Kelley was recommended to us by a mutual friend. We were planning a Thanksgiving family vacation…read morein New Orleans for a party of 10 people, ages ranging from 86 y/o to 12 y/o. We had already arranged our own accommodations 1 block from the French Quarter nearly a year in advance. New Orleans is a unique city and we wanted to experience it like a local while hitting the touristy destinations that everyone should see at least once (several of us had been there and had our own favorite experiences) - so deciding what we could pul off financially within in a week and getting reservations became a daunting task. Luckily I mentioned this to a neighbor in Miami Beach (where I live) and he immediately told us about his friend Kelley. He assured me she could help sort it out. Having traveled a lot, I've had mixed results using the concierge services at hotels so I would have never sought out a concierge service. Often in tourist destination cities like New Orleans I've been steered to places off the beaten path that were not good at all, or tourist destinations where the experience was sub par. I have come to the conclusion that recommendations often are based on where the concierge can get the best reward for the referral, rather than what the best place for my particular needs might be. By hiring Kelley this fear quickly disappeared. Given the extraordinary service provided, her fee was nominal and she put together a 10 page customized brochure for us with a map of the city highlighting the places she was suggesting specifically for us. Every suggestion was based on knowledge she had gained about the individual likes and dislikes of members of our group - no easy task to please diverse needs when dealing with strangers. One example of value she added - she pulled strings to get us inside the clubhouse on the finish line at the Fair Grounds for Thanksgiving Day for "opening day at the track" a New Orleans tradition we 1. would have never considered and 2. couldn't have pulled off on our own, as this books up in advance (she has connections). At her suggestion we all dressed up for the occasion and we fit right in. Great fun! Private dining rooms for 10 at Jacques Imo and Cafe Atchafalaya don't just appear out of thin air - she booked these for us and made it all happen. That little cocktail bar tucked away in a hotel just around the block from us became a regular hangout during down time - we would have NEVER found it if she hadn't clued us in. A couple of weeks before our trip one member of our party was hospitalized and it was touch and go whether or not we would be able to take the trip at all. We still hadn't finalized dinner reservations. I advised Kelley to hold off finalizing anything as I didn't want her to go to the trouble of making bookings she might have to cancel. A week before the trip everything was a go. Fortunately she had already taken the initiative to book us in the most popular places we had discussed to ensure we wouldn't be out of luck. During the trip we texted her for on the spot suggestions and help several times. She was always responsive, friendly and helpful. She even texted us during the trip a couple of times to let us know about just announced musical experiences and festivals in the Quarter. I could go on and on, but let's just say the adults had the experiences they wanted, the kids had plenty to do and had a great time, the mobility issues of one member of our party were taken into account by Kelley: She came up with a pedi-cab bar crawl (just ask her) so he could enjoy bar hopping without walking and advised us where to valet to avoid long walks at each destination. Everyone has raved about every suggestion she made. I finally met Kelley in person at the track, on Thanksgiving Day. It's great to have a knowledgeable, trusted friend who lives in a city your visiting. If you're headed to New Orleans and want to experience it like a local, I'm confident Kelley will create a memorable, personalized experience for you whether your a party of 1 or a major corporation. We felt guilty accepting her services at the fee she charged so we adjusted it to a price we could afford, but still know she put in hours of work beyond what we paid her. I can't recommend her highly enough. Clandestine sounds like it could be a bit naughty. Well, that's New Orleans for you. It also implies a secret - well, I'm letting the cat out of the bag.

Kelly and the Clandestine team literally made our JazzFest spectacular!…read more From the exclusive all access pass she arranged for us, to the hand picked venues, restaurants and local haunts we would never find on our own, each experience was top notch! However her team really went above and beyond when they noticed the rainy weather and began to scour the New Orleans area looking for all but sold out shrimp boots for 10 of us. Shrimp boots you ask? Well she correctly assumed the fair grounds would be a muddy disaster and she was right! While the rest of the tourists were slopping around in the mud like WoodStock in '69 my krewe was blasting through those puddles right to the front of the stage like a monster truck rally champ!!

