Do NOT book your private event with Oak City Events! We hosted our welcome party at The Avenue and…read moreit was a disaster from start to finish. Alexis made big promises, but completely failed to deliver. Communication was poor throughout the planning process, and I had to chase her for basic details about our bar package--details she clearly didn't even know. The day of the event, no one was there at our scheduled drop-off time, forcing us to leave décor outside unattended. When we arrived to set up, nothing was where we had agreed during our walkthrough. The champagne wall wasn't up, welcome table was missing, and the bar menus Alexis designed weren't out. Then she lied and claimed those signature drinks suddenly weren't included in our package (despite previously confirming they were in writing) and the bar didn't even have the right ingredients for them. Our event started and guests arrived before setup was complete. The staff put champagne in wine and whiskey glasses (when our contract clearly states we'd get champage glasses), our slideshow wasn't playing, and the "complimentary desserts" we were promised never appeared. AND the WORST part- A sober and pregnant guest was served alcohol when she ordered a Shirley Temple! HOW does that even happen?!? That is beyond negligent and dangerous, there is NO excuse!! Alexis blamed me (the bride) for the confusion and chaos, when I was the only one keeping the day on track and her team clearly dropped the ball. She was nowhere to be found when guests arrived, despite promising she'd be there to greet them and hand out drink our tokens. Bottom line: they're disorganized, dishonest, and unprofessional. Save yourself the stress--do not book your event with them!

My Oak City Events hosted our work party at whiskey Rose in Raleigh. She made the whole experience…read morea breeze especially being from out of town. She even helped us with hotel accommodations. If you are in need of a venue and some help planning and putting together an event, I highly recommend reaching out to Alexis at My Oak City events.

The venue was amazing. We had the most magical time. It was everything I had dreamed of. Brooke,…read moreliterally, took care of everything. It was the perfect day.

GREAT food, FABULOUS venue, but Unacceptable communication…read more My husband and I chose the venue for the ease that they marketed- we wouldn't have to deal with the worry of planning, knowing things would be done right, with less worry and involvement. Unfortunately, that was not how things panned out. Firstly : Communication with us on the front end was a trial - I could not get them to respond, even though I used several mediums - Phone call, emails, even text messages. There was no onboarding process to let me know what was happening nor any expectations. There was no general time line for us to follow, this coupled with radio silence at every turn made our experience with Mad Dash horrendous. Secondly, execution on the few things we were told was lacking - we were notified that we would get the day of timeline a month out, and it was given less than a week out. Thirdly: With the florals, there were some flowers that were "rented" to us that looked like they were over a week old with smelly, yellow/green water, and dried up greenery/shriveled flowers. What was great? The DJ, the food, everything was great. The décor (minus some flowers) was lovely and nicely done - adored the venue itself, the color choices, and adherence to the basic general plan we outlined was well done. It rained, and they were able to implement the change to the plans quickly and with little hiccups. The last grievance, and probably the most impactful, was the coordinator, who I got several questions about her scowling at our guests during dancing. Highly recommend Mim's House as a venue, DON'T use Mad Dash unless they change who does the coordination (currently done by Priscilla). Priscilla was a bit of a bully throughout the day, the linens were not the ones we had wanted, but were "her favorites". We also requested yellow flowers in the bridal bouquet, but not a drop of yellow could be found. She was overall a negative presence from the moment we walked through the doors. I had RAVE reviews of the ceremony, however, continuing in the theme with the communication issues I followed up with the officiant twice and there was no reply after his first email and I was not able to review the ceremony until the day of, and even with that, he miss-introduced us. Which, as a newly married couple, was not the best foot forward we imagined.

If you want your wedding done right then hire Sally. She gets the job done and does all the dirty…read morework for you. She keeps things on schedule. She will also tell people NO if there is a problem. She makes sure things are done the way the bride wants them and makes sure she is taken care of. Highly recommend her for wedding or an event. Great job

Sally is wonderful! Made our wedding planning process organized and followed up with us when we…read morefell behind things on our to do list. The best part about hiring Sally was not having to worry or communicate with any vendors on the day of the wedding. She did such a great job organizing everything and keeping people on the timeline that our ceremony was actually ready to go a few minutes early. We as a couple felt so supported and couldn't have asked for a better wedding planner.

