The best wedding planning decision we made, hands down, was hiring DSE! We worked with Kelsey as our main planner and she was the best! Kelsey guided us through every detail, from finding the perfect venue to running the show on our wedding day. Kelsey has such attention to detail and organization, that nothing will fall through the cracks. She listened to our vision and truly brought it to life and then some with her creative eye. Kelsey has such a calming demeanor, she always put us at ease and found a solution when we had concerns. DSE also has great vendor connections and recommendations in the business, which was a huge help. When it came time for our wedding day, everything went so perfectly and smoothly. Kelsey and her team did an incredible job running everything in the background, always one step ahead and right there when we needed something. I had a blister and with the blink of an eye, Kelsey was there bandaging my toe with her first aid kit in hand. Our guests couldn't stop talking about how seamless everything was and how helpful Kelsey and her team were. Everything was truly perfect, we couldn't be happier. read more

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Working with Downey Street Events was the best decision we made for our wedding. They are extraordinarily professional. They work with excellent vendors. Their designs are sophisticated and fresh. Every detail was perfect. We felt like they were a true partner in our event. We were really glad that we picked a full-service, all-inclusive wedding planner so that we didn't have to worry about cost when we wanted another revision to our design board or an extra meeting with a vendor. We got to focus on only the creative and personal aspects of the wedding-the fun stuff! Design: My husband and I wanted numerous unusual components in our wedding (we had a hackathon at the wedding, for example), but we also wanted a beautiful, sophisticated event. While we could somewhat articulate the "mood" that we were going for, we didn't know the specifics of how to achieve that aesthetic. Kelsey, our planner, took our abstract ideas and translated them into detailed, high quality plans and worked with our vendors to steer the project toward our vision. Reliably Excellent Vendors: All the vendors that Downey Street works with are excellent. For each type of vendor we were to hire, we were provided a short list of their recommendations in our budget range with descriptions and links to their portfolios. They have worked with their recommended vendors extensively so they know their personalities and working style. It really is a world away from looking at reviews on The Knot. Integrating Personal Details: We had a number of small, personal details that we wanted to include in the event. With Kelsey's help, these were incorporated into the wedding in a way that felt intentional as part of the overall event. For example, as software engineers, we wanted our dinner tables to be numbered from 0 (rather than 1). Downey Street had a custom table number 0 made in the same style as the others. As another example, at our wedding reception, we had a group activity and wanted groups to collaborate using giant Post-It notes. Kelsey made this happen in a way that didn't detract from the overall black-tie atmosphere. She even ensured that all of the AV worked for the custom app we developed for use during the reception. There were also multiple components to our wedding that we wanted our family and friends to take the lead on planning. For example, we had a friend design a custom activity for the cocktail hour. Kelsey had no problem coordinating with them, keeping them informed of relevant changes in our plans to make sure that their components fit smoothly into the wedding. Organization: Downey St was extremely professional with exceptional attention to detail. For every meeting, we were sent an agenda beforehand and follow-up notes with action items afterward. Nothing fell through the cracks. Whenever we emailed Kelsey with a question or concern, her response was always timely and detailed. Downey St handled all contracts with vendors and kept a comprehensive, up-to-date budget. Our mock-up was perfect. There were just the right number of options and all of them were beautiful. We were able to make nearly all of the major rental decisions in one session. Kelsey also prepared us for every detail that could come up on the day-of, from ensuring that we had ordered food for the bridal suite to arranging for a larger table for the makeup artist. And on the day-of, Downey St staffed our wedding with an army of experienced planners who kept everything running smoothly. Accommodating and Supportive: There were a couple of areas where we wanted to deviate from Kelsey's professional opinion. For example, we were adamant that we didn't want charger plates, we chose not to drape off an unsightly part of the reception venue, and we wrote our own app to handle RSVPs rather than sending out paper invitations. In each case, she made sure that not only were our choices incorporated seamlessly into the event, but that they felt intentional. We also decided to use four locations within the museum for a relatively small wedding. Downey Street made sure that people got to the right locations at the right times and got to experience all the components of our wedding. At a few points during the planning process, both my husband and I felt overwhelmed. Kelsey made sure that we always felt taken care of, and she was understanding whenever we got stressed. Special Touches: At the end of the night, along with all of our personal items from the wedding Downey St had sent over to our hotel room, they included an adorable basket full of local treats and champagne. We felt like royalty. Honestly, for us, the wedding would have been worth it just to get to plan a a cool event with Kelsey and Downey Street. In the end, our wedding exceeded our expectations. It was the best day ever! read more

We used Lauren for our summer 2014 wedding at SF City Hall. It was all we could have dreamed of and more. We really had no idea what we were doing and were trying to save money, so we were super anxious starting from 8 months before the wedding when we hired Downey. At first, it was kind of tough, because we had a hard time putting into words what we wanted and always felt like there was more we needed to be doing. But we shouldn't have been so worried, because Lauren was on top of things. She was extremely patient with us and it was a pleasure getting to know her. By the time the wedding day finally rolled around, we were blown away. We had little to no last minute details to worry about the week before the wedding and were able to spend time with our families and out-of-town guests. On the day of the wedding, Lauren and her team took care of EVERYTHING. If there were any minor issues, we never heard about it. Our full attention was on celebrating our day and spending time with our guests. Through it all, Lauren never stopped smiling and we are so glad that we hired Downey. There are various levels of cost structures depending on what you are thinking of handling yourself. For example, we took care of all of the wedding party attire and hired a few of the vendors ourselves to save a few bucks. But in the end, we definitely feel like the money spent on Downey was well worth it; I can't imagine what a stressful time it could have been had we decided to go without a wedding planner/coordinator. Thank you so much Lauren and Downey! read more

