Absolutely love at first sight. I met with Michelle the morning after I got engaged, and from that…read moremoment on she guided us through every step leading up to the big day--and even beyond, tying up every last loose end with total ease. I went into wedding planning fully aware that I didn't know what I didn't know. I had no clear vision for colors or décor, but Michelle took the time to truly get to know us. She asked thoughtful questions, offered smart suggestions, and helped shape a wedding weekend that felt unique, intentional, and perfectly "us." It's no surprise Michelle has established herself as the best of the best in this industry. Not only does she have incredible relationships with top‑tier vendors, but you can tell they genuinely love working with her. She helped us navigate tricky communication moments, advocated for us in contract details we never would've caught, and even secured a few discounts simply because vendors were so grateful to have another one of her couples. Her attention to detail is unmatched. She double‑ and triple‑checked every chair number, every linen measurement, every tiny timeline moment. She caught typos on ceremony programs, swapped out a drape because it wasn't the exact right shade of green, and thought through our day in 15‑second increments. Nothing slipped past her. Throughout the entire process, Michelle was always available. She felt like immediate family--our group text was constantly buzzing with updates, questions, weather checks, and pep talks. I truly don't know how anyone plans a wedding without a full‑time planner, and I especially don't know how we would've done it with anyone other than Michelle. She's experienced, connected, intuitive, and has that rare eye that just gets it. I could not recommend her more.

I cannot recommend Michelle Layman & the Events by Elle team enough!!!!! Not only was Michelle the…read moreabsolute BEST planner, she became our dear friend. Michelle's experience in the industry is something so admirable. And that's why she is so so so amazing at what she does. Every wedding she has planned is different. She makes sure that the wedding is unique to each and every couple. She makes sure it is their own. Michelle made the wedding planning process so much FUN!!! Man we had a blast. She put in countless hours to make sure NOTHING was missed and no detail was not thought through completely. I cannot thank Michelle and the Events by Elle team enough for making our dreams a reality. It was honestly more than I EVER could have dreamed of. It was the best day of our lives!!! We love you Michelle!!! - Sydney & Jared Gruender

If you are planning a wedding, read this FIRST!…read more I am a high functioning OCD type of person, and when we decided to get married with only 2 and a 1/2 months notice I went into overdrive planning. We identified a location and starting tasking friends and contacting vendors within a week, but I quickly started to get overwhelmed with the amount of effort. I was trying to juggling working full time, traveling for work and planning a wedding with next to no notice when my best friend begged me to find a day-of wedding coordinator. I turned to trusty Yelp to help me out and was sad to see the lack of reviews for wedding vendors. However, I did find one review for Buffee Ann and saw I could contact her for a quote. She quickly replied and when I decided not to move forward was sweet in her response to my poor life choices. Only a few days later I changed my mind and she encouraged me to skype with her before making another bad decision. I am so glad I did! From the start Buffee was energetic and encouraging while also allowing my strong personality to dictate as much as I could of the planning process. I have to say at the end of the day, hiring Buffee to help me out was the BEST IDEA EVER! If you're planning a wedding, get help from the very start. Buffee offered suggestions for vendors after we ran into challenges with a few of ours, and we realized she would have been a savior if we had used her from day 1. She worked with our bartending service to help resolve a difficult issue and found me someone to help with my hair (which received numerous compliments). Buffee even offered to add some much needed make-up to my very ungirly self. To say she was a fairy godmother would be an understatement. If you're looking for help with planning anything, go no further. Buffee Ann will take care of you, be your cheerleader, and provide excellent suggestions for local vendors.

