Bellwether Events

We hired Janice to be a "Day of Coordinator" for our wedding but she did SO much more than what we were expecting. I looked in to several other day of coordinators and most of them really did only assist you on the wedding day. Janice met with us several times in the months leading up to the wedding, she answered a million questions via email and phone, provided excellent advice on everything from catering to decorations. Janice and her assistant, Rebecca, were there at the rehearsal the day before and hours before the wedding to help set up. Rebecca was even at the venue the day after the wedding to make sure that everything had been cleaned up and taken down. We definitely could not have done the wedding without Janice. She was extremely professional and dealt with family members in a tactful way. The event scheduler at our venue said that she wished that Janice was the coordinator for all of the weddings at the venue. I cannot say enough about how great Janice is as a wedding coordinator!

I realize that this may sound a bit like paid advertising, but given that our wedding was recently featured in both Style Me Pretty and the Washingtonian Bride &Groom magazine, I feel like I am pretty qualified to sing Janice Carnevale’s praises :)
More importantly than that, though, Janice truly gave us and our families the wedding of our dreams, which is why I feel like Bellwether Events is where every wedding in the DC metro area should find it’s beginning.
It’s difficult to describe all that Janice did for me during the wedding planning process. She is not only an exceptional wedding planner – she’s an exceptional person. Given that my significant other was deployed for much of the process, her advice and constant communication were not only incredibly helpful but so essential in allowing me to still enjoy the process. When I said that I wanted a wedding that was feminine and floral, while at the same time stately and patriotic – she helped me dive right in – helping incorporate so many unique and whimsical design elements that not only impressed our guests but helped to represent us in such a beautiful way. She even managed to coordinate an incredible bridal session on the historic U.S.S. Sequoia, President Kennedy’s old yacht.
Looking back, there are so many qualities in Janice that took the stress out of planning, and especially on the day of our wedding. Her design vision that represented us and our personalities so well; her business-saavy and negotiation; and her ability to problem-solve and manage potential crises at light-speed were indispensable.
If I were planning a wedding – whether in my parent’s backyard or a black-tie affair at a 5 star hotel (coincidentally our wedding fell somewhere in the middle) – I wouldn’t do it without Janice or her incredibly talented team at Bellwether Events. She is the best, and perhaps even more type A than I am.

Janice is the best! We could not have imagined that everything would have turned out the way it did. Janice was able to visualize what we wanted and make it all come together. She is professional, creativity, thoughtful, and tons of fun to work with. She even made beautiful paper flowers by hand as a surprise for us. That was above and beyond anything we could have expected and really made us feel special. Our friends and family still tell us what an awesome time they had a our wedding and it would not have been that way if not for Janice and Bellwether Events!

Janice at Bellwether Events is a great wedding planner -- very professional and definitely an EXPERT at putting on an awesome wedding. There were so many things we hadn't thought about or accounted for that Janice helped us with. She is very flexible as well -- we had a non-traditional, offbeat wedding and she was all for it, helping to add some awesome, above & beyond creative touches. Her vendor recommendations are invaluable -- we loved everyone she helped link us up with. Janice had another event already on her calendar for our wedding day so Rebecca was our primary day-of coordinator (another helper, Sara, was also great). Rebecca was brought on board super early in the process so she was totally involved and familiar with everything. Rebecca did an outstanding job on the actual day -- we had some complicated pieces and everything ran PERFECTLY the whole night. Rebecca was professional, calm (super important), and anticipated everything. I know people always talk about how something will go wrong with your wedding, but that really didn't happen for us. We were lucky, and by lucky I mean: Thanks, Janice & Rebecca & Sara!

I chose Bellwether Events because Janice was all business upfront. On our first phone call she had a prepared set for questions she wanted answered, so there was no chit chat until the important details were covered. She kept the conversation on topic on what she could deliver and what could be expected of a wedding planner. She was also very virtually connected which was important me when working with someone across the country. On the wedding day all my bridesmaids were complimenting her straightforward delivery and thorough scheduling. Everything went absolutely perfectly with Janice sweating out the details.

We hired Janice as our "day of" wedding planner, but she offered her services for the month or two leading up to the wedding. She was consistently organized, reliable, responsive, and helpful, and she retained a great sense of humor throughout the process. She was not at all pretentious, which I'm guessing is unusual in a wedding planner, and her vendor recommendations were excellent. She was also flexible with some of our changing logistics, remaining calm and pleasant. On the day of the wedding, she worked tirelessly, and enabled my husband and me to feel like guests, rather than hosts, at our daughter's wedding. We were really able to enjoy the day, thanks to Janice's hard work!

