Blue Canary Events

Tori Malby of Blue Canary was excellent. From the first time we met with her, she was tuned to what we wanted. Most importantly, she knew what we did not know and saw to every detail.

Weddings can be very stressful under the best of conditions, but it was a perfect day thanks to Tori.

Her recommended vendors were wonderful and as professional and attentive as she was. It was a wonderful experience, tough I do not plan to get married again I will certainly contact them again for other events.

I hightly recommend Tori and Blue Canary!

I'm not sure where to start in reviewing Rebecca and Blue Canary - I can't count how many times I said during the planning process, "This is the best wedding expense, hands down," and that was true to the very end of our wedding reception and afterwards.

Rebecca is a fantastic planner AND friend, and I can't think of a better person to have in your corner when planning a wedding. Despite only being hired as a month-of planner, Rebecca was there for us from Day 1, from vendor recommendations and moral support to going way beyond the call of duty to back us up when a vendor wasn't living up to our expectations. When I walked into the wedding I was shocked at how well she had interpreted our vision into reality - everything looked 100% perfect, and any small fires that may have come up during the reception were put out without us ever getting involved.

We originally hired a month-of planner to really just help out with the complicated logistics of setting up and tearing down a largely DIY wedding at Glen Echo Park. While that was definitely worth the cost alone and I can't imagine having pulled off the wedding without Rebecca and her wonderful assistants, we also got way more than that - Rebecca was a consistent presence in the months leading up to the wedding, and seemed 100% excited to be involved - it never felt like just a job to her. She and her team helped make our wedding a reality when I really thought it probably wouldn't come together as I'd imagined, and she was a 100% pleasure to work with throughout. I'd hire her again tomorrow in a heartbeat!

I have been putting off writing this review since my wedding (in June) because I truly don't know how to put on paper all the amazingness that is Rebecca Dick! A 5 out of 5 honestly just does not do her justice!

I can't speak for all the planners at Blue Canary, but if you have the chance to work with Rebecca, JUMP ON IT!!!!!!
In every way possible, Rebecca was an amazing source of help, knowledge, support, and fun. We booked Rebecca for the partial planning package and she went above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined. With my mother in NY and my husband's mother in KY (and me in graduate school full time), I honestly do not know how this wedding would have happened without Rebecca!!!!
She was incredibly responsive and communicative via email (which was what we needed)-- answering questions, sending pictures of ideas, and helping me tease out the vision of what we wanted (neither of us had any real clue what we were doing! - I was not a bride who had dreamed of her wedding and pictured every detail). Rebecca was able to help us find fantastic deals, was super mindful of our budget in all the decisions, and helped navigate the process so we were never taken advantage of -- she really is AMAZING (times a billion).

Rebecca "got" our vision so well that there was even a time she knew what I was talking about without me even being able to put it in words myself.

With Rebecca, I can honestly say that my wedding, to us, was PERFECT. She coordinated with the vendors (in a way that left me completely out of it -- taking one source of stress completely off my plate). I can't say enough how insanely lucky my husband and I feel that we had her on our team. Even my mother, who hadn't met Rebecca until the day before the wedding was ready to adopt her into the family! She is THE BEST!!!!

Allison Ruyak, with Blue Canary Events was WONDERFUL. I got in touch with Allison and Blue Canary Events through a recommendation from a friend from college (who also has reviewed them below, thanks Kate!!) and I am SO GLAD I took her advice and used Allison to help us with our day of planning. She was SO helpful in the month leading up to the wedding. She was always so organized and on top of things. She basically took over everything I would have needed to do, the month leading up to the wedding. The day went off without a single hitch, or if it did, I didn't know about it! Everyone complimented me on how wonderful everything looked, sounded, smelled, tasted, and just came together, and it certainly would not have had it not been for Allison! Everyone also commented me on how wonderful she was specifically. Allison was so pleasant working with the wedding party, the vendors, our family, and everyone involved in the whole day. I cannot say enough about Allison and Blue Canary Events. She truly made the wedding of our dreams happen! Thank you, Allison!

What would our wedding have been like without Rebecca and the Blue Canary Team? A disaster! Funny thing is we almost didn't hire a coordinator since of course we were way over budget. But after all the money we were spending to make our wedding everything we wanted but then not having someone to make sure that everything would actually happen, on time, and smoothly started to seem silly. Thank goodness we hired Rebecca!!

