Where do I begin...Christin is PHENOMENAL!! I got married this past Friday and let me tell…read moreyou...she did an OUTSTANDING JOB on my wife, daughter and mother-in-law!! We struggled for weeks trying to find a make up artist and wasn't sure if we would even would find one. She is truly a Godsend. I had an opportunity to thank her personally before the wedding and told her how much I truly appreciated her helping us out in our time of need. You will not be disappointed...NOT ONE BIT!! Christin is punctual, professional and kind hearted. SHE KNOWS HER STUFF. I'm typing the words in capital letters on purpose. The bible says to give honor where honor is due and she surely deserves hers. Christin, thank you again so much for making my wife's wedding day a success. We couldn't have done it without you!!

I got my makeup done for my wedding and honestly, I'm so happy! The makeup artist really listened…read moreto what I wanted and created a perfectly polished and natural look. The foundation, eye makeup, and lips were all flawlessly blended. My makeup stayed fresh all day, and I got compliments from everyone. I would definitely highly recommend them!

Hard to believe, but almost a year ago I turned in my Single Girl Membership Card and got married…read more Getting married was not something I was looking for. Something in my female DNA might be defective or something because I've never dreamed of my wedding day and how wonderful and romantic it would be. I never thought of it at all. Until my heart was captured by my now husband. My hubs is the romantic one in our relationship. I'm the practical one. I've attended many lovely weddings over the years and completely respect that choices about weddings are intensely personal. To me the money spent on a big lavish wedding could be put to better use elsewhere, such as a new car or down payment on a home. So I was all like "hey, we'll go down to the courthouse and do this thing! I can get on your health insurance! And we can both go back to work afterwards." Hubs, who possesses good sense, said "no way". This was his 2nd marriage and it was important that his young son be a part of the ceremony. He was absolutely right on that point, the kid stays in the picture. But I still didn't want a whole wedding hoo-ha experience. I wasn't going to get sucked into the Wedding Industrial Complex, with its ice sculptures, junior bridesmaids, rehearsal dinners, and custom printed cocktail napkins with our names and the wedding date "Find someone to marry us," I ordered. The hubs found our wonderful wedding officiant, Jodi Arbor Johnson of Waterfront Wedding Services. Jodi was immediately responsive, letting us know her available dates, sample vows and the required procedures in Virginia to get married. Because we were doing this on a budget of nil, we asked Jodi for suggestions or free parks or other areas where we could do the ceremony. She suggested some excellent options, we checked them all out, and fell in love with a small, quirky sculpture garden in Tide Lock Park on the waterfront in Old Town. Mother Nature granted us the most exquisite weather possible on our wedding day. Jodi was there on time and ready to go! I really thought I might faint or something because I was so Totally Freaked Out About Getting Married, but Jodi's high energy and warm likeability immediately eased my nerves. Instead of being nervous I laughed my way through the ceremony. It was fun - and having fun took nothing away from the solemnity or seriousness with which I took my vows. Our ceremony was non-religious and informal, but Jodi does larger weddings and can officiate weddings in VA, DC, & MD. Waterfront Wedding Services also provides photography services and can help with other logistical challenges in planning a wedding. I'm so happy that my hubs found Jodi and Waterfront Wedding Services!

Jodi officiated our wedding at The Carlyle House in Old Town Alexandria. From the moment we met…read moreher, we knew she was who we wanted to have preside over our special day. In addition to being extremely professional, Jodi is warm, kind, and caring. She truly puts her heart and soul into making your wedding day special. Our friends and family also loved Jodi and we received so many compliments about her from our guests. We could not have asked for a better officiant! Cheers!

Went to one of Chef Tav's couples cooking class we got on Groupon. From the moment we arrived I was…read moreunder whelmed. To start with you had to enter from the side which is fine but it was not clearly marked so everyone was waiting in their car because the front door was locked. We started late and when we got settled discovered that they were not setup for the number of people they had. We had expected that each couple would have their own station but almost every station was shared by two couples and I think one or two stations had to be shared by three; so six people working one cooking station. As we got to cooking you couldn't hear anything the Chef was saying if you weren't right in front of him and what you could hear was not helpful. The first course was a grilled chicken Caesar and I was hoping for some instruction on how to make a proper Caesar dressing or the best way to cut chicken or something but you would have gotten more direction from an amateur YouTube video. They also passed around a beverage of the alcoholic variety while you were working which was little more than weak iced tea with cheap vodka. I must admit as a bartender of many years I was a little insulted. I was not expecting something amazing but it would not have taken much effort to have come up with something more interesting, again I would refer you to a number of great online or YouTube resources better suited for learning. All in all to be fair I saw potential in what Chef Tav and his "Team" we're offering and I won't deny that once I got over the disappointment my wife and I had a good time. For some one that claims to be a Celebrity Chef I would have hoped for something more. I hope Chef reads this review because it would not take much to really step up his game and make his class worth while. For now though I would say don't bother their are better classes out there.

