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Wedding Planning

11th Hour Weddings and Events manages or works with Venues and Event Homes in the Outer and Inner Banks of North Carolina and Tidewater and Sandbridge Beach Virginia. We can tailor a Planning Package to fit your budget and to begin at whatever stage of the process you are in, before or after the venue choice has been made. 

Our Wedding Planning Services are tailored to your exact needs and budget and can include:

  • Venue selection
  • Rental and Equipment needs 
  • Timeline creation
  • Ceremony Rehearsals
  • Caterer and Baker tastings
  • Vendor choices
  • Officiant vows
  • Floral design
  • Decor details
  • Bartender hire 
  • Photography and Videography
  • Budget management
  • Musicians, DJ or Band Styles

Working with 11th Hour for your wedding planning

Free Consultation We can be available day or evening to discuss your needs and vision for your event.

Planning We can manage your planning process in the beginning stages or after the venue selection has been completed.

Venue tours After your free consultation, we can set up tours of venues or event homes that are best suited for your needs and budget.

Tastings When the venue is under contract, we can set up tasting with our favorite caterers and bakers. 

Organizing the Day Of Our Certified Planners create detailed Timelines and perform Day of Direction from start to finish.
Rehearsal Our planning packages include an hour long ceremony rehearsal, one or two days prior to your day.

Details of our Wedding Planning services

Decor Details

This is another aspect of your day that is so important to be able to convey to a caring planner. We understand whether the look you want is simple or over the top, we need to listen to every detail, then carry out your desire.

Musicians, DJ, or Band

Our planners can make suggestions on which to use by considering your budget, and ceremony and reception styles. There is beauty in listening to live musicians perform during your romantic ceremony, but if you and your fiance have a special song that the recording artist’s words make it special, then using a DJ is what you will want. If you intend on your reception being a dance party, our planners can match you with the band or DJ that fits your music style.

Bartender Hire

Whether simply pouring drinks or creating them with flair, our planners can make your bartender match your group. From naming your designer drinks to suggesting ways to display the drink signs, we can assist.

Photography and Videography

Our planners know when your day is over, memories will fade, but great photography and videography make them come back to life. We will help you choose a qualified artist to fit your style, timeframe, and budget.

Budget Management

We will always make suggestions on how to save money and not take away from the beauty of your wedding vision. We don’t want you to start your life in debt nor do we want to break your parents! 

Caterer and Baker tastings

Like you have your favorite restaurants, we have our favorite caterers and bakers. The caterers and bakers we work with are talented and tasty and at the best price point in the area. Most of them offer free tastings and can offer advice on how they can provide the best service for you. Even the venues that require you use their food and beverage services, will provide structured tastings taking your budget into consideration. We can be with you helping to guide these vendors to supply your needs.

Timeline creation

Our Planners are trained and certified through the Bridal Society. Every successful event begins with a well thought out schedule. We forward “Wedding Homework” for you to complete and design the Timeline from there.

Ceremony Rehearsals

Nothing makes a couple and their wedding party feel more at ease on the wedding day, than an organized ceremony rehearsal. Lasting no more than an hour, our directors lead two to three run throughs of the processional and recessional, and show exactly where and how to stand. All members of the wedding party will have access to the Timeline at least three weeks prior to the day, with the ceremony in detail to familiarize themselves.

Venue Selection

We can assist you in finding the venue that meets your vision and budget. We can set up on site or virtual tours and negotiate pricing and dates.

Vendor Choices

We are proud of the quality and knowledge of our staff members and we can arrange meetings in person or online. We want our vendors to have a deep understanding of what you desire for your event. And, we want you to know what to expect.

We have packages for all size events and budgets

and our Certified Planners can create a tailor made one for you.

We can create a Micro Wedding with the Ceremony Only or add a Small Dinner Reception.

Venue Packages can be at one of our own locations or your choice of others.

Event Home Packages can be in the Outer Banks of NC or Sandbridge Beach VA.

11th Hour Weddings and Events own equipment from arches, to farm tables, to linens to decor and lighting. Our Wedding Planners are Certified, and our Photographers and Florist have been in business for decades. Our Musicians and DJs are outstanding! The Caterers and Bakers we work with are talented and tasty at the best price point in the area. We feature Cafe String Lighting and give you two nights for the price of one. All of our Rentals and Decor are set up and taken down with staff onsite to tie it all together.