My wife and I are from Miami and we had a destination same sex-wedding in Washington, DC. We found Blue Canary on www.soyourengayged.com. Rebecca made a clear timeline up to the minute of our big day. During our last month, she took over all communication with all of our vendors. As soon as we hung up with her during our initial phone call, my wife and I felt an instant sigh of relief. A huge weight was immediately lifted off our shoulders. Rebecca thought of things that would have never crossed our minds. She was there whenever we needed her. She was always positive, extremely friendly and an absolute delight to work with. She even had our back when it came to little situations that come up with vendors. Rebecca and the company’s owner, Laura, went as far as looking into tax laws to make sure we were not being taken advantage of.

On the big day, Rebecca, Tori, and Allison (the intern) helped make our day go by like a dream come true. They were efficient and helped move us along throughout a very hectic and busy day moving us as scheduled from the Capitol to Georgetown to the ceremony, then back on the trolley to see the Lincoln memorial and the Capitol along the way back to our hotel for the party! They were there for us and everything moved very smoothly throughout the day and into the night. It was truly a like dream… our day was just that… a magical fairy tale.

I can not say enough about what a great expense, experience and difference Rebecca and the Blue Canary team made for us. We, honestly, love Rebecca. We are blessed to have had her part of the most special day of our lives and are both honored to now call her our friend.

If you're wondering whether you need a wedding coordinator, you do. Because I had a small-ish wedding, I thought there was no way we needed a wedding coordinator plus two assistants, but I tell you, I don't know what we would have done without all the help. The day of the wedding was crazy, and my mind went blank.

Ryan at Blue Canary was so informative and helpful along the way. I knew that he would do a great job at the event. He provided me with countless websites with wholesale wedding goods. He always got back to me quickly and was great in managing last-minute crises. The post-wedding brunch was canceled three days before the event, and he found us another great spot that was arguably better than the place we had first booked. In addition, I sent him many emails asking who would take care of this and that and his answer was always that he would do it.

I'm VERY organized and Type A and Ryan met and exceeded my expectations, which is the best compliment I can give him. The whole day went beautifully. He balanced well making sure he was doing what I wanted and then independently making game-time decisions.

I was impressed with the services that Blue Canary provided. They set up and broke down the wedding decor. Ryan even transferred our table arrangements to the brunch the next day. He returned the leftover alcohol. He took care of all the loose ends.

I have nothing but great things to say about Blue Canary and Ryan @ Blue Canary. Highly recommended!!

When planning my wedding I knew I wanted to do most of the planning myself and I had dozens of DIY projects that I crafted, but I knew that since I was working and going to school, AND planning a wedding I would need to enlist a little help. Enter: Laura from Blue Canary Events. We knew instantly after our first meeting with Laura that we needed to book her for our Month of Coordination! She is professional, organized, and incredibly friendly which puts any bride at ease. She came with dozens of great references and when it came to the "month-of" she dealt with every vendor personally, combining their questions into one email, so that my blackberry wasn't constantly erupting and I could focus on the big day. She thought of all the small details and questions to be answered so that when it came to the wedding day everything flowed seamlessly. In addition, on the "day of" she executed the timeline she helped us create without a hitch, organized our huge bridal party perfectly, communicated with every coming and going vendor, and still had time to set up all my little projects and create the perfect dessert table/candy bar - which exceeded my expectations. Most importantly, Laura is the sweet and calming presence that every bride needs around on her day, but she also has the follow-through that every bride wants on her day!

Allison is such a gem! She is worth her weight in gold. She was so professional, organized, courteous, and genuine. She kept me true to the timeline on my wedding day as it went by so quickly. More importantly, both moms were able to relax and enjoy the day without worrying about anything. Allison took care of me, and those around me, and truly can't thank her enough. I highly recommend her!

Wish helped our overly detailed event seem effortless to us and our guests. It felt relaxed, looked wonderful and tasted/smelled delicious. Our wedding felt like a MUCH fancier affair than it was and I don't think it would have felt that way without Rebecca's (from Wish) keen eye, hard work and thoughtful approach. Wish is the best decision a bride can make!

Rebecca is amazing. She was not only my planner, but also became a friend I could rely on during the process. She told me exactly what she thought, used humor to calm down situations, and kept everyone smiling. She was on top of everything. We hired Wish for a FULL wedding package, and-trust me- they delivered. I only knew of one mishap the entire wedding, and it was not a thing my planner could control- later I found out how many situations Rebecca diffused and took care of- before anyone noticed. I am thankful for hiring them and for what Rebecca did. I got the biggest gift of all- I could actually enjoy our day and dance at our reception.

