I am Samantha, an international student from China. As for a bride, I always wanted a Western…read morewedding ceremony rather that a traditional crowded Chinese one. When I studied at Pitt, I love the Heinz Memorial Chapel a lot so my husband and I decided to have our wedding there after my graduation. At first, I thought I could handle all the wedding details by myself to save the money but then I figured out that mission impossible. I would have my wedding, my graduation project and final research paper at the same time! I would be an insane bride! So we started looking for wedding planners and Shari was the first one we contacted. Her professionalism, experienced attitude and thoughtful consideration really impressed us. After a few comparison with other wedding planners, we had Shari's assistant Andrea as our wedding planner. Andrea is the perfect one. She is nice, easy to communicate, thoughtful and very professional. I have no idea of how an American wedding goes like and she was so patient to explain all the details to me. She helped the most when we picking up all the vendors due to my budget. As my husband was working in Beijing, China by the time I was preparing the wedding, Andrea was the most helpful one to me. I can't thank her more for spending the last six months with me. Without her effort, I couldn't have such a beautiful wedding. I had a wedding prepare folder with 12 wedding vendors lists and she was always there when we had to meet with them. We almost spent every week together. I did a dual-language wedding ceremony and reception as our parents can't understand English. Andrea and her team coordinated that point with all the other vendors and we made it! Everything went through so well and our parents were grateful and happy too. For the wedding day, I just felt a little worried of the wedding party as we were not familiar with the American wedding. I knew Andrea would take care the rest of my wedding and make it perfect. I was so busy and anxious by the graduation ceremony on the morning and wedding on the evening. She helped all the other things as we planned and all of a sudden the dream came true. Thank you Andrea for being my wedding coordinator and being there with more as a friend and a sister. I wish you the best as always. 我是一个在匹大读书的国际生，一直梦想有一个西式的婚礼，因为我和我先生都不是很喜欢国内那样有点乱哄哄的婚礼。当我们参观过匹大的亨氏纪念堂以后，就决定要在这里举行婚礼。一开始我还以为自己能操办所有的事情，但看了下计划以后觉得就是变成超人也没办法在同一个时间段内又要结婚又要完成毕业设计还有最后的论文，所以我们就找了Shari作参考。在了解我们的预算以后，她推荐了她的助手Andrea作为我们的婚礼策划。 Andrea是一个非常细心，有耐心和易于沟通的人。我和她说自己不了解任何美国婚礼的习俗于是她不厌其烦地和我解释每一个细节应该怎么做，又代表了什么。在这半年的合作中，因为我先生一直在北京工作，所以Andrea反而变成了我最亲近的朋友和帮手。我们几乎每周都有见面去挑选各种婚礼需要定的合作方或者谈论婚礼细节和安排。她非常为我考虑方方面面，我们很感动。 因为有些从国内来的宾客，包括我们的父母不懂英文，所以婚礼仪式和晚宴都是双语的。Andrea与所有婚礼团队都很尽力去完成这一点并且让这个婚礼完美。我在婚礼当天除了担心一些人员安排以外其他都没有操心。Andrea让我们的婚礼梦想成真。 我想如果在这边的华人朋友需要找专业婚礼策划的话，Andrea和Shari都应该是有经验的可以提高国际服务的专业人员了。个人认为，虽然婚庆的价格和国内来说是比较贵的，但是真的非常值得。整个美国团队都很专业，让我们很放心。也没有什么坐地起价或者多要服务费等情况产生。合同书说的是什么，就是什么。 谢谢Andrea的辛勤付出，祝好！

I can't say enough wonderful things about my experience working with Shari while planning my…read moredaughter's Bat Mitzvah. I contacted Shari to work with her as a consultant, because I was stuck and could not seem to make any decisions regarding this big event in our lives. My questions ranged from: what kind of linens should I use - to how do I select all of the vendors - to do we need a theme - to how should I arrange the seating - to where do I put the fabulous candy bar (the only request from my daughter). Basically, where do I get started! Shari really took the time to answer all of my questions with professionalism and care. She gave me suggestions that were not only unique and interesting (not the "same old, same old"), but that fit my budget, and allowed me to feel like I was able to tackle everything on my "to do" list. In addition to putting my mind at ease regarding the planning, she also created a timeline for me to provide to my DJ and venue contact so that things would run smoothly on the day of the Bat Mitzvah. My family, especially my husband who now can truly see the value in this service, are thrilled with this experience with Perfectly Planned by Shari. I highly recommend her consulting, day of, and planning services to anyone who is celebrating a special time in their lives.