We recently threw a Garden Party for 60 guests, as I stressed I found myself shopping for help…read more Ms. Katie and Event Planners helped tremendously. She took my mess of phone numbers, quotes and brochures and called in the troops. We had deliciously prepared food, customized cocktails, gorgeously decorated tables, perfect music and it was the perfect party. Thanks Katie and your helpers, I highly recommend this local business!

I first met Katie two years ago, when she helped me with my daughters law school graduation. I was…read morefrom out of town, so I knew I would need some local help. She just took care of everything, throughout the whole evening! I was able to really enjoy the party, and not have to worry about the food, clean-up, keeping everyones glass filled. She just did it, with just about zero direction from me. If you ever need someone to help you from the smallest to the largest even, Katie is your person to call. She is polite, focused and very unobtrusive. She is just the best. When my daughter was getting married on April 3rd, 2015, I called Katie again, just to be my "go to" person the day of the wedding. Once again, she didn't disappoint. She ordered and picked up the food for the hotel, where the wedding party was, and spent the day with us (bride and bridemaids) helping us get ready. Little did I know she also can do hair, and nails! One of the bridesmaids has really curly hair and was struggling with it. So Katie asked if she wanted her to help, and voila! Her hair updo was beautiful. Same thing for the maid of honor, who didn't like the way the salon had done her hair, so Katie played with it, and transformed it into adorable. She also did my daughters nails. She was actually the best decision I made as far as planning for the wedding. She went to the wedding, and made sure our out of town guests were taken care of before she left. My only regret is that she doesn't live in Portland!! She goes above and beyone on every level.

Great Professional…read more Exceptional Some of the few words I could use to describe my experience with this company. Jorge is awesome. His personality and character is addicting and proves that there's still good people out in the world. He's very professional and easy to get in contact with. Responds in great time. Jorge is also well rounded with all types of music and different events for certain environments. As I looked around in my crowd I didn't not see one foot that wasn't tapping to the beat. I recommend him to anyone and everyone especially since he's in the NOLA now giving the area his Miami touch.

From the owner: Our specialties include: Weddings, Corporate Events, and Film (i.e., Red Carpet, Award /Wrap…read moreParties, After parties, Picnics / Bar-B-Q, Social Events, etc.). Whether it's celebrating a special occasion or a casual get-together, our talented DJ's will cover it all!

What a wonderful experience and concept to have in New Orleans! Gather N' Chill (GNC) is a…read more#WomanOwned business and offers an upscale, luxurious, gourmet picnic service at select destinations throughout the city. I was able to handle everything via their Instagram DM so it was really fast and efficient. Laying out all of the details ahead of time was so reassuring. What's great about GNC is they handle all the set-up, secure the location, very detail oriented, and handle all the breakdown and cleanup! All you have to do is bring the alcohol or any preferred choice of beverage. Your reservation includes a two hour reservation with the set-up and you can pay for additional hours and guests if desired. Since this was for Valentine's Day it was just for my partner and I. We were placed at the Tree of Life and I was contacted the day of with all updates. When we parked in front of the tree, my partner and I were in absolute awe of the set-up. GNC had it beautifully set up and had the area reserved with a private picnic in action. There was a mini heat generator, champagne bucket, still and sparkling water bottles, our charcuterie and sweet board, pillows, lounge pillows, blankets, so many cute VDay details, and even a few lagniappes for us to enjoy. GNC is all about the details and the Assorted Boards charcuterie boards were delish! I highly recommend using them for special occasions, dates, or a large family and friend function. I'll definitely be using this upscale service again! BTW it is SUPER AFFORDABLE.

We celebrated our daughter's sweet 16 with Gather'N Chill and it could not have been better! Lauren…read moredid such a great job putting together a super cute and chill picnic for our little family! She had so many fun, special touches to the picnic. The detail she put into our afternoon was awesome! All we had to do was show up and enjoy ourselves. Once our time was up, Lauren arrived and took care of the clean up. Highly recommend Gather'N Chill for your next special event!

As the proposee, Stacey. Kills. It. When it happened, I said "this looks like a scene straight out…read moreof 'The Bachelor.'" And after seeing the pictures, so many friends have echoed that sentiment. I'm not typically a very sappy person, but my fiance's proposal melted my little ice-queen heart. I have heard that my boyfriend had quite a few ideas for the proposal that Stacey vetted and organized. Her attention to detail and consideration couldn't be more keen.

