Behind the Scenes: The Planning Process at Gabrella Manor

Planning an event should feel exciting—not overwhelming. At Gabrella Manor, we’ve built a process that gives you structure and flexibility, while keeping the focus on what matters most: creating a day that reflects your vision.

Here’s what the planning experience looks like when you book with us:

Step One: Tour and Book
It all begins with a tour. Once you’ve seen the space and reserved your date, we’ll schedule your first official planning session, which we call your Dream Day.

Dream Day: Turning Ideas Into a Plan
This first session is where we gather everything—your ideas, priorities, Pinterest boards, must-haves, and nice-to-haves—and get it all down on paper. From here, each department at Gabrella Manor reviews the plan to help bring it to life.

We then create a detailed, itemized spreadsheet that outlines your selections and projected costs. This helps you stay realistic about your budget while still focusing on what matters most. Once you’ve had a chance to review, we work with you to adjust and refine the plan.

The Planning Timeline
You’ll typically have three planning sessions: the Dream Day, a mid-point check-in, and a final session.

• Dream Day usually happens 6 to 8 months before your event

• Midpoint Planning often takes place 3 to 4 months ahead, and gives us a chance to meet in person again, ask questions, and dig into the details

• Final Planning happens 6 to 8 weeks before your event. This session locks in all decisions, with final changes due no later than 30 days out

• Final payment is due 2 weeks before your event

There’s no rigid timeline beyond these milestones—more time is always better, and we’ll adjust based on your preferences and availability.

Stay in Touch Between Sessions
We encourage you to reach out anytime between sessions. Whether it’s a new idea, a question, or a change you’d like to make, you’re welcome to email updates and requests. We’ll add them to your plan and follow up as needed. You can also schedule additional meetings if you’d like to talk through details in person or over the phone.

The goal of this process is simple: to guide you through planning with clarity, confidence, and the support of a team who knows the venue inside and out.

Ready to start planning? Contact us to schedule a tour and reserve your date.