Janice and her entire staff were spectacular in every way possible. They were very professional, creative and made sure that every aspect of the wedding reflected our wants and visions. Bellwether Events exceeded our expectations.

Janice at Bellwether Events was amazing! My husband and I never had to worry that things weren't going to get accomplished prior to and on the day of the wedding. Everything went as smooth as could be on our special day! Janice thought of many personal touches to enhance our ceremony and reception...just a fabulous person to work with. I can't recommend her enough!!!

I am so happy that Janice assisted us in our wedding planning. The day ran so smooth because she was attentive and a step ahead of everything!

Honestly could not have done our wedding without Janice!! She was so wonderful to work with, easy to talk to, always available, extremely organized, took care of every little detail, had wonderful/modern ideas and suggestions and was just all around amazing!!! I can't say enough great things about her and how much she helped my mom and I plan an amazing event that truly was the best day of my life! We also received tons of compliments from the bridal party/parents of the groom/guests on how awesome she was. :) Thanks Janice-you rock!

Janice was phenomenal to work with as our day of coordinator this summer! She was our best investment as she ensured that throughout the wedding weekend we could relax and just enjoy our special day. We hired Janice with the intention of having someone who was professional and knowledgeable about executing a large event such as our wedding. She was exactly what we wanted, and more. I thought I was type A and organized throughout our wedding planning process, but once Janice stepped in 2 months out she proved her worth by identifying things we had not even thought of, and she made sure everything came together seamlessly. We had a long and detailed Mass and she made sure that it was easy and beautiful from the processional to the recessional. Had we not hired her, I would have focused on the execution of the details and not enjoying the wedding. I would highly recommend Janice any day!

Janice was on top of our wedding from the day we met. She didn't let any small detail pass. Her communication skills are the best. We thoroughly enjoyed working with Janice and highly recommend her services.

Janice is absolutely perfect and extremely professional! We absolutely adored working with her and felt nothing but confident that she'd give us everything and more that we asked for. Not only is she professional and gets the job done but she's very down to earth and personable which made the experience that much better! She always gets back to emails, multiple times a day, constantly gives advice and website links for ideas. Anytime I had trouble finding something I wanted for the wedding and wasn't sure where to look, she always found something....very promptly I might add! I always felt very comfortable with her and never had to worry that something wouldn't get done. Very organized and I love that!

I would highly recommend Bellwether Events for any bride having their big day in the Washington, DC metropolitan area! Even though I'm from the area, I've been away for many years. I was living and married in New Zealand, when my husband and I decided to do another reception for my side of the family and friends back home. Janice was absolutely essential to planning this event, as what I envisioned seemed to change constantly from a full-fledged ceremony to a simple dinner party.

Janice was in constant communication (even though I was often hard to reach-even with a couple months abroad in a 3rd world country!) She was an endless fountain of ideas, had an extensive knowledge of vendors (vegan bakeries-yum!), and was able to work with my very slim budget. There was no limit to the dedication Janice provided me during the planning process, even with no arriving to the area until 9 days ahead of time! So, please, make her your top choice especially if DC is the site for your destination wedding!

My event was also the night after a record-breaking (and unexpected) snowstorm. Janice was able to find me alternative transportation in minutes. She had a complete game plan ready, having everything ready without a hitch. In fact, we ended up with TOO MUCH of everything, as many guests couldn't make it through the snow; but Janice magically did :) I am so thankful I worked with her, as I heard many horror stories of weddings happening that day with NO help from planners/vendors. Yikes!

Janice is a magician, an absolute fairy godmother. She will transform whatever vision you have into reality-plus so much more!

Janice Carnavale, owner of Bellwether Events, was another life saver for us!!!

Her professionalism, experience, flexibility, reliability and overall approach helped us in so many ways. I was impressed with how she handled so many different situations. Whether we were dealing with a simple matter of gathering information or the reality of managing unpredictable and unexpected emotions, she managed everything, and most importantly, everyone, so well and appropriately - it was quite amazing !

During the hectic times, she was quick on her feet with words of encouragement or new solutions. Throughout the planning process and the wedding day, I felt very well-supported.

