Ellen Dubin is phenomenal. 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! read more

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Ellen and her team at Personally Yours are absolutely phenomenal! She was the planner for our wedding, 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. read more

Ellen is a woman on a mission. That mission: the success of your wedding. My then-fiancee and I didn't want anything big. A mix of 60 people from both sides of the family and just a few, out-of-town guests. A short, simple ceremony on the National Mall, and an intimate dinner to cap-off the night. That's it. No band. No bridal party. No fuss no muss. But there were lots of little things we wanted that we didn't know we wanted. Tablecloths. Centerpieces. An elevator entrance so grandma doesn't climb the stairs with a pickaxe and boot spikes. It's here that experience comes into play, and it's here that Ellen Dubin rightfully earns a five-star review. Things like tablecloths may seem obvious, but while we were thinking what to feed our guests and the types of booze they'd like, we completely ignored the things that only a seasoned vet would consider. Ellen is firm. The woman means business when she's planning your event, and that's exactly what you want. Someone who gets tough so that you don't have to. It's like an athlete and an agent. I just want to play. You figure out how to make it work. That's Ellen. Our wedding -- simple and small -- was a wonderful night. It was special. Something we shared with our loved ones without ever once having worried about, "Oh man! What about (insert random concern here)??????" Personally Yours made our special night stress free, which meant we could actually enjoy our wedding, our guests, and each other's company. read more

Ellen Dubin and her experienced team planned and executed the wedding of our dreams. Th first thing to understand about this is that she took the time to really understand what that meant for us. Neither my wife nor i walked in with a clear vision so it took a lot of listening and back and forth for us to come together on a plan that really felt right for us - and at every stage ellen made sure that was the focus. (In several cases this included talking me out of ideas - like the ice sculpture of two dolphins leaping in the shape of a heart - that i thought would make great little surprises for my wife but which, i later learned, may actually have brought the marriage to a very premature ending had they been carried out. Unfortunately, post-wedding i'm now on my own with such decisions...). Secondly, Ellen was amazingly accomodating of all our needs. From our friends with kids to our religious considerations to our relatives with medical needs - whatever was on our mind to make sure the event was as comfortable and accomodating for all our guests as possible became her top priority. It is very clear in working with her that her joy and motivation is in creating events that become wonderful memories for the people she serves - and whatever is needed to make that happen is how she sees her job. Thirdly, she knows everyone in the industry. We were planning a wedding from across the country and on 4 months notice so we relied on her recommendations in almost every element of the wedding. Our hotel, our reception venue, our photographer, our caterers, videographer, flowers, & DJ were all Ellen recommendations and all were fantastic. And speaking to them separately during the planning process you could tell that they all held Ellen in the highest regard and the wonderful reputation and relationship she has with all the vendors we worked with. But lastly and most importantly, besides for being experienced and organized, intelligent and communicative, hardworking and committed - the biggest thing i just wanted to say here is that Ellen and her team put a tremendous amount of heart into planning our wedding. It was clear at every step and in every detail how much she cared, and her generous heart helped fill our weekend with love before the first guest arrived. If you are even considering getting married in the Washington DC area, i highly recommend you give Ellen Dubin a call. read more

We had been to two weddings planned by Ellen and her wonderful team at Personally Yours before getting engaged and knew that there was simply no other choice when it came time for our own wedding. Ellen and her team made sure that every detail was attended to from beginning to end. They anticipated and prioritized our guests' needs right from the start of planning our event to ensure that it was a memorable occasion for all of us. Personally Yours is not just the name of the company--it's how they approach your event. Whether you are having a party at a well-established venue or on a beach, Ellen and team work hard to personalize your event so that guests leave feeling like they were treated to a unique experience rather than just another wedding reception or bar/bat mitzvah. Additionally, Personally Yours handled all of our printing needs from wedding programs to personalized cocktail napkins to gifts bags for out-of-town guests. These were gorgeously done--even if PY isn't planning your whole event, they do a fabulous job with these extras! read more

Ellen and her team provided this FOB with a full year of good night sleeping and a happy, calm family from the moment we brought her on board until the moment we left the wedding venue. Nothing could be better for a father of the bride (and a husband of the MOB). Thank you, Ellen! read more

I don't know where to begin with how amazing Ellen and her team are. I don't think anything I could say would truly do them justice! They are always thinking two steps ahead and their attention to detail is impeccable. Ellen's wealth of knowledge is unmatched and we would have been lost without them. She really took the time to get to know me and my [then] fiance and truly understand the vision we were going for. Ellen gave wonderful suggestions for vendors, but always let us make up our own mind. She fostered open lines of communication between various vendors (who often times already worked together so they were comfortable with one another and already on the same page). She and her team were also always available when I sent a frantic e-mail or wanted to change something and always responded promptly and with a calm word. I couldn't recommend them enough and I will absolutely miss talking with them everyday! read more

