I quickly learned that planning my daughter's wedding was going to be really hard when you don't…read moreknow what you are doing. And it is totally impossible to do it from out of state. So my daughter looked around and found Jordan at Pearl Events Austin. She was a lifesaver. She helped us so much with the planning, recommending vendors and keeping us moving forward. And the day of the wedding, I was able to relax and enjoy myself. I knew that Jordan had everything under control. And with her help, we experienced a PERFECT wedding. Thanks Jordan!

Highly recommend Pearl Events! Jennifer Seals was our planner from Pearl; she perfectly balanced…read morestepping in when we needed support (flowers, lighting, draping) and letting us take the reins on things we wanted to handle. Our wedding was last night, and I really don't have words for how supported we felt. Jen was there every step of the way, making sure we were prepared, calm, and even that we had food and drinks any time we needed them. She managed all the vendor setups, and the execution was perfect. Truly, our day was amazing and we could not have done it without Jen!

If you don't read anymore of this very long and thorough review, please read the next sentence as…read moreit will sum everything up. HIRE SOMEONE ELSE TO PLAN YOUR WEDDING!!!! Seriously, if I was not smart, well organized, and a good planner, Tracy Zbranek of Events by Decisions very well could have ruined my wedding. Other than being incredibly charming and pretty, I have no idea how she is staying in business and I feel so sorry for couples who have hired her. I almost fired her three times but didn't because I knew I would be out $3000 that would not be refunded. In her defense, she was somewhat helpful day of. Below are specific examples of my dealings with Tracy from March 2011 to September 2012. Professionalism One of my friends heard her saying nasty things about me, the bride, at my reception. I know it's true because it was recorded. Many people complained about her to me after the wedding and said she was "rude." She drinks way too much and it's just not professional to get smashed at business meetings. It's also not professional to run your hand down my now husband's chest and abs when you say goodbye because you're drunk. Yeah, she did that. She was pretty much late to everything. 5-10 minutes at times, over 1 hr for our initial meeting. Communication Communication with Tracy was challenging to say the least. When she responds to emails it is usually not prompt. Many of my emails went completely unanswered or required 1-2 weeks for a response, with me sending additional inquiry messages. Received responses often didn't address the question or issue at all. There were several times when calls were not returned, promises to call were made and never followed through on, etc. *Organization If you are an organized person there is no reason why you should ask the same questions over and over again because you didn't write down the answers. That happened a lot. So many things were wrong with my reception and she would have caught them had she been more organized. She didn't even notice that the linen company completely left out all of my table runners from the order. This was probably because 1 hr before the rental company closed for the weekend they called me to ask if anyone would be coming to pick up the order, something she was tasked to do! Creativity The phrase "One Trick Pony" comes to mind. She loves to do brunches at Mansion at Judges Hill. Thinking outside the box is not her forte. I was promised an inspiration board when I signed my contract with EDI. I never received one. She did nothing regarding my wedding design. Referrals / Negotiation with Vendors Tracy can get you some awesome discounts. There were several times that we got the hook up because she is very well connected. She is also a great saleswoman and can negotiate like a beast. The problem is that she likes to use the same vendors and makes the same referrals for everyone (Paper Place, Simon Lee...) Some are great places but they are also very pricey. For a bride on a budget they are often just a dream. She sent me to vendors she knew were way out of my budget which only served to waste my time and frustrate me because I just couldn't afford all of the beautiful things laid out before me. I ended up basically finding all of my own vendors. Overall, her communication with vendors was seriously lacking. She failed to let our cake vendor know our cake was leaning and looked like it might fall over. She failed to return the rented cake stand in a timely manner, as she promised me, and cost me a $50 deposit. Value Sure, she might save you money but at what cost to your sanity? Working with her was a maddening and incredibly frustrating experience. I sincerely regret hiring her. I'm not angry anymore and I refuse to let anything about my experiences with her ruin the memory of what was my very special day. But I wish I hadn't hired her and I hope that anyone who reads this won't have to go through what I went through. A lot of the previous reviews reflect a time when there was another partner, Shannon, in the business. She isn't with EDI anymore and it's just Tracy. If you choose to go forward with EDI, best of luck to you. You're going to need it!