Allison Ruyak at Wish Special Events was our day of coordinator and was simply fantastic. I have quite the type A personality and have a very "I'd rather do it myself so that I know it will be done right" attitude, but I had full confidence in Allison from day one. Allison was always on top of things (and usually one step ahead!), was quick to respond to my questions and help with any and every little thing I needed in the few months leading up to the wedding, and was SO incredibly helpful in connecting with all my vendors and making sure they all knew what to do and where to go on the day of the event. At the rehearsal and the wedding, she did an amazing job keeping everything running smoothly and was beyond organized. My fiance and I didn't have to worry about a thing, and if anything went wrong we never knew about it! We truly could not have pulled off such an event without her, and the money we spent on her day-of coordination services was worth every penny (and more). I really can't say enough good things about Allison and Wish Special Events!

EXCEPTIONAL service. From the first time I met with Laura Auer from Wish, I knew our wedding would be in good hands! I am totally type A and was a control freak about my wedding details, but on the big day, I knew I could relax and not worry about a thing because Laura would take care of it all! I had a lot of special details... DIY projects and little touches... and Laura took care of them and made them look gorgeous as if they were her own! For favors, I had bought a bunch of vintage cake stands to display different flavors of Macarons. Laura set up the table and made it look 1,000,000 times more beautiful than I ever could have imagined! Laura was calm and collected throughout the whole day, which helped me stay calm. Wish Special Events goes above and beyond what you would expect and does it at a very reasonable price. A++++++++++

I wish I could give Laura and her crew 10 stars for each category. Laura Auer was our wedding planner and she did the best job! We thoroughly enjoyed our planning process and the day of coordination was spot on. She helped us plan the wedding of our dreams and the day of was amazing. Laura made our dream wedding possible and we can't thank her enough. I would recommend Wish Special Events to any bride-to-be!

Allison was our day-of coordinator. She was a good resource during the planning process. On the day of the wedding, she demonstrated professionalism and kept things moving smoothly and efficiently. She helped to make our wedding day a huge success!

Allison Ruyak was my day of coordinator and we had an amazing connection. She knew exactly what I needed at any given time and all of her help was amazing. She would reply to my emails and phone calls the same day and make sure that whatever I needed was on track. She dealt with all my vendors and made a timeline so we were all perfect and on time. She was the first person I saw when I got to the church and the last person I said good bye too. The company provided quick reciepts and quick responses with everything! We had a few drama moments at our wedding and we all agreed we couldn't have done it without her.
THANK YOU SO MUCH ALLISON! YOU WERE AMAZING!

Wish Special Events worked really hard to make my day as beautiful and flawless as possible. Thank you! I knew that every event has it's unexpected things, but Wish (specifically Rebecca) was there to make sure that I didn't have to be bothered. She found solutions that worked and I never even noticed!

Knowing that I had someone to lean on for making decisions during the planning and making sure everyone was in their place on the wedding day made my day go smoothly.

I called and met with Laura. Right off the bat, she had great ideas that helped us shape our wedding. It was her idea that motivated us to create an awesome wedding! At the last minute, we decided to hire a day of wedding coordinator and Laura put us in touch with Allison who truly ensured that our wedding was the best that we could ever imagine. She is amazing and did an incredible job with our wedding. I'm not sure what we would have done without her. It is because of Allison that everything flowed and more importantly we didn't have to worry about anything. We didn't worry about anything because she handled it well and to perfection. If anything went wrong, we didn't find out about it because she handled it. Allison contacted all of our vendors ahead of time and she made sure everyone was on the same page. During the wedding, Allison made sure it all ran smoothly. Allison was always there, a step ahead and ensuring that everything went off as we planned. Our wedding was exactly the way we envisioned it and then some! I have to admit, at first I wasn't going to hire a planner but I was completely wrong. Both Laura and Allison are fantastic to work with and truly know the wedding business. They are very responsive and highly organized!! I can't say enough about them and their work. It is well worth the money and I highly recommend them! Thank you Wish Special Events!!!

we worked with cristin and she is truly amazing!! first of all, i didn't think i really needed a day-of planner but my mom thought it was a good idea and it was indeed fabulous! cristin was awesome in the truest sense of the word!! from the moment i met her, i knew we were a good match and it only got better from there. we couldn't have done it without her and i know people say that all the time, but this is the absolute truth. cristin created a timeline that made the whole day run smoothly and she always knew what needed to be done and did it! she had quick, helpful responses to emails, creative suggestions, and is a great communicator -- even scheduling phone calls around the world series games :-). she went above and beyond and jumped in whenever necessary, especially when our flower girl needed some coaxing down the aisle. cristin made our wedding a success and i recommend her as highly as i can! i "wish" i knew someone getting married so i could send them to cristin at wish. you need cristin and a day of planner! it is the best money we spent!

