Evermore Occasions : Your Northern Virginia Planner

As a Washington DC Wedding photographer, I can attest that having a great wedding planner like Evermore Occasions is a MUST to having a smooth, and stress free wedding day. Are you still looking to hire a planner for your best day? If so, keep reading this interview to learn all about my planner friend, Carmen! 

The Evermore Occasions service details: 

What is the most popular service you offer? Full-Service Wedding Planning and Design is our pièce de résistance. It offers couples a seamless journey from ‘Yes!’ to ‘I do’. This includes a comprehensive design experience, with every little detail meticulously taken care of. Most of our clients are busy and hard-working professionals that don’t have the time or desire to deal in the minutia of napkin fabrics or pin spots.  Therefore, they truly value the white-glove experience of Full Service!

How many weddings do you take on per year? At Evermore Occasions, we believe in quality over quantity. For that reason, we only take an average of twelve weddings per year. This is to ensure that each client gets the attention they deserve. 

How far outside of your location do you serve? Our roots are firmly planted in Northern Virginia, our services generally stretch from Baltimore to Charlottesville. We’ve brought weddings to life across the DMV and are no strangers to destination planning.

Ready to learn about all of Evermore Occasions recommendations for your big day? 

What are some venues that you particularly like and would recommend to brides? Why? I can’t say that there is one venue that I’d recommend for every couple. However, the best venue is one that aligns with that couple’s style, budget, and energy. I am personally in love with the beauty of Glenstone Gardens, the impeccable service at The Intercontinental Willard Hotel, and the charm of the Market at Grelen. I’m always discovering new venues, and I’d say my favorites change weekly!

How would you advise a bride to go about choosing her major vendors? Start with your vision, your guest count, and your budget. A huge mistake I see clients make is that they jump right into wedding planning. They book a venue with in-house catering that uses 75% of their budget, and only then start to think about the rest of their vendors.

You will need a date, and a venue to book most of your vendors other than your planner. However, no one should get booked until you’ve had a long conversation with your partner and your family members (we call them wedding donors), about how you want the day to look and feel. I would be remiss if I didn’t add that your best vendor referral resource will be your wedding planner. Your planner has worked with so many of these vendors before and will find a team that reflects your vision and financial comfort zone. At the very least, I advise that you hire a wedding planner to make a budget for you at their hourly rate so you have a sense of what some of the other vendors will cost. 

What is the best advice you can give to those who doesn’t know what they want their wedding to be?  Think about the weddings you’ve attended and what you loved or didn’t love about them. Then, take some chances. Limit yourself to 3-4 venue tours. Of course, try out a few different locations (e.g. a hotel, a winery, and a rooftop). If none of those feel right, chat with a planner about whether a customized private property/tented wedding might be the right for you. 

Now that we have talked about the nitty gritty- let’s move on to some fun topics! 

How long have you been a planner? This is my second season with Evermore Occasions. Before that, I was a lawyer and worked as a day-of contractor for other planners. 

What made you want to get into planning? I LOVE details. I love making sure the little things are taken care of so that couples can enjoy their big day. It brings me so much joy to get to be a part of these special moments. 

What do you like to do in the off season for fun? I like to cook my way through full cookbooks. I also foster cats for a local rescue, watch terrible reality TV. Soak in useless facts about wine and viticulture, and spend time with my daughter. In a past life with more free time, I was also an avid Orange Theory attendee and loved going to shows at the Kennedy Center.

What is your favorite part of the planning process? The design process is far and away my favorite. Not only do I get to flex my creative muscles and bring two people’s stories together, I also get to work with so many other talented artists with wonderful ideas. When couples let me play with color or patterns, I’m a very happy camper. 

Any more personal things you’d like to share with potential clients? Not sure if this counts as personal or professional, but to any couples currently going through the planning process – surround yourselves with good energy. Choose vendors that you like as people, that you would grab a glass of wine with, and that you want to spend a year talking to. Wedding planning is beautiful, but it is stressful. You don’t need to do it alone. 

I hope you all loved reading more about Carmen, and her wedding planning business, Evermore Occasions! 

If you are interested in hiring Carmen (you 1000% should be!) you can reach out to her HERE to chat with her and start working on the planning process! 

Pic by Kir Tuben