Destroyed all the scallops. Then laughed about it like it was a big joke. He puts too much vinegar…read morein his dishes too. Definitely do not recommend this guy.

Bottom Line: Dated decor but timeless views…read more I don't have much to add that has not already been said - Top of the Town is all about the views of DC and Arlington. So much of the federal city can be seen from this venue. Since Top of the Town is a venue hosting events ranging from business meetings to weddings the food and drinks will be dependent on the caterer. I believe Top of the Town is situated on top of circa 1960s or 1970s condos. The elevator to get to the top is slower than the sloth in the Geico commercials and the bathrooms are dated. Also, it's a long awkward walk from the elevator to the main banquet room. Which brings up a point - there are various banquet rooms and the main one has a rooftop deck. This venue is a good 1/2 mile walk from the Rosslyn Metro station and there is a fairly significant hill as you approach the building. I hiked it in wedges but I don't think I could have done it in pumps or on a bike.

I went to Top of the Town for a work event, and it was amazing. You can't beat the views of DC…read more Love the vendors that they partner with, and the staff is always amazing. Sheridan was super helpful not only through the planning process but onsite.

We used Wedding Story for both pre-wedding planning and day-of coordination, and honestly, we don't…read morethink we would have had our wedding at all if it weren't for them! Jackie was absolutely incredible from start to finish. She guided us through every little detail and made sure nothing was overlooked. Her comprehensive checklists helped us understand everything we needed for our wedding. Even though my husband and I have attended many weddings over the years, there were still so many things we never would have thought of ourselves! Without Jackie, I can easily imagine us showing up on our wedding day only to realize we were missing something important. After the wedding, one thing my husband and I kept saying to each other was, "If it weren't for Jackie and Wedding Story, we probably would have given up on having a wedding ceremony." That alone says everything about how much of a difference they made for us. Jackie's experience and expertise truly shine through in the way she helps couples get the most out of their wedding budget. She knows how to maximize what you have and make everything come together beautifully without losing sight of your budget. One of the biggest highlights our guests raved about was the flowers! I received so many compliments on my bouquet and the floral decorations. My friends were so impressed that some even said, "You must have spent so much on the flowers!" The arrangements were absolutely beautiful, and we were so happy with how everything turned out. We also had many guests traveling from far away, so food was one of our biggest priorities. We chose a buffet from a restaurant Jackie recommended, and our guests couldn't stop complimenting the food. Everyone mentioned how delicious everything was. We were so grateful that our guests felt so well taken care of. Our ceremony and reception venues came with quite a few restrictions, but Jackie and the Wedding Story team did everything they could to work within those limitations and make our day special. We truly appreciate all the effort, care, and dedication they put into making our wedding day everything we hoped it would be. Meeting Wedding Story was such a blessing to us. Jackie, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us have the wedding of our dreams! We couldn't have done it without you, and we are so grateful to have had you by our side throughout this journey. Thanks to you, we were able to celebrate such a meaningful day with our loved ones and begin this new chapter of our lives with wonderful memories. If you're currently planning your wedding, I wholeheartedly recommend Wedding Story for both pre-wedding planning and day-of coordination! It is absolutely worth every penny and so much more. The peace of mind, expertise, and care Jackie provides are truly priceless. You won't regret investing in Wedding Story for your big day!

Jackie has been nothing but fantastic throughout our wedding planning process. I tried to do it by…read moremyself, but with work, life, and other unplanned events that occurred, she really saved the day for me and my wife. With a limited budget and only 4 months prior to the wedding date, she handled it all! She's very open, transparent, and quick to communicate. I would HIGHLY recommend her for your wedding planning and day-of coordination. You will be taken care of.