STAY AWAY FROM EDI AND TRACY. It was the biggest mistake in my wedding. I am not sure how someone…read morecan run a business and completely lack in ethics and professionalism, but she has found a way. I would have rated her less than one star if it was possible. If you are looking to hire a wedding planner, LOOK ELSEWHERE. We are still in the process of filing a suit against her. Really hope all brides do not have to go through the same BS I did. Your wedding day is stressful enough, hire someone who is reliable and will actually do the job you pay for. This person is not Tracy.

Emily and Mel created the perfect wedding for our daughter. From creative, budgeting, planning,…read morecommunicatand everything in between, no detail was missed. So much fun, from a caviar station to a Cotten candy station, they created such an amazing atmosphere. Sign with Bird Dog today and never look back, you are in great hands.

I can't say enough great things about Bird Dog! We worked with Emily, Mel, and Ryan to plan our…read moreAugust wedding and they were exceptional partners in the planning process. August is a challenging month to plan in Austin because it is "off-season," but Bird Dog was up to the task. From the very beginning, they were attentive, responsive, and incredibly reliable, making the entire process feel effortless, especially in light of the short timeframe we gave them. They got to know us and our style and preferences. They took the lead on helping us map all the key details and logistics, especially the tiny elements of the day we would have surely overlooked. They were able to guide us in working with a selection of trusted vendors, which simplified the stress of lining up all the key building blocks for the big day. Their communication was consistent and clear, and they anticipated our needs before we even had to ask. Throughout planning, they handled every detail with impressive efficiency and organization, which allowed me to relax during the processes. On the wedding day, they executed everything seamlessly--from coordinating vendors to managing timelines. It reduced stress levels for everyone on the day, and our family and friends were so grateful to have Bird Dog as a resource and support. Thanks to Emily, Mel, and Ryan, our day was smooth, beautiful, and absolutely stress-free. They are a pleasure to work with and you can tell they love what they do! We would recommend them wholeheartedly to anyone planning a wedding (or any event really), especially if you need a team that can deliver flawlessly under pressure!

I generally don't write reviews but for Johnell I think she definitely needs an appreciation!…read more We reached out to Johnell for my 3 year old's birthday party recently. We hardly had two weeks for the event day and Johnell worked day and night to get everything planned and coordinated according to the theme of the party. She provided great suggestions like the claw machine, face painting and a magician. It was tough to get a magician in that short time period but she did her magic to find the best one for the event and it was great! All our 50+ guests who attended the party raved about how well the planning and coordination was done for a 3 year old's birthday. It wouldn't have happened without her! She also helped with my baby shower back in early 2020 when Covid didn't hit us yet. My husband worked with her to throw me a baby shower and it was amazingly done. That baby shower event has made us reach out to her again because we knew she will do an excellent job and can trust her because she puts her heart in every event that she takes up. Thank you so much Johnell for all the efforts and an outstanding work even with such short time that you had.

