Tony White is not just a wedding planner, he's a friend, life-saver, confidante, therapist,…read moremagician, and will forever be an honorary member of our family. My husband Matt and I found Tony White after booking the City Club of San Francisco for our wedding -- we did a Google search of the venue and found pictures of a beautiful winter wedding he had planned there earlier that year. At the time, it was mid-2012 and my fiance and I were law students with empty pockets and big dreams. We told him that if one or both of us didn't pass the bar exam that summer, we'd lose our lawfirm jobs and the City Club wedding would likely have to be cancelled. We told him we couldn't afford his usual rates, either (which are reasonable - but we were starving students!) Tony found it in his heart to negotiate a rate we could afford. He was also nonplussed at our uncertain circumstances. In his usual Tony way, he just smiled and said "okay" and we were off to the races!
Throughout late 2012 and all of 2013, Tony worked with us to plan our wedding that took place on January 18, 2014. The ceremony was a Grace Cathedral, and because I'm half Greek, my family was adamant that we incorporate Greek Orthodox traditions into the ceremony and parts of the reception. Matt is from Kentucky, and so we also wanted some Southern touches. We also wanted it to feel like a San Francisco-themed winter wedding. With such ambitious venues and ideas, we had a VERY tight budget -- but again, Tony took it in stride and was never judgmental about our finances. He laid out a budget for us very early on, and each month we'd tackle 1-2 items and discuss ways to appease both sides of our family. He would do all the legwork to find two or three vendors who were willing to work within our budget, and then we would interview them and select who we wanted to go with.
As with any wedding, there were times when I felt overwhelmed because of drama with my bridal party, family members, etc. but talking these issues out with Tony always made me laugh and take things less seriously. He has been doing this for a LONG time, and so if something seems dire, he's sure to delight you with a true wedding horror story or two to help put things in perspective. :)
In mid-2013, well into the planning process, we dropped a bomb on Tony -- we were expecting our first child, and he was due only four weeks before the wedding. Tony needed a second to process this development (we were at brunch) but after the initial shock wore off, he did absolutely everything in his power to assure me the wedding would still be amazing. He made sure there was backup staff on the big day to help with the baby, who was going to attend the ceremony and then stay in a hotel room a few blocks away from the reception venue. He scheduled pumping into the wedding day so I felt comfortable in my dress (I was breastfeeding). Speaking of the dress, he even went with me to my final dress appointment after several alterations had to be made because of my post-pregnancy figure. He also made sure all planning was done TWO MONTHS before the wedding so I could have a worry-free delivery and first month home with my son.
The wedding itself was magnificent, and truly the best day of our lives. Tony and his staff, along with the vendors he helped us bring on board, worked together in perfect harmony and didn't miss a single detail. Tony worked with the reverend at Grace Cathedral to make sure the ceremony was just what we wanted. The fully-decorated dinner hall took our breaths away. We had Greek dancing after our wonderful dinner. Bouquets were in gold julep cups to honor Matt's Kentucky roots. Everything was beautiful shades of red and gold, and it felt like a true San Francisco winter wedding. Our wedding day was completely stress-free, and our guests are still talking about how it was one of the classiest, most thoughtful and charming weddings they have ever been to.
From broke law students to licensed attorneys with a newborn son, Tony always believed in us and did everything in his power to make our wedding a magical day. Even if you have to devote 1/4 of your wedding budget to bringing Tony and his team on board, trust me, just DO IT. He will find ways to make everything else work out. He did it for us, and he can do it for you too.