we contacted and booked Donna approximately 15 mos before our wedding. She was very pleasant at…read morethe meeting and assured us that in the 20+ years she'd been doing this she'd missed only one wedding due to a medical emergency. We stressed to her that we did not want to be married by someone we didn't know/had never met. She assured us she would be there. We scheduled our rehearsal dinner approx 4 mos before the wedding. A few weeks after that we started getting emails from someone else in Donna's office saying that our officiant "Tab" could not attend the rehearsal. We had two choices - change the date or have another officiant show up. ??? We had no idea who Tab was. We had met with and hired Donna. After replying to the email with this info, I heard nothing. That's never a good sign. I ended up calling and speaking with Donna. Turns out she was not going to be in town the weekend of our wedding and HAD FORGOTTEN TO TELL US. What? That's ridiculous! My husband had called and spoken with her a few weeks before to schedule the rehearsal dinner. She assured us that we would love Tab and everything would be okay. I was not happy with this at all and Donna said "If you're getting so upset about this I'd hate to see how you handle the important things in your life!" What??? Our wedding is the most important thing in my life! I told her her services were no longer needed. She did end up refunding our deposit but there's no way to make up for the stress she caused 4 mos before the wedding.

Debbie was our officient for our wedding and she was great. She walked us through the readings,…read morehelped with timing, answered questions and made us very comfortable. We are very happy we chose her!!! La Donna is a very organized service and reasonably priced, best around! I highly recommend, there is not one negative thing I could say, great experience! Love love loved Debbie kinsel :)

It's been 3 weeks since we got married and I'm still getting so many compliments about Robbin! He…read morewas unbelievable. The number one thing I was looking for in an officiant was someone that could make it seem like they had known us for years. Someone that would take in all of the personal details about us and tell a story. He had people laughing, smiling, and crying throughout our ceremony - all for the right reasons! We also presented an odd request - to do a tequila shot during the ceremony! This is something that had a story behind it was very special to us. He absolutely nailed it and worked it into his speech so flawlessly so that it made it seem normal. We also had a unexpected event happen during our ceremony that he handled very well. He was professional and compassionate, he got so many compliments on how we acknowledged the incident, then proceeded without missing a beat. He was truly the prefect person for the job and I would recommend him every single time.

My daughter is getting married in our backyard this month. I spoke with Robbin several weeks ago…read more He committed to the wedding. It's now 2.5 weeks before the wedding and he just bailed. He claimed that he accidently double booked the date. This is weeks after his initial committment. When asked why the other wedding got preference he stated that it was because the other had couple paid. I found this disingenous because we had spoken about a deposit, etc when he initially committed. He should have just not committed. Bottom line is that we are now stuck without an officiant. I my opinion: No way to run a business. Suggest you look elsewhere.

I'm a Chicago gal who was trying to plan a wedding in SW Michigan (or anywhere between Detroit and…read moreChicago) to keep it close to home and family. I was initially reluctant to use a wedding/event planner for several reasons - wanting to save money, being fairly crafty/creative myself and having confidence in handling on my own details in pursuing something less "traditional", and being pretty resourceful. Shortly into the planning process, I realized it was going to be harder than I thought. I then met Mandi Buckland of Element Design. What sealed the deal was her calm energy and diversity in events she's worked on (weddings, parties, festivals, including "green" fests/events). She was great in identifying several unique wedding location options in Southwest and Southern MI, including a fabulous barn, a garden, and a super cool lodge (we ended up at a mansion in Holland). When I asked her to design the invitations with a "modern art nouveau theme" using a peacock to match the theme of a mansion built in the early 1900s (not easy!) - she provided several fabulous sample designs within a short period of time. Our final invitations were really unique and fun! After our invites went out, I received an unexpected amount of of great feedback ("I love your invitations!" "They are so unique," etc.) and I could tell they made people look forward to the wedding. I felt like Mandi figured out my sense of my style quickly, and she was able to identify options that fit that were creative, cost-conscious (extra plus) and didn't compromise on quality. At the same time she was working with me, she was helping a friend design invitations for a wedding at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, so her range of work can be simple, arty/less traditional, to more traditional/upscale. Pretty impressive! Mandi is professional, efficient, super creative, and I would recommend her to anyone in Chicago, Detroit (or anywhere in between the two cities in Michigan or Illinois) who is planning a wedding in Southwest or Southern Michigan!

Mandi was our day of coordinator and she was great and a real pro. She was always very responsive…read moreand available whenever we had any questions. I've been to a lot of weddings, but when its yours, there's alot of things you don't know or anticipate and Mandi definitely helped us in numerous ways. I can't think of a wedding planner doing a more complete, competent, and creative job. Kudos to you Mandi!

I am so glad that I contracted with Simply Brilliant Events for our wedding. I was feeling very…read moreoverwhelmed with all of the details, and Nicola was a constant source of answers and assistance. I especially appreciated her recommendations of other vendors in our price range. Ashley was our day-of planner. She was wonderful! Completely on top of every last detail throughout the weekend. I could fully relax on my wedding day knowing that she was handling it. Thank you so much, Ashley and Nicola!

