Friday Introductions—Meet Sandra

We are so thrilled to be able to introduce you to the lovely Sandra from Sandra Bettina Weddings and Events! We have worked with Sandra on a multitude of projects, and it’s always amazing how she is able to both lead a team of event staff and plan incredible decor designs, all while being a mom to two adorable young girls! And she does it with extreme poise and grace!

We asked her to answer a few questions about her and her business. Read her answers below!

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Who are you and what do you do?

Hello, Hello! I’m Sandra and I’m the owner and lead planner behind Sandra Bettina Weddings & Events – a wedding planning, coordination and design boutique in the Edmonton area.

What makes you unique in your field?

I have to have 2 answers here. Firstly, our motto is, “no detail is too small, no love is too big.” For us that means that everything matters… from the font you use for your wedding day stationery, to the angle of the chairs or saturation of uplight colour. It all truly plays a part in taking an event from good to FREAKIN’ AMAZING and we push details with every client to elevate each event to it’s highest potential. The “no love is too big” part basically means that if you love it, let’s include it in your wedding. Love country music? Let’s two-step our way through the night! Your dogs are your besties? Awesome, let’s find a way to incorporate them into such an important day.

That brings me to the next point; we love glamorous weddings with a timeless upscale vibe BUT with a kick of fun. Our favourite couples love details, they value the finer things and aren’t afraid to invest in an amazing design for their day but also have a casual vibe about who they are and want to bring that into their wedding as well. The best compliment I ever received was “you’re fun but get sh*t done” and that’s what I truly think makes us unique.

Why do you love what you do?

Mixing my business background with my creative side; being a self-employed wedding planner truly allows me to use both sides of my brain and I thrive on that and am pretty darn grateful that I get to do what I do. But, what I find most fulfilling is seeing something go from just concepts and ideas to an incredible event that makes our clients so happy and is a day they will forever look back on with happy memories.

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What is one main thing that you wish couples knew about what you do?

Not just about what we do but about our industry in general. The word “wedding” does not immediately add to the price tag and in the instances where things do cost more, there is always a good reason. Tighter timelines, more luxurious materials, the pressure of perfection, etc; it all adds up and most vendors (at least the ones we work with and always recommend) REALLY and truly care so much about your experience and spend more hours perfecting the details for your day than you could ever imagine.

What is your favourite restaurant in Edmonton?

I wish I could be cool and say something unique; our city really has so many amazing and talented local small business restaurants BUT I’m an Earls girl. I went constantly in high school, worked there through university and still go when life allows. Dynamite rolls (no cucumber – ew!) rock my world.

What is your favourite Edmonton festival?

Hands down the Heritage Festival. I was born in one country, raised for half my childhood in another and moved to Canada when I was 11 so I’m a mixed breed of culture, language and food taste. Going to Heritage days always makes me so excited to try new foods, nostalgically taste some I haven’t for years and watch performances from different countries. I think it’s so incredible just how multi-cultural our city is and it’s one of the reasons I love living here.

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What would you recommend to couples as being the best date night in the Edmonton area?

I’m a pretty high-energy person so with that comes a love of laughing, dancing and socializing. One of my favourite date nights is going to West Ed for supper and drinks at (hello, again) Earls, continuing on to the Comic Strip for some inappropriate jokes and finishing off with more drinks and dancing somewhere. I think it’s something that, particularly as we get older and busier we don’t do enough and really letting loose is just so good for the soul in any relationship.

What countries have you visited, and was the most memorable experience?

Oh goodness, I’ve visited a ton (I grew up in Europe so we travelled a lot as a child) but one of my favourite memories was when we went to Turkey as part of our honeymoon. The music, the busy and social vibe and the food were all incredible but the best part of the entire trip was my husband literally getting beat with a bar of soap in a pillowcase by an old Turkish man wearing nothing but a towel at a traditional bathhouse as part of the overall experience.

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