Helping Hand Parties & Weddings

5 out of 5 based on 15 user reviewswrite a review

(256)698-4048verified 14 years in business

Huntsville AL

Sunclosed
Mon10:00 am-6:00 pm
Tue10:00 am-6:00 pm
Wed10:00 am-6:00 pm
Thu10:00 am-6:00 pm
Fri10:00 am-5:00 pm
Satclosed
Offers Video Appointments



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About Helping Hand Parties & Weddings

We offer Month of the Event Wedding Coordinating, Partial Planning, Full Planning and do Destination Weddings. You've imagined your dream wedding day so let us help you plan and then oversee your wedding and reception so you and your family can just relax and have your special day go as smoothly and as beautifully as you planned.



We can take your wedding from engagement day to wedding day with us helping every step of the way. We also cater to the couple who would like to plan most of the wedding themselves but could use some advice along the way and some help especially that last month making sure everything is in place for the big day. We go over your contracts and make sure you have everything you need, create timelines, work out all the last minute details and then we are there to run the rehearsal, wedding and reception from beginning to end.



Your wedding is such a special day. Let us take your experience from stressful to stress-free. Having an experienced coordinator lets everyone enjoy the day. We are located in the Huntsville/Madison area but travel the state and beyond.

We also coordinate corporate events and personal parties and events, and we have staff to help with any event.

Awarded: WeddingWire Couple's Choice Awards, The Knot Best of Weddings, Best Wedding/Event Planner of Huntsville, Three Best Rated Award, Most Popular Wedding, Top Wedding Planner in Alabama, The World's Top 50 Wedding Planners

Services:
wedding planning
wedding dress cleaning and restoration
corporate event planning
wedding coordination
rehearsal dinner planning
party help

Awards: Voted: Best Wedding Planner in Madison and Huntsville Winner of The Knot Best of Wedding Award, Couple's Choice Award 2015 - 2023 by Wedding Wire. Awarded top 50 planner in the world by Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Abroad magazine.



Give to Helping Hand Parties & Weddings

5.00

Rating Based on 15 Reviews

K
Kalee F.
June 2023
5 out of 5
Trustworthy
Customer Service
Recommend

Erica is truly the best there is! She is so helpful and knowledgeable from the beginning to the end. Every step of the way, she has an answer and a solution! You will not have to worry about anything on the day of because she makes the day go so smoothly! I cannot recommend her enough. She is the best I've seen!
Amanda S.
May 2023
5 out of 5
Trustworthy
Customer Service
Recommend

Erica was a godsend! My husband and I are busy people. We knew from the beginning that we would need help. Our goal was that none of our family or friends would have to work at our wedding.

I was never the bride that knew exactly what I wanted. I knew I wanted my wedding day to be beautiful but didn’t have a specific vision for it. Erica helped take what little ideas I had and made it absolutely beautiful! She had a wide variety of vendor contacts to help achieve our goals and do it within the budget we wanted.

Erica was very organized. We had regular check ins with progressive check lists. I love a check list! I knew exactly what I needed to do throughout all the stages of the planning process. It was very comforting to know that all the details were taken care of. If it wasn’t on my list, I didn’t worry about it!

Our wedding day way perfect!! It was very well organized and went so smoothly. We had a very detailed schedule that let everyone know when and where they were supposed to be. While I got to spend the morning focusing on getting hair and makeup done and spending time with my best girls, Erica was ensuring that everything was taken care of. I might have been the most relaxed bride there ever was! The rest of the day went just as smoothly with many compliments from our guests.

Hiring Erica was by far the best decision we made in the entire process! Erica saved us a lot of stress and worry and helped ensure that my husband and I still liked each other at the end of the day!

I can’t recommend Erica and Helping Hand Parties enough!! If you are on the fence, I’m here to tell you that it is completely worth it! Thank you, Erica, for helping make our wedding day absolutely perfect!!
Katie F.
December 2022
5 out of 5
Trustworthy
Customer Service
Recommend

Erica is amazing!! She goes above and beyond when it comes to making your dream wedding come true!! She made my wedding day go so smoothly. I would highly recommend her for any one that is planning a wedding or a special event!!
Sarahgrace H.
December 2022
5 out of 5
Trustworthy
Customer Service
Recommend