I write this in case it's helpful for others. I sincerely wish I'd have known what I was getting…read moreinto before I entered into a contract with Johnell. If you're not inclined to read the entirety of this lengthy review, I sum my experience up in the last two paragraphs. My wedding was only 1.5 months away. I chose the full package option. As a full-time professional & graduate student, the idea of a wedding planner sounded like heaven. Her reviews were phenomenal. I thought we'd get timelines, help with our vision, several vendor options with differing price points. Instead we got snarky eye rolls when we'd ask about details, sarcastic jokes about us needing to book marriage counseling, disinterest in getting us what we actually wanted, and extremely abbreviated access to her at her convenience. Honestly, it was devastating. The most stressful part of our wedding planning became my interactions, and oftentimes lack of interactions, with Johnell. Price points and vision would continuously get lost in translation. The pattern: Time would pass despite our requests for input on selecting vendors (for example, 3 weeks for florals) and then we'd get an almost finalized contract from a single vendor we hadn't vetted. In the case of florals, at a price of $11K when we'd explained our floral budget was $3K. She was extremely dismissive. Even requests for a quick 15 minute check in call could go ignored. Her preference most of the time was to send emails during peak work hours. And her emails, most times, left things unclear. We explained several times that a weekly 15 minute call was what we needed. But she was extremely resistant. We had, at max, 2 to 3 such calls and then she refused to participate in any others. It was maddening with our 6 week timeline as we felt like our hands were tied about really understanding the status of and options for things. My fiancé and I defaulted to doing the legwork ourselves. When we did, vendors were LOVELY. Bending over backwards to assist us. Supplying us with multiple options and ideas. They took the time to hear us and ask about what we did and didn't want for our day. I was overwhelmingly grateful for their support and availability. I was stunned when Johnell sent an angry email chastising my fiancé for calling a vendor. She reminded us that we'd have to pay her even if we were doing the work. I reiterated to her that this had nothing to do with payment. We'd started doing the work ourselves because we felt handcuffed and limited w/ her at the helm. Over and over we'd discover her "no, that's not possible" would become "sure, we can do that, and here are several other options too" once we'd finally talk to a vendor. The most important thing for me: the wedding to have our unique imprint and flair- were in direct odds with Johnell's priorities. Her priority was the path of least resistance, what's easiest & most convenient for her. Things came together beautifully. But it really was in spite of and not because of our planner. With the vast majority of vendors, we elected to go with others that we'd vetted. This brought on its own drama as we then witnessed Johnell being cold and dismissive with these individuals when they'd attempt to ask questions or share options. I made several attempts to explain to her how poorly we felt we were being treated - via several emails and voicemail when she wouldn't answer or return my call. She would eventually respond in an email days later with a dismissive, "everything will be fine" one-liner. The last straw was her denying us a 15 minute phone call the week of the wedding. Four days after we requested the brief call with her, she emailed, "No, I've done my job already. See you at the wedding on Saturday. Email me a list if there's changes." This transpired despite her contracted description of "unlimited phone calls and emails" and us only having had at most three direct phone calls with her. At that point, we decided to cut ties with her completely. It was an extremely high sunk cost. One that benefitted her (she was paid in full despite not working the week of or day of the wedding) & would cost us greatly. It was worth it though as the thought of this, in our experience, truly unprofessional coordinator running our special day was too disheartening. In sum, I felt trapped in this working relationship. I wound up having to expend more time and energy on fixing things vs had I not had a planner to begin with. All the while being made to feel like a huge annoyance during the brief times when we would have access to her. Her communication style is one tailored to meet her needs and convenience rather than the client's. In hindsight, I never should have hired her. It was the poorest decision of my wedding planning process.

There aren't adequate words for how awesome Heather is and how thankful my husband and I are that…read morewe booked Vintage & Lace for our wedding last month, but here goes! We were already leaning toward hiring a coordinator but then our venue (Ma Maison) required us to have one so we contacted their entire list of preferred vendors for coordinators and we are so glad we did because that's how we found Heather from Vintage & Lace!! Of all of the planners and coordinators we talked to, I was just immediately drawn to how warm, friendly, AND organized she is. Heather is an absolute pro with countless weddings under her belt, but still so kind and easy to talk to. Then, despite planning our wedding from another city, Heather made it SO easy and smooth. We technically only booked her for day-of coordination (with full communication/access the month prior) but from day one, she was still always available via call, email, text, whathaveyou, no matter when or what kind of (ridiculous, I'm sure) questions I had. We didn't actually meet Heather in person until our rehearsal the day before our wedding, and she was an absolute ROCK STAR the entire weekend. She managed to wrangle our large wedding party (14 bridesmaids and groomsmen) and all of our family (including bilingual and non-native English speakers, as well as divorced family) with both grace and authority. It's also worth noting we had several extras (a Chinese tea ceremony before our wedding ceremony, two large shuttles to transport our guests to and from Dripping Springs, getting Whataburger delivered to our venue for a late night snack) and Heather handled EVERYTHING seamlessly. Anything I thought of or had concerns about, she handled before I even voiced them to her! If anything went wrong on our wedding day, I have no idea what it was, because Heather was ON it. She was also incredibly thoughtful and adaptable, from my mom wanting to move the cake-cutting earlier, to making sure all of our belongings were packed away and that we had plenty of snacks and drinks in our getaway car. Her day-of assistant, Jasmine, was also so helpful and sweet. They both made the entire weekend just a wonderful, fun, amazing experience where we got to fully enjoy getting married and celebrating with family and friends. I can't recommend Heather and Vintage & Lace more highly -- BOOK HER NOW! I won't say "you won't regret it," but rather, you'll regret it if you don't! Heather, thank you thank you thank you SO much for all your hard work and support in making sure our wedding was an amazing, dreamy, unforgettable experience!

