How does one begin to write a review for someone who has been so amazing as Joanne Doll of Lasting…read moreImpressions by Design? She singlehandedly saved our wedding countless times, and made our vision come to life in the most spectacular way!
After having been burned by two other so-called wedding planners with 5-star reviews on websites like TheKnot.com and WeddingWire.com, I was reluctant, to say the least, to hire another wedding planner. The first wedding planner I had hired did nothing her contract said that she would do for me (like negotiate contracts and help me find vendors), so I cancelled with her - during which she had made me sign a non-disclosure agreement. The next wedding planner simply took my money and ran. That was a loss of $2K, right there. Gone forever from our wedding budget. Even so, my attendants couldn't help (they lived in Dallas, Oklahoma City, or were overseas) and I was in over my head. I decided to give it one more try. I asked a friend, Tricia, who she would recommend. She gave me Joanne Doll's phone number.
Joanne and I met at Bakery Lorraine and I immediately just adored her. She arrived exactly on time, if not a little early. She was the sweetest, most down to earth person. I was impressed by how organized she was, even at our first meeting. She was 100% supportive and enthusiastic about our theme. She told me about her background in teaching and showed me examples of her work. She was upfront about her company's pricing and her contract was written in clear, easy to understand (without needing to have a law school degree!) language. I was VERY PLEASED that her contract did not have a non-disclosure ("no negative review") clause in it. I hired her right then, at that meeting.
From before day one, Joanne was responsive, and ALWAYS did what she said she was going to do, when she said she would do it. I would get a super helpful email every month with check-in on various aspects which was insanely helpful. When my father passed away, Joanne gave space when needed and support when needed. Over the course of the past year, I grew to care for her as a friend, if not family, because she was just such an anchor at times. When things hit a snag, Joanne always was able to find a solution quickly and with the greatest of finesse. I was seriously impressed.
When the week of the wedding cane, of course, some things went awry, but as usual, Joanne got it handled. Our wedding day would have probably not happened without her excellent judgment and fantastic problem solving skills. I was so very grateful to have her on our team. She really did MAKE our wedding happen! In fact, I was having trouble with the ceremony music, and she was able to, with her skills as THE BEST WEDDING PLANNER EVER, and her knowledge of us as a couple, recommended the perfect song for me to walk down the aisle to.
Joanne has absolutely earned a place in our hearts and in our family for her incredible work on our wedding. Our only regret was that we didn't hire her FIRST, as soon as we got engaged. I HIGHLY recommend Lasting Impressions by Design, especially their FULL PLANNING package, because even if you think you already have everything planned out, Joanne will be able to take your vision and make it happen within your budget (if not under), keep you calm when life gets crazy (and IT WILL!), and make the entire process so much smoother. Even if you think you can't afford to hire a wedding planner, I say from experience: YOU CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO HIRE JOANNE FROM LASTING IMPRESSIONS BY DESIGN! (She also has partial planning and day of coordination packages available, which are also great!)