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Downey Street Events planned the most amazing wedding for us in August 2009. We had only 10 weeks but Lauren & Emily at DSE made everything happen flawlessly. Actually, they moved heaven and earth to make it perfect. Lauren is the most organized person I have ever met. Her budget spreadsheets were so detailed that we knew exactly where our money was going. She kept us within our budget which felt impossible. She created timelines outlining everything from the rehearsal, the wedding day, the photo shoot, the speeches, dances and music to name a few. Her documents were color coded and easy to understand. No detail was overlooked. Six weeks before our wedding, we had a location fiasco and had to move venues. Not only did Lauren get us our non-refundable deposit back but she replanned our whole wedding in 6 weeks flat. Throughout this process, Lauren and DSE anticipated my needs and made me feel at ease with every small detail. I think she had the whole thing memorized! She could tell me anything from sizes of tablecloths to the number of glasses we rented off the top of her head. Lauren responded to my calls and emails late at night and on the weekend because customer service is so important to her. It was so exciting to work with a creative genius like Lauren. She had fun and stylish ideas for so many things that often get overlooked. From our guestbook, to our favors, to the dinner menus, to the bathroom amenities, and the décor, Lauren brought unique and memorable ideas to life at our wedding. On the big day, I couldn't have been more relaxed. I was never bothered with last minute questions about set-ups or vendors. I was a guest at my own wedding. Getting married can be stressful enough and DSE makes it the best day of your life. They even had a bridal emergency kit full of anything I may have needed. Our guests raved about the wedding. We were so happy with how it turned out. I would recommend DSE to everyone I know!!! Their service is priceless. Thank you so much! read more

I had the pleasure of working with DSE's senior planner, Jennifer Shortridge, at a Bently Reserve wedding last weekend, where I was primary photographer. My client introduced me to Jennifer about a month before the wedding, and we stayed in touch until the wedding day. Jennifer was perpetually responsive, detail oriented, and generous with her time. On the wedding day, she was on top of things, and of course, was there for our clients throughout. But the most amazing thing was her assistance to me, my second shooter, and the videographer. She proactively kept us looped into timeline delays and back-end events via text and in-person. Most importantly, she rounded up the large wedding party and family members for two group portrait sessions and did roll call for each (using a shot list that she created in conjunction with our clients, natch). Not only that, but she was so friendly and genuine (as were her two assistants). Those aren't qualities that one can fake. If she wasn't around, I know that the day would've been more stressful for me. Here's to Jennifer, who goes above and beyond - for clients and everyone on Team Wedding. read more

Chelsea was such a pleasure to work with. I chatted with many wedding coordinators before Chelsea, and most of the conversations felt either unnatural or I didn't feel comfortable since they seemed inexperienced. I knew that the top two qualities I was looking for in a wedding coordinator was experience and someone I could see myself being friends with since we were going to be spending so much time together, and I wanted to be comfortable sharing my opinions or concerns with her. Chelsea was professional yet personable from the moment we spoke on the phone, and what sealed the deal for me was her confidence and experience in the industry as well as the fact that she had worked with my venue before. What I loved about working with Downey Street was that although I hired Chelsea to be my 3-month coordinator, she began her involvement the day I signed the contract. In order to not only keep me on track with the planning process, but also so that she could be completely up to speed on everything by the 3-month mark, Chelsea and I began having bi-weekly calls months before. Every call ended with a list of action items for both Chelsea and me, and every subsequent call started with Chelsea updating me and letting me know that her items were completely taken care of (if she hadn't already emailed me beforehand with that update). She was always so proactive and reliable throughout the entire process, and I could tell that I was in amazing hands by call #2. Although DSE wasn't the cheapest wedding coordinator option in the area, I 100% believe that every penny spent on them was worth it. Before the big day, they handled all communications with my vendors, created day of timelines down to the minute, handled last-minute logistics with my venue, helped put out fires that were out of our control, and made my life so much easier in general. On the day of, they were the first to arrive (they were already there when my bridal party and I arrived to begin hair/makeup), and they were the last to leave. They were so experienced with the venue, and there wasn't a moment throughout the day where I felt like I had to jump in and change or take care of something. The team also completely understood how I envisioned the day, and their execution was absolutely flawless, and it could not have been done without Chelsea's amazing leadership. As someone who was super hands on throughout the entire wedding planning process, I was so surprised at how hands off and confident I was in the DSE team - I don't think I thought about a single detail! I just let myself enjoy the day completely (which I know was their goal as well) while they worked so hard behind the scenes to make sure everything panned out the way it should. My husband and I felt so taken care of, and we can't thank them enough for how perfect they made our day. We highly recommend DSE and Chelsea to any couple looking for a wedding planner/coordinator that they can feel 100% confident in trusting their day with, as they exert pure professionalism, attention to detail, shining personalities, and of course perfection. read more

I'd give Lauren from Downey Street Events 10 stars if I could. Being a Type A overachiever and crazy detail oriented, I couldn't stand how most vendors and contracts were loosey-goosey and generally all over the place. In fact, I interviewed many wedding planners and couldn't find one that I felt really good about. Lauren was recommended by my photographers as the best planner they've ever worked with and upon meeting her, I couldn't agree more. Lauren is super detailed oriented, calm, a good listener, very knowledgable and responsive. Even more amazing, she remembers everything you tell her, tells you when to expect responses from her and actually delivers when she says she will! (Honestly, she just had to show me one of her spreadsheets, say "Basecamp", and I was sold.) Unfortunately, my wedding venue didn't pan out and we decided against continuing down the crazy big formal wedding path. I think the saddest part is that I had to part ways with Lauren. I tell all my single friends about her and figured I should tell the Yelp community too. If you're looking for a wedding planner, stop now - you've found her! read more

We worked with Lauren of Downey Street Events for our wedding. Lauren is a goddess of organization and preparation. I was a bit of difficult groom during some parts of the journey and she rolled with it amazingly well, making me appreciate her all the more. She gets the stress that often accompanies weddings and handles it like a champ. Besides being a comfortable person to share such a personal time with, she is very resourceful and helpful and goes out of her way to make things great. When the moment came for us to walk down the aisle, she was there for us, standing right there leading the show. That meant so much to me. In short, I highly recommend Lauren and Downey Street for your wedding. Ours went FLAWLESSLY - thanks in huge part to her. Her services will be the best investment you'll make at your wedding. read more

Lauren and her entire staff were nothing short of incredible when it came to our wedding planning process. The DSE team, comprised of former corporate lawyers, is unlike any other wedding planning company in the San Francisco area. Their level of professionalism, attention to detail and expertise in contract negotiation are unparalleled. If you're a bride who appreciates the details and wants a wedding planner that won't let a single thing fall through the cracks, DSE is the partner for you! read more

