I'm partially biased, b/c I work for Angela these days (part time)...but- I was with Memphis Event Design and the Peabody prior to joining the SEP team, so I worked with her as a vendor in the past (and always had a great experience). Angela is like a wedding genie. She is REALLY good at matching the right vendors with the right brides based on their budgets and their personality. I know, because she totally nailed it when I needed a photographer and florist for my New Orleans wedding in 2011 (prior to my employment there). For anyone considering a planner, especially for a wedding- look no further. SEP is a one stop shop for decor, floral, coordination, invitations, and vendor recommendations. Their rates are extremely fair and competitive. Check the reviews on Wedding Wire, the Knot and many other sources. SEP has been around for over twenty years and their experience shows in everything they do. read more

I am unsure why the other reviews are so bad - Angela was amazing and we loved working with her. We hired Angela because we live in California and were planning a wedding in Memphis. We DID NOT want to be involved in every single detail and wanted to delegate as much as possible to Angela. She helped with contracts, design, vendor selection, and with my sanity. Angela took care of every detail and was extremely organized. Angela organized things so well that we only made a single trip to Memphis during the planning process for a weekend filled with meeting DJs, musicians, tasting caterer menus, and visiting venues. Most importantly, Angela took the time to understand the vision we had for our wedding and was very creative and meticulous in executing it. She had great vendor recommendations, but didn't mind working with new vendors we had heard good things about. She worked her contacts to help us find a band composed of local church musicians, and mined flea markets for months looking for decorations - she really went above and beyond. Our wedding was as unique and beautiful as we had hoped for and we owe it all to Angela. I would recommend Southern Event Planners to anyone looking for a unique and wonderful wedding. read more

Today is my 3 year anniversary and I thought to commemorate it, I would finally leave a review for Angela Dacus. I had a specific idea for my wedding with many details which is why I hired a planner as I didn't think I could have pulled it off myself. Let me say from experience, if you want your wedding a specific way DO NOT hire Southern Event Planners! The flowers, food, all the general have a cake here, put a bar here stuff she could handle to an extent. However, she showed up at the reception, not even the ceremony like we paid her for, in sweats with Starbucks in hand, just in time to eat our food. Food which by the way she was supposed to have packed in a picnic basket for my groom and I to take back to our cabin to eat at our leisure but when we got to the cabin we found the basket was empty and my maid of honor had to get us McDonald's to eat instead of our own wedding food. We brought 3 cases of wine and one special $300 bottle for the groom and myself which she neglected to inform the bartender of and was poured to guests before we could catch the mistake. We had a ceremony schedule that had been discussed over and over with programs that they were given and the dj that they hired somehow still played the wrong recessional song as my husband and I awkwardly stood at the alter wondering if she should correct it or if we should just walk down the aisle to a random song, which is what happened, despite her outrageous cost of $8000. She advertised having decor and furniture you could use for the wedding but the rental rates were so ridiculous we literally went and bought a vintage sofa cheaper than renting hers. The night before it rained at our outdoor venue so we pulled our uhaul of purchased decor up to the site and left it unlocked only to get a 8 am phone call the morning of my wedding from Angela saying we would have to come unload the truck or she would charge us for handling fees. Angela Dacus is a crook. As is any wedding planner in this day and age. Do it yourself or she will rape your finances and take you for every dollar you have and then show up at the cake cutting in her sweat pants, Frappuccino in hand asking for a check. Be smart. You don't need a planner. read more

Hiring Angela was THE BEST DECISION I made during my wedding planning. Even though I live in Chicago, I knew Angela from my wedding-industry days in Memphis, and I knew she would be up for the task. She made everything so easy. She knew the right questions to ask my vendors; she knew how to save us money without compromising quality; she gave excellent advice. I don't care where you are located, if you need a wedding planner (and if you're getting married, YOU DO) call Angela right now and book her. It will be the best money you spend on your wedding. I didn't have to worry about one single thing the day-of and the ceremony and reception went off without a hitch. She is phenomenal to work with! Thank you Angela for making my wedding dreams come true! read more

I met with Angela back in July for a consultation to begin planning my wedding. As you can imagine being newly engaged, I was very excited and looking forward to working with Angela. I had heard great things about her and the work that she does. So you can imagine when I am less than two months out from my wedding and I email her regarding a question. She responded back with saying she sent me a letter certified mail 2 weeks ago that she was cancelling my wedding date services and that my deposit from August would be in the certified mail. I have yet to receive any letter and only found out that my services were cancelled by emailing her. She stated that she sent this November 16. I have reached out to my local post office who does not have any mail for myself, nor has she communicated with me the tracking information I asked for. The days leading up to a wedding are stressful, so to have your planner cancel on you without proper notification is unfortunate and extremely unprofessional. I would not recommend her services simply because of how unprofessional and stressful this has made my wedding process read more