Our experience was amazing! Both me and my wife were so overwhelmed by the idea of trying to plan a…read morewedding. We looked into finding someone to help us but even that alone is pretty daunting. But finding Buffee and Magical Moments was a huge stroke of luck. She helped us figure out exactly what we want. It was the perfect mix of making sure we got the wedding that we specifically wanted but she also knew when we were unsure about something and she always pushed us in the right direction. We both really cannot say enough good things about Buffee. She made our wedding, something both of us always dreamed of but figured we could never have, the most amazing day of our lives. We're an LGBT couple and especially living in the midwest you never really know how people are going to be or if they'll even want to help you, but Buffee and Magical Moments made our wedding seem so important to them and made sure we found the vendors who would best serve our needs. If anyone ever asks me for advice on wedding planning I'm sending them to Magical Moments immediately.

Debby Z did an incredible job for our event! She got the crowd involved and she filled the dance…read morefloor! The sound system and lights were great too. She honestly MADE the party! Debby loves people and it really shows. Do yourself and your guests a favor, book with Debby Z!!

On short notice we needed a karaoke DJ for our company entertainment/team building event. I called…read moreDebby on a Friday in the late afternoon asking if she had availability for the following Wednesday night. Thankfully she was open, and she promised me that it would be a great time! She was 110% right. Our employees work so hard day in and day out and everyone was able to let loose and totally enjoy themselves that night. Debby had the whole group participating and dancing and having the time of their lives. Debby was fantastic and so personable. I believe she even joined in on a song or two:)

Where do I even begin?…read more We had just a 28 person wedding including us, the bride and groom... Sounds simple, right? Well, we complicated it by marrying alllll the way out at Powell Gardens, and then doing to reception alllll the way back in town at Lidia's. Lots of driving! In addition to that, it was important to us (ok mostly me) to have a Zero Waste wedding- with stations set up all over the house/venues for waste to go to recycling, compost, Terracycle, burn-ables for our fire pit, etc. etc. It required a lot more work, and LaTasha helped to make it happen! LaTasha was CONSTANTLY on her feet, thinking ahead, anticipating my needs, conducting our rehearsal (we didn't know what the hell we were doing!!), picking up breakfast for us on the big day, wrangling folks for photos, collaborating with the photographer, making our yummy but somewhat boring looking cake POP with flowers and handmade bird toppers, video-ing all the toasts... I mean seriously, what can't she do?! She even helped me sneak a nerf bullet into my bestie-of-honor's bouquet so that I could surprise the groom with a silly inside joke during our vows when I handed him a flower with the nerf bullet tied to the stem... GOT HIM!!! Everyone in our families and close friend group admired LaTasha's hard work and cheerful can-do attitude. She fit right into the energy of our big day. She thinks of EVERYTHING. I absolutely loved working with her, and the amount of stress she saved me was just so impactful- my main goal for the weekend was to direct all our guests' well-meaning logistical questions to her, so that I didn't have to think or make decisions- I could just divorce my phone for the day and be present. It was one hell of a weekend. It would not have been as breezy and fun without LaTasha there to guide things.

LaTasha was my mom's wedding coordinator for her wedding - I was the matron of honor…read more LaTasha was seriously AMAZING!! She was incredibly organized, advocated for my mom to make sure all her needs and preferences were met, coordinated things with vendors. She made sure my mom did not have to lift a FINGER on her wedding day! She was with us for the rehearsal on Saturday directing to make sure everyone knew what was happening and from early morning on the wedding day until the last light was out at the venue in the evening. LaTasha helped with and ran everything from set-up to tear down, she kept detailed lists of every single thing we had for decor and who it belonged to and where it needed to end up. She is also one of the nicest people EVER while also being a hard-ass and making sure stuff gets DONE - coordinating with other vendors and also bridal party all while letting the bride enjoy her day (which is, seriously, exactly what you need in a wedding coordinator) I do not know how we would have gotten through the rehearsal and wedding day without her, not to mention all the times she talked my mom down about stressors and issues leading up to her wedding! LaTasha is an absolutely phenomenal wedding coordinator and absolutely everybody should hire her!! You don't even know it, but you need her running your special day!

