Ceremonies of St. John
St John, VI 00831
(map) Phone: 888-282-3933
Reviews for Ceremonies of St. John
GUEST
My husband and I flew to St. John about a year and a half before our wedding to check out the island and meet with some wedding planners. We met with a couple different wedding planners/coordinators on the island and ended up choosing Stacy. Actually, Stacy came highly recommended to us by several people that we met on the island during our short stay. From that point on until the wedding, Stacy was awesome. I was a little OCD about things, and Stacy always answered all of my questions in a timely manner. She was always willing to help and give advice. She was fantastic to work with even when my husband and I changed our minds or added things on to the wedding. Her recommendations on where to get hair and makeup done on the island and where to have our mini reception turned out to be awesome! She even went above and beyond to keep me sane during the last week or so before the wedding...I was very nervous about the weather and that the court house on St. Thomas kept saying that hadn't received our marriage license application yet. But everything turned out beautifully! I couldn't have been more happy with the flowers, chairs, steel pan drummer, Reverend, etc. We loved everything! Stacy's services were well worth the money! The day of the wedding, she did everything, all I had to do was show up....she definitely made our wedding beautiful and stress free! :-)
GUEST
Stacy is the most amazing wedding planner and I really tested her including over 30 emails a few days ahead of the wedding. Three days before the wedding I asked if she could help me with a hair stylist and she had one at my hotel door at 7:30 am the day of the wedding. The flowers were breathtaking as were the cake and table. The cake was honestly the most beautiful and best tasting cake I have ever had.
Ceremonies of St. John made my day perfect from start to finish.
Marcy
St. Louisville, Ohiuo
GUEST
The cake was absolutely beautiful! It turned out perfectly. I had a three tier cake with different flavors on each tier. She worked with my florist (East-end) to make sure the cake flowers were consistent with the rest of the wedding flowers. She also delivered the cake to the villa so there was no stress involved. It was gorgeous and tasted wonderful! Thanks so much!!
GUEST
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GUEST
Stacy,
Thanks for taking care of all the details so that we could focus on ourselves and enjoy our wedding day.
John and Cheryl
GUEST
Stacy Mulcare provided amazing services. Stacy was so helpful, professional and pleasant to work with. On a day where many stresses can take place, her diligence and expertise made everything smooth and wonderful.
Prior to contacting Stacy, I called five other wedding planners in four different countries. Stacy was the only person who offered the information in an organized manner, with reassurances. Her website is simply the best! Her availability after the contract was signed was beyond expectation. We truly appreciate everything Staacy did and think she is the No. 1 wedding planner in the world!
Sage and Steve were great to work with as well. We were pleased with how relaxing it was to work with them. They are clearly at the top of their field in their respected profession.
GUEST
After an extensive internet search for the perfect wedding planner, I found Stacy @ Ceremonies of St. John. Her attention to detail and professionalism exceeded my expectations. She provided an excellent experience for the most important day of my life. I would definitely recommend her to anyone.
GUEST
I didn't have to worry about a single thing on my wedding day, thanks to Stacy & her team at Ceremonies! Not many brides can say that, thank you Stacy!
GUEST
Stacy was great! She made sure everything was on schedule from bringing in the cake to timing the sunset perfectly! Stacy sure made a stressful day turn into a very non stressful day for all involved. She kept everything running nice and smooth. I would highly recommend her to any bride to be!
GUEST
If you wish marrying in St John, don't hesitate, Stacy is the right person. Friendly and professional, high quality service. We did it from Italy, only by email and she gave us right infos and guided us to have a wonderful day.
Marcello and Daniela
GUEST
Hello I used Stacey for my Nov 11 wedding in St John. Unfortunately, I was not that pleased. To be fair, she was nice at the ceremony but my pre-planning experience was not very good. I initially hired her for the day of and also to plan our dinner at Morgan’s Mango. Right from the get go I did not feel like I was a priority. It was common to take a few weeks to get a reply. But I figured she was busy. July 1st I asked her if she could do a quick walk through at the restaurant, we were 4 ½ months out to the ceremony and I needed to figure out how many tables and therefore how many centerpieces I needed. By the end of July she had not done that. I just started working with Carlos, the owner of Morgan’s Mango (he is the best!), and we planned the menu, tables, etc. So at the end of July I very politely emailed her and said I hadn’t heard back in nearly a month and I needed to get this done so I did it myself, I asked if she would refund that portion of her fee. To her credit, she agreed.
After that point her communication would take longer and her replies were shorter (and curt). I really got the sense of…I paid for the basic “day of” and she wasn’t going to give me one cent more in advice. Ironically, I originally wanted to pay her for more planning but should wouldn’t help me and I was approaching 3 months out.
