Let me first say, I"ve lived in New York City for 21 years (as of tomorrow.) And, anyone who lives…read morehere, and has ever tried to plan an event, knows, one of the hardest things to find is an exception event planner who is as efficient and attentive to details, as she brilliant at taking the reigns and making everything perfect. There are probably 100 horrible "event planners" for every amazing one. Finally, I've found someone who is both top drawer, and beyond talented at what she does. And that person/company is Ruth Lapin Events, hands down. I first met Ruth Lapin years ago at a function. She impressed right off the bat, and dazzled me. So, when I began looking for an event planner, the first name that came to mind was Ruth Lapin. Actually, I should say, the ONLY name that came to mind was Ruth Lapin. You know what I'm saying? Anyone who has ever tried to coordinate something as "simple" as a toast at a cocktail gathering or even a child's birthday party understands that event planning can be an ordeal. It's like, "schedule,s, details and last minute emergencies, OH MY!" I have an event coming up, and thought of having to deal with the vendor, negotiate a decent price (by New York standards), vet the people who are doing the serving, the food prep and cooking, the teeny tiny details that start seeming like nails on a chalkboard, the whiners and criers, the family (and ALL their drams), the backup plan for an outdoor event (in case it should rain), etc ... Seriously, do you want to start playing the price game with the vendor who will only sell and deliver the specific napkins (or the personalized t-shirts) if you buy a minimum of some crazy number that's 100 times more than you actually have use for? Moreover, Ruth has exquisite tastes. And, most importantly, she takes the time to talk to you, listen and really understand what it is that you want, not what she thinks you should want. So I'm always confident that what she's going to come back with, and suggest is going to be conceived and created from my vision and my wants and needs. She also has such an eye for design, inevitably she's added some elements that you never considered because you didn't know enough to consider them. I love the vibe. I love the positive energy. I love the synergy of working together. Never once, in all the years I've worked with Ruth, has she disappointed me. In fact, quite the opposite. She's always impressed me in new and exciting ways. Ruth Lapin is who I want to be when I grow up!

Brilliant, resourceful, compassionate, and savvy, event planner. She planned my favorite cousin's…read moreincredible wedding at Capitale at which I was [the overly involved] maid of honor, and it was just the loveliest occasion. No stone was left unturned, she thought of every last detail, recommended the most talented vendors, it was just such a relief for my cousin to have someone navigate, always taking into account the personality, vision, and budget of the couple. In this case, the bride and groom did not always see eye to eye, but Ruth was able to "marry" their divergent visions, both were so delighted by the outcome, and we all had the best time. She seems so well-connected and well-liked in the industry, and she's extremely affable, warm, and witty. I recommended her to my best friend, who is finally getting married to his gay partner of twenty years, can't wait to see what she whips up for this fabulous pair.

We met Svetlana a week before our party to discuss the details, and all that she was suggesting was…read moreexactly what we needed. So we came to our party and we only could say WOW!!!! The decorations ,centerpiece, balloons , party favors, picture frame was amazing ! We all loved it and especially our birthday girl! Thank you Sveta for everything !

I hired NRG event planner for my son's birthday party. I met with Sveta a few weeks before the…read moreparty, she was a pleasure to speak with. She organized all the details for the party, the way I wanted. The ballon decorations were beautifully made and the tables arrangements matched the party theme perfectly. The prices are very reasonable, I would definitely recommend her to anyone who needs a reliable and trustworthy party planner. Thank you Sveta for all your amazing work.

Jesenia planned my baby shower and I couldn't be more delighted with how it turned out…read more To begin with, the process was extremely easy. We had an initial meeting to go over what we wanted for the shower. She came well prepared and understood my vision immediately. I left feeling confident that it was going to be amazing. After that meeting, she took everything on with minimal outreach and questions, which was perfect for me. With such a busy schedule, I loved knowing that everything was taken care of! The day of my shower was so carefree. I only had to worry about getting ready and showing up. What a treat! Of course, when I arrived, everything was PERFECT. She captured my style and vision perfectly. It was so beautiful I got emotional. She considered all the details and had the schedule perfectly coordinated. Everyone was commenting on how beautiful all the details were. I was able to sit back, relax and enjoy the great company... as a pregnant women, that's golden! Having Pursue Pretty Events plan my shower was a great decision. Jesenia is extremely creative and thoughtful. She also extremely professional and timely. She's able to capture the person she's planning for and doesn't try to impose her own style. She only enhanced what was already on mind. She's amazing and I recommend her to everyone!