Addie and Michael are worth their weight in gold…read more We were new to Raleigh while planning our wedding and Addie was full of the information we were looking for. Addie knows every single person, vendor, and reputation in the NC wedding world. She will tell you why they will and why they won't work for you- and give you honest direction. She is reputable and people know her name for the right reasons. We considered it insurance in our investment when we realized that every vendor we contacted after her had nothing but good things to say. Networking really matters and there were more than a handful of times where working with Addie significantly benefitted us when it came to business doings with other vendors. Addie is assertive, personable, likable, directive, organized, and timely. She excels as a wedding planner. Her problem-solving skills are untouched. She shrinks everything to size and comes up with solutions and backup plans on the spot. I can't imagine what it would take to frazzle her- she is so confident and well versed in what she does. And worth adding: Addie and Michael are truly fun to be around. If you can't tell where this is going- it's a 10/10, would use again in a heartbeat, best vendor we booked kind of review. Dogwood delivers exactly as contracted and promised. Addie and Michael are well worth your investment. You will be extremely satisfied.

This company planned our high school reunion and after party and we were more than impressed…read more Thanks for exceeding expectations.

My partner and I have worked in the wedding industry for years and Bethany Degro is by FAR the best…read moreplanner that we've ever worked with. Her partner and team were also INCREDIBLE. If you want the BEST wedding possible, hire her as your planner. You won't be disappointed.

Bethany and Heidi and Tara did an incredible job! I couldn't have had such an amazing night without…read morethem. As a detail oriented person, I often enjoy the planning aspect of things. However, I was incredibly glad to have Bethany along the way to make our special day run smoothly! She helped answer all of my questions in a timely manner, and she helped put all of my thoughts/ideas into action. I especially loved how we were able to do our decor drop off a few days before the wedding, and her team loaded everything back into our cars at the end of the night! So easy! Bethany helped us reschedule our wedding a few times (thanks COVID), but she was always composed and always helpful! I truly couldn't have asked for a better day, and I am happy to have found a friend and planner in Bethany. Thank you so much!!!

Kayelily was absolutely amazing to work with. From the moment we met her we knew she was the…read moreperfect person to officiate our wedding because she simply read previous weddings aloud to us and we had tears in our eyes not even knowing these couples but just feeling their story through her words. She was easy to email and willing to help where needed and made the ceremony creation and marriage license process a breeze. After the wedding my guests raved about her for weeks. I was told it was a wedding ceremony that was like no other and they almost wish it didn't have to end. I would highly recommend Kayelily to anyone!

Kayelily is an absolute master of her craft. If you are thinking of working with her, do it! She…read morehas done tons of weddings, and her experience makes for a seamless process and a beautiful ceremony. At the same time, she somehow manages to make you feel like you are the only clients on her plate. Throughout the entire planning process, no matter what time we emailed her, we got a response within several hours. I truly don't know how she does it. Kayelily knows the exact process of designing and executing a perfectly personalized and touching wedding ceremony from start to finish. She allows you to be as involved as you'd like to be. I remember reading in her reviews before we decided to work with her that many couples had gotten compliments from their wedding guests on the ceremony. I thought to myself how strange that was, I mean how often has a wedding ceremony stood out so much to you? Well, I have to say that the exact same thing happened to us! After the ceremony, wedding guests came up to us and said Kayelily was totally captivating and executed the most beautiful and personal wedding ceremony. Hire Kayelily! You won't regret it!

Bonnie is truly amazing. Choosing an officiant for your dream wedding from out of state is no easy…read moretask. Bonnie is personable, professional, prompt and just an incredible woman. It felt like someone was officiating our wedding that had known us for years. Bonnie even color coordinated her outfit to match our dress code. To marry the love of my life on the most magical day was only topped off with a ceremony of my dreams. Do not hesitate to book Bonnie!

Bonnie Sanchez was our officiant, and she did a fantastic job. We didn't have a lot of ideas for…read morethe ceremony and she put together a very nice one for us. We were happy with here and would recommend.