Thank you Janice for making our wedding day as carefree and fun as it actually was!!!

Janice Carnevale from Bellweather was very easy to work with from day one; she's also got a great, highly competitive rate (since she is the boss and can be more flexible based on your needs and budget). I have a strong personality and am highly organized but she still taught me alot - she had such an amazing check list of not only what needed to be done, but choices to consider that I had never even thought of. She brought order to my wedding and noone even noticed; all they knew is that it was flawless. Janice was nurturing and comforting, but also strong enough to control personalities in a professional way. For example, me! One of the greatest gifts she gave me was explaining the reasons why I should reconsider my adamant decision not to have a videographer by asking why I made the choice and explaining to me why she was concerned that I would regret the decision. She finally convinced me to do it and I am forever in her debt because of that!

We hired Janice as our wedding planner for our backyard wedding in September 2009. Because of the logistics of having it at home we knew we could not do it alone. We were new to the area and didn't know where to start. Upon first meeting, Janice impressed not only me, but my husband (which is hard to do). She came prepared with photos, ideas, and also gave us a realistic view of what to expect with a 85 person at home wedding...did I mention with a 6 month planning time frame.

Janice spent the next 6 months helping us find professional/reliable vendors, shopping for flowers with me, getting permits for the tent, meeting with fire inspectors, and keeping us on track. The day of the wedding it rained all day. We were too cheap to spring for a walkway tent from the caters tent to the main tent so Janice personally escorted each of the servers to the tent so that the plates would not get wet (I tried to convince her that it was ok for the plates to get wet, but being the true perfectionist that she is she could not stand to see that happen). We had a blast and didn't even notice the rain, but we did notice Janice's dedication to making our day special. Hiring her was one of the best decisions we made.

Janice was great and a definite must-have when planning your wedding. She was most helpful in organizing the vendors and keeping contact with them from the beginning of planning through the end of the wedding night. This included keeping all of the details straight with each vendor, coordinating between vendors and the reception site, and making sure everything happened the way it was planned on the day of the wedding. She was also comfortable talking to the vendors to help with our last minute linen change and coordinating a special delivery time for the cake that worked for both the bakery and our reception site.

In addition, her years of experience definitely helped us through the planning process. As the first of our friends to get married, we had limited 'close-encounters' with wedding planning. She was a great person to bounce ideas back and forth with. As we were two consultants getting married, we analyzed a lot of options for each piece of the wedding. She was always able to point out the positives and negatives of each option and add valuable perspective based on her previous experiences. Janice was also always quick to respond when you had questions regardless of how small they were. Lastly, she was there to reassure us that we were on track and doing a good job or politely suggest we really needed to start working on those seating arrangements. :)

With so many friends and family in town for the event, it was great for us to be able to enjoy their company rather than make sure the vendors got their meals or the photographer got those 'must-have' shots. We'd highly recommend Janice to help relieve many of the stresses of planning a wedding!

I do some event planning for work, and was initially not interested in having a Day of Coordinator because I was sure that I was well organized and could handle everything myself, along with family and friends. I was having a pretty laid back wedding and trusted my vendors. However, as we got close to the wedding, I was dealing with buying a house, work craziness, and normal wedding nervousness, and just wanted someone else to pull together the detailed timeline, take over for the last few days, and handle things day of. Janice was perfect. She is extremely professional and organized, positive without being overly perky and annoying, and understood the vision and laid back nature that I wanted. She was also willing to flexible about pricing because of the location and simplicity of the wedding. I am sure that she would also work well for brides/weddings who have more complicated (or high maintenance) visions---and she strikes me as being excited about all kinds of weddings, and incredibly competent. I would very much recommend her for any type of event planning service.

If you had told me when I first became engaged that I would be married in three months' time, and that photos from my wedding reception would be featured in a wedding magazine, I would not have believed it for a second!

I am a meeting planner by trade, so I knew that with such a short time to plan a wedding for 100 people, I needed someone with experience to make it happen. From the start, it was clear that Janice was willing to devote the time and effort to make this work. Even though I knew she had other clients, I never felt as if I was being neglected, and she often went the extra mile to help with tasks that I couldn't do alone because I didn't have a car. Poor Janice had to deal with my unique (some might say wacky) vision, but she tackled the challenge head-on. We had a good number of vendors to deal with, and very few were the usual wedding industry types. Janice kept track of expenses and timelines, always kept me in the loop, and gave good advice on prioritization. Not everything went as planned on the day of the event (working in a similar field, I can tell you that is ALWAYS the case), but Janice kept me level-headed on my wedding day and averted a catering crisis involving the wrong table linen color before I or any of the guests arrived.

