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It’s no secret that wedding planning is a daunting task. Why else would there be a whole industry devoted to helping you have a stress-free and magical wedding day? We here at Catalyst believe that every wedding planning process is made easier by hiring a badass, feminist wedding planner to help you make sense of the chaos, but we know that not all couples can fit a full-service wedding planner into their budget.

That’s why we are so in love with the new Choose Your Own Wedding planning subscription from queer wedding planner Cindy Savage of Aisle Less Traveled. Her new subscription allows engaged couples to take full advantage of Cindy’s expertise at a fraction of the cost of hiring a traditional wedding planner. Plus, it means she gets to serve more more couples, and helping people celebrate their love is what Cindy and Aisle Less Traveled are really all about!

So, is a wedding planning subscription right for you? Here are 7 reasons you should stop what you’re doing and sign up today.

1. Expert Wedding Planning Advice at a Budget You Can Afford

Let’s face it, y’all, you get what you pay for. That’s why hiring an expert wedding planner is worth the (admittedly high) cost. With Cindy's help, you can get a wedding day that fits your relationship for a price that fits your budget. For $37 per month, or $350 for an annual subscription, you can access all of Cindy’s expert knowledge and get planning without putting a strain on your budget.

“Over the years, I’ve met so many engaged couples who are planning fun and creative weddings, but I haven’t been able to work with them because of budget constraints,” Cindy says. “I’ve been brainstorming how to make wedding planning accessible to everyone — especially folks who can’t hire me because the cost of a wedding planner is a luxury that’s simply out of reach. This subscription is my answer to that.”

And there is literally no option out there with as much value and as small a price tag as couples get with Choose Your Own Wedding. That’s because Cindy knows that many couples will be looking for answers to the same logistical questions. By offering advice in a group format and through a self-guided online portal, she’s able to serve more couples; the cost of wedding planning is then with other couples and that keeps it affordable for everyone.

2. A Virtual Wedding Planner Who is Accessible Anytime and Anywhere

While Cindy is currently based in St. Louis and Portland, Oregon, she has always been willing to travel for her couples. But many couples are more likely to book a wedding planner in their town who they feel will be more accessible. This wedding planning subscription solves that concern and brings Cindy’s expertise right to you, wherever you are.

Forget spending time in traffic getting to a meeting with your wedding planner or trying to make your busy schedules align! Choose Your Own Wedding brings you a complete online planning portal to guide you along the way — and it’s available online, 24/7. Plan whenever and wherever is most convenient for you.

3. Step by Step Planning Modules Guide You Through Each Phase of Wedding Planning

Cindy has really thought this process through, and has created a series of modules with video guides that step you through the whole wedding planning process. No matter what part of your wedding you’re working on right now, there’s help to get you through it. You can go in order if you’ve just started planning or go directly to whatever task is at the top of your wedding planning checklist. Every module is available to you from the moment you subscribe, so couples can structure their planning in a less stressful way and not waste any time on things that don’t apply to their weddings.

4. Templates and Worksheets You Can Download to Keep Your Wedding Planning on Track

Weddings have a ton of details to keep track of and logistics to sort out. Cindy knows that you have better things to do with your free time than scour the internet for wedding planning templates — and that’s why there all available to you with your subscription. From budget tracking to creating a sensible timeline to making sure you get all the pertinent info from potential wedding vendors, Choose Your Own Wedding has you covered with templates you can download, add to your Google Drive, or print and take with you as you evaluate venues. And in case you’re wondering: they’re the exact same templates Cindy uses with her one-on-one clients.

5. Monthly Group Planning Calls to Answer All Your Wedding Planning Questions

Let’s face it, your wedding isn’t going to be a cookie cutter wedding, and an online portal that covered every single wedding possibility would be so long that you’d never get through it. That’s why Choose Your Own Wedding includes a group video call with Cindy each month. Couples can ask any unanswered questions they might have and get insight on how to tackle DIY projects and other wedding dilemmas.

“Couples with smaller budgets often have a greater need for professional planning advice,” says Cindy. “This is a way for them to get my expertise and feedback on what they’re actually doing. The perk of doing it in a group format is you get to listen to everyone else’s questions and find out all the things you don’t know that you need to know.”

With options to submit questions in advance and watch recordings afterward, couples can get their wedding planning questions answered even if busy schedules don’t allow them to attend in real time.

6. A LGBTQIA+ Friendly Facebook Community for Ongoing Wedding Planning Support, Inspiration, and Community

The Choose Your Own Wedding Facebook group is one of my favorite parts of this subscription. You get access to a community of people who are in the midst of the same planning process as you. You are able to share your struggles, your brilliant ideas, and talk about things that are rarely answered in the heteronormative sea of wedding blogs and Pinterest.

Cindy wanted to create a welcoming place where her couples felt comfortable asking anything, especially for LGBTQIA+ couples, who the media still treat like outsiders in the wedding world. Cindy wants you to know that in her community, you’re home. “There is still so much discrimination,” she says. “I want there to be no question that I’m 110% supportive of them.”

Besides being inclusive and fun, it’s another place to get Cindy’s advice personally tailored to your wedding needs. Though planning calls are only once a month, the Facebook group is open all day, every day — and your wedding planning questions are answered personally by Cindy in very short order.

7. Need a Little More Wedding Planning Help? Premium Subscriptions Offer One-on-One Support

Cindy knows that even with the whole Facebook community at your disposal, there are bound to be some head scratching issues that pop up that need a little more attention. That’s why you there’s also a premium-level subscription, which comes with a monthly one-on-one planning calls with Cindy and her personal review of your vendor proposals, contracts, and any wedding planning documents you create.

“What’s important to me is that the people getting married have a wedding that’s truly theirs,” says Cindy. “I will research and cheerlead the specifics of your wedding, and I’m here to help make it happen.”

Plus, Cindy just really wants to get to know you better!

“One of my favorite part of the weddings I plan is the people I meet,” says Cindy. “You get to know people on a deep level so quickly. It’s really important that no one in my subscription feels like just another number in the bunch. I want to know who you are and develop that intimate level of knowledge.”

Well, I’m sold, so head to Choose Your Own Wedding and start planning now! Use code “CATALYST” to get your first two weeks FREE!

CINDY SAVAGE

Cindy is the lead wedding planner and owner of Aisle Less Traveled, based in St. Louis, Missouri and Portland, Oregon. She helps independent, feminist, and LGBTQ+ people plan meaningful weddings while keeping their budgets and their sanity intact. She firmly believes that everyone who has found their person deserves a great wedding, and behind every great wedding is a great wedding plan. In her quest to offer planning support for just about any budget, Cindy invented Choose Your Own Wedding, an internet-based wedding planning subscription, to offer comprehensive planning support at an affordable price.

As a queer feminist, Cindy is deeply committed to erasing bride-centrism and increasing LGBTQ+ visibility within the wedding industry. She co-hosts the Super Gay Wedding podcast, works to educate wedding vendors, and organizes a monthly meetup for queer wedding vendors in her area to make inclusion a lasting trait in the industry.

When she’s not planning weddings, she can usually be found living her best introvert life: hiking solo, crafting, or reading a great book with a glass of wine in hand. You can follow her exploits at @aislelesstraveled.

Headshot Photo by Amanda Summerlin Photography

JEN SIOMACCO

Jen Siomacco is the CEO and Creative Director of Catalyst Wedding Co. She works to mesh together her love of feminism, love stories, equality and design into the layout and brand of Catalyst while she sits on her couch and snuggles up with her SUPER lazy cats.