Even if you have already reserved a venue or event home and/or hired vendors, we can fill in the missing parts. Our staff can construct your wedding the day of, and direct your event from start to finish.  

If you choose to start with one of our Packages, the Planning / Directing is included.

Wedding Planning Only or within our Packages includes:

Communication, Planning, Tours, & Tasting
We love to hear from our couples! We include unlimited email communication and phone calls, day or evening, (within reason) and up to two in-person planning, site tours, or tasting meetings. 

The staff of 11th Hour believes in a personal touch. We want to get to know our couples and not just read their needs, but listen to their vision. Within an email, a bride may state she wants a “laid back beach party” but when she explains herself verbally, it isn’t at all what she wrote. We want to give our couples the wedding they have dreamed about and we feel the only way to achieve this is simply to talk. 
Flexibility
If our own vendors, or rental equipment, or decor, isn’t what you are looking for, we will assist you with finding the perfect person, or rental item, or decor detail, that will work within your budget. This includes scheduling face to face or phone meetings with the vendor, and emailing or texting sample images back and forth with us. 

We like our couples to send us images of ceremony and reception set ups, so we can pull the items we may already have, then supplement with items we don’t. This can save our client money and also give them the exact look they want. 
Cost Efficiency
We will always make suggestions on how to save money and not take away from the beauty of your Wedding Vision. We don’t want you to start your life in debt nor do we want to break your parents! Our company can not only save you money but will help prioritize how to use the funds you have. 
Detail
We provide our couples with Wedding Homework to fill out for us to prepare a customized and detailed Timeline for your Ceremony and Reception. We utilize your Homework responses to fill in the blanks of the Timeline. Then we send rough drafts of the document to you until you are completely satisfied with the results. Upon approval, we distribute the Timeline to Vendors, key Wedding Party Members, and your Immediate Family by email. The Timeline is important to the success of the Rehearsal, Ceremony, and the Reception.

If our company is handling your Photography needs, we send you a Wedding Photo Checklist. This important document allows you to list family groupings by their first names and how they are related to you, so no desired portrait is missed. It also allows us to see your style of images requested for the Wedding Party and the two of you.
Rehearsal
We will coordinate a one hour Ceremony Rehearsal one to two days before your event. With Timeline in hand, your Director will lead you through the processional, explain where and how to stand and space yourselves, go over a few vow details, then how to recess. This is practiced twice and even three times if you feel you need to. Nothing makes a Bride and Groom more at ease on their Wedding Day than a great Rehearsal. 
Transportation
We will discuss Transportation plans if needed and make recommendations for the timing of pickup and drop off of guests to the driver. The driver will make up the schedule and we will share it with your guests using the service.
Setup and Event Management
We will manage the vendor and equipment setup for the Ceremony/Reception/Event Site(s). Any items rented through our company, our staff will provide all the labor for putting up and taking down. If another rental company is hired, we will be in contact by email and/or call before the event day, to ensure they are on schedule and have arranged for the labor they need to set up where we direct them to. 
Organisation
We will assist with the setup of the signing item, programs, signs, seating chart, etc. Any items in your 11th Hour Package, our staff will put together and in place. Items that you have purchased should already be assembled before your day. 

We will assist in placing escort or cards in their place but we require your appointed friend or family member to assist us. Since we don’t know your family members and friends, this will cut down on seating mistakes if people aren’t attending at the last minute or you have changed their seating after your directions have been sent to us.
Coordination
We will make sure you present the Officiant the marriage license, line up and cue guests, family, wedding party and musicians for the Ceremony. We will coordinate Reception activities with Vendors throughout the event to ensure the Timeline is followed and commitments are transitioned through as planned and contracted for.
No Waste
We will arrange for the boxing of cake and bagging of extra food (if allowed) to take home or to be left at an Event Home. We will make sure they are placed in the refrigerator by the caterer if necessary.
Gifts
We will distribute gratuities if requested to and stay until the end of the event. We NEVER leave before the event has ended at the scheduled time. 

We will pack up all your personal items to give to the appointed friend or family member. Gifts and envelopes placed in your card box are very important to us. We want to make sure these items are secure half way through the event.