Probably the most important thing I did was hire a day of wedding coordinator. I called and met with Laura. Right off the bat, she had great ideas that helped us shape our wedding. It was her idea that motivated us to create an awesome wedding! At the last minute, we decided to hire a day of wedding coordinator and Laura put us in touch with Allison who truly ensured that our wedding was the best that we could ever imagine. She is amazing and did an incredible job with our wedding. I'm not sure what we would have done without her. It is because of Allison that everything flowed and more importantly we didn't have to worry about anything. We didn't worry about anything because she handled it well and to perfection. If anything went wrong, we didn't find out about it because she handled it. Allison contacted all of our vendors ahead of time and she made sure everyone was on the same page. During the wedding, Allison made sure it all ran smoothly. Allison was always there, a step ahead and ensuring that everything went off as we planned. Our wedding was exactly the way we envisioned it and then some! I have to admit, at first I wasn't going to hire a planner but I was completely wrong. Both Laura and Allison are fantastic to work with and truly know the wedding business. They are very responsive and highly organized!! I can't say enough about them and their work. It is well worth the money and I highly recommend them! Thank you Wish Special Events!!!

Ryan Hayes is the man! He was awesome enough to do "day of" wedding planning for my husband and I, and we couldn't have been more impressed! My husband and I planned every tiny detail of our wedding ceremony and reception- and Ryan executed them both perfectly! He didn't even blink when our picturesque Maine beach wedding turned into a good old fashioned New England Nor' Easter- and again didn't blink when I told him we were still getting married outside, as planned. He effortlessly directed the show in his immaculate (rain drenched) suit, and kept everything running on schedule! We had many moving pieces to our wedding- trolleys to transport our guests from the hotel to the ceremony site and again to the tented reception, another trolley for the wedding party, 2 flower girls and a baby in a wagon to wrangle for the ceremony, wedding pictures in between the ceremony and reception, introductions of the wedding party and family...Not to mention the set up in the tent that took place the day before and morning of the wedding! Lanterns were hung perfectly! Candles lit and romantically flickering as we entered! Parents wedding pictures placed beside our wedding cake- we literally had a billion details such as these that Ryan made happen! I would recommend Ryan Hayes to anyone planning an event- he certainly made our wedding day everything we dreamed it would be and more. We will be forever thankful to him.

Everything was great, couldn't ask for a better experience.

Ryan is a kick ass wedding planner!!

We hired Jessica Harris from Soiree Special Events to coordinate the day of the events for our reception. She not only helped coordinate the day of, but also gave us invaluable advice and help on countless other occasions before the reception. She was always very flexible and willing to accomodate my schedule. The event ran really smoothly and everyone including us could not believe how perfect everything was. Everything went according to the timeline.

Jessica was always more than happy to accomodate my special requests, like arranging scrapbooks and pictures that I made along with other decorative pieces. She carried a ton of stuff for us to the venue as well. She was excellent in communicating with all my vendors. In the end she packed up our car with all our stuff and it was ready to go. One thing that I was really happy about is that she and Pete from Elegant Decor made sure that we ate at our reception, and we are so happy that they did that.

Overall, I highly recommend Soiree and Jessica of course!

I also hired a professional photographer so I requested that Elaine be there for touch ups throughout the wedding. She made sure that my makeup was flawless! I have dark circles under my eyes, but she made those disappeared and even made my eyes looked brighter! My photos came out so well and I couldn’t be happier with her skills and expertise. I got married about 6 months ago but till this day my girlfriends still compliment me on how great I looked on my wedding day and I have the photos to remember!

Rebecca was our "day of" planner for our July 18, 2009, wedding at Glen Echo. She was with us, however, every step of the way leading up to the big day, but for no other reason than the fact that she loves what she does!