From the owner: Project Proposal is New Orleans' Premier Proposal Planner. We help clients from around the world…read moreplan and design their surprise engagement proposal. Project Proposal will do the location scouting, hire all vendors, negotiate rates, execute contracts, create itineraries, follow up with all vendors to ensure a flawlessly executed event, and more.

Hands down Andrea is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can 100%…read moresay that if she had not been our wedding planner this event would not have gone down. I am from New Orleans but live in Austin, Tx. When we got engaged I put a post on facebook asking if anyone back home knew of a wedding planner they would recommend and a friend directed me to Vim& Verve. BEST DECISION EVER! I cannot rave enough about Andrea. She talked me down off the ledge when I called balling my eyes out saying that we were going to elope due to the extensive amount of drama from our friends and family. Andrea calmed me, told me to sleep on it for a night and talk with the groom the next morning. When I wanted to return my dress she advised me to try it on then send her a picture. When she saw the photo she suggested changing the accessories ( sash and veil) I hadnt even considered it... I found a bridal consingment shop brought the dress, veil and sash - discovered a whole new look to the dress that fit my personality better just by changing those things. I fell in love with the dress all over again. She made amazing recommendations for the caterer Laura Arrowood and photographer Jason Albus - they were budget friendly and out of this world great. Everytime we traveled to New Orleans Andrea made time to meet with us no matter how short of a trip it was. The day before the wedding weather forecast showed rain and probability of a tornado. Andrea was cool, calm and collected while I was very freaked. She calmed my nerves, we called around to rental companies and found that tents would be 700$ or more at last minute our budget didnt allow for that. Andrea jumped on the phone and made a trip to the Naval Base in Belle Chasse to rent tents for 20$ a day the day before the wedding - can you say above and beyond. When our officiant dropped out of the wedding she stepped up and said she could recommend a few people in town or she would do it herself. She helped us write an amazing ceremony and when we opted to write our own vows she proofread them and helped make tweaks so they were perfect. We have a lot of crazy family situations, she listened to all the drama and knew ahead of time what to look out for - family members that have come to blows and hadnt been in the same room for over 20 years came together and had an amazing time. It was MANDATORY that we find a venue who would allow our dogs to walk in our wedding party ( we have 6 and a pig) she gave us options fitting all of the things we asked for. Every text and email, no matter how tiny I sent her I received a response to without a lengthy wait. There is sooooo much more I could go on for days. She handled every member of our group with respect, care and happiness no matter how attitudey some of them could be. EVERY family member, wedding party member and guest loved Andrea. We received so many compliments on how fun, happy, friendly and great she was from all of our guests. She made planning a wedding from out of town a breeze. She helped my come up with meanings for our cake pulls and found us such great deals and vendors. Every person in and at the wedding stopped us to say this was the funnest wedding with the best food, music, drinks and ceremony they had ever been to and how much they LOVED Andrea. I cant say enough how much we love Andrea and how lucky you will be, how amazing your night will go if she takes care of you and your family on your special day. Theres nothing like it. Andrea was the best thing that happened to this couple, and I can safely say we didnt just find a wedding planner. We have gained an amazing friend. She embraced us from day one and didnt make us feel like we were a paycheck or a client, she made us family. Vim & Verve is number one in our book. Thank you Andrea, you ROCK our world and gave us more than we ever dreamed.

I don't have a lot of time right this second so I plan to give more details later, but I have to…read moresay that Vim & Verve worked miracles for us! For our tenth wedding anniversary, we wanted to renew our vows in a unique and big way, on a very limited budget. Andrea found the most interesting things for us to do before the event and as the event. We planned the whole thing from our home in Los Angeles, and never had a detail to worry about. Andrea knows EVERYBODY in New Orleans, and they probably all owe her a favor or two. She always presented us with at least two options (many more to start with) once we narrowed down to the specific type of thing we wanted, and she was there with us for every part of the event, from joining the wedding party for breakfast the day of, to taking the guys shopping for appropriate "second-line" hats, to dancing in the second line WHILE she video-taped the whole thing... If you have any questions, please feel free to message me here, I'm happy to give you details.