Ellen and her team at Personally Yours are absolutely incredible, you MUST hire them!!!! Ellen and her team helped plan my wedding and we were referred by a friend who was also using her. Ellen has worked in the wedding/party planning industry for many years and her depth of knowledge and advice was invaluable. It was so comforting to know that during the whole process of planning she would always know what to do when we were unsure or needed advice. Ellen was incredibly responsive, if I needed to know something and I texted or emailed with her we would always hear back really quickly. My family and my husband and I are so incredibly grateful that we had the opportunity to work with Ellen and her team. We love Ellen so much that my brother who is getting married in November is also using them! If you are planning a party, bar/bat mitzvah or wedding, please use Personally Yours and you will not regret it! read more

I have to write this while the details are still fresh in my mind, and I would like start by saying that Ellen Dubin and her team at Personally Yours are AWESOME! At first, I was hesitant to work with another planner to put together a destination Wedding on Maui. You see, I am a Senior Catering Manager at a luxury resort in Wailea, and I have the pleasure of working directly with my clients to plan their dream Wedding week on Maui's beautiful south shore. Based out of the D.C area, our clients had hired Ellen to work with the hotel to plan an amazing Wedding week that their friends and family would not soon forget. Working with Ellen was fantastic. She welcomed my ideas, as much as the culture of Hawaii. She is amazing at looking at a space, and visualizing how the event should gracefully unfold. With all of her years of experience, she is not only up to date with current trends, but also understands the importance in keeping with tradition. She is absolutely the best planner that I know. This Wedding was fantastic, thanks to her. I truly hope that one day I will have the privilege of working with Ellen and her team again. Many thanks to you, Ellen. A Hui Hou! (Until We Meet Again) Sincerely, MaryAnn Bowman Blanchard Senior Catering Manager Grand Wailea | A Waldorf Astoria Resort Wailea, Maui read more

At the outset, I think it worth mentioning that we're biased. If we didn't like Ellen (or her team at Personally Yours), we wouldn't write a positive review, right? Well, we didn't just like Ellen, we loved her. And my hope is that by explaining why, you might see that our recommendation isn't based on bias, but for good reason. The first way in which Ellen proved herself invaluable was vendor recommendations. When we first started planning, some part of us thought we could do this ourselves. We're thirty-something, after all, and this is just a big party, so why not? That said, we agreed, at least, to get some help for the big day itself, so we scheduled a meeting with Ellen. However, by the time we met with Ellen, we had already cleared two major hurdles - we had chosen a location for the ceremony as well as for the reception. Mind you, this was no easy feat - we considered a half-dozen venues before settling on the Dumbarton house and already I was feeling exhausted. This was just the beginning however, as before we met with Ellen, my now mother-in-law had cancelled our reservation of the Dumbarton House and we were left without a venue and we were forced to start the search anew. The problem was that we had very different ideas for a venue from "mom" and were having trouble agreeing on a replacement venue. Ellen saved the day - when we told her what we each wanted, she recommended a venue that was perfect. This wasn't the last of Ellen's recommendations. When it came time to pick a photographer, a florist, and a limo company, Ellen was there with recommendations (I insisted on three for each so we could compare prices). And each recommendation was phenomenal - indeed, the only hiccup we had at the wedding was with the limo company, a company Ellen hadn't recommended! The next way in which Ellen assisted us was through follow up. When we started wedding planning, we weren't like some - there was no set schedule for when decisions had to be made (if you're wondering how we ever thought we were going to do this ourselves, you're in good company). But Ellen helped us and, I dare say, she went above and beyond the call of duty. About a week in advance, she'd let us know a decision needed to be made (i.e., choose a photographer) and would follow up with us (via email) every few days. And then finally, after we had inevitably missed our deadline, she was on the phone leaving voicemails (that's when we knew it was really time to decide). Now, I want to be clear, this sort of follow up is not for everyone. But, as I say, it was perfect for us and we encouraged it. If it's not for you, worry not - should you want Ellen to back off she gladly obliges, as she did for us on a few occasions. Speaking of recommendations and follow up, another area in which Ellen shined was her organization. At all times, it seemed as though she knew exactly what we had done, what we were working on, and what we needed to do. If you're like us, you need not worry, Ellen has a checklist with all the necessary items. And if you're not like us and you like to keep your own list, I suspect Ellen would be perfect too - indeed with us she might have appreciated a meeting or too to plan more than a week ahead. And most importantly, now that the wedding is over, we can report that she didn't miss a thing! As I've already mentioned, the initial reason we wanted a wedding planner was for day-of purposes. We wanted someone to think of all the things we've missed. We recently went to a wedding where the caterer wasn't asked to bring champaign flutes for the toast - so champaign was poured into wine glasses. Not a big deal, but we wanted to avoid this type of thing, if possible. For this, Ellen outdid herself as well. Not just on the day of, but at every step of the way. When we made decisions about the menu, or about taking pictures, she was glad to offer her advice with respect to what she had seen before and what worked, or did not work. And also to her credit, when we said we were firm, even if she disagreed, she backed down (though rarely was she wrong). And in the end, it was such a relief to have somebody we knew was taking care of the details so we didn't have to worry. And so, in conclusion, I'll share with you that our wedding was perfect. Not only did Kristin and I enjoy ourselves, but the positive feedback we've received from our guests is overwhelming. There isn't a doubt in my mind that this success is due to Ellen's dedication to making our wedding the special day we both wanted. Would we do anything differently? You bet, we'd ask Ellen to be involved from the beginning! read more