Don't Do It! If you are thinking of hiring Southern Event Planners to plan your wedding, please search elsewhere. We had already selected our date and venue when we hired them. After 1 month, they still had not secured a contract, constantly made errors on our dates and information, and failed to follow up with us or our venue in anything resembling an appropriate manner. We had to communicate with the venue ourselves to correct the date and keep the contract process in motion. At the first meeting, we also discussed the need to set up photographer appointments quickly (our wedding date was in 7 months). They failed to set up any appointments within the first month. The appointments they finally set up were established on dates/times when we had told them that we were not available. So at the 6 month-to-go mark, we still had yet to meet with 1 photographer. E-mails and phone calls were also either ignored or miscommunicated. Secondary to their disorganization, poor communication, and failure to provide on their contract, we fired them. We have now moved onto other planners. With the new planners, we were able to get our venue contract (on the correct date), set up photography appointments, hire a band, set up the rehearsal dinner, and the after wedding brunch all within the first 3 weeks. So, if you are thinking of hiring Southern Event Planners to coordinate your wedding, please don't do it! read more

This is NOT an ethical business! I paid a lot of money to get out of my contract and it was worth every penny. Please save yourself the trouble and heartache and don't hire Southern Event Planners. read more

Before I was ever engaged, I saw many of Southern Event Planners weddings featured in bridal magazines. I dreamed of hiring them to plan my wedding, but in the back of my head I knew they were out of my budget. Despite my previous assumptions, I made the call once I was engaged and was utterly surprised once we discussed pricing. Southern Event Planners is the planner for any bride with any budget! They made sure I had the wedding of my dreams without breaking the bank. Southern Event Planners helped with design, floral arrangements, invitations, and day of coordinating. They also rent out linens and other decorative items. They are a one stop shop for any bride. I did not have to waste time searching for other vendors for decorative rentals. The staff is very personable. During our planning meetings, it was as if I was sitting around the table laughing and hanging out with friends. Towards the end, I felt that they knew me well enough, regarding my likes and dislikes, so I just let them run with it. I was over making any decisions! lol They did not disappoint. I walked into my venues in awe. Everything was beautiful and far exceeded my expectations. I definitely recommend hiring a planner. There are so many behind the scene details that I did not even consider until they were brought to my attention by Angela and her team. One of the biggest compliments that I have received from guests, besides how beautiful everything was designed, is how flawlessly everything flowed. They made sure that the transition from ceremony to reception was executed smoothly. Highly recommend Southern Event Planners to any bride. read more

Southern Event Planners were amazing. While moving, going to school, working, and being a mom full time I was able to sit back and relax when it came to decorating and planning my wedding. Angela and Caitlin planned such a beautiful evening that exceeded all my expectations. When I did have my random bride freak outs all I had to do was shoot an email and had an instant response that put me at ease! I recommend them to the highest degree. Thank you guys so much for my beautiful wedding!! read more

Please don't let them spoil your special day! Angela and her team came recommended by an acquaintance, and I'm still wondering why. They were unprofessional, lacked transparency, were disorganized, and had a horrible and unpleasant attitude throughout the process. We felt that we had to watch over them and ensure they were taking care of things before during and after the event, and anyone who has planned or helped plan a wedding knows you do not need added stress! The staff screwed up our seating charts so guests were completely confused, the bridesmaids and family had to pack up all of the gifts and ask the kitchen to replenish food, and we had to remind them when to play specific songs. There were times when it was complete chaos and Angela was just chilling on her cell phone or even had the audacity to tell us to calm down, like when the bride and groom were making their exit and the only thing she had to do was hand out bubbles and she couldn't even do that. If this does not give you a clear enough picture of what type of horrible businesspeople work and run this company, maybe this will: my friend hired them for her wedding. She had purchased these special light fixtures, and after the wedding, Angela took it upon herself to keep them and then rent them out behind my friend's back. If that isn't tacky enough, my friend saw them hanging up at a friend's wedding, and Angela had the nerve to smile and say, "look familiar?" While there isn't the biggest selection in Memphis, you'd be better off saving the money and hiring a couple of eager interns. read more

I used Southern Event Planners for the chair covers and sashes for chairs at my wedding reception, and I couldn't have been more pleased! Angela and her team were prompt communicators and very re-assuring to me considering I was an out of town bride! Angela was so flexible with my set up time and arrived perfectly on schedule. Angela did not leave until all of the chairs were perfect and the bow sashes were just right. I can't thank Angela and Kaitlin enough for their attention to detail and kindess. The chair covers and sashes transformed my space! read more