We are based in St. Paul, Minnesota and have planned weddings all over Minnesota and Wisconsin. We frequently work across the Twin Cities, Stillwater, Red Wing, Pepin, St. Cloud, and the Duluth area.

Some of our favorite venues are The Hutton House, Ivory North, Willow Brooke Farm, Machine Shop, Nicollet Island Pavilion, The Aisling, Bloom Lake Barn, Redeemed Farm, the Beach Club, Lafayette Club, Pinewood, Rustic Roots Winery, Woodhaven, Lora Hotel, and La Pointe Events (but there are SO many more!).

We love working in new locations and will absolutely travel to wherever you’re celebrating. If you think HappiLily Events is the right fit for you, we’d love to chat!

Ideally, as soon as you want to start wedding planning!
The sooner you hire us, the sooner we can set your planning process up for success. You will get the most value for our services, as we share must-have resources you’ll want to use right away including a Budget Builder + Tracker, Guest List Tracker, a Vendor Comparison Tool & Hiring Guide, and an interactive Planning Checklist (customized to your wedding date). We also help review your budget to ensure you have realistic expectations based on vendor rates in our area.

If you want a more specific answer — couples who choose our Full Planning services typically hire us 12-18 months before they plan to get married. We have planned weddings for couples with a shorter engagement, and also have quite a few couples who’ve set a date 20+ months in advance! More time is always better so we can plan the best event.

For Wedding Management services, we typically book ~8-10 months in advance. Don’t wait to reach out or we might not have your date available!

Your venue must be booked if you are hiring us for Wedding Management.

If you are still searching for your dream venue, we can help with our Partial or Full Planning packages. We love using our expertise and industry connections to find you the best venue!

In the professional wedding planning world, “day of” coordination is not a thing. So much can go wrong if you hire someone just to show up on the big day and expect them to successfully execute your plans.

Weddings involve so many details, which is why it’s necessary that whoever is coordinating your wedding has connected with you and your vendor team before the big day to confirm every detail from the timeline and setup plans to double-checking the floor plan and meal counts.

We care too much about you to assume we could just show up and get it all right! So, our base package is called Wedding Management and includes all the professional prep needed for a successful wedding day.

You may still find coordinators that refer to their package as “day of” but a good wedding planner should always step in pre-wedding to professionally wrap up each & every detail so you can have the best wedding day!

Yes! We love working with our couples to create a unique and personalized wedding day!
With each service level, we will chat through your wedding vision and provide decor recommendations and suggest thoughtful details to add to your day. You will also find our favorite rental companies on our preferred vendors list.

For couples who are looking to create a unique and cohesive wedding design, let us lead the vision planning and styling process with our Signature Design services.

With this service, we will create a custom look & feel for your wedding day. We work with you to refine your vision and prioritize your decor & rentals budget, then we curate a series of signature “looks” for you to choose from (including table linens, centerpieces, aisle decor, furniture rentals, lighting, etc.). We will source all rentals to bring this vision to life. Ask us about this service enhancement when you inquire!

HappiLily Events does not carry any rental items. All of our couples have such different visions and styles that we find it best to help you source the perfect decor rentals for your needs, rather than providing a limited selection.

Our team will set up your personal decor, small rental items, and signage. Please note: we do not replace other vendors or take on tasks that would typically be another vendor’s job.

We are unable to move furniture (tables, chairs), set up arbors, affix florals anywhere a ladder would be needed, or hang ceiling decor (draping, lights). We are not food-licensed, so we do not serve food, alcohol, or cut cake. If you choose not to have a DJ/musician or videographer, please note we do not operate any AV equipment; you will need to designate a friend to set up and operate any mp3 players/iPhones/playlists or video cameras/tripods.

As your wedding planner, we have many other tasks and responsibilities we need to manage to ensure you have the best day! Here’s a bit more about our wedding day tasks.

Minneapolis and St. Paul have so many amazing venues, it would be almost impossible to have worked at every single one. If I had to guess, we’ve worked at 115+ venues across Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Even if we haven’t yet worked at your venue, rest assured that as experts in planning, we know the right questions to ask to learn a new venue inside and out. Our services also include a meeting at your venue to review the floor plan and ensure we have all the necessary details to execute a seamless event.

We love to hear that! As your wedding planner, we will partner with the venue coordinator to ensure you have the best possible day!

The key difference between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator is who they are responsible to. Venue coordinators represent the venue, whereas a professional planner always has your best interest in mind. Our goal is to prioritize your vision and needs to make sure your wedding is everything you’ve dreamed of!

A venue manager or banquet caption will manage tasks such as overseeing set up of tables/chairs, directing food & beverage staff, and ensuring venue rules are followed. The venue coordinator is not responsible for any other vendors you bring in, managing decor, or helping to direct the ceremony, cue speeches, or keep your timeline on track.

Click here to learn more about the differences between your venue's responsibilities and what we manage on wedding day.

Fun fact: Lily worked for several years as a venue coordinator prior to opening HappiLily Events. Ask her during your consult call to share more about the differences between these two wedding pros!

Our goal is to ensure you have the best day possible so for every wedding we include a Lead Planner and an assistant coordinator.

Depending on your guest count, venue, decor setup, or other needs, we may bring additional coordinators to ensure we can give you the best service.

Absolutely. We are here to celebrate and support all couples and party people, whatever life looks like for you. We are proud to be inclusive and affirming partners for the LGBTQ+ community and anyone planning a non-binary celebration.

We value authenticity and inclusivity, and we make a point to work with vendors who share this mindset.

Our couples are looking for a trusted partner-in-planning to help them make confident decisions, provide professional & unbiased advice, and keep the process organized but fun. If you want to plan a celebration as personal as your love story, we’ll get along so well!

You can also read about our values here.

We’re so glad you asked! Sounds like you might want to work with us 🤞

Please follow this link to read what our couples have said about the HappiLily Experience.

We sure can! We love sharing our event planning expertise to help clients plan thoughtful, creative, and inspiring celebrations.

Learn more about our non-wedding event planning services here.