Ellen and her team planned and managed our daughter's bat mitzvah and did a superb job. They really listened to what we wanted and made it happen, with no hassle, no delay, no nonsense, but in a nice, calm and in control way which is what we hoped for when we hired her. By the way, Ellen was recommended to us by a good friend who is in the business (live music for events) and who used Ellen for her own kids' mitzvah a year ago or so. The event came off perfectly, and we got nothing but what seemed to be 100%++ sincere praise from friends and family of all ages on it. I won't exactly say Ellen underpromised, because she let us know it would be great which put our minds at ease, but she definitely overdelivered, which is saying something because she set a high bar to start with. You can't go wrong. read more

Thanks to Ellen and her team my son had a wonderful Bar Mitzvah celebration. Ellen is incredibly professional, detail oriented and warm. I can't say enough good things about her. I recommend her without reservation. She and her team are wonderful. read more

Ellen and her whole team were fabulous! This is the third time she has been our party planner and I will use her again. She planned our son's bar mitzvah, our youngest daughter's bat mitzvah and just this past weekend, our oldest daughter's wedding. I highly recommend her. She puts in a tremendous amount of effort, is thorough, professional, responsive, pays attention to detail, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. Our daughter and new son in law were thrilled with the results and our family and friends have been gushing with complements. Put her on the top of your list! read more

PHENOMENAL!! Ellen and her team are the best, hands down. (I'm still shocked that there aren't 50 staffers at work there given the level of attention and amount of juggling they manage.) Every detail was thought out and attended to, terrific vendors were vetted and suggested, she took the time to really understand what we wanted and how it could be translated to the actual wedding, rehearsal dinner, post-wedding breakfast, hotel accommodations, guest transportation, etc., and she expertly navigated the wedding planning by dealing with our committee of 6 (4 parents, 1 bride, 1 groom) and the various opinions and sensibilities that entailed. Years of experience have taught Ellen what works and what doesn't, and she brings those insights to each of the many many many decisions that must be made in the planning process. In addition to how thrilled we were with how great the weekend was, feedback from our guests after the event was way more than the polite oh-what-a-lovely-event variety -- each was filled with superlatives, including "perfect wedding," "couldn't be better," "bliss," "best wedding I've ever attended." The Personally Yours team created the wedding of our daughter's (and now son-in-law's) dreams and it was a dream to work with such an excellent group. Thank you so much! read more

We met Ellen late in the game for our daughter's bat mitzvah, so we already had the major vendors signed up by that point. Even so, Ellen was invaluable during the last three months of planning. She knew exactly what needed to be done, and when it needed to be done by. She plainly has vast experience in this domain, and she walked us through details that we never would have thought of. It was reassuring that she knew how to handle kosher issues and ceremonial procedures that many caterers and even party planners are clueless about. Ellen was extraordinarily organized and always on top of the myriad details that come up as the date approaches. She knew how to keep the process moving on both the vendor side and for us -- a real blessing when you are overwhelmed with details (and handling most of them at work). Floor layouts, event schedules, menu planning, staffing issues: you name it and she was on it. Ellen was an excellent communicator to boot. Beyond the many emails that were the bread and butter of the planning process, Ellen met with us several times (including going to the caterers for the tasting and visiting the event venue with us) and held numerous telephone conversations. We never felt that she was eager to get off the phone or have us leave her office; she always took the time to walk us through the issue. Ellen also has an extremely good bedside manner -- always calm and upbeat and always asking questions and truly listening to the answers to find out what it is YOU want out of the event. She also dealt personally with some difficult family members in a very tactful and diplomatic way. Teri served as our on-site person and did an excellent job as well. There's a lot of stress in that role and she never lost her cool. We would not hesitate to use Ellen again or to recommend her to any of our friends who are looking for a planner. She really was outstanding. read more