I have nothing but incredible things to say about Lyn and his team. He is truly an expert florist…read moreand he made our wedding dreams come true while also fitting into our budget. If you are in the market for a florist, please consider Fresh Affairs

I have been so upset about my experience with Lyn since my wedding in October that I have just…read moretried to avoid thinking of it. But I still feel heartbroken and betrayed, so this review is going to be quite a journey. tl;dr at the bottom, otherwise, strap in. Our first meeting with Lyn was at Fresh Affairs which is a wonderful space, and is filled with props and so many beautiful flowers. We discussed the reception vision; a floral disco theme with a cluster of disco balls over the dance floor, and covering the rafters of our venue with hanging flowers in a rainbow array of colors, textures, and greenery. We wanted the ceremony space to be very minimalist (floor arch and rose petals aisle, all white/blush) and then immerse people in a disco dreamland. At the end of the meeting, he declared I'm "a weird one" (an adjective that has been used to describe me my entire life) so I thought he understood, and wanted to sign up for a funky and fun lil collaboration with me and my husband. We decided to DIY the centerpieces to save money and so Lyn could focus on the hanging installation. While planning some doubts arose; first when I told him we got the venue to let them in an extra two hours early so they'd have plenty of time, and he scoffed and said it wouldn't take long. When we signed the contract it was far under the budget we had set, yet when the amount of product needed to fill the space started to seem high, Lyn repeatedly waived off our offers to pay more. Then, our one and only consultation was a mess. Lyn started the meeting by forgetting about it. My husband and I sat on the Zoom link for 15 minutes before sending an email. We got an apologetic reply, and then started an hour late. Lyn seemed to have just finished eating dinner and was relaxing at home, drinking a glass of wine for the duration of the call. He had a lot of small details wrong (numbers of people, etc.), but also made a suggestion I loved (adding pastel flowers to my bouquet) and overall was friendly. When I voiced my fears about the cost and time factors, he told me "honey, if you want something you've never seen before, you're going to have to trust". He was absolutely right, so despite the lack of response to my follow-up email of reference photos/thoughts, I waited excitedly to see what he came up with. When I first left the bridal suite for photos, there were no rose petals to be found in the aisle, and the floor arch was a near-perfect replica of the inspo photo I sent (a truly lovely act of plagiarism, and I cherish those photos). In response to my sinking expression and inability to recognize my bouquet when I walked past it (the utter lack of color and personality led me to see it in its vase and think it was decor) the coordinator told me the florists had left, but she would call them to come back and fix the aisle. When I walked into the reception space for the first time, my heart dropped into my stomach. Instead of hanging in a cluster over the dance floor, they had scattered the disco balls across the space on flimsy wire, low enough that people could touch them. In the center of the dance floor was an aggressively pink and dense floral arrangement. He plagiarized his own work here, and the main hanging element was strings of orchid flowers (even though we talked about amaranth several times) I have seen recycled in photos of his prior work at least twice. They ended up raining down on my guests the entire night and made the place look like a Barbie luau. When I've talked about my disappointment with friends and family since my wedding they all point out that they arrangement was very fun if you didn't know what the plan was. And maybe the flowers are beautiful. However, I can't see it because all I see when I look at them in my wedding photos is disappointing, unoriginal, and a half-assed attempt to deliver on the promises he made. Regarding our email exchange after the wedding, I don't understand how a person can do their job so poorly and then have the audacity to say they are "truly sorry this happened to you guys" (as if consoling us about something that was out of his control), but Lyn managed it. The good news for anyone reading this is that if Lyn decides to take your money and then proceed not to care about your wedding, he might give you a full refund too. You can choose whether or not you want to take him up on his offer of a private conversation afterwards to discuss how he can do better in the future. I certainly didn't feel compelled to give him any business advice if this is the type of person he is while conducting it. Tl;dr: my experience with Lyn left me with the impression that he seemed to think he was entitled to take my money and not to care one iota about any of the details of my wedding, besides a few cherry-picked details from our infrequent conversations, and then produce florals featuring a fair bit of plagiarism of both his own previous work and that of others, while calling it "custom".