My wife and I got married a month ago and we just want to thank Sapphire Events Nola for their…read moreservice!! If there's anything that I love most about businesses, is the personal customer service. There're the average business that only touch the surface of personal customer service. Then there's Sapphire Events. These women are so professional in the way they consulted us in the beginning, all the way to executing the day of! Most couples who gets married usually are skeptical about hiring a wedding planner because they want their wedding done their way. We were no different but after talking to Sapphire Events, we were confident that they were that good, to know how to help manage and execute but leaving plenty of elbow room for creativity! There were also many times that our wedding planner respectfully adviced us against some bad ideas and for that I thank her for it! Then there are also the times that we have stretched her to run with our ideas, like getting us a piano right smack in Audubon park. I was told by the pianist that she came up to him during an outdoor concert and asked him if he could make it happen for a wedding she was planning. Such a small world, the pianist turns out to be a friend of mine and we got our piano in the park (Thanks, Chase!) On the day of the wedding, everything happened like clockwork. I didn't have to manage anything because our wedding planner had it all lined up. There were some major coordination that needed to happened since it was an outdoor wedding in a public park, with a secondline band, that led us to the streetcar... needless to say, we wouldn't have enjoyed all the details as much as we did if it wasn't for Sapphire Events! EVERYBODY that attended the wedding enjoyed themselves and could not stop talking about how well it flowed. And everytime we reply, "it's because we had a wedding planner, so totally worth it!" To Sarah, Valerie (and Kristen), Thank you all so very much for the best day of our existence! You guys rock and we are so honored to have your support!

The only reason I'm posting 4 stars is because Sapphire Events and Valerie won't actually be…read moreplanning my wedding. I started looking for planners a few weeks ago, Sapphire was the first I looked into. Valerie was more than willing to meet with me via Skype, since we're planning this wedding from the West Coast. She was honest, sweet, and very accommodating to all of our ideas and vision. She said outright that our budget had no room for her rates and she wasn't going to waste our time, but that she would be more than happy to refer us to others who would be a better fit for us financially. When I still wasn't sure, I asked her for another, and she very quickly responded with another recommendation. I'm now confident that this event is going to be amazing, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without Valerie.

We can honestly say that, without Brittani Adams-Perret and her outstanding team at Unique…read moreWeddings, our destination wedding in New Orleans would not have been close to as beautiful, fun, organized, special or distinct as it was. In short, this team makes MAGIC, people! Brittani is the ultimate professional, providing guidance and advice from her deep level of experience in the industry and her lifelong familiarity with the local area. She brings calm and compassion to what could otherwise have been difficult to navigate situations (weather scares, last minute guest changes, family dynamics), essential for an out-of-town and sometimes anxious bride. She is supremely organized, timely and responsive, taking advantage of technology and her own flexibility to ensure communication is as convenient as possible. She is also an outstanding creative, designing layout, logistics and decor solutions to fit and exceed whatever initial vision you might have had. Most importantly, we felt cared for, listened to and prioritized as a couple, from our first conversation with Brittani through the end of our wedding night, despite the thousands of details she and her team were handling in the background simultaneously. Our non-traditional wedding in the French Quarter was filled with love, live music, food, parading, dancing and laughter with a decidedly New Orleans spirit and flair and our diverse group of guests from all over the world and all walks of life continue to ask when we'll get married again! So much of that is due to Brittani, the Unique Weddings team and Brittani's design arm, New Orleans Candlelight & Decor, who are all pros at making events like our wedding truly unforgettable.

My husband and I were married in March of this year. We met Michelle and Brittani in 2009. From the…read morestart we we were confidant they could provide us the wedding we wanted. Michelle was able to quickly know our taste and priorities. She had wonderful recommendations to make the day complete. We very much enjoyed our days spent with her in planning our wedding and she, Brittani, and Yasmin were excellent the day of. Our wedding was as gorgeous as we could have hoped for. These ladies took excellent care of us on the day of the wedding. They kept us on schedule all while providing a calming energy. During the reception they were at the same time in the background yet, making sure we all were having a great time and my husband and I always had what we needed. I cannot say enough about Unique Weddings in New Orleans. They really know what they are doing and are an asset to the whole endeavor from planning to the day of.