Jesenia has been such a dream to work with! Her attention to detail and consistent communication…read moreputs us at ease knowing that everything is being taken care of as if it were her own event. Jesenia has a structure that allows us to communicate the things that are most important to us to make our events feel personal. She takes her time to understand what we want while guiding us with her expertise on having a wonderful event. We've hired her to plan out wedding and with that service came the events leading up to the event. So far we've had our engagement party (which was executed to perfection with a short time frame) and scouted venues for our destination wedding. Jesenia has had excellent communication to ensure all vendors and venue appointments are set up, all extras are purchased ahead of time and set up prior to us getting to the venue, all invites and RSVPs were sent out on time and that we're staying on track with our overall timeline so we never feel overwhelmed with the process. Hiring her was the best decision we made. Knowing that we can just walk into our event and we can enjoy it because all the details have already been taken care of is exactly the peace of mind we were searching for. If you want your Pinterest party dreams to come to life, Jesenia is the event planning fairy godmother you need in your life!

We said "I Do" with Emily! She was a bride and groom's dream on our wedding day at the Bronx Zoo…read more Her knowledge of the venue and relations with the staff made for a seamless timeline. One of her many unspoken skills are her decorating abilities. Emily brought to life our vision of bud vase centerpieces and candle decor around the reception hall while being resourceful and repurposing our decor throughout the night. Her empathy, genuineness and professionalism is what let us know she was the one, but it was even more so her energy day of that made for an stress-free day! Highly recommend Emily If you are looking for day-of-wedding coordinator!

We worked with Emily for our wedding and she did a phenomenal job as day-of coordinator. She took…read morecare of absolutely everything - we didn't have to think once about logistics on the day of the wedding! She was clearly very experienced, particularly with weddings at the Bronx Zoo and the Central Park Zoo. We would highly recommend her - she truly went above and beyond to make our day go great, even negotiating with multiple vendors on our behalf. Thank you!!!

The nonprofit I work for had been collaborating with another event planner for nearly a year to…read moreorganize our 50th-anniversary gala in NYC. With over 300 attendees expected, including high-net-worth donors and government representatives, we realized in the final month that we needed an expert to support the final week's logistics and day-of coordination. That's when Alyssa from Neighborly Events came on board--and she was exactly what we needed. Alyssa's attention to detail and calm demeanor were evident from the start. She was incredibly thoughtful, asking the right questions to fully understand our goals and ensure everything was in place. Working alongside me and our other consultant, she was a huge help with last-minute needs, including even securing a volunteer staff member needed for registration. Her professionalism and expertise allowed me and my team to focus on our guests, knowing that every detail was under control. If you're looking for high-level event support to ensure things go smoothly, I highly recommend Alyssa and Neighborly Events. We couldn't have pulled it off without her!

I rented out the photobooth for a party. Everyone loved it, things ran smoothly and honestly would…read morerent it again. The photobooth has cool options so it works for any type of event. It was a hit! Alyssa's the kindest person to work with as well !

I had my sons brit/christening here yesterday. Waking in to the hall for the first time before the…read moreparty started I actually cried. Everything was so beautifully done and set up for the party. Every vendor that Nadia (the owner ) recommended was reasonably priced and did an amazing job. Working with Nadia was easy and she was always available to take our call or text . She was easy going and flexible. During the event not only her manger but she herself came to help and make sure everything was going accordingly. This was my husbands choice being that he is Russian. Being Italian I was nervous that the Italian and American guests would not feel comfortable or have complaints due to Italian halls and Russian halls being different. But in fact it was quite the opposite. So many people of all ages on my side actually called after the party and today as well as telling us during the party that it was the best event they had ever attended. One girl who is an event planner herself said she was booking her next party here. I can't believe I ever second guest having it here vs an Italian hall. You can't even compare. I had the most amazing night and party! Thank you Nadia !!!

The best place to do your party's place is very clean and top notch service. The owner of the place…read morehelped us with everything was on point with everything I would always come back here

Everything was perfect. Christa and Mia were excellent and so helpful. Peter Boruchowitz was our…read moreofficiant and we could not have asked for a better ceremony. Photographer Kevin Lee was creative and so nice to worth with. Thank you all so much.

I cannot even begin to tell you, for the coldest snowy day in December 2019, how perfect the…read morewedding turned out. The staff at Central Park wedding was so thorough and professional. I felt like everything went so smooth and beautiful. Christa and her staff helped make the wedding so perfect and made sure it was done exactly how we dreamed. I highly recommend a central park wedding, especially Christa! Thank you all again for making it such a perfect day!