We had such a fun day at Faulkner's Pumpkin Patch! There's plenty to do for all ages, and it really…read morehas that cozy fall vibe. The frozen apple cider alcohol drinks were amazing -- super refreshing and a must-try! Prices were pretty fair, especially for everything they offer. The food was solid too -- I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with fries and got a side of cheese to make my own loaded pulled pork fries, which turned out so good! Definitely a great spot for a fall day out.

We had an amazing for the Christmas Pop up bar! Great food, drinks, atmosphere and service!read more

We used platinum for our wedding and were beyond happy with our experience. Our Dj was Brad New he…read morewas fantastic, super easy to work with, kept the crowd engaged and the timeline flowing! I have been to a lot of weddings and the song selections were versed and kept all ages on the dance floor. We will hire them again in the future!

My wife and I had our wedding at the end of May 2021 and we were lucky enough to get DJ Apollo with…read moreour package from Platinum DJ. Our special day was PERFECT from start to finish and DJ Apollo (Mike) played a huge part in making our dream wedding a reality. We met with Mike twice before the event and he made sure we were taken care of for all the time in between. Mike was quick to respond to questions, organized with a day-of timeline, on-point with the tunes, and an absolute champion of making sure we had exactly what we wanted with a killer party. We played games during the reception such as the shoe game and music bingo and Mike did an excellent job of transitioning between each item on the agenda. Another thing that needs to be said is that Mike is just an all-around great guy. You can tell as soon as you meet him that he is kind, genuine, and knowledgeable of his craft. He is an expert at what he does but he also goes the extra mile by getting you whatever you need on your big day. Behind the scenes, Alex and the rest of the Platinum DJ team were the perfect support for all our requests. I cannot imagine any way our night could have been more fun. I would highly recommend Platinum DJ and DJ Apollo to anyone who wants world-class service and peace of mind for their event.

This vendor is careless and responded to negative feedback with a few nasty text messages…read more When I first talked to Heather at Simply Modish she was very nice but during the planning was least helpful in that department. She did not pay much attention to my budget and gave me suggestions of the highest vendors in town. A lot of which were family or friend owned. During my rehearsal she did not do her job at all. She did not have any control of my group and I ended up running my rehearsal because she did not have much of a voice. On my wedding day I was a bit late walking down the aisle. (Around 45 mins) she came up to my suite and yelled at me to hurry up and was saying people wanted to know where I was. At this point it was barely 6:00 and that was when my wedding was supposed to start. My cousin politely asked her to stop stressing me out and told her we would come down at 6:30. I walked down from my suite at 6:40ish and when I walked down the stairs my husband was standing there! I was so upset. When we texted after that day, she told me that since me and my husband were already married she assumed I was ok with seeing him. However she never asked me if it was ok for us to see each other. After our first meeting we met at her home to discuss planning and I noticed she had a sonogram on her refrigerator. I asked her if she was pregnant and she said yes and that she would be over 8 months during my day. Which was fine but I don't think she had any intention of telling me. She stated she would hire an assistant to help her for our day since she was going to be so far along. I wanted to meet the person so I knew that they would understand my vision for the wedding. She kept telling me I couldn't meet them and other excuses. On my day I found out that her assistant was her very own sister. She basically told me in the text that it wouldn't matter who it was since she didn't charge me for them. Which was not my concern I just felt like she was hiding it. After my ceremony my guests had no idea what to do or where to go next because they never made the announcement. My wedding party had to tell them to go up to the barn for cocktail hour. Her sister in my eyes wasn't clear on all the things that was going on because she failed to have her come to rehearsal. In the end she gave me her her vision of who I was and how I was going to be which was really rude. And I admit I never told her how unhappy I was because my husband was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt by telling me that she was going to be good on our day. However she managed to upset him too because of her careless attitude. I did hug her and and tell her thank you because I wasn't going to be mean or unprofessional to her on my wedding day but she said I was wrong for being polite. The things she messed up at my wedding were not things that she could fix. To me what's done was done. I was very nice when explaining to her my issues with her as to why I gave her a bad review and she did not care! She was rude and nasty! I advise all brides to pay a little extra for a planner. She took advantage of us and we cannot get our money back. She is a liar and will cheat you. She did the least amount of work for what we paid. My venue coordinator did more for me than she ever did. The bad part is my venue was basically all inclusive and we had under 50 guests and she still managed to mess up our day! STAY AWAY FROM THIS VENDOR!