My wedding(8.13.11) would not have been the amazing event it was if not for Cassandra and DSE. DSE came recommended from a friend who got married last summer and had a wonderful experience. Cassandra was a true professional from the beginning. When my sister (my matron of honor) was unhappy with a part of the contract that we needed to be sensitive around, Cassandra eagerly and happily changed it so that we felt 100% comfortable with her and the company. I hired Cassandra/DSE for the "Day of" package - which really includes the two months leading up, but Cassandra made sure I know I could contact her at any point in the seven months of our wedding planning. I had a lot of big ideas for the wedding, and, once Cassandra came in at the 2 months mark, she was amazing at helping work out the details - something at which I am NOT good. She took my big ideas and made them work and figured out the details. My husband and I got married at AT&T ballpark, which staffs it's own wonderful event planning crew, and Cassandra worked flawlessly with them. There was a nice balance and she was open to their ideas as well. She had input when needed, and supported me on everything I wanted. She also didn't mind running little errands when I was too busy (or didn't know how to find what we needed). Day of was amazing. Cassandra seemed to never be far from me, but yet wasn't breathing down my neck. She could read my face when I needed something and did everything I asked with a smile on her face! The day of crew she brought with her were also nice and helpful, and very non-intrusive. Cassandra also took care of last minute details - like when my sister called her the DAY BEFORE and asked her to buy blankets in case it was a cold day in the city. I hadn't even known about it, but there were nice blankets being housed in classy and cute baskets. She even seemed to enjoy herself that day! I will recommend Cassandra and DSE to anyone I know getting married. I have heard great things about the other ladies as well and can speak first hand that Cassandra is high class. And, service didn't stop after the day of the wedding. I just saw Cassandra two days ago when she delivered my beautiful framed picture that was signed at the wedding (of which she did all the leg work). I really hope it's not the last time I ever see her! read more

Cassandra was a great. If I am in a position to need an event planned I would most certainly call her. She organized, calm, friendly and open to working on any idea or theme you could consider. We had a previous planner that did not work out. Our wedding was in July of 2011 and we found Downey Street Events at the end of March 2011. Cassandra stepped in and made us feel right at ease. She contacted the vendors we already had, and made sure that nothing was missed. We gave her ideas of what we were looking for, and she made calls, got quotes and gave us nice organized choices that made our lives so simple. She even took my "do it yourself" table card project and assembled them for me! I had the most stress free wedding anyone could hope for, and I really credit Cassandra with being the wizard behind the curtain. read more

I am a fellow vendor who worked with Lauren at an amazing wedding last weekend. I was the officiant, and while my contract was with the couple, I worked with Lauren quite a bit to gather scheduling information, practice with the wedding party at the rehearsal, and then make sure the wedding ceremony was perfectly executed. As an officiant and writer of wedding ceremonies, speeches, etc., I have worked with many wedding planners. In my experience, not all wedding planners are created equal. Lauren is organized, experienced, calm, and collected. She knows what needs to be done, coaches the couple and wedding party through all the important bits before and after the ceremony, and is polite and pleasant at even the most stressful moments. This particular wedding was quite complex with lots of moving pieces, and Lauren still totally shined. Take it for what it's worth (I wasn't a paying customer), but if my clients ask for a recommendation for a wedding planner, I will definitely send them to Lauren and Downey Street Events. read more

We hired Emily to help us with our daughter's wedding. She was truly an amazing person. She was responsive from day one. We would have never made it without her help. The wedding was a total success. Everything went smoothly and on time. Most importantly, everyone had a wonderful time. Her attention to details from start to finish made it possible for all of us to sit back and enjoy the wedding. Emily was there for us every step of the way. She made sure that our daughter had her vows ready and her change of shoes handy when she needed them. Mostly, we appreciate the fact that she was always around whenever we needed her. We have received so many compliments from our friends and relatives. The most common compliment was "this has to be the best wedding we've ever attended." We are happy with Emily's selections of vendors, from the photographer to the videographer - they arrived on time and stayed until the end. From the few pictures that we've seen so far, the greenery at Campovida contributed so much to how the photos came out. Sage, our caterer totally outdid themselves. The food was simple and yet very tasty. They did a fabulous job with the décor and set up from the cocktail to the dining area. Overall, we are very happy with Emily's service and contribution to the wedding. Both sides of the family and I are sure all our friends are still right now sitting at home reliving the wonderful time we all had at the wedding. Thanks Emily. Enjoy the new addition to your family! read more

We adore Cassandra. We were referred to Downey Street Events through our venue. These ladies are the best planners around. Our wedding was perfect, there is not one thing we would change about it- we can credit that to Cassandra. She is so resourceful and literally has an answer for any question a bride may have- or an answer to a question that you may never think of. She is a professional. When we did out site walkthroughs she was ontop of things and thought of issues that may arise (where can we get a power source for this table in the middle of no where?!?) She is adorable and I wish I could pack her in my purse and take her around with me. She makes wedding planning fun and makes any stressful or dry task super fun and easy to get through. She is also super responsive and organized. She knew all the great vendors that would not only pair well with our vision for our wedding but our personalities. These vendors together with Cassandra made our wedding one that even Cinderella would be jealous of. 20 Stars for Downey Street Events. read more

My husband and I were fortunate enough to work with Lauren leading up to our September 2013 wedding. I clicked with Lauren immediately. She is well organized, super knowledgeable, detail oriented, and tuned into her clients' needs! Hiring Lauren was really the best decision we made as she led us through a smooth planning process and perfect wedding day. Lauren connected us with many of our other vendors - including our DJ and hair and makeup - who we were also thrilled with and felt provided good value. Lauren was always conscious of our budget and never suggested expensive add-ons or things she knew we likely could not afford. Most importantly, during our wedding weekend (Lauren was on site for the rehearsal Friday and all day Saturday), Lauren was cool, calm, and collected, which helped us, our families, and guests to be the same. The 140 person wedding went off without a hitch and, even though she was orchestrating the entire thing, Lauren and her assistants were barely visible! Lastly, having Lauren on board really made us feel confident that we weren't forgetting or overlooking any major wedding detail and that we had our bases covered. I asked her endless, even random, questions, and she always had helpful advice and guidance. She added value at every turn! I would highly recommend Lauren for any wedding or event planning needs. read more