Ellen Dubin is phenomenal…read more We chose her based on a referral from friends who've had her do their various bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings. There were several things that made our wedding planning rather challenging - an April wedding in DC with unpredictable weather, a wedding taking place at a private home requiring everything to be imported to that site, and a bride, a groom, and parents that were in three different locations in two different time zones. Ellen was very flexible and adaptable and cleared her schedule to make the most of the limited time we had with her when all three of us were in town. I think one of the best and most useful things about using Personally Yours was the access that Ellen had to various vendors - three things - the tent, the decor, and the food - were the most important part of this wedding and all three were phenomenal. Our wedding was on somewhat short notice - about 8 months to plan - and she was able to acquire Joel from Occasions and Jeffrey from Fox Ventures and Davis from Sugar Plum Tents. All three were exceptional and made multiple trips to our wedding site to plan and coordinate the event. All three had rave reviews about Ellen and it was clear that the people and vendors she surrounded herself with were all people very familiar with each other and worked well with each other. Ellen was able to provide experience, wisdom, and advice about the way we were trying to shape our wedding. She listened carefully and made significant efforts to understand what we wanted for our wedding. There were certain things she was adamant about that we had never really considered including the flow of the guests, the rhythm and scheduling of the band in conjunction with speeches and meals being served. How to introduce a WOW factor for guests when they stepped into our tent. And she paid close consideration to the theme and atmosphere we wanted to have. We wanted to go for a vintage chic / garden wedding that was intermingled with the natural beauty of the house where we were getting married. She advised us on the position of the tent, the dance floor, ways to accent the natural warmth of the home, and how to make sure everyone was fed and watered without any glitches. Ellen is experienced and has done what I'm sure are hundreds of weddings. Before hiring her we had concerns that since she does bar and bat mitzvahs too, that the wedding wouldn't have the perfect wedding feel- but that was not an issue whatsoever! Our wedding was a dream come true. It was perfect - like a work of art in motion. If wedding planners could be named artists she's a Van Gogh or da Vinci. She works so hard and is brilliant at it too! Ellen listens, executes, is efficient, and gets the job done. She is very much about business and there are some times when she might say some things are less feasible than others. It's not difficult to believe her because for most things she'll bend over backward to execute and have her staff work accomplish. But she is honest and will let you know when she disagrees with a suggestion or would like to tweak something and see if you'd like it better that way. The second place where her brilliance comes in is the day of the wedding and ensuring everything goes smoothly. The order of the ceremony, the flow of guests, collecting gifts, re-bustling my dress as she predicted the bustle would come undone, directing bridesmaids/groomsmen, getting the crowd onto the dance floor, and making sure shuttles are coming and going etc. Things were flawless! We wish we could go back to last weekend and relive it all over again! Thank you Ellen!

Ellen and her team at Personally Yours are absolutely phenomenal! She was the planner for our…read morewedding, and we couldn't be happier with how the event played out. First of all, Ellen was completely dedicated to making sure that the wedding reflected us: our choices, our vibe, our personality. While she has opinions about how to make sure you get the best vendors and the best quality service, she made sure that the event was about us: not about her, not about our parents, but about us. But boy, did she assemble a dream team! Her extensive experience in this industry means that she knows who the best people are, and everyone she chose, from the caterer to the florist to the photographer, were absolutely excellent. I really appreciated how she made a point of figuring out what our vibe was and what we were looking for, and then matched us with a top-quality vendor who could deliver that vibe. We also can't help but mention how organized, thorough, and patient Ellen and her team are. They thought of everything, every little wrinkle and nuance, and they navigated those nuances through a decidedly larger-than-normal planning committee of six people! Not only will Personally Yours deliver an absolutely amazing, personalized event, they'll do it in a way that can make you, your guests, and even your in-laws proud and happy. We can't recommend them strongly enough-: if you want a fantastic event, go with Ellen and her team.

I am so glad we had Tara help us with our wedding, even though it was relatively small and not that…read morecomplex. She gives you options about her level of involvement and is very clear about terms, costs, etc. of her services, always checking in before doing something if it's going to cost more. She was amazingly pro-active and thought of things I never would have (and didn't care to) in terms of details and liaising with our hotel, caterers, etc. It took about a week of working with her before I realized I genuinely didn't have to worry about much as I knew that if I didn't think of something, she would, an in time to take care of it. She also went above and beyond in terms of prepping things like creative menus, cute ways to display seating charts, etc. She's also personal and supportive and lends an air of "this is under control" to the planning and event.

We hired Tara as our day-of wedding coordinator and she was fantastic. She also helped us with…read morechecklists and advice prior to our wedding day...a great resource! Tara was a great go-between for us and the staff at our venue, who were not always on the same page as my husband and I. She stood up for what we wanted and made great decisions. A traffic accident caused long delays on the route to our venue and Tara called all of our venues to notify them of the accident and suggest they leave extra time to arrive. We ended up only delaying the ceremony by 10 or 15 minutes. I definitely recommend Tara and Emerald Engagements!

