Welcome to my wedding day adventures here at CM Planning Co.!

If you've made it this far, you probably know who I am by now. But I'll tell you again anyway! I'm Carolyn, certified wedding planner & designer and day of coordinator. I have my BS in Event Management from Iowa State University, and my wedding planner & designer certifications through The Bridal Society.

I've been in the event & hospitality industry since high school, and found my passion in weddings. When I decided I wanted to do weddings full-time, I began searching for jobs every place I could think of. When I wasn't seeing anything that was what I wanted, I thought "I could just start my own company so I can do exactly what I want". I toyed with the idea for a while, talked with other planners, shadowed some industry professionals and then took the leap of faith and made my logo. And now I'm here! I'm based in Chicago but love to travel for weddings and seeing where couples decide to tie the knot.

Yes, I do love my planner enough to hug it in photos. No, I'm not sorry.

The wedding industry is very different now compared to the last several years. This year may be my favorite because I have one of the most unique perspectives; I'm a vendor AND a 2023 bride! It's interesting to see both sides at the same time, and how pricing and availability are some of the biggest struggles industry wide right now.

What you can read about in the future...

I have so many great topics to write about soon. Everything from making your budget, where to start planning, how to find vendors, and different elopement locations. Using my unique vendor and future Mrs. experience, I hope this blog will cover topics for everyone.

If you want me to cover a specific topic, send me a message and let me know. I'm here to serve the wedding planning community.

Let's be wedding planning BFFs!

Are you a vendor or bride to be? Let's be friends!! No one should navigate these things alone. If you're a bride to be, I run monthly Zoom groups with 4-5 brides to ask questions, share resources and get advice. If you'd be interested, let's chat!

I love posting about my wedding day adventures, so it's no coincidence that's what my instagram handle is! You can also read some wedding tips and tricks over on my Facebook.