My husband and I highly recommend working with Lauren and the Downey Street team to plan your most memorable gathering of friends and family. We enjoyed every moment of our wedding day because Lauren and her team had every element well thought out and the team executed with a calm grace. The months leading up to the event were a ton of fun working together as well and at each meeting, Lauren presented well-researched options. There was no doubt that the vendors Lauren carefully researched or had a ton of prior experience with, would be a fit with both our design ideas and budget. Everyone will realize hiring Downey Street is the best decision amongst many that a bride and groom tackle together! read more

Everyone at Downey Street Events does an incredible job of balancing creative and beautiful design with impeccable coordination. My husband and I are wedding photographers with more than eight years of experience - our job is to create beautiful images, and Lauren and Emily understand that timelines, floor plans, and design are all key to helping us do that. Every wedding we've done with them has been uniquely different so they're very talented at creating events that fit the style and personalities of each of their clients. We absolutely love our DSE weddings because their team is so professional and yet very fun to work. read more

Camden and her team were absolutely wonderful. We were wedding planning on a budget, and hiring Downey Street Events was definitely the best investment we made in our wedding. Even though we didn't get the full wedding planning package (we chose the 2 months out package), Camden, Lauren and rest of the team at DSE were always willing to listen to our questions, give us advice and help us think through different ideas from the day we signed with them. Camden was on top of everything, and made us feel completely calm, from the initial meetings until literally the last moment on the night, making sure we got safely into the shuttle and that all our cards, gifts and leftovers were packed up and delivered to the hotel. Another great perk of working with DSE is that they had a lot of little things we didn't even think of: frames for our menus, parasols for a sunny ceremony, a beautiful box for programs, and containers for odds and ends (and 'smores!). More than all that, Camden and the team are genuinely lovely people. who seemed just as invested in the wedding as we were. We were sad to say goodbye once the wedding was over! TL;DR: Hire them! Especially if you are planning on a budget, they will make sure that when the wedding day comes you can really ENJOY it and not have to worry about anything else. read more

Wow. Where to begin without attaching my 25 page PowerPoint that Downey Street Events made come true. You think I'm joking...but sadly it is true! I worked primarily with Emily and was always impressed with our communication. Her response time was exactly what I would have hoped for and expected from any person in the professional world. Lauren attended our tasting and helped us choose linens etc. and was also very well informed, easy to be around and fun. Having our tasks, timelines, conversation threads and backed up files all in the customized basecamp they set up for us allowed me to get all those little ideas and questions out of my ever buzzing mind and onto the page. Emily was a huge help with any vendors I was having a hard time narrowing down or assessing the value of. She had great suggestions when I had exhausted my vendor research resources. (You can only read so many blogs!) I had a very specific aesthetic in mind with my design and restaurant industry background. I wanted the food to taste amazing (thanks LRE), I wanted the flowers to glow (thanks Natalie Bowen) I wanted the photos to be natural and magical (thanks Annie McElwain), I didn't want helmet hair or Barbie make up (thanks Jill @ Sublime + Cindy Chan) and overall, we didn't want any bit of our wedding (the 16th wedding in a two year stretch) to feel like we were trying to keep up with the Jones. A month after the wedding, we look back on the weekend and realize that every single thing went as well as we could have hoped. It was seamless, fun doesn't even begin to describe the party, delicious, gorgeous down to every detail...and every event happened exactly on time or ahead of schedule. The best money we spent on the entire event was with Downey Street. They helped us make this huge commitment of time, travel, money and love everything we'd hoped it could be. Honestly, I wouldn't do a single thing differently. Not to fall right into the bridezilla category by saying things that are all about me and my *big day*...clearly people have been getting married since the beginning of time, but I do believe I am truly special. Ha. Ask my friends! I always go over the top with making things from scratch. I was inspired to have our wedding feel as authentic, fun and DIY as it could possibly be. I had a lot of specialty items I'd made; fabric wrapped flower vessels, large lanterns, movie posters, mini theme parties varying by table, intricate nametags that hung on each wine glass, wreaths, succulents for the tequila tasting area, banners, gumballs, bocce balls, you name it, I had a wish list and a very specific vision for how it would all come together. Every single item was placed perfectly and every vendor came through. Emily's tireless answers to my questions and ideas for alternate ways to do things when we hit road blocks, were like solid gold. Solid gold nuggets, people. If you're questioning whether or not their yelp reviews give you enough depth, please trust that I owe them nothing but thanks and my husband (that word is still alien to me) and I could not have made it through the day/months of planning so smoothly and so inspired without them! Thank you for saving my sanity, Emily, and for treating our wedding like it was your best friend's, even though we've still not known each other a year. read more

Wonderful attention to detail, highly creative and maintain great relationships with the top locations and vendors in the market. Lauren and her team are a pleasure to work with and you are assured an excellent event when they are helping you execute your vision. 5 stars indeed! read more

What would I have done without Cassandra!? She was my rock during our year long wedding planning. She is so good at her job - super knowledgeable and organized, friendly, warm, always smiling, super patient (with me and my mother!), and just a complete delight to work with. She was recommended to me by more than one friend and I knew she was going to be amazing after the very first time I spoke to her on the phone. I also had the pleasure of working with Emily for a short time, who was also a great partner and super helpful. These ladies are the best in the bizz. Cassandra was super flexible and such a stress-reliever especially the weeks leading up to, and the day of the wedding. Day-of she was amazing...I felt so comfortable and stress free because I knew she was there. Our wedding was executed flawlessly. After spending a year with Cassandra we have become very good friends. She is THE BEST. In partnership with our amazing photographer, we were featured in Style Me Pretty! Cassandra's attention to detail and creative thinking of course played a huge role :) http://www.stylemepretty.com/california-weddings/napa/2015/02/27/whimsical-fall-wedding/ I highly recommend Cassandra and Downey Street Events! read more