Heather was very helpful in planning my daughters wedding. She was very nice, and easy to work…read morewith! She helped make the day run much smoother.

Found this space just in time for a last minute, New Year's Eve/Wedding Party. Excellent spot for…read morean intimate gathering. The speaker and disco lights were a great addition for the event we were having. Convenient location, plenty of parking. The convenience of being able to BYOB was great for our event. The Wright's were very easy to work with. Would recommend for any type of party you may be planning.

I and my husband decided to take a Formal Portrait Session for our wedding and since I'm living in…read moreMichigan but he's working in Kansas, we took that advantage to capture beautiful landscapes in this city. I randomly looked up on yelp for a photographer and i was attracted by Rebecca's sharing about her passion on photography and capturing people's memorial moments. It's simply honest but trusty. I took a try and i can say it was the best decision in my life ever! She's caring, friendly, conscientious and willing to move so that you can get the best imagines. I felt so comfortable letting her took our pictures. Furthermore, the result was incredible!!! Imagines look really professional and you can tell that she put her effort so much on them. She also helped me to make appointment for my hair and i got a wonderful treatment at that hair salon. One small detail made me noticed that her personality is awesome that my hair was a little loose due to changing dress and she took me to the hair salon and walked into it with me to fix my hair right away. She wanted to make sure that you're perfect!!!!!! If you're looking for someone to capture your best moments,Rebecca is the best one ever!! I've never written any long review like this before in my life but this is totally worthy!. Thanks again Rebecca!

I met Rebecca by chance years ago in 2017, and asked her to take my headshots. I absolutely loved…read morethem and have hired her over the years for updates, engagement photos and my upcoming wedding. Because I love her work so much we collaborated for a few years on my series Thursday's Child where she took portraits of foster children in need of adoption. She is a consummate professional with a kind heart. Rebecca will listen and work with you to get the right shots for your special occasion.

Beyond impressed with Brant's professionalism, talent, and personal touch he gives to his craft!…read more We were visiting from out of town and needed family pictures of my mom, husband, & 3 kids (ages 3-10). He was so personable you felt like you've known him forever! It was hard to pick out our favorites from the shoot! The amount of patience and professionalism shown by Brant was incredible. He captured so many precious moments and was able to keep our kids engaged through the whole session. Brant took his time, getting to know us on a personal level before doing anything else, and as a result the quality of his work is not simply in the photos, but the experience, and the ultimate result. Brant was able not just to capture moments, but they distill them in such a way as to capture the beauty and soul of what is going on around them. You will not be disappointed. I wish Brant lived in our city, because if so he would be our photographer for all our special family photo sessions!

My husband I recently visited Kansas City for a family reunion and to celebrate his 60th Birthday…read more It was the first time we had all been together in five years. I found Brant on Yelp and booked him to come to the Birthday Party and take some great family photos. Brant was a DREAM to work with. He was flexible and easy-going as to what time we would start the photo shoot. He got there early and waited patiently as everyone got Dolled Up. He had professional lighting and equipment, he was careful to get all the shots I had requested and was agreeable to any suggestions. In less than two weeks I received some incredible shots from the evening and I could not be happier with the results. Everyone looks great and the quality of the shots are clear. I would not hesitate to recommend Brant Brogan for any of your photography needs. He does great work and is a pleasure to work with. Thank you, Brant from me and my family. Everyone loves the photos!