Where do we being in singing Rebecca's praises? She is the most organized person we've ever met; off-the-charts creative; an excellent source of knowledge and a sounding board for questions we had about music, food, favors; an absolute sweetheart; patient; passionate; hardworking; funny; extremely responsive; the adjectives go on and on...Over the past year we've relived our wedding night and still cannot think of a single thing that didn't go as planned, mainly because of Rebecca! We are so grateful to Rebecca and to Wish for helping to make our wedding day absolutely magical!

No need to look anywhere else...wish special events is wonderful. Laura was AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING! We hired Laura for day of wedding coordination and couldn't be happier. Laura answered emails quickly, offered suggestions and did lots of research for us. Laura ran the entire rehearsal and wedding. She took care of everything and if we needed anything....she took care of it. Laura confirmed with all the vendors so that the week before the wedding we just had to make sure to show up at the right time. Laura made sure that the wedding ran smoothly and we can honestly say there were no problems or hick-ups!! Laura brought us drinks while we were taking pictures and was there every step of the way. Every time we turned around, there she was ready to help and keep everything running!!! We have already recommended her to everyone we know:) Thank you so much Laura for making our wedding day so special:)

I hired Allison as a day of planner. She was AMAZING! I do not know what I would have done without her. I almost did not hire a planner because I thought it was a waste of money. I was totally WRONG! She was worth every penny and more. I did not have a care in the world on my wedding day thanks to her. If anything went wrong I don't know about it because she handled everything. It was exactly how I envisioned my wedding. It was like she read my mind. She contacted all the vendors two weeks beforehand too. I can not say enough about her wonderful services. I honestly don't know how she did it all.

Ryan Hayes coordinated my New Year's Eve wedding last year. He was absolutely amazing!!! I could not have asked for a more professional, organized, diligent and friendly person. Ryan even did one of the readings during the mass when my friend who was supposed to do it showed up late! Ryan made my day completely stress-free and truly special.

Laura did an absolutely wonderful job on the day-of coordination for my wedding. My husband and I were able to completely relax and be in the moment knowing she had everything under control. Laura was the consummate professional from our first email exchange through the wedding day itself. From the ceremony to the reception, everything went so smoothly and know that Laura was a big reason why. I would highly recommend to anyone thinking of hiring a day-of coordinator to retain her services!

Hiring Wish Special Events was THE BEST DECISION we made in planning our wedding!!!

We worked with Jessica, who was fabulous. She was professional, friendly, and really fun to work with. We highly recommend her!!!

We did the partial planning package, which worked out great. We were planning the wedding from out of state, and would meet in person with Jessica when we visited DC, and the rest of the time we'd communicate by email. She kept us on track, gave us recommendations, and made sure we didn't forget anything during the planning process.

Having Wish do our day-of coordination was wonderful! The whole day was magical -- everything was taken care of, everything was in the right place, everything happened right on schedule. My husband and I didn't have to worry about a thing, and neither did our wedding party or our relatives. Everything was seamless. The peace of mind that having a wedding planner offers is something that just cannot be beat.

We had a perfect wedding -- and it's because Jessica and her assistants made sure of every detail. We highly, highly recommend Jessica and Wish Special Events!!!

Laura Auer's title on her business card says, "Perfectionist," and it's true. I hired Laura for day-of coordination, and she surpassed all of my expectations. She was available to help for a LONG time before the day-of, and even for weeks after, helping me tie up loose ends. To say she knows what she's doing is an understatement. Each email and text message I sent her received a timely, thoughtful response. Her manner is calm and intuitive, and she has a calming effect on everyone. I was generally a calm bride, but fretted over the logistics of the day, a complicated matter for me because almost all of my guests were out-of-towners. Laura offered intelligent solutions to both my real and imaginary problems and concerns. The #1 reason I knew I had made the right choice with Laura is that every time I would tell another vendor that she was my coordinator, they would all have the same reaction: "I LOVE HER!" Everyone looked forward to working with Laura, and her execution on my wedding day was above and beyond. Everyone in the wedding knew their queues, and I'm sure she solved problems that I never had to know about. The fact that I felt like I barely saw her once the ceremony started, yet everything was perfect, meant that she blended in perfectly, while still keeping on eye on everything that was going on. It is not easy for someone to win my professional trust, but Laura had it 100% since our first meeting. I would recommend her to anyone.

