Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve always been obsessed with planning parties.

When I was 10 or 11, I planned an end of the school year party. I asked my mom if I could borrow some money so I could throw a party. I scoped out parks to find the perfect spot for said party, I made and printed invites for everyone in my class, I went to a corner store and bought a ton of ice pops, I got ice and filled a cooler full of ice pops, I got a few pizza pies, I bought water balloons, and I borrowed a kick ball. I still remember how much fun everyone had at my end of the year kick ball party.

When I was 11 or 12, I planned my birthday party (and every birthday party from there on out). We were to get pedicures, coffee coolattas from Dunkin’ Donuts, watch High School Musical, do each other’s hair, and have a sleepover. We did exactly that, and it was perfect.

When I was 13, I handmade personalized birthday invites, cutting out pieces from magazines to spell out each invitee’s name.

When I was 16, I planned my ‘sweet 16,’ and I say ‘sweet 16’ in quotes, because it was the most unconventional, and also the coolest, sweet 16. My dad’s girlfriend at the time knew the DeGraw brothers, so I got to have my 16th birthday at the very cool National Underground bar and music venue in NYC, which has since closed. They didn’t allow us to have alcohol, but I still thought it was pretty cool that I got to have my 16th birthday at a bar owned by musicians in NYC. I made my invites, wore a cute black dress, and threw an awesome after party where I’m pretty sure my dad played beer pong with my friends and I.

When I was in college, I threw parties at my parents apartments when they weren’t home (sorry mom and dad, but everyone had a lot of fun at my parties), and I was the Event Coordinator for the NYU Chapter of The Chemists’ Club. I planned events like networking mixers with L’Oreal, a soap making workshop, bake show fundraisers, and other fun, social events to give us engineers and scientists a break from studying.

When I got my own apartment in Hoboken with my (now) husband nearly 8 years ago, my dream came true of hosting gatherings in my own space. We’ve hosted countless dinner parties, birthday celebrations, Halloween festivities, holiday family gatherings, and Friendsgiving. I even host monthly Hoboken Girl’s Nights with my neighbors, and am always inviting new people. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing our apartment or backyard filled with people laughing, drinking, and having a good time.

When I turned 30, I threw a party that I had been secretly plotting for years. I knew 3 years prior where I wanted it to be. I knew 2 years prior what I wanted the cake to look like. I knew the year prior how I wanted to look. I had a whole vision for that party, and it turned out exactly how I imagined, and was such a fun night.

When I got engaged, I put on my party planning hat and got to work. From our engagement celebration, to my wedding shower, to my bachelorette party, to our wedding, and our honeymoon, I planned it all, and absolutely loved it (except, of course, some of the wedding stuff that isn’t so fun, like spending a gazillion dollars). What I learned during that time is that the wedding industry is cruel. Everything is overpriced, and everyone just thinks it’s ‘normal.’ I’m here to put a end to that. Well, at least in the planning part of things.

When we were planning our wedding, I knew we didn’t really need a full planner because I’m good at that sort of thing. I will research for hours on end to find the best service, food, etc. Whether it’s a day in the city, a weekend upstate, or a week in Europe, I will put the same amount of time and energy into making it perfect. I’ve always been complimented on my ability to find ‘cool places’ and I thrive in doing just that. Plus, I hate overspending, so I’ll make sure that I find something that is both ‘cool’ and affordable. So when it was time to plan our wedding, I was okay to forgo the absurd cost of a planner, which was looking to be on average $10K!!! But I thought, surely we cannot do this without a day of coordinator, which was looking to be on average $4K!!! For ONE day. I thought it was a nonnegotiable, but my budget conscious husband thought otherwise. He promised he would be our day of coordinator, and he so he was, he kept that promise, and did an incredible job at it, and we saved thousands of dollars.

Now, I want to save others thousands of dollars, and bring joy to you and your loved ones (or strangers, if you are like me and you like bringing new people together). I want to be your affordable planner. Let me bring my love of bringing people together and planning, to you.

Maybe you’re planning your wedding but have no energy or time to plan your honeymoon; I’m your girl!

Maybe you’re almost 30 and you have a vision for your birthday but don’t know how to execute it, or you have no vision at all and need help creating one - from the place, the cake, or even the outfit; I’m your girl!

Maybe your kid is turning 10 and you want it to be the most magical, unforgettable day; I’m your girl!

Maybe you want to go upstate for the weekend but aren’t sure where to go; I’m your girl!

Maybe you live in NY/NJ and have friends or family visiting and you want to show them around the city but don’t know where to go; I’m your girl!

Maybe you’re planning an event already but feel overwhelmed and just need someone to bounce ideas off of; I’m your girl!

I can be your personalized planner for anything from birthdays, to weddings, to honeymoons, to bachelorette parties, and more - at an affordable price.

I’m based in NY/NJ, but am able to travel and/or work with you remotely!

-Hannah Loff Hopkins a.k.a The Affordable Planner