I was having some issues with chairs rental etc and I would email her asking what she has done in the past etc and what looks best, etc and she would just say short answers like it’s really your decision. I emailed back, “please I’m asking for your advice as a professional event planner”. I kept my questions to “day of” only and still didn’t get the help I needed.
I honestly wanted to completely end my contract at that time, but I didn’t think I would get my money back. So I put a smile on and thought I will do everything on my own and just get through the day of. Thank goodness for all the kind advice I got from the restaurant, my photographer and even the boat rental company!
Another thing I noticed was her pricing. She quoted me $3 per plastic flute + 20% gratuity so for 50 people is $180. I called another planner down there and she was charging a $1 per flute and no grat on plastic wear so $50. The same went for other items she quoted me so I did them on my own. I had to ask numerous times to do a rehearsal (she didn't think it was necessary) and when we finally did she acted rushed to my family (granted it was a little chaotic, but lets be nice).
I actually could list more concerns but I honestly feel bad writing a negative review and I’m not out to ruin anyone’s business. I just wanted to share my personal experience. I do believe if you have a big budget and just want to let her up charge everything, I’m sure she knows what she is doing. For me, I wanted someone that was nice and helpful and didn’t add stress to my wedding planning, it didn’t really work out.
Vendor response to review
First let me say how disappointed I am to read your review of my services for your wedding day.
I researched every email we exchanged with each other beginning in March, 2010. At the most, you waited 6 days for a response from me and not a "few weeks to reply". In most cases, I responded to you on the same day or within 48 hours.
Yes, you did request on July 2 for me to do a walk thru at the restaurant that week. I explained it was a holiday week and would not be able to get there for you.
Next, you did inform me that you work as an event planner and would prefer to do most planning on your own. You asked me to hire a Minister, get a permit, and provide transporation for you to the ceremony. You no longer wanted to me plan any other services for the ceremeony and that you would take care of planning your own reception and hiring the vendors. At that time, I refunded a portion of your contract.
I am not sure what you are referring to when you say I did not give you more advice nor would I help you with anymore planning. I gave you advice all the way up to the rehearsal at the beach. The week leading up the wedding you were still asking my advice on chair rentals that you arranged on your own and a rehearsal at the beach that your step mother was requesting and not you.
When I stated in an email, "It really is your decision", the question you asked was whether you needed a rehearsal on the beach.
I have to take exception with what you have written about the Rehearsal at the beach. First, you were over 20 min. late to the beach. Secondly, with more than 25 people at the beach, it was difficult for you to stay focused and to get the wedding party out of the water. Lastly, I was on the beach with you for over and hour. I hardly think I rushed you on this day.
Again, remember that you wanted to be the event planner on St. John and only needed me to provide a Minister, permit and transportation for the bridal couple.
Please remember that the Groom disappeared for over 30 minutes when it was time to depart. That is a long time to keep the car waiting for you after the ceremony has concluded.
Once I dropped you off at Morgan's Mango, the Groom's brother asked for a ride back to his condo to get items needed for the reception. I took him back, waited for him to find the items, and then drove him back to the reception.
It was a choatic day because of the constant rain, you trying to work as a planner, and your expectations of me to do more than you were willing to hire me to do for you.
GUEST
Stacy was great!!! The wedding was perfect, and everything we had hoped for!
GUEST
Stacy,
Thank you for your help on Wednesday and with getting us a photographer on such short notice !!! I also appreciate you blocking our frolicking unexpected guests on the beach with your body during the ceremony ; )
Looking forward to receiving our pictures !!
Lisa Cartolano
GUEST
Stacy was absolutely amazing. She was so helpful, patient and willing to go that extra mile every time I had a request. You can't go wrong with Stacy, she's Top Notch. She made our special day so easy and wonderful. We can't thank her enough.
GUEST
The pluses: The wedding day was beautiful! The weather turned out perfect despite a major tropical storm just days prior to the wedding, and the setting was gorgeous. The Minister (R. Nelson) and photographer (Sage) were great!
The minuses: Expectations of what we were supposed to arrange versus what the wedding 'planner' would arrange was not clearly communicated. (1) We did not learn that we were responsible for securing hair/make-up stylists without guidance from the planner. We had to scramble at the last minute to find stylists that could accommodate the date/time/location needed prior to the wedding and our wedding date was very popular so many stylists were already booked. We were unfamiliar with the island and didn't know the reputation of any stylists or their ability to deliver as promised. Fortunately, we found a terrific stylist (Kristina Pearsall) that got the job done! (2) We were not informed that flowers had to be ordered two weeks prior to the wedding date. It just so happened that a few weeks prior to the date, we reached out to the coordinator, since we had not heard from her in a while, to see if any last minute things needed to be done on our end and that's when we learned of the requirements for the flowers. (3) We were unaware that the wedding planner would not provide a location to dress prior to the wedding - we stayed in a hotel on St. Thomas and the wedding was on St. John, so we had to wear our wedding outfits on the ferry boat rides between the islands. We did receive a refund for the transportation portion of the fees paid to the wedding planner. (4) Email communication was usually initiated on our end and some of the responses were slow and did not address the questions adequately. We did request to a meeting prior to the date to help lessen the anxiety and Stacy was agreeable to a one-time meeting prior to the wedding at no additional cost.