If you have just gotten engaged and are ready to plan your wedding, your first call should be to Erica Thimsen at Helping Hand Parties. I could not recommend her enough! She will have you so organized and on track through the entire planning process, and will ensure your day runs smoothly and is absolutely perfect, even if it’s not what you originally planned for! Erica is essential for creating the wedding day of your dreams, and will be by your side every step of the way to make sure your day is everything you have hoped for. Five stars times a million!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brooke F.
October 2022
5 out of 5
Trustworthy
Customer Service
Recommend

Erica is top notch!!! I absolutely loved her. I don't know what I would've done without her. All of my other vendors bragged on her and how she had it together. I'm telling you, don't look anywhere else. She is the right one. She is so organized and professional. She will bring all of your wedding dreams to a reality. She has the connections with anyone and anything!!! SHE IS THE BEST!
A
Anne Marie C.
November 2021
5 out of 5
Trustworthy
Customer Service
Recommend

Our daughter and new son’s wedding was perfect! That was only possible with the amazing help and guidance of Erica Thimsen of Helping Hand Parties & Wedding. A rating of 5.0 is not high enough for the level of support she provided us! Erica is so professional, kind, thorough and easy to work with. She has a sweet laugh and gentle style, but there was no doubt that she was in control and invested in making sure that the wedding was exactly what we wanted. Planning a wedding is hard enough, but we live in Atlanta and were planning a wedding in Huntsville. Erica listened and really understood our vision, which at times was not very clear to us. She knows everyone in Huntsville, recommended top vendors, and made it possible for us to put together the A team of people who made the vision a reality. She used a planning process that ensured that we discussed and planned every aspect of the wedding, and so that nothing would fall through the cracks. Prior to the wedding she sent checklists every few months, breaking down what needed to be done into manageable chunks. She was always available to answer questions, make wonderful suggestions and help us think through details we didn’t even know we needed to think about. No detail was too small to escape her attention and she was on top of everything. My highest praise for Erica, is that on the weekend of the wedding we were all able to relax, have fun and really enjoy the celebration. We knew Erica was in charge and she would be sure everything was perfect. And it was!
Marykate T.
October 2021
5 out of 5

I decided to go with the Helping Hand's Month Of Coordination package for my wedding. My husband and I had been engaged for over two years and I had done a good chunk of planning myself and just needed someone to make sure everything flowed and tie up all the loose ends for Wedding Day. From my first meeting with Lynn, I knew she was going to be amazing, especially when she started asking meticulous details I had not even thought of. She handled all the logistics of wedding day and gave recommendations and suggestions on parts I was unsure about. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, she emailed me wedding questionnaires that we would go over in our meetings to make sure each and every detail was discussed. She was prompt in responding back to my many questions over text and email and even sent me updated master timelines for wedding day. She contacted all my vendors leading up to wedding day and coordinated their tasks and arrival times.

On wedding day, Lynn made sure everyone involved in the wedding party and family was stress free and enjoyed themselves. She even coordinated setting up a private dinner for my husband and I to enjoy alone, since being able to eat our wedding food was a priority to me. If anything did go wrong on the day of the wedding, I was never aware of it. My bridesmaids and family came up to me during the reception and told me they couldn't believe how smooth the whole day had gone, thanks to Lynn.

Now that the wedding is over, if I could tell any bride out there what to make sure they include in their budget, I would stress to them YOU NEED A WEDDING COORDINATOR. No bride on wedding day wants to be running around trying to make decisions on what goes where or when will this vendor show up and point them where to go. Additionally, no bridesmaid wants to be setting up tables and missing out on wedding morning festivities with the bride (I did that for a friend's wedding one time--please don't do that to your friends). Brides deserve to relax and enjoy the day with their family and friends. Do yourself a favor and hire Lynn as your coordinator for your next event. The wedding was two weeks ago, and I am still having conversations with friends on how great the wedding was. DO IT!
Stephanie S.
October 2021
5 out of 5
Trustworthy
Customer Service
Recommend

