Events by Michelle

, she was the most persistent out of all the coordination companies I contacted. At the time, I thought that was a good thing. She kept texting and calling me about booking and offered advice, which I appreciated. From the very beginning, I let her know this would be a Mexican wedding with many Spanish speakers, including some of my vendors. Keep this in mind. I initially booked the month-of coordination package, and the first meeting with our coordinator went well. Since I live in Washington state, she helped me navigate the timeline and general items. However, my first issue came with their “vendor list.” This list was not helpful at all. In fact, the vendors I looked up from her list were pricier than others in the area, and there was no contact information provided. Not being from Texas, trying to find vendors with just generic business names was extremely difficult. I actually had better luck asking other coordinators, who gave me phone numbers and emails (which should be the norm). What I got from Michelle was essentially just random business names on a pretty piece of paper. Next, the so-called “portal” is nothing more than a simple Google Drive folder, which costs them nothing. Their website looks gorgeous when you’re signing the contract, but once you book, all you get is that Google Drive link. On top of that, they don’t even have a Zoom license—so you either have to provide your own link for meetings or restart every 40 minutes if you want a video call. My next issue came when I forgot to text my coordinator back and later sent a message asking for next steps. I thought we’d be in constant communication, but instead it was very hit-or-miss. When I asked for clarification about what my package included, I was met with hostility from both my coordinator and Michelle. Michelle escalated the situation and made it seem like I was blaming them. I explained I just wanted clarification and next steps, but instead I was ambushed on a three-way call with both of them being rude and confrontational. I honestly felt like I was being treated as a bad coworker rather than a paying client. (This call was recorded on my in-home camera system, so I have proof.) After this, we worked it out where instead I booked day of coordination. I clarified that I didn’t have an “issue”—I just needed help understanding the process. But they took it as a personal attack. Eventually, we move past this after a conversation with Michele where I told her I felt like they escalated the situation and all I wanted was clarification. Fast forward: I had another meeting with the coordinator, and it seemed okay. I also had a venue walkthrough, which also seemed fine. During that walkthrough, I told the coordinator I had my own wedding day plan that I would send that night, and that she would need to follow it the day of. That plan included the final timeline and all vendor contacts. I did send it late that night but this was still Monday for my next Saturday wedding. The day before my wedding, I got a call from my coordinator saying that the assistant originally assigned to me would no longer be available. I was told this during my rehearsal. I later saw on Facebook that Michelle was scrambling to find a replacement, which she eventually did. Note- Michelle just checked in with this assistant *by chance* and found out she would not be able to make it for whatever reason. On the actual wedding day, a family friend (who is an event planner) helped coordinate the ceremony since the assistant was up in the air for the moment. Michelle ended up finding someone so day of I asked the assistant to pick up the small pieces of décor from the church after the ceremony (a five-minute drive) and bring them to the venue. Not a hard task considering I found a way last minute for someone to be there for my ceremony. As I was walking out of the church with my new husband and taking pictures, the assistant interrupted me and asked what she should do. I told her, “I’m taking pictures right now—just do what you need to do.” Instead, I saw her walk over to a tree and start scrolling on her phone instead of ushering people out or grabbing the décor. Absolutely unacceptable. You’re working a wedding, and you’re scrolling on your phone? I called out her name to get her attention. I thought she had taken care of the minimal décor, but the next day my mom told me she hadn’t. My mom ended up cleaning up the four flower arrangements, the tulle on the chairs, and the runner herself. When I arrived at the venue, I thought everything would be fine—but it wasn’t. My vendors arrived late, and instead of my coordinator handling it, my husband and I were the ones calling vendors and relying on the bridal party to help figure things out. I understand the assistant didn’t speak Spanish, but that’s when she should have been resourceful and asked someone to translate or help. For example, my mom asked her to put out more trash cans, and the assistant said, “That’s not my job.” When my mom suggested she ask the venue staff, she still didn’t do it from what I was told. During the reception, I assumed my coordinator had printed my wedding day plan. She hadn’t. I assumed she had double-checked vendor arrival times. She hadn’t. The desserts were late, the bartender was late, and the photographer even went to the wrong venue. The one positive I can say is that she made sure we ate throughout the night. But she also asked me far too many questions during the day, which added unnecessary stress. My poor husband had to go and deal with issues that arose throughout the day so I wouldn't know. I didn't know how much he did until after- the day of I thought the coordinator handled all of this. At the end of the day, I think the biggest issue was Michelle not pairing us with a Spanish-speaking coordinator or being more proactive as the business owner. I was so tired and sleep-deprived by then that I just didn’t care anymore but after so many people told me things I did not notice- I decided to post. I met with Michelle to try to give her the chance to give us a resolution since we now feel like the money we spent was a waste. We asked for a partial refund and she said no which is fine. Looking back, I wish I had gone with other vendors I was considering.

s that I sourced the vendors and contracts on my own, while my coordinator managed the process closer to the time, and day of, my wedding. My coordinator was Janelle Guy, who was so knowledgeable and self-assured in the process that she put my mind at ease and gave me confidence that the plans would work. Janelle was fantastic! My sister (one of my bridesmaids) said of Janelle: "She was kind of bossy -- but in the best way! I needed that!" My whole wedding party loved Janelle, and the day simply would not have worked without her, despite my carefully constructed plans. Janelle's assistant, Andrea, was also awesome! What bride needs to worry about making things work on her wedding day? If you are wondering whether you need a wedding planner/coordinator, the answer is most likely "yes." Make the investment in this service so you can concentrate of loving your big day! (And ask for Janelle 😉)

lanning and I was doing much of it by myself. Janelle was so kind and sweet! You can also tell Michelle cares a lot as well, based of her check ins! It’s pretty normal for couples to look back on their day and wish some things went differently, but Janelle kept that to a minimum for me! I didn’t have to worry much about how the day was going to unfold and trusted her completely with the outcome. It was an absolutely beautiful day, I couldn’t have done it without her guidance!

e opted for the wedding management package which was perfect for us. We did the bulk of the planning and our lead planner, Steph, came in about 2 months before and made sure everything was executed perfectly! Steph is warm, funny, and ensured that everything got done leading up to the wedding! (She even jumped a fence for us!) I could not imagine having a different person to help us execute our perfect day. As a people pleaser, my first instinct was "how do I make her job easier?" She recognized that in me and reassured and reminded me that she was there to make my day easier. Knowing someone was in our corner all day helped melt the wedding day stress away. Events by Michelle's wedding management package was perfect for us as we were looking for excellent service at a reasonable price. I would recommend the Events by Michelle team, and specifically Steph, to any of my friends and family that are getting married!