In retrospect, we have beautiful memories of our special day and when we met Stacy, we enjoyed her upbeat personality; but the periods of pre-planning anxiety and frustration could have been alleviated with Stacy sending us a simple checklist of items that we needed to have completed along with time frames for completion. Another suggestion would be to keep some paper towel rolls on hand in the limo. Since this was our first visit to the islands, we were not expecting the sweltering humidity levels we encountered in the early morning hours. Needless to say, we looked pretty diaphoretic in some of the photos. Future couples could really benefit from a few adjustments, and our ratings would have been much higher had those items already been part of the wedding planner's toolkit.
Vendor response to review
I would like to take this opportunity to respond to your negative comments.
1. August 29 and again October 4 we discussed hiring a hair stylist for you on St. John so that you could travel from St. Thomas and get ready on St. John. I explained Oct. 10 was a very busy day I needed to make the salon reservation in August. You declined this offer in an email and said you "wanted to waint unitl you got here to look around".
2. You placed the flower order with me in August and then did not remember what you ordered and inquired again at the end of September. You recieved the exact flower order you requested for the wedding day.
3.This statement is completely false. You knew as early as August that the only location to get dressed on St. John would be at a salon, the bathroom at the beach, or a public bathroom. If you did not want to use any of these facilities, you would need to be dressed upon arrival to St. John from St. Thomas.
4. Of course I would meet with you once you were in the Virgin Islands. You arrived on October 7 and I meet with you on October 8. The wedding was on October 10.
5. In an August 29 email to your husband, I provided an itinerary of the wedding day timeline and answered every question he asked about the checklist. May I say, this is the same information provided on the telephone to you in several conversations leading up to the August 29 email.
6. You declined the transportation offered in your wedding package and chose to take a car barge from St. Thomas. When you arrived at the beach, you had wash cloths from the hotel with you in your rental car. The private car you declined is stocked with hand towels, paper towels, water, and a box of items any Bride may need on her special day.
I am surprised by your review since you sent an email to me on November 25 stating, "Jerome & I had a blast in the VI. Thanks for making our special day fabulous! Sincerely,
Kymala
GUEST
Stacy was incredibly helpful and the high level of service exceeded my high expectation. Through some challenging obstacles provided by Tropical Storm Otto, Stacy was flexible, encouraging, and and did not sacrifice quality at any point. Our wedding was a dream come true!
GUEST
Stacy planned our wedding on Trunk Bay in St John on July 10, 2010 (in less than 3 months). Having never been to the USVI, Stacy provided helpful suggestions and input on accomodations both in St John and St Thomas as well as restaurants and activities beyond the wedding events. Her responsiveness and attention to detail was much appreciated by this Type A bride. It started to drizzle when our big moment arrived, but Stacy kept the calm with umbrellas and thoughts of good luck for rain on your wedding day! The ceremony turned out beautifully and the pictures amazing. All of the vendors Stacy coordinated were top notch.
GUEST
GUEST
Stacy was the main reason that our wedding went perfectly down to every detail. She is organized and professional as well as very knowledgeable about St. John having lived on the island for many years. She took care of everything we could ask for including our ceremony, reception and our catering needs for the day after. Everything went off without a hitch!
(Her husband, Shay, also is an incredibly talented baker and makes the most beautiful cakes on the island.)
I highly recommend Stacy and her services - she is a special lady who is the best choice for your special day!
Stacy from Ceremonies of St. John is an easy choice for our guests looking for a competent wedding and event planner who can handle any unforeseen situation with aplomb. Her calm professionalism magically eliminates pre-ceremony jitters and adds a comforting touch to that magical day. We look forward to working with her for many years to come.
About Ceremonies of St. John
Selected as 1 of the top 30 International Wedding planners. Our weddings have been featured on the Travel Channel, TheKnot.com, and many Destination Weddings & Honeymoon magazines.
Stacy Mulcare is considered the Elite
Wedding Planner on St. John. As the first wedding planner on the island, Stacy will assist you with designing your special day. Ceremonies of St. John will provide the Minister, flowers, photography, video, wedding cake, champagne,
musicians, catering, accommodations, guest transportation, sunset sails and spa appointments.
See why Stacy Mulcare at Ceremonies of St. John is considered the premiere wedding planner for St. John!
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