I could not have pulled off such a fabulous wedding without Janice's help, and would recommend her services to anyone who values responsiveness, dedication, and a can-do attitude.

Janice Carnevale was everything I was hoping for in a wedding coordinator and more. She was always upbeat and cheerful, very patient but was great at keeping me moving & focused during the planning (I�m a world-class procrastinator!). The vendors she recommended were wonderful. We didn�t have to worry about a thing on the day of the wedding, and thanks to her hard work and dedication our families are still talking about how much fun they had ! I would highly recommend you hire Janice as your wedding coordinator. You won�t be disappointed!

Janice was our "day of" wedding coordinator. Simply put, she did an amazing job. She was organized, welcoming, structured, amicable, professional and kept everyone happy. She had to manage a spectrum of characters from each of our families and performed excellently. I really could not have been happier with her. Our wedding was beautiful and went off without a hitch. Thanks for all of your help Janice. I would definitely recommend her to a friend/family member.

John

Bellwether Events did a wonderful job at making my wedding stress free. They are very professional and extremely organized!!!

Bellwether Events (Janice) was wonderful! I used her "month-of-coordination" service and found it really valuable. She provided her candid advice but at the same time she gave us the freedom and flexibility to make the event truly our own (while reminding us of lots of crucial details we would have forgotten otherwise). She is pretty relaxed during the process, which was helpful for us to keep our stress levels down, but on the day-of she really worked hard to make sure everything went super-smoothly. I loved her system of creating a working schedule document and communicating it to all of the vendors (and parents, wedding party, etc.) I really have no reservations and recommend Janice's services enthusiastically.

Smart. A sixth sense for weddings. Thoughtful. When I think of Janice Carnevale and Bellwether Events (www.bellwetherevents.com), these are some of the qualities that come to mind. Janice dramatically improved my wedding with her expertise and deft organizational and people skills. I was able to relax, have fun, and not worry about the details on my special day because I knew Janice was so competent.
Janice first impressed my groom, parents and me when we met with her months before the wedding. We explained how we were very concerned about the space for the ceremony and flow from ceremony to cocktail hour to celebration. Janice suggested that she come to the event location and take a look. Immediately upon seeing the space, she was able to come up with a better layout for the ceremony that the location staff agreed to. Her ability to visualize the flow in the room from ceremony to cocktail hour enhanced our wedding greatly. This was one my biggest concerns for the wedding and I was elated that a solution was found.
Additionally, our Rabbi could not come to the rehearsal since it was on a Saturday (during Shabbat). Janice volunteered to take over and lead the rehearsal. She organized the whole wedding party (over 20 people) with ease and laughter. We went through the wedding ceremony quickly two times and I know that the five-year-old flower girl and some that had never been in a Jewish wedding felt well assured after the rehearsal. Many of my bridesmaids and the parents of the groom remarked on what a great job she did and how impressed with her organizational talents they were.
Also, Janice was incredibly thoughtful. She knew that I wanted certain things and made sure that they happened. For example, I wanted organic wine and she made sure that I was served only organic wine. She also insured that everything (and I mean everything) ran smoothly on the wedding day.
I feel incredibly blessed to have had such a wonderful wedding. Janice Carnevale is truly talented at what she does and I wish that everyone could be as lucky as my groom (Andrew) and I and our families to have such a fantastic wedding planner.

Janice provided exactly what we wanted from a day-of coordinator. She was to the point, succint and straightforward in the days leading to the wedding. And on the actual day, she helped us tremendously. I don't know what I would have done without her help, especially because we had some unexpected weather issues and vendor debacles. Definitely recommend her if you're looking for someone to get the job done.

janice totally rocked.
can't say enough about her. my day was perfect. my wedding was not small, and she handled everything. i didn't think about a thing. best day ever!

Janice took over planning one month before (it was really a little earlier than that but she was hired as a month of planner). Janice literally took over everything and brought up a lot of issues that had never occurred to me and ideas i would have never thought of and took care of everything to make sure i had my perfect wedding. I had the perfect wedding. NOTHING went wrong and if it did Janice took care of it before anyone noticed and never brought a problem to my attention so i could enjoy myself. She was cool, calm and collected which is what not only a bride needs but often the parents too. I have already referred a few of my friends getting married soon to Janice and they have all been happy. She timed everything out for my wedding to a tee and it ran PERFECTLY on schedule.

