By some beautiful act of the Universe, God, or online dating, you’ve met the love of your life. And on a night you’ll always remember, you or your partner worked up the courage to propose, and now you’re engaged! You laugh, cry, drink champagne, and share with all your friends and family. You post a selfie or a ring shot on Facebook or Instagram. You bask in the glory and celebration for a couple weeks, maybe even a few months. And then reality hits. Shit. I have to actually PLAN a wedding! Where in the world do I start?

Whether it’s the first time you’re tying the knot or you’ve been there before, wedding planning can be overwhelming. I am a firm believer in education. While I LOVE the photography aspect of my job, I also feel an important part of my services are to share my resources and knowledge from what I’ve learned in the past 10 years photographing weddings. I also work closely with a very curated list of other wedding professionals who are amazing at what they do and who also have the same passion for education in the industry. I want my clients to have the best of the best when it comes to event planners, floral designers, music providers, officiants, stationers, caterers, cinematographers, and other integral members of their creative team.

Estera Events is, hands down, one of the finest event planning and design companies in Chicago and nationwide. Their team includes Hilary Carpenter, Owner and Event Stylist, Bianca Hall, Lead Planner, and Erica Vanco, Associate Planner. In their sixth year of business and recently featured on Vogue and Martha Stewart Weddings for their gorgeous work and impeccable skill set, the gals at Estera are truly among my favorites. Their mantra is “The Art of Approachable Elegance,” and it’s woven into every event they plan and style. So when Bianca shared that they recently developed a Wedding Planning E-Course for couples, I was ecstatic!

In her own words, “This is going to be an E-Course for engaged couples with multiple videos, packed with downloadable content, guides, pdfs, links to their favorite resources and bonus tips. Regardless of whether a couple hires a wedding planner or not, the planning process involves a lot of homework, and we want to help simplify that process for them. We’ll be advising them on topics such as establishing and creating a wedding budget, how to select a wedding venue, appropriate questions to ask vendors, determining what type of paper goods are important to consider, building a day of timelines, how to properly track RSVP’s, and SO SO SO much more! Hilary will even be doing a video discussing how to conceptually style a wedding!”

Doesn’t this sound like JUST what you need for a stress-free engagement? Mark your calendars for the APRIL 18th launch of this incredible Wedding Planning E-Course from Estera Events! And sign up to be among the first to get more details and access to a special introductory price. I don’t have a ring on my finger, but I just may take this course myself!!

Want some more details? Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions:

Who is the E*Course For? Newly engaged couples and/or those who are interested in learning how to plan a wedding.

What is the E*Course? An online course featuring videos that will cover topics ranging from Establishing a Budget, How to Style a Wedding to Building a Day of Timeline and more. Each topic will include downloadable content: helpful guides, templates, etc., and links to our favorite resources, not to mention Bonus Tips!

What is the benefit of the E*Course? The average bride and groom will spend over 200 hours planning a wedding on their own. We will provide tools to help simplify the process so they can truly enjoy their engagement!

Is this intended to replace a wedding planner? This course is intended to assist couples with the planning resources needed leading up to the wedding. We believe hiring a coordinator to handle the details at the wedding is essential to ease stress and truly enjoy the day!