Alaina was our wedding planner, and I can't recommend her highly enough! she was 100% on the ball…read moreand our wedding was exactly what we envisioned and had hoped for on our big day. She is easy to work with, professional, detail-oriented, and accommodating. I am a perfectionist and was planning my wedding from across the country. I did a lot of research and reference-checking and feel that we REALLY lucked out with Alaina. All of her recommendations were on-point and the vendors we hired did an impeccable job and provided excellent customer service to ensure the day went as planned. She made the entire planning process easy and stress-free. Her work and level of service speaks for itself.

Shayne and her team made wedding planning effortless. I felt no stress at all during the process or…read moreon the day of our wedding. Shayne was attentive, detail-oriented, and gave us vendors tailored to our style for every phase of the event. She has worked with many different florists, photographers, and other wedding vendors in Pittsburgh so she knew exactly who to recommend. She also had many stylistic additions to enhance the overall beauty and style of our event, some of which she provided for free or at low cost. Managing wedding planning, grad school, and a job at the same time was a breeze with Shayne's help. If you are a bride in Pittsburgh, consider using Shayne and her team!

We at Howard Hanna Mt. Lebanon rented a Santa Chair for our recent Holiday Event, and it exceeded…read moreall expectations! The chair was beautifully crafted, sturdy, and truly elevated the festive atmosphere. Tonya provided excellent service and was responsive and professional. I highly recommend her rentals for any event.

I've had the pleasure of working with Tonya over the past year on multiple events and I couldn't…read morelove her more! She creates a "stress free" environment for each and every one of her clients. She makes each event unique, fabulous and unforgettable with her years of expertise and infectious personality!

We hired Erin as a full time wedding planner for our event in August, and she "cut out early"…read moreduring our cocktail hour without warning. I'd spent a year working with Erin on our big day, so I was extremely hurt and confused when she left. After all, she had told us while signing the contract that she doesn't do two events in a weekend when she takes on an 'inclusive tier' wedding. As a result, I became the point person for many things at our reception, which is the last thing you want when you hire an experienced professional to do the job. We were planning a wedding remotely from San Francisco, and we wanted to hire a great wedding planner. Erin had good reviews, and we chose Erin because she was timely, sweet, and straight forward--all characteristics I related to. She's cheerful and opens up every call with "hey sweetie" so it feels like you're in good hands. We only met twice, and both times she would be unable to make a few meetings due to her involvement with the South Asian Bridal Show. It wasn't a big deal for us, but we should have known then that she was spread out too thin. I guess we thought that since we requested so little of her time, that she'd really be there, mind and body on the day-of. I soon realized that although she was great at email and answering any direct questions, she wasn't going to be the type of wedding planner who'd make sure we had our bases covered. Erin introduced us to some amazing vendors, and for that I'm very thankful. I got my fiancé involved once Erin dropped one too many balls, sent one too many wrong/unupdated docs to vendors. We were concerned that that her lack of ownership was beginning to affect our confidence in her abilities on the wedding day itself so my fiancé subtly suggested a weekly sync up. It would all be OK as long as she cold deliver on the day of the wedding. However she did not. We had a few fiascos at the wedding, but mistakes happen. The wedding began very late, our huppah fell right before the ceremony etc. The only intentional/avoidable incident was Erin's 'cutting out early' as we were about to enter the reception. Maybe she thought we were in good hands with her assistant Whitney, but it was extremely unprofessional to leave without warning, and with someone who we'd just met at the rehearsal. Whitney was lovely, but we hired Erin for her expertise and execution, and we would have vetted out and hired a day-of coordinator if that's what we wanted. As soon as Erin left, vendors started coming to me for instruction. The bridal party did not know the logistics of the grand entrance, and one of the groomsmen changed into a different outfit, and as a result I had to coordinate with the DJ when it came to the shout outs. The DJ came to me multiple times, saying he couldn't spot the videographers etc. and at one point, his eye started twitching because he didn't know the order of things! I was hurt by Erin's absence, and the day after the wedding, and Ben and I called her to ask what went wrong, and found out that she'd left to drive to another event. We also let her know that we would be writing a negative review, so she would not be surprised. A few weeks later, when we were no longer thinking about it, Erin sent us a 10 page document that documented everything her team did, all the fires she put out, even aired dirty laundry about vendors she'd blacklisted. While I was not interested in fighting over who's part of the story was right, there was something missing from that doc on a human level. the part that goes 'I'm sorry i chose to leave the wedding we planned together to set up for another one'. The commitment to the wedding and overall integrity should be important to anyone who plans a wedding. We are not going to harp on all the things that went wrong, but our wedding was mismanaged by Erin, and then delegated without our consent to someone we'd just met. Considering all of this, we didn't receive the service we expected. If you do hire Erin, make sure you have parents or a partner who will ensure she executes. Or at the very least, stays throughout the event.