We turned to Nicola at Simply Brilliant when we realized that while we didn't need a full service…read morewedding planner, we did want someone who could help keep us on track with planning and make sure we were not missing anything important during the planning process, but especially to have someone who could be there the day of the wedding to make sure that we would be able to relax, and that no family members had to stress out over helping us instead of just enjoying our day with us. During the process, Nicola was very organized and professional, and was very accepting that we did not need her full services. But she did provide us with an excellent timeline of where we should be during the planning process, as well as provided us with solid vendor recommendations. Was also more difficult because one of us was organizing the wedding from long distance, and we very much appreciated her help in supporting our local family in accomplishing all our goals. Our wedding turned out flawlessly and we owe part of her to her organization and mindfulness. On the day of the wedding, she did an excellent job in making sure things went smoothly and that everything progressed on time, and worked well with our families and our reception venue coordinator.

Marty from Artistic Touch has been the wedding photographer for two of my cousins and one of my…read moreuncles. I think some of my cousin's friends have used him as well. Clearly we like him if we keep inviting him back! The pictures from all of their weddings were phenomenal. There are the traditional posed pictures, but Marty got a ton of candid shots as well that really illustrate how fun these weddings were. Yes, I want a picture of the entire bridal party at the church looking poised and elegant, but what I really want is a picture of the beautiful bride laughing and dancing with the adorable flower girl. And that is where Artistic Touch really delivers.

At first I thought, "why would I need a planner, I've already planned everything!" But, I was…read morewrong. This was the final piece of the puzzle to make sure everything was executed perfectly! Laura and her team made the experience great, I was not overwhelmed or pressured into signing up for services that I didn't feel were needed. I selected Frosted Pink Events based on a vendor recommendation. My experience with the Frosted Pink Events team was great from start to finish. So much time and effort goes into planning 'the big day', I found that having a "day of" coordinator made everything run smoothly and allowed our families to relax and enjoy the party. Ally was absolutely wonderful to work with; professional, understanding, and dependable. I would recommend using this service for anyone who needs an outside resource as the main point of contact to keep the all of the pieces moving during any event - not just a wedding!

(The only thing I wish I could change about my wedding, was the choice of my wedding planner. This…read moreplace was recommended to me. I wish I would have had more time to do my research. This place is a joke. They basically do nothing and just stood around at my wedding with clip boards. Not exactly what I had in mind when I booked them. When we hired Laura Davis EVENTS , she said she was giving us a great price. She canceled meetings that we planned and didn't even work your wedding. Like she is above that! She created a contract that she did not fulfill and didn't return phone calls in a timely fashion. She lied and said she worked with my florist before and they worked well together. Funny he never heard of her. I'm sure if he had, it would have been terrible things. BEWARE OF BOOKING THEM!! DO NOT BOOK LAURA DAVIS EVENTS OR FROSTED PINK EVENTS!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE EVENT PLANNER In Birmingham MI. My sister used them for her wedding and they were exceptional!!! Exceptional Events (10 STARS FROM OUR FAMILY FOR THIS PLANNER) THE EVENT PLANNER www.theeplanner.com 568 N. Old Woodward Downtown Birmingham, MI 48009 (248) 224-2594

Ryan Abney Event Design was the best choice for us and I knew it as soon as I met Ryan. I could…read moretell right away that Ryan was very organized, but also extremely friendly with a calming presence. When we started planning our wedding, we had no idea of where to start and didn't know the questions to ask. Ryan walked us through the process and helped us identify all the areas that we needed assistance. Ryan had suggestions for all portions of the planning and really kept our personalities and goals in mind as well as being mindful of our budget. We were in a unique situation where our first wedding celebration, originally planned for March 2020, was canceled due to COVID. Ryan helped us navigate a completely unknown situation and really took a lead in communicating with our vendors. We also had issues with our first venue and as it was unable to be used, she was able to help us recoup our expenses. Due to ever changing COVID regulations, we moved our celebration back until 2023. Once a new venue was found, Ryan worked with us to replan according to the new venue specifications so she helped us plan what amounted to two weddings at two locations. Our day was amazing. Everything was perfect and went according to plan. Ryan was available during the event for any needs, but her impeccable planning skills helped everything run so smoothly that we didn't really need anything. I had multiple attendees comment about how much they enjoyed the wedding and could tell it was a reflection of us as a couple. Even more importantly, my husband and I had an amazing time. I tell everyone that my favorite thing about the wedding, besides marrying my husband, was having Ryan as our wedding coordinator. She is amazing at her job and I felt like we all became close during the multiple years that we were working together. Having her involved in our wedding celebration was the best decision from both a financial standpoint and lowered my stress level immensely. We have recommended her services to friends getting married; they have enjoyed working with her too. If ever responsible for planning another large event, I would be hiring Ryan Abney Event Design immediately.