Lauren from Downey Street Events was amazing. We worked with her for our wedding in September and hiring Lauren was the best decision we made during the wedding planning process. As mentioned below, Lauren is super organized, but she is also has a gift for navigating family politics, budgets, and traditions. She was generous with her time and her knowledge of the industry and every single one of her vendor recommendations turned out better than we could have imagined. For the months leading up to the wedding, Lauren worked tirelessly to make sure that our planning was on track and that our wedding was taking shape exactly the way that we wanted. She also made sure that we took care of the details that made our guests' experience that much better. Finally, having Lauren there, quietly in the background, on the night of the wedding was invaluable. Her staff members were great and made sure things ran smoothly, but she ended up being a source of comfort with hints of advice at all the right times, like right before we walked down the aisle, entered the reception, cut the cake. And she has such tact in her job that most of our guests did not even realize that we had a wedding planner. In the end, we cannot compliment her enough as our wedding turned out perfectly. read more

I just got married 10 days ago and couldn't have pulled anything off without the help of Lauren and the DSE crew. Living in NY and having my wedding in CA at first made me nervous but Lauren made it a seamless planning process and really provided the guidance and support I needed. The whole DSE team is professional, organized, cost conscious and just a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend DSE as a planning partner for any special event. read more

In addition to finding Lauren and Downey Street Events through our initial online research, we were also referred to her by other wedding planners who were already booked for our big day when we inquired nine months prior to our wedding date. Within five minutes of meeting Lauren, my then-fiancé (now wife) knew that she was the perfect wedding planner for us. I met with Lauren separately, before we selected her as our planner, and instantly knew then what Lauren has the usual traits essential for any planner (organized, detail-oriented, and experienced - specifically at City Hall (our venue)) but it's so many of her other qualities that made our experience with Lauren (and Downey Street Events) so incredible. Our March 2013 City Hall wedding (full ceremony and reception at City Hall) would have been nice/lovely without Lauren's assistance, but she made the event perfect, breathtaking, and flawless in every way. Our wedding took no effort on my wife's or my part in the final days leading up to and including our wedding as every decision had been made previously and all that was needed was for Lauren and our selected vendors to perform. She (and they) did so flawlessly. Without our having much of a vision (only a general idea of what we wanted the event to feel like), Lauren created the perfect atmosphere. We used her full service package (somewhat modified to fit our needs as we had already secured our venue and photographer and had a friend doing all of our invitations and other paper products - 5 by 7 designs in Dallas (AMAZING)) and she helped us to coordinate every decision and vendor. Having Lauren as a resource to initially cull and help to select vendors, negotiate contracts, invoices and packages, provide additional ideas and options, act as a go between with our vendors (including our wedding hotel) and be an ear to listen to our concerns, was invaluable. Lauren also provided us with ideas/options to help reduce our budget and worked diligently with our vendors to meet not only our needs and vision, but also our budget. We were kept informed to the extent we wanted and allowed Lauren the freedom to make decisions and/or act on our behalf as needed (my wife and I both have demanding jobs that don't allow us a lot of spare time). If we emailed her questions (and we did, frequently), we always received a prompt insightful and helpful response in return. In the end, our wedding was exactly what we had dreamed it would be. Every aspect of it was perfect. Much of that is owed to Lauren and her incredible team. One of the best decisions my wife and I made during this process was selecting Lauren as our planner; we only wish we had saved ourselves some time (and frustration/stress) and done so earlier. My wife and I have continued to believe after our big day that we were absolutely, 100% correct in choosing. We would highly recommend Lauren and Downey Street Events with no reservations. read more

To all the other DSE brides that want to gave Lauren and Emily a bajillion stars! HOLLA~ If I could I really would give DSE one Bajillion stars on Yelp! My wedding was on 08/13/2011 and Lauren was my planner. I live in NYC but needed to have the wedding in the bay area. I cannot imagine what the experience would have been like if it were not for Lauren. I think I need to just make a list of how great Lauren is and how she is the MASTER at what she does: 1. Lauren is extremely organized and knowledgeable about every wedding related thing you can think of. You ask her 1 question, she gives you at least 5 websites/answers/fvendors off the top of her head. 2. Lauren is insightful. I met with her for a few hours and it took me about 10 minutes to pick out everything for the wedding from plates to linens etc. It was only possible because everything she put in front of me fits perfectly into my vision of a perfect wedding. Which also means she is the best listener EVER. 3. Lauren is generous and kind. I am sure my wedding was not the only event that she was working on in the past year but I sure felt like I was her only client. She was generous with her time and resources and is understanding to any sort of request that we might put forth in order to accommodate us, our families, and our friends. 4. Lauren is focused. After giving you all the options to help you create your dream wedding, Lauren is honest in her opinions when she helps you narrow down your choices so that you are not overwhelmed by your own indecision. She also helped me stay within my budget and I did not feel like I had to compromise or that anything was lacking from my wedding. 5. Lauren is a ninja. The day of the wedding, Lauren was everywhere you looked. It was surreal; yet, she was not at all intrusive. Everything happened so naturally as if it was that easy but I know Lauren's ninja skill was guiding everything along so that we could enjoy the wedding. I had people come up to me afterwards telling me YOUR WEDDING PLANNER WAS CHECKING EACH VASE ON EACH COCKTAIL TABLE! I don't know how she had the time since I thought she was also getting us drinks after the ceremony and working with the DJ and the caterers and trying to fend off my crazy aunt who wanted the photographer to follow her instead...etc etc. I can go on and on and on about Lauren...but I think a good testament of my experience with her is that me and the husband really had a great time at our own wedding. I truly believe that I had the perfect wedding and Lauren was fully responsible for making it happen. read more

We worked with Jennifer at Downey Street Events. She was wonderful to work with, has all the knowledge you need for vendors and is really on top of everything. It's important to have a planner that has a positive attitude when planning a wedding can be tough, and she was a superstar on the day of the wedding! You're in good hands here! read more