Six weeks before my wedding, I panicked and contacted a multitude of wedding planners and…read morecoordinators. Due to COVID, I was exhausted from cancelling an overseas wedding and dealing with two reschedules; I could no longer handle all of the logistics. Enter Heather. She was quick to respond and schedule a meeting with me and my then fiancee to discuss details. She was calm, interested, and prepared. She assuaged my panic and let me know that 6 weeks for a 30 person wedding was easy peasy. I cannot recommend Heather enough! With my hectic work schedule, she contacted me via email as my preference. We are based in Philadelphia, and while we didn't meet until the day before the wedding, you definitely couldn't tell as everything went off without a hitch. Well if there was anything wrong during the ceremony and reception, we had no idea. She handled all of our vendors seamlessly and made everyone feel safe during the pandemic. I definitely know now that we couldn't have pulled it off without her!

Brook with Best Day Ever! made the preparation and flow of our wedding day perfect! We didn't have…read moreto worry about a thing, she was on top of it all. She is so easy to work with and just a wonderful, kind person overall.

Brook was fantastic! So organized, so experienced, so ready to do it all for a perfect wedding! My…read moredaughter's wedding went great and we couldn't have done it without Brook! I highly recommend her!

I cannot say enough amazing things about Casey Chambers. Hiring her as our day-of coordinator was…read moreone of the best decisions we made for our wedding. From the very beginning, Casey was incredibly reliable, thoughtful, and organized. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, she helped me think through so many details I never would have considered on my own, which gave me so much confidence going into the day. On the wedding day itself, Casey was so collected and completely in control. Because of her, I truly did not worry about a single thing. Even when it started to rain before the ceremony, she made sure the rain plan was executed perfectly. She handled everything seamlessly from start to finish, including setup, coordinating vendors, keeping the timeline on track, teardown, and packing everything up at the end of the night. I was able to be fully present and enjoy every moment knowing that everything was taken care of. I really felt like I just showed up that morning and left that night without fully knowing everything that went into making our day so beautiful and that's a testament to how incredible Casey is. If you're looking for someone who is dependable, proactive, and genuinely cares about making your day perfect, look no further because Casey is it. I would recommend her a thousand times over to any couple!!

I loved planning my daughter's wedding celebration, doing pretty much everything myself because…read moreHannah lives far away and was happy to let me make all the decisions. But as I contemplated what needed to get done on the day of the party, I realized I wouldn't enjoy my guests and the festivities if I was still the one in charge. So we hired Casey, and I can't tell you what a great decision that was. Even though we hired her as "day-of", she did lots of advance work so she could understand just what we wanted. She took charge that day and I barely had to think about any details; I just floated through the day enjoying everything. She is amazing. Thank you Casey!