From the moment we met Ryan when she gave us a tour of the Belle Isle Boathouse, we knew that she…read morewas someone we could work closely with to plan our wedding. She was professional but also very laid-back, especially compared to other planners/event space managers that we met. After we talked to a few couples who worked with and spoke very highly of her, we had no reservations about hiring her as our planner. Ryan is hugely connected with event spaces, hotels, caterers, florists, bakeries, DJs, liquor stores, and event rental businesses due to her years of experience planning major events in the Detroit metro area. This meant discounts for us, excellent customer service from our vendors, and her experience with individual vendors meant we could be sure they were excellent and reliable so our wedding weekend was stress free. She was also appropriately hands off when we wanted to pick certain things on our own. Ryan is just incredibly experienced and that's the type of person you need to plan a big wedding. Preparations for our wedding weekend went seamlessly. We live in New York so with the exception of 3 or so in person meetings, all our communication was by phone, email, and text. She was super available and responsive and notified us if she would ever be away. She gave us deadlines to keep us on track and reminders when these were approaching. Everything was organized on our chosen shared planner document. Due to Ryan's organization and calmness, we never felt overwhelmed during our planning. When we had concerns such as our budget, we brought them up to her, and she was quick to address them, either via email or over the phone. She was easy to schedule these meetings with and helped us frame how often we needed them. She always had an agenda for each meeting so they were actually quick and productive. On our wedding weekend, Ryan ensured that everything ran smoothly, so we were able to enjoy our events without any undue stress or consternation. Of course nothing was perfect due to unforeseen family drama and the like, but even though a few things went wrong, we never even knew because Ryan took care of everything. Because she's such a professional champ with events, she had extra napkins and disposable plates in the car, things like that. Ryan managed all these extra details like hand making our table assignment escort cards and creating a beautiful display in the women's restroom with all sorts of toiletries, mint, floss etc. She also had extra napkins and disposable plates and the like in her car, just in case. Its these minor details that she managed in a 3 day event for 200 people that make her a total expert event planner. We would strongly recommend any couple work with Ryan for their wedding, or really any event. She was professional, diligent, experienced, easy-going and a pleasure to communicate and work with. She made our wedding weekend the best of our lives, and for this we will always be grateful and consider her a friend. We are happy to speak to any potential clients if you have specific questions about working with Ryan. Feel free to email at mikeandmaz2018@gmail.com.

We only attended 3 services here for our church services. It's a great place to rent as a ballroom,…read moredining area or even a small concert. Upon entering there's a small foyer, restrooms and an area that was set up for children to play in while we were having our church service. They even bought in a cater to serve us after service. If you're looking to hold an elegant party, church service, or even a seminar, great location, easy access and enough parking spaces.

The venue is 5 star, but the new management is horrible. Our daughter reserved this place pre covid…read morewith Shai for her wedding reception. She was sold on the place and Shai's pleasant attitude and willingness to work with her and her fiancée's vision for the reception. Her reception was delayed due to covid, Shai left, and she had to work with new management/coordinator (Steve). Steve made it known that he did not like working wedding receptions and seemed to blame Shai that there were wedding receptions in the facility. He mentioned this to me as we were setting up the day before our daughter's big day. I had an inkling prior to the day that he was not going to be pleasant to work with based on conversations my daughter had with him to confirm everything. She was disappointed he replaced Shai. She was told she could not do this or that (no potted plants on the floor, no lighting effects on walls - she had to hire someone else to do this) and they had already taken their $5000 deposit. The venue offers use of rectangular tables, but my daughter wanted to have both round and rectangular, so she rented additional round tables. As we started to set up the tables, I asked him where the rest of the rectangular tables were because he only had 5 on a cart ready for set up. He proceeded to tell me he didn't know how many were needed, he said he wasn't told. I responded back, what do you mean you weren't told, you provided the layout on pdf that my daughter shared with the rest of us to use for set up! We, not him, then had to get the rest of the tables from the kitchen area after he told us where to get them. Another uncalled for frustration was table rental pick up. Steve told my daughter that the tables and chairs had to be removed from the floor after party and set aside in the pick up area so the table/chair rental folks could pick them up the following Sunday morning. This was fine, my daughter made arrangements to hire a cleanup team to do this. Two days before the event, the table/chair rental company called Steve to confirm drop off and pick up, Steve then tells the table/chair rental company that they had to pick up the tables and chairs Saturday night. Hello Steve! The wedding reception contract was from 5pm Saturday - 12 midnight! So had to deal with this. There were many little things, no effort at all was made by him to offer information. Our daughter's wedding coordinator was not happy with his lack of effort to help. Luckily, everything fell into place and the celebration was a success. The venue is unique and has so much potential. But there were just so many negative comments made by him that it is not worth to time and energy to have to deal with.He was not helpful, not conscientious, had bad attitude. Lazy. Too bad because the venue is really awesome and he represents the place.