We loved working with DSEs - Emily helped make our last few weeks leading up to the wedding less stressful, and especially the day of the wedding. They helped us deal with last minute guest changes, wedding arches that wouldn't stay in place, telling everyone where to be and when, setting things up, keeping things moving - I didn't have to think about anything the day of the wedding. Emily did an excellent job keeping everything on schedule and making adjustments on-the-fly as things came-up. Love DSE - they'll help you enjoy every moment of your wedding day - let them take care of the details! read more

Lauren is a dream-come-true. Patient, kind, diplomatic, and sophisticated beyond measure. She gets an A+ from my husband and me. She's the type of person that you always want to pick for your team. Let me start out by saying that we had a wedding in a really remote location - which made planning well ... difficult. But we couldn't pass up the venue - it was absolutely stunning. To her immense credit, Lauren handled any challenge the venue posed with grace and cunning. And, she completely "got' the reasons we chose this place and understood our aesthetic immediately. She was clever, extremely available and always helpful. Second, let me say that I am seriously an A type. To some, I am sure that this could come across as annoying.. but I never felt that Lauren was bothered by it. She understood why I was committed to making the details matter the day of. We worked very harmoniously together. As for day of execution, she was a ninja. Everything went off without so much as a hiccup. Without hesitation, it was the best day of my life and she played a very large role in making that happen for me. 8.5 billion stars. read more

My husband and I worked with Cassandra - she was great! We were referred to her through a friend, but then our wedding venue also referred Downey Street Events. Cassandra was very professional, organized, detail oriented, and responsive. She answered all our questions (and we had many!), paid great attention to the details of our wedding (which we had a lot of!), and gave good advice and vendor recommendations. Just when I thought I was on top of things, she'd send me a detailed spreadsheet or timeline - so helpful. The whole day went smoothly because of Cassandra and her staff. We'd definitely work with her again! read more

This review is long, long overdue. My husband and I got married in May 2013 and honestly, I don't know how we could have done it without Cassandra and the DSE crew. From the very start, she was right on top of things and incredibly organized. She took care of all the stressful, annoying things, so I could focus on the bigger picture and fun details. On the day of the wedding, I was pretty much floating. I didn't even know (or think) about what was going on behind the scenes - I was just living a complete fairy tale! Cassandra and her assistant managed to pull off a perfect - and I mean utterly flawless - day and evening. There wasn't one thing that I would have changed - except maybe to have the night last forever! Thank you, thank you again, Cassandra. You are incredibly smart, fun, talented, and professional. I truly appreciate everything you did for us to help make our wedding so very special! read more

I have had the pleasure of working with Jennifer during a lovely wedding at the Flood Mansion in August. She was so incredibly on top of every detail and so amazing to work with. Hands down, she is SO on top of her game and will exceed any expectations you may have!! Her colleagues Emily and Lauren are also standout rock stars with such a sophisticated, yet approachable sense of style and event design. The Downey Street team is amazing!! read more

I can say without a doubt that getting a wedding planner/coordinator turned out to be the best decision we made while planning our wedding. I have a lengthy/detailed review below, but for those needing a quick recommendation -- do yourself a favor and give Downey Street a call and ask for Jennifer Shortridge. She is an expert in the industry, super responsive, all over the details, and passionate about creating your dream wedding. She and the Downey Street family are absolutely amazing and I have no doubt Jennifer will help make your wedding day absolutely perfect. I'll start by saying initially we didn't have "wedding coordinator" high on our budget/priority. As an operations engineer by day, I felt pretty comfortable with my ability to handle vendors and get things organized to be executed the day of the wedding. We thought of having a friend handle it, however our SF venue mentioned the day of logistics could get pretty complex and required us to find a dedicated coordinator. We interviewed a handful of coordinators and it quickly became apparent this job was not as simple as I thought. While all coordinators had a similar list of tasks, none of them showed the same level of passion as my wife and I did about our 'special details'. We didn't have a baseline to compare against so we figured this was the industry norm -- until we met Jennifer. Jennifer's energy & passion for weddings was apparent from the first phone call we had with her (for someone who's job is full of pressure to hold to a standard of absolute perfection for her clients, I have no idea how she maintains her energy). She was invested in getting to know us as a couple and our wedding vision, and was quickly pointing out things that she knew would be important to us and walked us through how she would approach making sure they were executed perfectly. I really appreciated Jennifer's interest in the details, and with her expertise and experience she started to bring a different perspective on how to flush-out our design choices to be perfect for us. Shortly after our call my wife and I made the easy choice to move forward with Jennifer. Downey Street Events (DSE) is on the higher end of pricing for planners/coordinators, but the level of trust we knew we would have with her to help build and execute our wedding day was absolutely worth it. A few calls with other wedding coordinators and one 60 minute call with Jennifer was enough to completely change our mind about where wedding coordinator should be prioritized in our budget. An added bonus with Jennifer & DSE is that all of the packages start at multiple months out to ensure they can really do the best job (others were less than 1 month). Having her the last few months was a life saver -- I supremely underestimated the workload. We had a number of "DIY" items so it was great to be able to focus on those and allow Jennifer to handle the vendor relationships, scheduling, and managing our overall to-do list. As always she was super responsive and ensured we always felt on track. Even during our hiccups with vendors she gave us confidence things would end up just fine, then a bit later came back to us with the problem solved. Her ability to negotiate for you can't be underestimated in those situations either! For those of you invested enough to get this far in the review, you will appreciate our favorite part of Jennifer/DSE's planning process -- the timeline. This is not your standard 1-2 page list of events, this is a 15+ page walkthrough of your wedding vision. This was heaven for my wife and I not only because it showed the attention to detail for every aspect of our wedding weekend, but it also allowed us to comb through every minute of the day and ensure everything that we dreamed about was captured. This timeline coupled with the idea that Jennifer was in charge of it made our wedding weekend absolutely stress-free. As you can probably guess our wedding day went flawlessly. Jennifer and her assistants were everywhere when you needed them yet invisible when you didn't. Everything from the venue setup to the precise taste of our custom cocktails was even better than we imagined. Per usual I underestimated all of the things they would have to do on the day of the wedding (we later got multiple stories from guests & family of how Jennifer and her DSE assistants went above and beyond anything that was in our contract/timeline to ensure every need of every guest was being taken care of). Having someone who was just as invested in our wedding as we were truly allowed us to just wake up and enjoy everything about our wedding day. It felt like our best friend was running the show. She is truly a superstar. For those of you now embarking on the journey towards your special day, you definitely deserve someone like Jennifer to ensure your wedding day turns out even better than you dreamt it. I can honestly say she did that for us -- it was perfect. Thank you Jennifer and DSE! read more