Dawn and Angel are absolutely the best out there when it comes to planning a wedding. My wife and i…read moregot engaged exactly 6 months before our wedding and they were able to not only work with my wife to put together exactly the wedding she had envisioned, and ran it perfectly and flawlessly to the schedule we had discussed but they also surprised us with some gifts/extras on the wedding day that blew us away. Extremely thoughtful and effective team. As a groom the number one thing they did right: they made my bride VERY happy :o)

Best money spent on the wedding! I knew right away when we got engaged that our first item on the…read moreagenda was booking Your Very Own Fairy Godmother. Dawn Earley is professional yet very personable and her assistants were great. She went out of her way during the planning stages and was always available to answer questions. With Dawn and her team there on the day of, I never had to worry about a thing. We truly felt like guests at our own wedding! The week I got back from the honeymoon I already had 2 emails from guests wanting to know who my coordinator was so they can look into booking her for their own weddings. ~Holly Rios

Wow! Sydney and her assistant were ABSOLUTELY amazing! I live in North Carolina and was planning a…read morewedding in Austin, TX without ever visiting there, or going to the venue, so I figured I needed someone to help me out with the whole day. Upon my research and phone "interviews" Sydney was the ONLY planner who actually asked me about my fiance, what his name was, what he did...all the stuff that I wanted my wedding planner to know, because I wanted my wedding planner to know who I was and what I wanted in a wedding! I knew after talking to her on the phone that I didn't need to call any one else. That little detail was so important because it made me feel like Sydney wanted to make sure my day was great and that she actually cared. Unlike other wedding planners who just wanted to know my budget, and what I wanted. Sydney was also so helpful in the planning of my stunning wedding, and she gave me insider tips and local recommendations to makeup artists, and florists! Her spectacular attitude to my "I don't knows" was uplifting, since I really didn't know a lot about anything going into this wedding! She really came into play about six weeks before my wedding and got down to it to get things ready and she is so well organized it's amazing! I would HIGHLY reccommend Sydney and Olive & Belle Events. Support Local Small Businesses and you will get the personalized, humble people that own and operate these businesses with all of their heart!

We had the opportunity to work with Sydney for a wedding that she was planning this past weekend…read more We were a vendor, so she handled all the logistics! She was organized, responsive and very thorough. As a vendor, it helps make our jobs easier so we can do the BEST for our brides and grooms. Sydney definitely had the best interest of bride and groom and I know they were lucky to have her. I definitely recommend Sydney for those looking for wedding planners!

I am genuinely disappointed to write this review and cannot recommend Ren Newey or 36th Street…read moreEvents. Our kids hired this planner, and from the very beginning there were warning signs-but the scope of the issues that unfolded went far beyond anything we could have anticipated. From not remembering meeting the groom after a one-hour introductory call, to ongoing disorganization, to inconsistent and frequently changing pricing, the experience was stressful throughout. We were quoted inflated costs for items such as generators-significantly higher than what we were able to negotiate ourselves-and were directed to vendors whose pricing was nearly ten times higher than identical products available on Etsy. Despite being repeatedly reassured that all details were handled, several critical failures occurred on the wedding day. The string quartet never arrived because 36th Street Events sent their information to an outdated email address. Instead of notifying the bride, groom, or any parents about the mistake, recorded music was played without explanation. Requested site visits never happened, staffing was not confirmed, and as a result dinner was delayed by 60-90 minutes, guests had no water available, and the wrong song was played for the father-daughter dance. These operational missteps were extremely disappointing. However, the most troubling aspect was the unprofessional and at times blatantly rude behavior displayed by Ren toward parents, guests, and even the priest officiating the ceremony. Multiple guests approached us asking why the wedding coordinator was so dismissive and why, as family members scrambled to help guests during a sudden rain, she stood by and watched. Prior to the bride and groom entering the reception, Ren told the groom he should button his jacket so he "didn't look fat." All of the above are just a few examples of the disappointment. For an event as meaningful as a wedding, professionalism, organization, and care matter enormously--and sadly, these were consistently lacking. After our bad experience, I did see another similar review for Ren on this platform.

Ren Newey was a top notch wedding planner and I can't recommend her or 36th Street Event enough!…read moreShe spent so much extra time making our wedding feel like her sole priority. She had the best recommendations for all vendors the best being the band. Multiple family and friends have said it was the best wedding they have ever been too. Being a type A bride, Ren was there to answer any and all questions and calm any nerves about plans going into the weekend. Once I stepped on site at our wedding venue I could take a deep sigh of relief as I knew we were in great hands with Ren. She is a rockstar!!