Friend of the Bride

I was planning from out of state and settled on Beverly with FotB because she was quick to respond and seemed very sweet. My basic issue was I needed help the day before and day of and just questions beforehand. So she priced things accordingly. I felt the pricing was fair in relation to the help we were to going to be getting.

Mostly positive experience beforehand...
I had an awful lot of questions and she responded very quickly and efficiently to those. I don't know if I should've made it clearer I needed a little more help getting a response out of a vendor but I didn't feel 100% backing but that could've just been the fact I didn't say hey do this! But eh..I don't know, I figured if you're the go-to person you'd maybe stick your foot in a bit. I like to take care of things myself instead of dictating to everybody else. I just find it's easier. That's where I would've given 4.5 stars out of 5.

I was a little disappointed in the rehearsal. I thought maybe I was just being overly sensitive but had felt she was pushy and a little short with me. But other people pointed it out too so I thought ok maybe she's just feeling overwhelmed with us. We're a rowdy bunch and I had warned her of it before. So I gave her the benefit of the doubt. This is where I would've rated 3.5 stars out of 5.

The day of...First..she didn't even know who the groom was!!!! I heard after the fact from several in my wedding party she was snotty and rude. That may be the case but I couldn't tell you because to me, she was practically non-existent all day. I almost NEVER saw her! I had to have someone hunt her down after everything started to tell her what to do next. I hired her to basically help with the flow of things. I overheard the DJ say something like in a half hour we'll announce the bride and groom. So I had someone try to hunt Beverly down but we couldn't find her so my photographer went down to tell the DJ we were done with pictures and were ready to come down. Nobody came to me to say hey we're cutting the cake or hey we're doing this. That was the whole point of hiring the day-of planner!! I had to go to the day of manager and say hey look it's 90 freakin degrees up here, we don't have to move lunch up but everybody needs to move DOWNstairs where it's cool.
I told her hey this person is supposed to film the ceremony. When nobody was there with a camera, isn't that kinda something you'd think your planner would say didn't you say so and so is supposed to be filming? I was in a room away from everything getting ready and hadn't seen anybody so I had no idea it wasn't being filmed. My fault for not having a backup but I certainly could've delayed things if I had known. I was in a room that had air on so I didn't know my guests were sitting in 90 degree heat. My mom finally found the thermostat on that floor and turned it down. This day is where I would've rated 1 out of 5 stars.

Her last words to me were you may get an email from me in the next few days..Nope. Nothing..nada. (ETA: She emailed to say happy one month anniversary) Our other vendors thanked us profusely for including them in the meal. We've had contact with them since. Even requests for us to fill out reviews/suruveys so they can better their service. Another ETA..my husband decided to respond to your one month email and informed her constructively of what the pros/cons were. One of her responses was her job was done at 1230. Our ceremony was at 11am!! I was under the impression she was being hired as a day of consultant. If that's the case, we didn't eat lunch until almost 2..if you're off the clock how could you have the gall to stay and eat one someone elses tab? So that dropped the review another star.

All in all. I was disappointed. I guess I expected that person to be there for me to help and guide me the day of but that wasn't the case. Maybe I misunderstood. Everything still worked out wonderfully because I had other people to step in and help. I would recommend her for the questions beforehand. But not for anything after that.

We knew we would need help with our wedding rehearsal because Crystal Gardens only gives a half hour. I thought that didn’t sound like enough time, so I called Friend of the Bride just to ask some questions, and one was how long should the rehearsal be. Beverly said plan on an hour and a half. She said she could probably get it done in an hour with our large group, but likes to have an extra half hour just in case there are questions or unforeseeable problems. Since we could only get 30 minutes at the venue, she said we could have a pre-rehearsal, so we did at my mom’s house. We met inside so she could explain everything, then we went outside and practiced up and down the sidewalk. It might sound silly, but we had fun! The most important thing is that when we had our quick rehearsal at Crystal Gardens we knew what we were supposed to do, except for readjusting where we had to stand (no grass or cars in the driveway this time!). I am so glad we had the two practices because there were set-up problems from the wedding before ours, and the ushers and groomsmen knew what needed to be done because Beverly had talked about it. Beverly was very helpful in being available during the planning process. We only had to meet for a consultation once, and she was very thorough. Of course, I still had questions as time passed, but she never hesitated to be helpful. She has a lot of experience, but does not try to be bossy…she really listens and tells what will work and what won’t. Friend of the Bride is the best friend!

From processional picking to gift advising, Friend of the Bride was there every step of the way, coordinating and comforting. It was so reassuring to have someone experienced and intelligent to email, and about absolutely anything.From coordinating 25 musicians and 26 bridal attendants, to pointing out concerns that would affect almost 400 guests, to the surprise flowers dedication for our mothers, her expert touch made our entire wedding experience more wonderful than it ever would have been. Beverly was even the pipe-organist for the ceremony! I know there were lots of other behind-the-scenes work that went into making our day seamless, and can't thank her enough for her guidance and friendship. We couldn't have done it without Friend of the Bride.