I didn't believe in wedding planners before Simone. Correction: I don't believe in any old wedding planner, I BELIEVE IN SIMONE.
There aren't enough words to describe how amazing, what a lifesaver, how instrumental, Simone is - she's just that good. Unlike other planners I interviewed (one of whom told me having our friend officiate the ceremony would drive up her costs since we had "no idea what you're doing"), Simone listened to me, got a quick read on both my and my husband's personalities, and adapted to us. Which is saying something, because I'm bossy.
Every suggestion Simone made was money. Even those that cost money. She was right about everything, and she does not suggest you spend money lightly. The patio furniture I didn't believe we needed? It enhanced the intimate feel we were going for and completely changed the way our guests interacted during the reception. She went to bat for a floral designer, and helped us find someone who would work with our budget - and now I can't believe we ever even considered doing flowers on our own. On the flip side, she minced no words when it came to telling us a dessert table was a waste of money. And even though she was technically only our "month-of" coordinator, she answered any questions we had along the way - from invitation etiquette to helping me overcome a wedding dress debacle.
My favorite thing about Simone is that she's not just your logistics savior, she's your emotional shield. Don't get me wrong - her down-to-five-minutes day-of timeline almost gave me an orgasm in and of itself - but it's the way she structures the day to calm your nerves and give you what you need that makes the biggest difference. If there is a sticky family situation, and you need to avoid seeing someone before the ceremony, Simone will come up with a plan that both makes you comfortable and makes that someone else still feel special or involved. Your wish is her command: I told her I wanted to make sure my stepmom, who's sober, had sparkling cider coming her way all night, and voila - she did. When I got last-second nerves about one of our vendors, Simone handled it, in a warm, polite fashion that totally saved the day. She has no problem when you drop a good eff-bomb, and she'll even forgive you when you accidentally involve her in a full-on brawl you have with your fiancé about what turns out to be nothing more than a giant misunderstanding.
(Her team, for the record, is equally baller. Our friend did officiate our ceremony, and Simone & Co worked with him in a supportive, and in-no-way condescending, fashion. He got everything he needed, no more, no less.)
I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was a moment, right before I started to walk down the aisle when Simone cued me and straightened out my train, that I can't imagine having happened, or been right, without her standing there. Simone was the constant, funny, resourceful, comforting calm.
Two weeks after the wedding, one of my bridesmaids asked me if anything had gone wrong that night. I said no. Which is completely true. And it's only true because of Simone.
HIRE SIMONE. read more