Emily and her team planned our wedding and sangeet in Sonoma, CA. I am so lucky to have had her by my side throughout the entire planning process. Right from the start, Emily's style was very personable, professional and calming. She was always prepared. From planning the smallest of details to securing the most important vendors, everything was planned to perfection and only with the best -- all while staying within budget! Not only was Emily amazing with everything leading up to the wedding, but she and her staff were organized and professional on the day of. Indian weddings can be quite complicated, but Emily made sure that things ran on time and flawlessly. She also managed the needs and request of many people on the day of with grace. Camden was also simply wonderful -- she planned our sangeet/mehndi party, and everything was perfect. She was so kind and well-prepared, and every detail was executed perfectly -- I was simply stunned. For someone who had not planned a sangeet party before, she was a pro. If you want a wedding to remember, I highly recommend Emily and the DSE staff -- you will not be disappointed and they will make sure it's a day to remember. read more

The girls at Downey Street are amazing! We debated whether to hire a coordinator or not and are SO GLAD that we did, it was some of the best money spent on our wedding. We originally contacted Lauren to help coordinate our wedding and had a nice conversation with her - we loved her and think her personality is absolutely perfect for a wedding coordinator. By the time we decided to hire Downey Street, Lauren was unavailable, so we chatted with Cassandra and found out that she is just as amazing! We hired Cassandra for the "day-of" which really means month-of (and even some advice/help 2, 3 and 4 months out) and could not be more pleased with her!!! It was a great feeling heading into our wedding weekend not being worried about the details at all since we were completely confident that Cassandra had it all under control. She and her staff were absolutely perfect on our wedding day, everybody appreciated how nice and helpful they were! read more

Cassandra O'Gara and Downey Street Events are spectacular! Having been in over a dozen weddings personally and seen the best and worst in event planners, I was blown away by Cassandra. She handles everything with ease, is on top of all the details, and can balance many different personalities with a pleasant smile. In the three days of events I never saw her become ruffled. She had the uncanny ability to be taking care of everything behind the scenes, but the moment you needed her she seemed to appear. I think she is truly indispensable. read more

I would give Emily and the DSE team 10 stars if I could. Simply put, my wedding would not have happened without Emily. From start to finish, she went above and beyond every step of the way. Planning the wedding from out of town, my time in SF was limited and Emily streamlined everything perfectly. There are endless examples of her exceptional attitude and service, but here are a few highlights: she brought down all of the rental samples she had selected for us to my parents house in Palo Alto over a holiday weekend when the showroom was closed; she had weekly calls with my mother in the months leading up to the wedding after my mom decided she was "sick of emails"; and she found and personally delivered my bridesmaid's lost purse to the wedding after party. No request went unanswered, no detail overlooked. Every guest at the wedding commented on the beautiful details and how smoothly everything ran. The design and execution were flawless. Emily also did an amazing job of balancing my aesthetic with my mother's requests. She navigated tricky family situations seamlessly and made everything less stressful. The best advice I can give anyone planning a wedding in the Bay Area is to work with DSE. My girlfriends are still talking about how they wish Emily could run their lives for them. I don't miss much about the wedding planning process, but I do miss talking to Emily read more

If I had more stars to give, I would. Lauren from DSE is everything you'd want in a wedding partner: professional, calm under pressure, responsive, organized, creative, kind, and connected to the most talented Bay Area vendors. Our April 2015 San Francisco wedding had some definite curveballs thrown her way, and she handled them all with poise and (more importantly) knew just when to add a bit of humor to keep our sanity intact. My husband and I came to rely on her unparalleled expertise, and we trusted her taste and follow-through completely. DSE is much more than an execution shop, they're really creative partners in putting together what can be the most amazing and most challenging event for many couples. Lauren and DSE were instrumental in making our San Francisco wedding better than we could have ever expected. We had a number of guests give us unsolicited feedback on Lauren's high-touch service and thoughtfulness throughout the wedding weekend. To us, that's a true sign of an exceptional planner/partner. read more

