Name: Sandra Cooper
Company: Savvy Weddings
Years in Business: Savvy Weddings (and myself) have been in California for 4 years; Our company has been in Hawaii for 15 Years.
Website: www.savvyweddingsca.com
Email: info@savvyweddingsca.com, sandra@savvyweddingsca.com
Instagram: @savvyweddings_ca
Hi! I’m Sandra! I lead the California Branch of our company, Savvy Weddings. I’ve always had a passion for planning events and got into the event industry as a Catering Manager. While working as a Catering Manager, I took the Cal State East Bay Wedding Planning Certification Course and became a Certified Wedding Planner. It was also during this time in my life that I got engaged and started to plan my own wedding. I got married in Hawaii and planned my wedding with my now Business partner, Amanda. While working together on my wedding, we decided to get into business together. After joining Savvy Weddings, we expanded from Hawaii to California and love planning weddings!
How do you approach working with couples to bring their vision to life?
I spend a lot of time getting to know my couples during the initial consultation process, through questionnaires, and in initial meetings. I’m constantly taking notes on all of the little details, formulating a plan to help bring a vision to life for our couple that is not only beautiful but also personal to them.
Recent Work at Black Oak
Black Oak Mountain Vineyards
What is your favorite part of working at Black Oak?
There are a number of things to love about working at Black Oak. The Team is fantastic to work with during the planning process and on the wedding day. I also love the fact that they are always working to improve the venue, paying special attention to the little details that make a difference in a couple’s overall experience. Lastly, the beauty of Black Oak is unlike any other. Who wouldn’t love getting to spend the day at Black Oak?
What do you love most about working with our couples?
I love seeing the different visions that every couple has for their wedding day and what aspects of Black Oak resonate the most with them. As a planner and designer, it’s so fun to infuse a couple’s personality into the wedding day.
How do you balance incorporating a couple’s personal style and preferences with our natural beauty and ambiance?
There are a number of different opportunities to create something different for each couple within Black Oak. I think that’s one of the beautiful things about the property, that you can use the spaces in a number of different ways, and no two weddings will feel the same. We are able to infuse each couple’s personality and style into Black Oak, by not being afraid of doing something different.
What do you believe sets your approach to wedding planning apart from others at our venue?
Every couple is different, which is why every wedding is different. At Savvy Weddings, we pride ourselves on our attention to detail and ability to infuse the couple’s personality throughout the wedding day. We think about all of the different elements that make up your wedding day, like the guest experience, overall timeline and flow of events and talk with you throughout the planning process to ensure a seamless experience for all involved.
Trends & Tips
What are some current wedding trends you’re loving right now?
Disco Balls, Colors, Live Guest Portrait Painting
What advice would you give to couples who have just got engaged?
Take a second to enjoy the newly engaged bliss and really think about what you want for your wedding and spend some time talking about that before looking at venues and/or reaching out to wedding planners. It allows you to better align with the wedding planning team and venue that fits your needs!
How do you collaborate with other vendors, such as photographers, caterers, and florists, to ensure seamless coordination on the day of the wedding?
Leading up to the wedding day, our team is in constant communication with vendors via phone and email. We create a Master Operations Plan for all of our events that includes all of the logistics of the wedding day including the timeline, vendor list, floorplans and any other information that needs to be communicated for the wedding day and send this out to all vendors ahead of time. On the wedding day, our team is on site answering questions, and working with all of the vendors to ensure everything goes smoothly. Communication is the key to success.
Just for Fun
If you could plan a wedding for any celebrity couple, who would it be and why?
I’m a big Bachelor/Bachelorette Fan, so I would have loved to Plan Hannah G and Dylan Barber’s wedding! She is such a sweetheart and had so many fun personal elements included in their day, which is what we love to do.
What’s the most unique request you’ve ever received from a couple?
One of my couples asked if we could put Disco Balls in the bathroom with a coordinated Playlist! It ended up being such a hit!
If you had to plan a wedding based on a movie or TV show theme, which one would you choose and why?
I would love to plan a wedding based on Vanderpump Rules. After Scandoval last summer, I started a Pinterest board and started thinking through ideas for the wedding, like Goat Cheese Ball Appetizers, Choosing a Venue with a Nick Alain Inspired-Vibe, and a VPR Theme Song Inspired Grand Entrance.
Can you share a time when you had to think on your feet to solve a wedding day emergency?
It started pouring rain at one of my weddings right after the chairs got set out. Our team rushed to grab towels and worked with the venue to get tarps to cover everything. We then removed it all closer to ceremony time and rushed setup. It turned out to be a beautiful and sunny ceremony.
Share a moment when you had to incorporate a couple’s quirky hobby or interest into their wedding theme.
One of my couples wanted to Create an Asian Street Food Market for their Reception. I worked with them to choose rental pieces that matched the vibe they were going for. The couple even hand-painted lanterns, and the Bride’s father calligraphed Noren Curtains for the top of each Food Stall. It was such a fun concept to help put together.
If you were to plan a destination wedding at Black Oak Mountain Vineyards for a couple from another planet, what elements would you include to make them feel at home?
I’ve been loving the Galaxy Inspired Wedding Decor trend lately. I’ve seen plates with a texture like the moon’s surface and celestial-inspired Linens that could be fun to include. I’d want to learn more about their planet to see how we can make them feel at home.