We love, love, loved Sarah and the whole Pollyanna Events team. We were exactly the couple you'd…read morethink wouldn't need a planner -- our wedding was intimate and relaxed, we had incredible family support, and we were lucky enough to share a really clear vision for the day that we were willing to work for. Never mind that we're both detail-oriented with tons of event exposure. But all of that is exactly why we ended up needing someone with us in the home stretch -- so we and everyone we love could just enjoy the experience and focus on having an incredible time together. From the moment we met Sarah, it was clear how great she was. Her energy is both calming and competent, she got us and our style right away, she had useful input for us before we even officially contracted her, and she had methods in place (timelines, collaborative spreadsheets, day-of checklists, and a lot more) that she quickly customized to us, which instantly made everything feel more manageable. And though she had a long list of fantastic vendors for every taste, budget, and imaginable location, she also went out of her way to work with the folks we'd already chosen, especially our non-traditional venues, which were wonderful but not necessarily set up for weddings. It was a huge advantage to have Sarah in our corner in the weeks leading up to our wedding, from nudging vendors on final details to helping us handle what could've been real problems at the last-minute. When our hair stylist had to cancel, for instance, she connected with someone at the salon where she gets her own hair cut and ended up finding us a replacement so good that I still see her to get my hair done. But where Sarah and her team made an unforgettable difference was in the days leading up to the wedding and on the day itself. It's so easy after you've put so much effort into this one weekend to get obsessed with making sure it all goes to plan. The reality, though, is that little things are always going to go wrong. And maybe even more important than that, if you spend your time worrying about -- or trying to fix -- them, you're going to miss out on the big, awesome thing that is your wedding day. Thanks to Sarah, we didn't even hear about the little hiccups -- a key guest stuck in traffic, a backup in the kitchen, etc. -- till our wedding was long over. And Sarah was such a centering presence from the second the day started that we didn't once check or think about the time, yet ended up having enough wiggle room in our schedule to stop in for a drink (wedding dress and all) at our favorite local spot. From then on, I just remember having fun. Here's the truth: For a wedding to feel effortless -- which is what we all hope for -- takes a *ton* of work. Most of us are willing to put the work in, I think, but it's only worth it if you actually get to enjoy the experience of getting married. That's what Sarah and her team make possible. It isn't something that can happen just bringing a planner in day-of -- that person would barely have a chance to build a relationship with you, let alone all your vendors. And it definitely doesn't happen with all planners; having had occasion to hire planners for other big events outside of New York City, I can't overstate how valuable Sarah's empathy, her unique and personal touch, and her strong sense of initiative and accountability are. Honestly, I worried that I'd be one of those unbearable brides with insane standards -- because I'm constantly involved with professional events in my regular life -- but Sarah met and exceeded every expectation. And beyond all that, she just added an air of ease and joy to the planning process that made such an impression on us. Sarah and her team made us feel like they were as invested in our wedding as we were, and that means the world when you're getting married.

We hired Pollyanna Events for month of coordination. We mainly worked with Karolina and she did a…read morefantastic job. She checked in with us about 2 months out just to help ensure that we were getting everything in line and had the right items on our checklist. From there on we started checking in more regularly and she was super helpful with any questions we had. In the month leading up to the wedding, she took over vendor communication which took a bit off our plate. During our walkthrough of the venue, she showed up prepared and ready to go with so many helpful questions that we never would have thought to ask when planning a wedding for the first time. In the weeks leading up, she put together a really helpful timeline for us to ensure we got to do all the things we wanted to do on our wedding day (getting ready, photos with our families, pictures of the two of us at sunset, dancing etc.). It really helped us plan out the day and ensure we could allot as much time to dancing as possible! Finally, the day of, we couldn't have asked for a better team. Karolina stayed with the bride all day to keep the timeline on track (and make sure she didn't forget to eat!) while her teammate, Kristina, was helping put everything together at the venue. Karolina gently kept us on track all day by reminding us when it was time for photos, dance, cake-cutting, but also gave us the flexibility to move things around a bit if we needed a few more minutes talking to our parents. It was truly fantastic and I cannot imagine how much of a mess we would have made of the wedding if Karolina wasn't there to help keep the whole show on track. Our guests commented on how smoothly everything went and how well the timing was all laid out from arrival to ceremony to food to dancing. No one was left hungry or felt like they were waiting for something. For us, this was the most important aspect: our friends and family were able to enjoy themselves without having to worry about the process of the wedding. Thank you so much Karolina, Kristina, and the whole Pollyanna Events team!!!