Above and beyond. Lifesaver. Godsend. Answer to my prayers. Peace of mind! Those are just a few words that come to mind when I think of Lauren Geissler and Emily De Ayora from Downey Street Events. Of all the decisions I had to make during the wedding planning process, hiring them was the BEST decision of them all. I was one of those brides that thought a wedding planner was an unnecessary expense and I couldn't be more wrong! Listen ladies, having 2 former corporate attorneys as your point of contact during the wedding planning process is not only going to save you money but make you feel like a better person. They have no problem with negotiating. Just to give you an idea of my personality - I am a girl who knew exactly what kind of wedding she wanted but had a hard time making it happen. The reason for that is because I have a full time job, stress over details, am very impatient when people don't call back, and easily frustrated when things don't go my way. For me the wedding planning process wasn't the best experience but without Lauren and DSE, it would've been 10x worse. The best part of wedding planning process was Lauren. She has a very calm and soothing way about her and I appreciated that so much. I loved her professional and direct approach with the vendors and her ability to understand what I was talking about even when I provided a terrible explanation. Her dedication and ability to remember all the little details are amazing. A few weeks before the wedding, my husband and I discovered that we had been tracking the guest list incorrectly (we had about 13 more people than planned) and needed to know about the table mapping so we can finalize the table seating assignment. I called Lauren frantically on although it was Christmas Eve and she was out of town spending the holidays with her family, she answered the phone and effortlessly gave us an accurate explanation on the table mapping and provided solutions to our problem. My husband and I got married on January 16, 2010 at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and it was perfect! We had over 160 guests, crystal candelabras, Chinese and Jewish traditions, a rock and roll touch, dancing lions and a "Phantom of the Opera without the masks" feel. I wanted rich, romantic, goth and elegant. Well I got it! Lauren and Emily put together a beautiful bouquet of blood red roses for myself and 7 of my bridesmaids, 9 bouts for the guys and even delivered it to my suite the day of despite their busy set up schedule at the venue. Just seeing Lauren and Emily walk in during the chaotic scene with hair and make up for 9 girls put me at ease. Im telling you, they are better than a xantax. I could go on about the amazing organizational skills that Lauren, accurately described by Heather S. in Yelp, and tell you how helpful her timeline was but I know that you have probably read it in the other reviews and I don't want people to read the same things. Instead I want to give my favorite moments from DSE. Downey Street Event Highlights: Lauren getting on the phone with the company I bought candelabras from and negotiated a partial refund even though they had a no refund policy AND we didn't have to return any candelabras to the company The crooks sold me 10 candelabras that were broken and had missing pieces. They were a nightmare to deal with and Lauren took over and said " from now on you will never have to speak to them again. I will deal with them from this point on" I can't emphasize how much I appreciated that. Lauren and Emily figuring out a way to transport the darn crystal candelabras to the venue and managed to get them there safe and sound. Lauren worked closely with the DJ and made sure that the music during the procession was perfect. I wanted to walk down the aisle to a specific point in the song. She was right there queueing me to walk down the aisle at the right second. Lauren and Emily worked around my schedule and met with me in the evening until late night going over budget, timeline, creating a priority list, etc. Emily created a BEAUTIFUL program for the ceremony and managed to include the emblem that matched my invitations perfectly. I witnessed true talent that day when I saw the program. Due to Emily's amazing internet research skills, she was able to find me amazing deals on pictures frames for the table numbers and candy for the candy buffet I never had. She put in so much work trying to get me a candy buffet and I decided later not to have it. I received no grief from her about it. I was getting complaints from the bridesmaids about the time slots for hair and makeup. Some wanted to be later or earlier and I was getting stressed because I wanted everyone to be happy. When I told Lauren this she said "tell them to call me". I definitely will be referring them to every bride I come across read more

Best. Wedding. Planners. Ever. We could not have possibly asked for anything more when we signed on with Downey Street Events! What we first thought would be a helping hand throughout the wedding planning process turned into an absolutely intricate part of our whole weekend. For starters, when we first met with Lauren we had only a shell of a concept planned for the weekend with lots of gaps to fill. No fear, she had tons and tons of ideas each better than the last and quickly gave us guidance on just how we could complete our weekend. Beyond that, after she spoke with us, she clearly had a perfect understanding of our specific personal goals for the weekend (something that showed off San Francisco to our guests, something that stayed true to our 'green' goals, and something that was not over the top but would provide just enough fun and memories for everyone involved). With all of those goals in mind, the timeline began and DSE was able to put together a sequence of events that was way beyond our own wildest imagination.....all while keeping to a rather small budget! Once we knew for sure we were in good hands and we continued the buildup to the big weekend, it was clear that Lauren's knowledge of the whole industry and her organization were unmatched and were huge assets to us and our wedding weekend. She did not miss a single detail...both those that we had suggested along with myriad new ideas that she brought to the table. Finally, the weekend was here and the beauty of working with DSE was evident....we had absolutely no doubts that every t was crossed and every i was dotted....the details were meticulous and the planning was impeccable. All in one day we were able to squeeze in an hour at City Hall for the ceremony, photos in the park outside, a 2 hour trolly tour of the most epic San Francisco sites, and then one of the most amazing meals you could imagine at Spruce....throughout the course of the day neither of us had to think about anything other than having fun with our friends and family....the rest was magically being done by Lauren and Emily without anyone ever skipping a beat...what a relief it was to have them there with us! We did continue the party the following night and, lo and behold, there was DSE driving all over the city that morning and afternoon piecing together our local San Francisco desserts, driving here and there, getting our space outfitted with food and fun...all while we could sit back and relax and spend more time with our friends and family. Yet again, the attention to detail was unbelievable and the finished product even better! It's hard to truly understand the value of hiring any wedding planner until you go through the process but not only did this turn out to be one of the easiest and best decisions we ever made...it was also incredibly affordable! Aside from the very reasonable price they charged us directly, their ability to negotiate prices from our various vendors along the way (i.e. the trolly ride, flowers, linens etc etc) ended up saving us tons of money from the prices we had been quoted directly. By the end of the weekend, the amount of work that Lauren and Emily had put in had far exceeded any of our expectations and in the grand scheme of a wedding budget, the investment in DSE was far and away the best money we spent. Bottom line...if you want a combination of brilliant ideas for your wedding day/weekend, coupled with meticulous knowledge of the wedding industry, coupled with unbelievably precise planning that doesn't leave any stone unturned, coupled with two incredibly sweet and cool and fun girls to help you through it, coupled with a very reasonable and affordable price point, coupled with service that is way beyond expectation or compare.....then hire DSE. They rocked our wedding weekend and we are forever grateful for everything they did for us. Thanks Lauren and Emily and, everyone else, don't miss the chance to lock them up for your wedding....you will not be disappointed!! read more

Awesome Lauren from Downey Street Events was the day-of planner for my big sis Pam's big wedding day, which I am just starting to recover from. And that's a recovery from overwhelming awesomeness, if you ask! The event was well organized, smoothly run, and whenever there appeared to be a snag in the day, Lauren ironed it out. The young lady thinks of everything and is always a step ahead! She has fine organization skills, is polite, but assertive, and efficient. For example, she had suggestions that streamlined the wedding church ceremony at rehearsal to make it easier for the groomsmen and bridesmaids. On the day of the wedding, the straps on my dress were falling down. For fear of having a wardrobe malfunction whilst walking down the aisle, I went to her for help. And she brought some Hollywood Tape over from her trusty kit! Problem solved! Also, we had to keep my sister, the bride, hydrated. But we only had bottles of water and she didn't want to mess up her makeup. But Lauren had straws!!! This sharp attention to detail and remarkable attentiveness are what make Lauren exceptionally talented. Not to mention her calm aura and genuine reassurances helped our energy throughout the day. What a pleasure it was to work with Lauren. I highly recommend her services for any event you need planned, big or small. She's worth it! read more