Meet your planner
Emily Schwed, Owner and Lead Planner
I’m Emily – hopeless romantic and spreadsheet obsessive, living and working in the Hudson Valley.
After a decade working in corporate operations and logistics strategy, I started Wild Cedar because planning weddings brings together my two favorite things: love and logistics. There’s nothing I love more than making your wedding day feel seamless, joyous, and totally magical.
- Covering the Hudson Valley and the Catskills, based locally.
- Boutique feel at affordable prices.
- Planning weddings that feel like you.
Let’s start planning the best day ever.
Ways we can work together
Wherever you are in your planning process, I’m here to help. All of my packages are customized to my couples, but here’s a sense of what I offer.
Full planning
For the couple who wants to relax and just do the fun parts of wedding planning, or who don’t have time to plan themselves, full planning lets you be in charge of how you want to be involved. I’ll drive the planning process, and you’ll contribute however you want to. On your wedding day, I’ll be the first onsite and the last to leave, managing your vendors and your guests from setup to breakdown.
Partial planning
Maybe you’ve got several vendors booked already, or maybe you’ve picked a great venue with coordination services included but want some guidance on everything else. Partial planning is our most popular service level and is a perfect middle ground for couples who are ready to roll up their sleeves during the planning process, but don’t want to have to do absolutely everything themselves.
Venue scouting
Your venue is the most important decision you’ll make for your wedding, and will shape the look, feel, and cost more than anything else. I’ll guide you through the process to make sure you find the perfect spot!
Wedding consulting
If you just need a little help or guidance, I can jump in on a specific project or hop on a call to talk you through a complicated decision. Available as an add-on to wedding day management or a standalone service.
Wedding day management & coordination
Every wedding needs somebody to run the day so that you’re not having to make a thousand little decisions while you’re trying to focus on your party! I’ll jump in towards the end of your planning process to take over vendor management so that you’re not overworked in those last few weeks, take care of all of the technical details like timelines and floor plans, and be there all day so that your wedding runs smoothly.
However we work together, my ultimate goal is that you get to enjoy every minute of your planning process and wedding day, without stressing over all the details.
How it works
Interested in working together? Here’s what happens next.
Say hello
Fill out the inquiry form with a few details about your wedding.
Let’s chat
We’ll hop on a free call to talk through your plans and see if we’re a good fit.
Plan together
I’m there throughout your planning process to support you however you need, just a text or phone call away.
Enjoy the day
I run the show behind the scenes. Your only job is to celebrate.
What I’m doing while you’re getting married
A planner’s work is mostly invisible, which makes it hard to picture. Here’s a wedding day from my side of it.
- 9:00 amFirst one there. I walk the venue, review the day’s plan with the team onsite, and triple check your rentals and materials.
- 10:00 amVendors arrive. Florist, photographer, caterer, band. I meet each one, point them where to go, and check what showed up against what you paid for.
- 12:00 pmSetup. Escort cards, table numbers, and all those little touches that make your wedding day feel personal to you: I’ll handle them with care and ensure they end up where they’re meant to go.
- 2:00 pmSomething runs late. Every wedding comes with a couple of hiccups. I rebuild the timeline, tell the rest of the team, and you don’t hear about it.
- 4:00 pmCeremony. I get your guests seated, line up your processional, cue the music, then fade into the background as you walk down the aisle.
- 5:00 pmCocktail hour. I check in with the caterers to make sure dinner is on track, answer questions about the seating chart, and make sure a plate of apps makes its way into your hands.
- 6:30 pmDinner and toasts. I keep the caterer, band, and photographer all working from the same timeline so there are no dull moments and you can get to dancing!
- 11:00 pmSend-off, then cleanup. Gifts, cards, and all of your special personal touches are packed up and handed off, and we make sure the rest of your vendor team completes their breakdown.
Every wedding is different, but no matter what, we make sure that you end the night glowing.
Questions couples actually ask
What’s it like to work with you?
I love to build a relationship with my couples, and to work directly with you. I answer my own emails, I’m the one at your rehearsal, and I’m the one running your day. I don’t put a limit on calls, texts, or emails for any of my service levels. I know that planning a wedding can feel overwhelming, and I’m here to help!
What does a Wild Cedar wedding look like?
My priority is that your wedding day feels like you. I don’t do cookie cutter weddings. Instead, I help you find the venue, vendors, entertainment, and design that will have your guests leaving feeling like they know you even better, and you feeling like you actually got to enjoy your day without obsessing over the details.
How many weddings do you take on at once?
I limit my workload to six full or partial planning couples per year, so that I can make sure I never miss a detail. I never double-book a weekend, and I work directly with all of my couples.
Do you travel?
I plan weddings all across the Hudson Valley and the Catskills with no added travel fee. Planning a wedding elsewhere or a destination wedding? Reach out and let’s talk!
When should we reach out?
No time like the present! Whether you’ve just gotten engaged or are getting married in a few months, I’d love to hear from you.
Let’s chat!
Fill out the inquiry form to tell me a bit about your wedding and what you’re looking for in a planner, and I’ll be in touch right away. Or, email hello@wildcedarweddings.com or give us a ring at 207-691-8872.
Start your inquiry