My mom and I decided to hire Erica to help us with all the little details involved in the planning of my wedding day and the days leading up to the wedding. I already had most of my vendors selected for the wedding and a lot of the big picture details worked out, but you don’t know what you don’t know – that is where Erica comes in!
We ended up having a destination wedding nestled up in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana. Not only did we have to coordinate with our vendors in a more rural area, we also were dealing with a more rustic venue that came with its own set of challenges and logistics to work out. Erica started coordinating with us several months before the wedding and sent us several check lists to help keep us on task with our vendors, design team, wedding party attire, you name it! Erica even went as far as to find out the typical temperature range for our venue location and time of sunset for that day of the year to make sure her timeline for the day of accounted for those little variables.
She also had me fill out several questionnaires to better get to know me and to know how I wanted my wedding to look and feel so she could help bring my vision to life. What I loved about working with Erica was how personalized this whole process felt. In addition to the questionnaires, Erica had several phone meetings with me to review our planning and make sure things were getting accomplished on time. These phone calls helped me connect with Erica but also helped to make sure we were on the same page with design elements. Often during these meetings, she would make suggestions or alterations to timeline. I really loved how she suggested that my grandmas be flower girls (this was so special for them, and they are still talking about it!) and I loved how after our entrance to the reception my husband and I went straight into our fist dance. She also brought up different ceremonial rituals we could add to make our wedding special. A few of those extra’s we ended up adding were the sand ceremony (during our wedding ceremony), the wedding shoe game (during the reception while guests were eating dinner, it was so fun!) and we added the whiskey barrel ceremony after our cake cutting.
As far as I know, everything went off perfectly! Erica worked so well with our bridal party and kept our large crew of 20 people on task for photos and line ups. She also worked so well with our already incredible team of florist and decorators. Erica really is like a fairy godmother floating around the wedding venue making sure things happen seamlessly. We had so much fun at our wedding and everything I wanted at our wedding happened. I couldn’t thank Erica more for all she did, she really is incredible at what she does, and I could not think of a better person to recommend for future weddings!
Thank you Erica for making our wedding day absolutely perfect to the very last detail!
S
Sara W.
August 2021
5 out of 5
Trustworthy
Customer Service
Recommend

TLDR: HIRE HER IMMEDIATELY.
Wow! Where do I begin? First off, if you have the opportunity to work with Erica, DO IT. I thought I could manage a lot of it myself, but opted for partial planning and day-of coordination. Shortly after, I had a job change that took a LOT of my time. Erica stayed on top of what needed to be done and by when, and made sure I didn’t run out of time when planning! Even when I was not the best bride and forgetful, she reminded me to get certain things done to keep us on track. The week of the wedding was insane (as it seems to be that way for everyone) and Erica took so much time to get everything straightened out, keep me upbeat and ready for the big day.
The day before the wedding, my grandfather passed away. I include this because the way Erica made me feel has no price tag attached to it. She was genuine and kind, and most of all, understanding of the emotions I was feeling. I was a wreck, and she went so far above and beyond to help turn the day around. She let all the vendors know discreetly and managed literally everything the day of the wedding. I’m fairly sure I ended up forgetting things that we needed for the reception, and somehow everything ended up working out.
Hire her. If you’re on the fence about doing partial planning or not, do it. It was worth its weight in WAY less stress throughout the process and know that you will not be disappointed with Erica.
J
Joanna P.
July 2019
5 out of 5

Erica and her team did an amazing job helping our wedding day run smoothly! We had a traditional Indian ceremony in the morning and a traditional Christian ceremony at night, all in the same day! Erica planned the Indian ceremony beyond what we could have ever done on our own. She is always up for the challenge and truly does care about your wants and needs. The day was beyond perfect and we are so thankful that Erica was recommended to us.
T
Tracy M.
July 2019
5 out of 5

Working with Erica Thimsen at Helping Hand Parties & Weddings was one of the best parts of planning my daughter's wedding. All of the vendors she recommended were truly professional, easy to work with, and did an awesome job! We hired Erica for the "month of" plan, and we could not have pulled off that last month without her help. She thought of the tiniest details to make sure our day went smoothly and as stress free as possible. As unbelievable as this sounds, as the mom of the bride I had a fun day the day of the wedding with few worries and had a great time at the wedding and reception. My daughter and her husband had the wedding of their dreams due to Erica's diligence in working so closely with them to figure out exactly what they wanted. Erica seemed to be everywhere taking care of everything! Erica is very organized, talented, and knows how to plan the perfect wedding! The best part is that she was available whenever I had questions. I would text or email her extremely early in the morning or late at night to which she would respond almost immediately. Erica has received numerous awards - all well deserved! We are truly grateful to have worked with such a phenomenal person!
C
Cassidy B.
March 2019
5 out of 5

