieres and cues for the musicians!
  • Help Ali line up wedding party and fluff the bride’s train and veil
  • Collect items after the ceremony (unity candle, readings, Kiddush cups, breaking glasses, veil, cords, coins, etc.) to bring to reception to be returned to client later in the evening
  • Move items from ceremony location to reception location
  • Set out place cards in alpha order at reception site
  • Set dining room to specifications (will receive layout from coordinator)
  • Count tables and insure staff has the correct amount of chairs and place settings (9 times out of 10 it is incorrect)
  • Assist guests upon arrival and direct “traffic,” - location of bathrooms, where gift table is, etc.
  • Be gracious and helpful to clients, family, wedding guests and other vendors
  • Run errands for coordinator and be available to take quick direction
  • Smile all day and “never let them see you sweat”!

The Wedding Planner VocationVacations® dream job holiday includes:

  • Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job as a Wedding Planner
  • The opportunity to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post-VocationVacation career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations career coach
  • A pocket-size VocationVacations journal so you can document your dream job becoming a reality
  • Light lunches with your mentor

Available: All year based on mentor's availability, with exception of holiday weekends

Price: $1149 Per Person

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Required Accommodations

Hotel Palomar


(A required 2-night minimum stay is not included in the price of your VocationVacations® dream job holiday.)

Other activities and tourist destinations while on your VocationVacations® dream job holiday:

Reservation, Cancellation and Rescheduling Rules and Conditions:

Full payment of the VocationVacations dream job holiday is required to make a reservation. A $100 non-refundable fee is assessed if a VocationVacations experience is cancelled or rescheduled prior to 14-days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday, based on the approved availability of the mentor to reschedule. A VocationVacations adventure cannot be rescheduled and is non-refundable if cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday. Written notification of cancellation or rescheduling is required in all cases. In the US, Grounded Nomads, LLC and VocationVacations holidays encourage all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling. In the UK, Grounded Nomads, Ltd and VocationVacations holidays must require all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling and provide verification of such travel insurance to Grounded Nomads, Ltd.