Awful experience! Beware! We worked with Erin for approximately 8 months before firing her. Over…read morethe course of working with her, we were consistently disappointed. Erin is very passive and really tries to push the work onto the client. She also isn't detail oriented! There were several mistakes each time she sent a vendor or contract to us - they had the wrong times, dates, and venues. Each time I spoke with Erin on the phone I had to repeat something I had said earlier. She did not prepare for our meetings and always had to be reminded of previous decisions or discussions. The topping on the cake was when after communicating with her for over 8 months, she casually informed us that she would not actually be in attendance at our wedding. She would have 'an assistant' there. Erin never informed us that she wouldn't be there and we never had the opportunity to meet this 'assistant'. We were completely blindsided and shocked that this is how she does business. For the sake of your sanity, use another wedding coordinator - Erin is not a professional.

One word to describe how it was to work with Michelle and her team in planning our daughter's and…read morefiancee's wedding reception... SUBLIME!! You will not find a more professional, more communicative , more meticulous or more pleasant person to work with to plan and EXECUTE an important life event. Whether you have the look and feel of the event all planned or you have no clue what to do Michelle has the listening skills, the creativity and vision to bring it to a beautiful reality. Thanks Michelle for your magic touch... it was great working with you!!

From the owner: We are a Event Planning and Linen Rental Company,read more

Hiring Sheila Weiner and The Event Group for our daughter's wedding was the best decision that we…read moremade. Sheila took our daughter's ideas--offered only in the broadest strokes -- and somehow understood her vision completely. What she created was a wedding day more beautiful, more thoughtful, and more "our daughter" than we ever could have imagined. Shelia's communication was always timely, her vendor team exceptional, and she anticipated needs before we even knew they existed. I slept peacefully throughout the entire planning process because Shelia handled everything with grace, confidence, and expertise. Her calm presence made every step feel manageable and even enjoyable. She is a true five-star professional -- and an absolute pleasure to work with. I could not recommend her more highly.

Sheila and her team were consummate professionals. I worked with them last year on an executive…read moreevent in the Bay Area and was impressed with how they turned a seemingly boring venue into a location that impressed top executives from major local companies like Apple, T-Mobile, etc. Looking forward to working with them again soon!

After seeing all the critical reviews I felt compelled to weigh in. We've used Fluted Mushroom 3…read moretimes recently for hors d'oeuvres receptions of 40-50 people and have been pleased with our experience. Peter, in particular, has been easy to work with and accommodating of our quirks. It is easy to develop unrealistic expectations for once in a lifetime events such as weddings but for routinely catered events Fluted Mushroom provides a courteous level of service with good food at an appropriate price.

