I write this in case it's helpful for others. I sincerely wish I'd have known what I was getting…read moreinto before I entered into a contract with Johnell. If you're not inclined to read the entirety of this lengthy review, I sum my experience up in the last two paragraphs.
My wedding was only 1.5 months away. I chose the full package option. As a full-time professional & graduate student, the idea of a wedding planner sounded like heaven. Her reviews were phenomenal. I thought we'd get timelines, help with our vision, several vendor options with differing price points. Instead we got snarky eye rolls when we'd ask about details, sarcastic jokes about us needing to book marriage counseling, disinterest in getting us what we actually wanted, and extremely abbreviated access to her at her convenience. Honestly, it was devastating. The most stressful part of our wedding planning became my interactions, and oftentimes lack of interactions, with Johnell.
Price points and vision would continuously get lost in translation. The pattern: Time would pass despite our requests for input on selecting vendors (for example, 3 weeks for florals) and then we'd get an almost finalized contract from a single vendor we hadn't vetted. In the case of florals, at a price of $11K when we'd explained our floral budget was $3K.
She was extremely dismissive. Even requests for a quick 15 minute check in call could go ignored. Her preference most of the time was to send emails during peak work hours. And her emails, most times, left things unclear. We explained several times that a weekly 15 minute call was what we needed. But she was extremely resistant. We had, at max, 2 to 3 such calls and then she refused to participate in any others. It was maddening with our 6 week timeline as we felt like our hands were tied about really understanding the status of and options for things.
My fiancé and I defaulted to doing the legwork ourselves. When we did, vendors were LOVELY. Bending over backwards to assist us. Supplying us with multiple options and ideas. They took the time to hear us and ask about what we did and didn't want for our day. I was overwhelmingly grateful for their support and availability.
I was stunned when Johnell sent an angry email chastising my fiancé for calling a vendor. She reminded us that we'd have to pay her even if we were doing the work. I reiterated to her that this had nothing to do with payment. We'd started doing the work ourselves because we felt handcuffed and limited w/ her at the helm. Over and over we'd discover her "no, that's not possible" would become "sure, we can do that, and here are several other options too" once we'd finally talk to a vendor.
The most important thing for me: the wedding to have our unique imprint and flair- were in direct odds with Johnell's priorities. Her priority was the path of least resistance, what's easiest & most convenient for her. Things came together beautifully. But it really was in spite of and not because of our planner. With the vast majority of vendors, we elected to go with others that we'd vetted. This brought on its own drama as we then witnessed Johnell being cold and dismissive with these individuals when they'd attempt to ask questions or share options.
I made several attempts to explain to her how poorly we felt we were being treated - via several emails and voicemail when she wouldn't answer or return my call. She would eventually respond in an email days later with a dismissive, "everything will be fine" one-liner.
The last straw was her denying us a 15 minute phone call the week of the wedding. Four days after we requested the brief call with her, she emailed, "No, I've done my job already. See you at the wedding on Saturday. Email me a list if there's changes." This transpired despite her contracted description of "unlimited phone calls and emails" and us only having had at most three direct phone calls with her. At that point, we decided to cut ties with her completely. It was an extremely high sunk cost. One that benefitted her (she was paid in full despite not working the week of or day of the wedding) & would cost us greatly. It was worth it though as the thought of this, in our experience, truly unprofessional coordinator running our special day was too disheartening.
In sum, I felt trapped in this working relationship. I wound up having to expend more time and energy on fixing things vs had I not had a planner to begin with. All the while being made to feel like a huge annoyance during the brief times when we would have access to her. Her communication style is one tailored to meet her needs and convenience rather than the client's. In hindsight, I never should have hired her. It was the poorest decision of my wedding planning process.