Working with Erica was a joy throughout the entire process. Like everyone else, we were nervous but excited, and clueless about where to find the vendors we wanted. Her list of connections in the industry is huge and she guided us every step of the way to ensure our big day was perfect. When that day arrived she was there with us to bring calm to all the chaos. From our first meeting over coffee to waving us goodbye as we rode away form the reception, she was there to lend a Helping Hand. We can't say enough good things about Erica and would highly recommend to anyone.
B
Beth C.
December 2018
5 out of 5

Helping Hand Parties was a pleasure to work with for my daughter's wedding. We worked with Lynn who made my daughter's vision, her passion! We don't live in Alabama, so the vendor recommendations and assistance locally were crucial to the overall success of the event. Lynn met us several times at the venue, skyped to review concepts/ideas, and sent timelines in advance to ensure the day would have no hitches. She hired helpers to ckean and pack up at the end of the evening which allowed the bride and groom (and the parents) to leave the venue at the end of a wonderful day ... with no worries. Hire this team and relax?
R
Rachel M.
October 2017
5 out of 5

Hands down, Erica was THE BEST decision we made for our wedding. Both my husband and I just started our careers when we became engaged, working time intensive jobs outside of Huntsville. We didn’t want any of the burdens to fall on our family in Huntsville so we hired Erica for her full planning services. From day one, she was professional, very organized, and delightful to be around. She guided us through the process ensuring that we knew our options and traditions to begin the wedding planning process. We were clueless about how to tackle all of these little details and still be successful at our full time jobs! She provided us with a list of to-do’s every step of the way. They were broken down by how many months from the wedding day they should be complete and offered tips and tricks for more difficult tasks. There is no amount of pinterest wedding planning lists that compare! From providing vendor recommendations to coordinating between them, she took a weight off of us through the entire process. Having her at our vendor meetings really helped keep everyone on the same page! She took the initiative to reach out when it was time for a meeting or my attention was needed on a certain item. I never had to wonder where we were in the planning process or what needed my immediate attention. Because of our venue, we were required to rental nearly everything for the day and Erica coordinated everything. If nothing else, her full planning services were worth THIS! We had several changed (my fault) along the way and she shielded me from the headache of these revisions. (THANK YOU, ERICA!) Even when our makeup artist cancelled a month before the wedding, Erica made sure we had another exceptional vendor booked before the end of that day. As we neared the big day, Erica created a play by play timeline for the wedding weekend down to the 10 minute increment. It included who was to be where when and everything in between. Erica provided my husband and I with the master schedule, a second just for parents, a third just for groomsmen, a fourth just for bridesmaids, and a final one for vendors. We were able to share this with our family and wedding party so no one was confused as to where they needed to be and when. And our vendors knew exactly what they needed to do. Her knowledge, communication skills, and professional connections in Huntsville were invaluable to making sure everything was coordinated correctly and appear effortless! My groom and I were able to keep the focus on our careers, preparing for our new marriage, and enjoying our family and friends gathering for the celebration! That to us was priceless to not lose sight of what was really important when it’s so easy to get caught up in the planning process. During the month of, Erica introduced us to her wedding planning partner, Lynn, who would assist on wedding coordination come wedding day. The two of them were at all of our meetings from then on. Lynn is so sweet and helpful! She helped with
D
Dixie C.
January 2016
5 out of 5

After talking to several wedding planners for my daughter's New Year's Eve wedding, we were most impressed with Erica. She came highly recommended, and she did not disappoint! Erica was a pleasure to work with, very attentive, organized, and detail oriented. When the photographer had the wedding party outside for pictures, they came back in with mud on their shoes and tux. My daughter had mud on her satin heels. Erica was prepared and had supplies on hand to remove mud from shoes, tuxes, etc. With Erica there to take care of all the details, I was able to sit back and enjoy my daughter's wedding. I could not imagine trying to plan and take care of everything without Erica. My husband, family and wedding party commented about how great Erica was.


Frequently Asked Questions about Helping Hand Parties & Weddings

Helping Hand Parties & Weddings is closed on Sunday and Saturday.
Helping Hand Parties & Weddings is open Mon-Thu 10:00 AM-6:00 PM, Fri 10:00 AM-5:00 PM.
Helping Hand Parties & Weddings is currently rated 5 out of 5 stars.


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