When Hannah Roze thinks back on her childhood, Bellevue feels like the constant backdrop. Born in Seattle, she moved with her parents to Bellevue at just three years old, settling next door to her grandparents. “I lived in Bellevue until I graduated from high school in 2011,” she shares. After heading east for college, she came back in 2015, returning to the place that always felt like home.

Today, Hannah lives in Medina with her husband and their one-year-old daughter — and from her home office, she’s running a company that’s transforming how couples across the country plan their weddings.

Her venture, Plannerd.com, started in the most personal way: with her own wedding. Like so many brides-to-be, Hannah imagined the process would be nothing but fun and excitement. Instead, she found herself overwhelmed by the sheer number of details. “Like many brides, I expected wedding planning to be joyful — but instead, I found myself buried in spreadsheets and endless checklists,” she recalls. “That frustration became the spark for Plannerd.com, the modern wedding planning platform I built to help couples feel less overwhelmed and more excited about their big day.”

The idea for Plannerd came from one very relatable moment: the first attempt at creating a guest list. “The first step my husband and I took into wedding planning was listing out all possible guests in the Notes section of his iPhone. We listed every single person we could think of and had no thought for any organizational ‘system’,” she says. What began as an exciting engagement quickly became an exercise in project management. “We soon realized the adventure we had embarked on was, in fact, a wholly complex exercise in coordination, communication, and patience. Yet, the tools out in the world didn’t seem to cut it,” she continues. Hannah knew there had to be a better way.

A graduate of the University of Washington Foster School of Business’s Technology Management MBA program, Hannah had both the technical skills and the entrepreneurial spirit to build something new. By combining her background in tech with firsthand wedding experience, she created Plannerd — a platform that’s rooted here in Bellevue but designed to help couples nationwide. What makes Plannerd unique, Hannah explains, is its ability to merge the efficiency of technology with the warmth of human connection. The platform incorporates AI to simplify decisions and keep couples organized, while also providing easy ways for fiancés, families, and vendors to collaborate. “It’s not just about digital checklists,” she says. “It’s about making planning feel personal again — keeping the joy and connection while taking away the stress.”

Though Plannerd is being used by couples across the country, Hannah is quick to emphasize her ties to the community where it all began. “I would be honored to share my story with my local community here in Bellevue,” she says. “This is where my roots are, and it means so much to show how a personal challenge sparked a solution that’s helping couples nationwide.” For Hannah, the heart of the company is about empowerment. Plannerd is the tool she wishes she and her husband had when they first started planning — and now she’s thrilled to bring it to others. “We’re honored and excited to bring it to all couples, families, and wedding planners who want an intuitive, effective, and empowering place to bring their visions to life,” she explains.

From her childhood days in Bellevue to raising her own family in Medina, Hannah’s story is one of coming full circle — building something innovative while staying rooted in the place that shaped her. What began as frustration has grown into a business that’s redefining how people plan one of the biggest days of their lives. And while the scope of her platform is national, Hannah’s inspiration remains close to home. “This community has always been a part of me,” she reflects. “It’s where I started, where I came back to, and where I’m raising my daughter. Being able to create something here that reaches far beyond is incredibly special.”