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Jennifer Sellers and Pink Swan Events! My husband and I…read moreinitially did not plan to hire a day-of coordinator, but we wholeheartedly agree that hiring Jennifer is one of the best decisions that we made! When I first met with Jennifer and she explained all of the things that she takes care of, it became immediately obvious that her services would be invaluable to us on our wedding day and that she would be providing much more than simply "day-of" services. In fact, she became involved nearly a month before our wedding! With Jennifer as our day-of coordinator, we were supremely confident that any hiccups would be handled and that we could fully enjoy our big day. And that definitely turned out to be the case! From one of our groomsmen passing out in the middle of our wedding ceremony to pictures running late and guests showing up who hadn't RSVP'd (and I'm sure other things that we don't even know about!), Jennifer made sure that the wedding continued seamlessly and virtually uninterrupted. We are certain that things could have easily been derailed if she had not been there to expertly guide everyone. We are also certain that we would not have been able to relax and enjoy our wedding day nearly as much if we hadn't hired Jennifer! In addition, we didn't have to task our family and friends (nearly all of whom were from out of town) with doing all of the many things that Jennifer handled for us. Instead, they got to enjoy our wedding, too! Jennifer is, without question, a delight to work with. We also loved her assistant, Amanda, who helped Jennifer with our ceremony rehearsal and wedding day. In fact, we had several guests comment about how lovely they both were! In addition to being easy to work with, Jennifer is professional, extremely responsive, experienced, full of suggestions, and thinks about all of the little things that so many brides and grooms overlook. Her level of detail is exceptional and was noted not only by us, but our other vendors and our guests! (Consider, for instance, that she put together a 12-page timeline for our wedding weekend that highlighted who needed to be where and what needed to be happening at each moment--amazing!). It is clear that she puts a tremendous amount of work into every wedding that she's involved with. Her value, in our opinion, cannot be overstated. We are so grateful to Jennifer and Pink Swan Events for helping to ensure that our wedding went off without a hitch!

From the owner: Types of events PSE can orchestrate for you:…read more Dessert Tables & Pastry Tables Engagement Parties, Weddings, Bridal & Baby Showers, Commitment Ceremonies, Proposals, Rehearsal Dinners Destination Weddings, Catering Tasting, and Reception Dinners Birthday Parties, Cocktail Events, Private Dinners, Sweet 16, Anniversary Dinners, Family Reunions, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Children Parties Pink/Red Hat Society Parties, All White Parties, Celebration Parties Album Release Parties, Book Signings, Movie Premieres, Fashion Show, Music Industry Events, and Entertainment Events Store Openings, Customer Appreciation Events, and Product Launches Wedding Services: Premier Day Of Wedding Coordination Wedding Consulting Services Full Service Wedding Planning Month Of Planning Services Destination Weddings Event Services: Full/Partial Planning Services/Hourly Event Coordination Decor Setup and Design Event Timeline Creation Party Planning Services Candy Buffet Services On-Site Management

I want to share a few stories from my wedding that illustrate just how incredible of a wedding…read moreplanner Tiffany is! Back in July 2019, I interviewed 10 wedding planners. I sent out a survey with questions that I asked everyone to answer via Google surveys (for some reason!). Tiffany was the only planner who filled out the survey. This is to say that she is the one who understood that this was something that was important to me, so she made it important to her too. This is the quality of Tiffany's that set her above everyone else; from the very first time we met, she worked to make my priorities her priorities. The sound system wasn't working correctly at the beginning of our ceremony, which was such bad luck- we overheard our DJ successfully test the equipment while we were getting our photos taken. It resulted in about a 10 min delay before the ceremony started- in that time interval, Tiffany got warm cider for my mom and my (now) husband's mom, while simultaneously corralling the bridal party to keep them organized and ensuring the momentum of the event didn't get lost in the delay. Everyone cheered when the mic started working again, which diffused all of the anticipatory pre-ceremony tension. Our moms talked (and are still talking!) a lot about the warm cider Tiffany got for them. When faced with the inevitable hiccups that happen during weddings, I promise you that you will want Tiffany there to deal with them. You will not be in a state to deal with it yourself, and knowing that Tiffany, someone with the knowledge, experience, professionalism and temperament to handle it, will absolutely make your day. No matter how big-hearted and generous your family is, it is difficult to get people to do the parts of the wedding that are actually work, like, for example, making the place cards that have the guest's name with their table numbers on them. It's also a big favor to ask of relatives, and it is such a relief to know that you have someone in your corner who you can really count on to get this stuff organized and done. For example, when the aforementioned place cards at my wedding didn't get done beforehand, a detail that was brought to our attention several hours before guests started arriving, Tiffany got all 120 place cards printed that day. Truly incredible, I wish our federal government was like 1/4th as effective as her, we would definitely all be cruising with free health care by now. Tiffany is the wedding industry's equivalent of Olivia Pope. When I asked my husband what wedding advice we would give to other couples, it would be to hire Tiffany!! It was the best decision we could have made. We are so happy with how everything turned out- we were guests at our own wedding!! We just got to enjoy the day, which is exactly what we wanted to do. I never expected a perfect wedding but that's what I got because Tiffany was there to handle it! We love her!

Tiffany B. is without question, the best event planner in the country. Our convening was a…read moremasterpiece of detail, care, and intentionality -- every moment reflected her brilliance. Her patience, responsiveness, and encouragement meant the world. She made attendees feel seen and taken care of, all while managing a million moving parts with calm precision. Her understanding of what the convening required was remarkable -- and the nuance with which she executed it was unmatched. We couldn't have pulled off this event without her. Her company brings so much warmth, mastery, and grace.