My son held his wedding here in November. I didn't deal with the contract or the staff until…read morewedding weekend but there are sadly some big event staff issues here that many people noticed. The food is exceptional. The wait staff, bartenders and cooks are wonderful. The venue is beautiful. The management is terrible. Lee, Peter and Angela are incompetent. Three different event coordinators over the course of the planning with details were not documented. Angela - told me no one cut and plated the cake because she told the staff the bride was going to cut it! Really? Many family members noticed her presence and how little she did. Lee - the owner has made several phone calls to my daughter in law during their honeymoon to intimidate her and chastise her because she asked for a meeting with him to discuss the issues.

Kristin and Chris were amazing to work with. They were kind, patient, and professional-simply…read morefantastic. We were so pleased with the end results for a Gala event we put on. They transformed the space exactly as we had discussed, and then offered services over and above what we expected.

From the owner: ILLUME Lighting + Event Design is Pittsburgh’s premier source for bespoke wedding and event…read moretransformation. As a full-service design and fabrication studio, we bridge the gap between technical production and creative artistry to build one-of-a-kind environments. Our core services include professional Event Lighting (uplighting, bistro lights, texture washes, and intelligent design) and architectural Draping for floor-to-ceiling transformations. Unlike standard rental companies, our in-house Decor Fabrication team builds what others can't—creating custom bars, stage surrounds, and unique installations from scratch. We also offer high-end Botanical Artistry (permanent botanicals) and comprehensive Event Management to ensure every design element is executed flawlessly. Serving the greater Pittsburgh area, we specialize in turning blank venues into immersive experiences. Illuminating Your Vision. Fabricating Your Dream.

Elegant. Sophisticated. Tasteful…read more I have probably been to The Johnson Tea House at least 10 times. From bridal showers to baby showers to my sorority senior tea or going with my mother in law I have had my share of experiences and I e never left disappointed. They provide you with a 3 tiered plate of options from savory to sweet. Also the option of coffee OR tea. The waiter does a great job describing each dish/item on the menu so you know what to expect. My recommendation is to change up the menu more often. Like I said earlier, I've been there multiple times and it's been the same thing every time. Their good dishes, but wouldn't be a bad thing to switch it up.

This beautiful home host several rooms to accommodate parties of 12, like mine, or more. You can…read moreselect round tables or long ones to seat your guest. Masks are required and seats are separated per CDC guidelines. Even so, the space felt well used and intimate. Our waiter was Ryan and he is a southern gentleman. Not sure if his from the south, but he is extremely kind, accommodating, and attentive. Thank you for all your hard work. The location is just off a private neighborhood. You would never expect it to be there, but there is plenty of parking. The parking area is all gravel, so ladies careful is your wearing heels. Outside the house is a cute seating area. Great for pictures! Once inside you are greeting by the owner/event coordinator whom shows you to your room. If you need anything she is your go to person. She made sure we had almond milk for our lactose guest, she helped hide my parents for a 2nd surprise for our guest of honor, and most importantly she ensured the entire event went smoothly. We requested a backdrop be hung and she made sure i The food may seem light, but we were filled. You have to ask for sugar and milk. Each new tea and coffee order came with a new hot pot of water for your tea or pot with coffee. There is a cute gift shop inside too. Their tea is so delicious I had to get some. Very reasonable priced as well.

This place only gets one star because of the facility ambiance. The food was horrible! Wedding soup…read morewas beef broth based with way too much pepper, green beans weren't cooked, red potatoes were dry. Penne in vodka sauce had no flavor. The only thing that was edible was the petite filet. Thank goodness for the wedding cookie table!

I gave 3 stars to be kind. The event was supposed to be around noon. Guests arrived and staff…read morebrought out those containers they store glassware in full of glasses of water and ice. Then proceeded to wheel the trolley around as they put the water on the tables. People had to continuously ask if there was anything else to drink as it was not readily available. Tables were not preset. The presentation of the food. Imagine an all you can eat buffet style without the all you can eat. The food was not hot, the bread seemed to be from prior. Now the bill, can anyone tell me what a production cost is? Added 22% to the food bill and when asked we were told it was to pay the workers and did NOT include a gratuity and would we please add to the bill. So, you have the bill, 22% production cost, and 22% gratuity.