All in all she was everything that I wanted but didn't know I'd need for a wedding planner. I think my favorite thing about her was the fact that she'd bring ideas or suggestions to my attention and it was so obvious that her #1 priority was coordinating a great wedding for me and my husband. If I was to have another event and needed a coordinators service Janice would not only be my planner she'd be my first phone call.

Janice was wonderful and gave me my ideal wedding. She was honest to god the best money I spent throughout the wedding process, worth every penny and then some more.

We had several instances where she chose not to listen to what we wanted or where she would say what we wanted wasn't good enough. She was crude to my husband and I an to potential vendors.

She put our personal business out to vendors. I had several vendors call and say they would not work with her because she was rude. I had vendors I recommended called names and said they were not suited to do the job.

I would not recommend and we almost fired her twice, we are looking into legalities for things she did not contracually do.

I highly recommend Bellwether Events. I had a wonderful experience.

JANICE IS THE BEST!!!! We had interviewed 3 other coordinators before we retained Janice's services. She was so confident and professional in dealing with all our vendors (we didn't make it easy for her with our many vendors!) and even our wedding party was impressed with her. We all agreed that she was money well spent!

Fabulous! Great to work with!

Janice and her staff are extraordinary and ready for anything - even a wedding at the National's Ball Park or Glen Echo Park! I always know that everything will be well organized and what's more - fun - when I'm working with her.

Janice is so hard working and has great ideas for her clients! Whenever we are booked - we love recommending Janice and her team!

When planning your social event in Washington, DC area from weddings to corporate events put Bellweather at the top of your list. Janice will make sure ever detail is taken care of so you do not miss any part of your days events.

I had the pleasure of hiring Janice from Bellwether to assist with a very large Hindu wedding event over Labor Day weekend. I'm not sure how I would have made it through the day so successfully without her. She was willing to do whatever asked in order to satisfy the client. She was responsive, proactive, helpful, accommodating, and supportive at every opportunity. I refer her all of the time when there is an event that I am unable to service. I know that her service standards and expectations are as high was mine, and that she will always deliver above and beyond.

Janice really knows her stuff and couldn't be any nicer to work with. Her couples love working with her and she always takes a "team approach" when working with other vendors - something that's crucial for a successful wedding. We highly recommend her!

Janice is just great. Very organized and thorough. She is highly focused and able to juggle all the elements that make a wedding successful. I have worked with her on several occasions and recommend her highly.

Janice is an incredible event planner. She so pleasant to work with, the entire event ran so smoothly. She was very kind. Watching her work, I can tell she is great at what she does and also loves weddings.

Whether you are looking for a full service wedding planner or day of coordinator, Janice Carnevale is your shining star!! She has a relaxed and calming demeanor, is extremely knowledgeable, has impeccable taste and organizational skills, and best of all she will make your wedding day absolutely stress-free! I have been in the events industry for over 20 years, work with the top entertainment agency in Washington, and have performed for the most exclusive events in the the D.C. area. Janice ranks among the very best this industry has to offer. If you want your wedding day to be the once in a lifetime event you have always dreamed of, you must hire Janice!

Janice is wonderful ! When we have a great event lead in position our day is a happy day. Most people don't realize what it's like for vendors when there isn't a great coordinator in place. One who cares about the success of everyone involved. We all have to work like a team, and when the coordinator puts everyone at ease and gives us clear instructions, then we are all happier and produce a more beautiful, flawless day for the happy couple. That's a concept that Janice clearly understands. We dont' have to think of the small details, because Janice has already worked those out for us. I look forward to our next wedding together.

Janice is phenomenal, one of the best i have worked with in a long time and one of the very few who understands the importance of everyone's part in helping create a wonderful wedding

Janice is an amazing professional and VERY creative! It was a pleasure to photograph her "carnival" inspired wedding! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!!!!

I had the pleasure of working with Janice Carnevale on a wedding I did 2 weeks ago. From the time my bride hired Janice till the wedding day everything progressed flawlessly! She was on top of every detail and my bride would say how relaxed she was because of Janice! I personally loved her sweet character and great manners!! I would love to work with her again.