An Interview with Nicole Fredrichs with Playa Bliss Weddings

Nicole Fredrichs, originally from Boise, Idaho, moved to San Pancho, a town just North of Sayulita, six years ago with her husband, Jeremy. Playa Bliss Weddings was first started by Katy Rankin in October 2010, and she brought Nicole onboard as a partner shortly after. Katy left Playa Bliss in 2013, and Nicole then brought Erin Parker onboard in June 2014. Nicole tells El Sayulero more about her business, her drive to be a wedding planner, and much more.

When did you first become interested in wedding planning?

I was always one of those girls who dreamt of her wedding day, so when the time came for my own wedding, I wanted to plan every little detail myself. I had a large 275 person wedding, so it was a lot of work, but I loved every minute of it. So, when Katy was looking for a business partner, I jumped at the opportunity immediately. Helping couples plan their wedding and see their hard work come to fruition is such a special thing to be a part of. I’m truly honored to be a part of every wedding we plan.

What type of services does Playa Bliss Weddings provide?

We offer a wide range of services that include venue selection, ceremony planning, vendor selection, design and décor, entertainment, accommodations, guest activities, and transportation, just to name a few. We know there are a lot of details in planning a destination wedding and our main goal is to streamline all of those processes as much as possible in order to make the planning process easy for our couples.

What are the venues and locations like where weddings are commonly held?

Most weddings are held at private villas, as there really isn’t a “wedding or event venue” in the area other than Don Pedro’s Brisa Mar Palapa in Sayulita. We love working at all of these locations because each offer their own unique backdrop and ways to get creative with design and decor. 

Do you work with a lot of local vendors? Any particular vendors you generally work with?

Yes, we work with quite a few local vendors. Our goal is to keep it local as much as possible, but some of our vendors do come from Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding area. Here are just a few local vendors we work with: Flor Mimo, Don Pedro’s Catering, Funky Diva Hair Collective, Sayulita Musica (DJ Jess), La Terrazola, and Erin Parker Photography.

How do you help your clients stay within their budget?

You definitely have to get creative and think outside the box sometimes to keep couples within budget. For a couple on a tighter budget, I’m upfront in the beginning and try not to give them false hope that they can hire a certain vendor or have as many events leading up to the wedding as they might want. It’s also important for us to have different vendor options to present to the couple so if they are on a tighter budget, we can give them options at a lower cost. It’s important that they go with a vendor they can feel confident with and know they’ll get what they want.

What do you like most about wedding planning? What do you find most rewarding?

Helping couples realize their vision and seeing them light up as they enter the venue is what I love most about my job. When the couple is dancing, laughing, taking shots of tequila, and letting lose and just enjoying all of their hard work, that’s when I know we did our job. We are there to make the day run smoothly and take all of the stress away from them and when that’s accomplished, I feel complete!

When planning a wedding, why should someone hire a professional wedding planner?

There’s nothing more stressful then trying to figure out where to start and which vendor to contact first. That’s where a planner can step in and take that stress and fear away. But the couple will need to entrust most of the planning process to someone else, which may be hard for some! The language barrier is also something to keep in mind, as some vendors only speak Spanish, which can make communicating with them difficult. We’re also here to take the burden off of them to find and secure the right vendors and locations, which is key in pulling off a spectacular wedding!

How many visits to Sayulita or meetings are usually involved with planning a wedding? Are most of the meetings done via long distance communication or do couples visit here and then do follow up visits to check on details?

Most couples will only visit once before the wedding. So, we have to make the most out of that trip! Seeing venues, accommodations, and meeting vendors in person is so reassuring for the couple. During this trip they can scout and secure the venue and key vendors, have a food tasting, and try some of the local activities (like surfing and zip lining) that they can recommend to their guests. Couples that do this always walk away feeling rest assured that they made the right decision to host a destination wedding. After that, all communication happens via email and phone calls.

What can clients expect when they hire Playa Bliss Weddings?  

Some of the most important qualities in a wedding planner are organization, communication, and responsiveness. And we pride ourselves on those qualities. Our clients can expect a very well organized process, clear and concise communication, and a quick response time. We know that no two weddings are the same, so we approach each one with an open mind and listen to what each couple wants in order to custom tailor the wedding of their dreams.