Praulia Helps Couples Get to the 'I Do'

As Jennifer Voecks’ wedding day approached, her flower shop closed, her videographer quit, and the caterer tripled their price.

Jennifer Voecks

She had to scramble to make her grand wedding a success.

There had to be a better way for brides to connect with reputable vendors without spending thousands of dollars on a wedding planner, she said.

That’s the idea behind Praulia, her new company that just launched at the Dallas Bridal Show in January.

“We had absolutely fantastic feedback from brides,” Voecks said. “You’re educating people but once the lightbulb clicks, they get interested. You could spend hours and hours searching for someone who suits your needs.”

PREPARATION BEFORE A WEDDING

It’s been called the Match.com of wedding vendors. Or a wedding concierge. The name Praulia comes from the Greek word for preparation, especially before a wedding.

Brides fill out an online profile for the style, budget, and date for the big day and Praulia narrows the list down to 10 choices in each category. They can match everything from the bakery and makeup to the venue and caterer.

“We’re offering unbiased matching to our brides.”
JENNIFER VOECKS

“We actually don’t charge our vendors so that allows us to open the doors to anyone that meets our standards of quality, customer service, and experience,” Voecks said. “We’re offering unbiased matching to our brides.”

That differentiates them from the competition, a national website called Loverly that requires vendors to pay a fee to be featured.

Praulia has done its homework on the Dallas-Fort Worth market and is accepting new vendors every day, Voecks said.

Vendors can apply to be listed on Praulia.

“We’re trying to make sure that we’re matching people who are qualified and love what they do,” Voecks said.

SEEKING CAPITAL FOR GROWTH

Voecks will be seeking seed round funding this year and said she wants to have 1,000 to 2,000 customers by the end of the year. Her goal is to expand to other major cities in the future, doing one per year.

Praulia was a finalist in the Pink Tank competition at the Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit on Feb. 9.

“Our mission is to bring the focus of a wedding back to the celebration of marriage.”

Prices range from $40 per month to $299 for the full-service package that matches the bride with vendors from 16 categories.

Praulia is having a Valentine’s Day special with the monthly plan reduced to $25, which could be a gift for brides or the mother of the bride.

Voecks worked as a wedding coordinator previously and has heard the horror stories from brides and lived her own stressful experience with her wedding.

“Our mission is to bring the focus of a wedding back to the celebration of marriage by making the planning process fun, simple, and stress-free for both brides and vendors,” Voecks said.