Planning your wedding is never easy. My wedding on Labor Day weekend 2018 was a three-day multicultural event and we were fortunate to have Samantha every step of the way. I had initially hired Samantha to perform a design session for 1 of the days of the wedding. Soon, I realized I needed her full planning package. Samantha easily and quickly switched the packages and services. She sends a wedding task list which is catered to white Christian weddings (it has items like tanning services) but I just ignored those, and focused on the relevant items. We had a clause to add on any additional hours needed. Which I took full advantage of! I added services for Samantha to track and handle the wedding budget, which fell to the wayside. Nor did she really take on managing. When it became clear we would need additional hours for the weekend due to the magnitude of the events, Samantha was mindful of our costs without sacrificing value. She is well versed on the wedding etiquette and despite never having planned an Indian wedding before, she pulled it off with minimal hitches. I am sure has she gains more experience in various weddings and cultures, she will grow and be even better than she is. When my cousin offered to help coordinate the events, she gladly accepted the needed help. Samantha went out of her way to help me at the end of her reception night, when I fell sick. She is vast in her connections with local vendors and on how to get a bang for your budget. Her creativity on how to reuse decorations and flowers saved so much stress and costs. My biggest concern on the wedding weekend was the DJ. I wish I had explicitly expressed to Samantha to feel empowered to take control on handling him, and had been on a conference call with her and him to ensure things ran smoothly. But throughout the wedding, Samantha was cool and calm and took charge on the situation. Her business is growing and is well deserved. There are times when she was not able to answer emails right away because she was out of town for another wedding, workshop or vacation. As the wedding approached, vendors would ask for a timeline and conference call to go over the details. We were able to coordinate those requests with Samantha - she does get back to her clients and vendors, even if it means a conference call at 8:30 PM or on her way to the airport. I wish I booked her full services at the get-go. However her full package does not always equate to hours needed. Hence our purchasing additional hours, after purchasing the full service package. At the end of the day, Samantha wants her couples to be happy and she tries her best. And is focused on that, despite the noise from family input. I regret on not utilizing her skill and creatively fully. In my need to not want to bother her, or stress her out on chaos of an Indian wedding, I didn't involve her in designing the cake or cake-topper, and wish I had. And not worried about putting her off. She is capable if not short staffed. Definitely book her for your wedding. read more

I cannot recommend Sam and SJE highly enough! As a bride living in San Francisco and planning a wedding in Yellow Springs, Ohio (at my parent's house), the seamless dot connecting that Sam facilitated for us was honestly above and beyond. She did an amazing job calling on all of her experience to fill in gaps where I was looking for advice or direction (sometimes gaps I didn't even realize at the time she was filling), all while empowering me to spend time and energy on the pieces or details that I cared most about. Many things she almost does in her sleep, not even realizing the slack she is picking up - coordinating who would set the tables, compiling all of my contracts, holding a planning session with our officiant, and keeping me on schedule with things like finalizing timelines and getting my seating chart done. I can be picky (I like what I like!) and Sam picked up on my aesthetic almost immediately and represented my interests to my partners and vendors effectively in meetings and discussions that I was not able to participate in being so far away. In addition to her incredible attention to detail (did I mention she did all of our calligraphy and styled the details photo shoot on the day of?! ), she is truly passionate about what she does and that comes through over, and over again. She is not fatigued by doing weddings and events nonstop, but rather she is energized by them and always looking to do things differently and innovate. Wedding weekend would not have been the perfect experience that it was without SJE and her incredible staff. On our wedding day, I spent time with friends and family, drank champagne, and focused on the special moments and she made that happen. Sam also ran the rehearsal like an absolute pro - showing up with [beautiful] weekend itineraries for the whole wedding party - without me asking for those! I cannot recommend SJE highly enough. read more

I worked with Samantha from Samantha Joy Events at an event in April and she was so awesome to work with! She was well organized and always looking for a way to be helpful. I so much appreciated her help throughout the entire day. She thinks of everything and is on top of every last detail. Also, the timeline she created for the day was perfect! I'll be recommending her to everyone I can! read more

Working with Samantha was absolutely amazing! We used her month of/day of planning service and it was perfect! I almost wish I would have gone with a more inclusive package, she was just so helpful! Any question or concern I had I could just email her and she was there to help. Although we were not in the same state during the planning period that did not affect anything! She was there through pictures, FaceTime, and phone calls helping me through every step. Samantha made everything so simple and stress free! She had all my contracts and vendor info so when it came close to the big day and on our wedding day everyone was on the same page and Samantha made comprehensive schedules for everyone. I honestly don't think I could have survived my day without her! I highly recommend Samantha Joy Events to anyone planning a wedding no matter that state! read more

Samantha was a godsend for our wedding! She is the most detail regimented event planner I have ever met! Her connections with all area wedding vendors can help enhance your venue and wedding experience. But what sets her apart from anyother is her willingness to go above and beyond at every turn, from making sure the venue is perfect, to making a detailed timeline and even dropping off decorations the day after. She is professional, personable, easy to work with, knowledgeable, and loves what she does! Thank you Samantha for making our day so special! read more

I had a wonderful experience with Samantha as my Day-Of Coordinator for my wedding in Pittsburgh! As much as you may plan and think you have everything together for your big day - the actual day of can be kind of crazy and a bit of a whirlwind so day-of coordination is a HUGE help! My heart was racing so fast as we pulled up to the church and the entire bridal party was in a bit of a frenzy but Samantha met us at the shuttle and told us exactly what we needed to do. From the minute I saw her that day, I knew she would make sure everything ran smoothly. From pinning boutonnieres on the groom and groomsmen to helping usher me into the church without letting any guests see me to timing our walks down the aisle to gathering my extremely large family for photos in the church afterwards she literally had it all covered. And her attention to detail is impeccable! Samantha knows exactly what she is doing and does it extremely well! I cannot express how wonderful it was to work with her and how much smoother she made my special day. I would highly recommend Samantha for any bride who wants help planning her own perfect day! read more