My husband actually found Cristin and arranged for us to meet as our wedding was getting closer, and it had become apparent that I was not going to be able to finish planning the wedding while working full time and going to school. I knew within 5 minutes that I would LOVE working with her - she was completely focused on finding out about me, and my husband and what our vision was for the big day. She gathered all of the information for our vendors, and a detailed itinerary for the day that I planned out with her, and made sure everything would work in the time allotted. She contacted every vendor and knew every detail for the day inside out and backwards. I had complete confidence in her, which allowed me to relax and not sweat the small things, which in turn made for a very happy bride (and groom!), setting the mood for the entire wedding - which was a blast! She went above and beyond, creating a cake table decoration using my left over pew hangings. She made sure all of my VIPs (family, bridal party) knew exactly where to be, and when, without ever giving off a hint of pushy. She was clearly working from the mindset that this was mine and my family's day, not her production, and it showed. When a few minor things went wrong on the day of, Cristin prioritized perfectly who to call, and reached out to me only when necessary to keep me from getting upset. By show time, everything went off without a hitch and I cannot possibly thank Cristin, Jodi and Wish enough for the excellent quality of work and personalities they brought to my most special day!

Laura and Rebecca were fantastic, consummate professionals who handled every detail of my day. My husband and I didn't worry a bit; they took care of final payments, tips, room arrangement, timing, and follow up to make sure that all vendors were satisfied after the wedding. For day-of coordination, you can't go wrong. I don't know what we would have done without them!!

Ryan Michael Hayes served as our wedding coordinator/event architect for our September 2008 wedding in Seattle, Washington. He artfully, skillfully and professionally led our wedding plans, answered our etiquette questions and allayed our fears throughout the planning process. Ryan was always available by phone or email 24/7 which was helpful. Additionally, Ryan led our wedding spectacularly despite not having seen the venue or worked with our vendors in advance, as the wedding was over 3,000 from home. He drove to pick up linens, returned flowers and many other wedding errands without a hint of stress.



The day prior to our wedding, Ryan led a rehearsal that was concise and on-target. Day of, everything went perfectly- and if there were any snafu�s, we certainly had no idea. He led the vendors, caterers and guests in a flawless event. He even wove in a huge fireworks celebration that was not part of our event, INTO our wedding so well that the guests were wowed we organized the fireworks in celebration of our wedding. I would highly recommend him to anyone planning an event, celebration or wedding.

Ryan kept me sane, provided incredible guidance and prevented me from wanting to shoot a few people. Ha ha. No seriously, I highly recommend this company and Ryan in particular.

Ryan Hayes was the absolute perfection of wedding planning. He would have things I wouldn't have even thought of done...brilliantly. Our wedding day was beautiful and stress-free thanks to him. We never had to worry about any moment. Our guests were raving throughout the ceremony and reception. Everyone wanted to know who Ryan was and when they could book him for their event. Thank you so much!!!!

I had Laura as my day of coordinator and she was great! She met with us initally to get an idea of what we wanted and had booked and she responded to a few of my questions that i had until we needed to meet again closer to the wedding. The wedding went off without a hitch and i couldnt have been happier to have her there!

Imagine having the calmest, most knowledgeable and centered friend you have ever known by your side the entire time you are planning your wedding--and there you have Laura. I can't imagine having had anyone else help me plan my wedding or run everything the day of--it ran perfectly and smoothly and it was wonderful. Laura (the founder of soiree) is absolutely fabulous--I am a type A personality who is a complete control freak and I was actually willing to hand over my reign of control to Laura for the day of the wedding and I have no regrets. Laura is very detail-oriented and understand your desire to get the "little things" just right. She is easy to get ahold of, flexible, smart, and just plain great. I would recommend her any time! Ryan, who helped us out at the rehearsal dinner in addition to Laura was awesome as well!

I could not have been more delighted with Soiree Special Events' planning service!! I hired one of Laura's team members to provide me with assistance on the day of our wedding. For a very reasonable price, I received a significant amount of pre-wedding consultation, confirmation with all my vendors, and lots of advice about preparing wedding essentials like the timeline. But Alison really impressed me MOST on the day OF my wedding; she seemed to be everywhere at once: cueing groomsmen, finding grandmothers, pinning my dress, putting out place cards, et cetera. The day would not have come off as well as it did without Soiree's magnificent behind-the-scenes orchestration. Thanks!!!!!

Laura Auer and Jessica Harris were fantastic to work with. They were extremely responsive to all of my thoughts about the wedding and helped provide direction when I was unsure of some of the elements. They lead the charge during the rehearsal and painted a clear picture of what the wedding day would be like. THANK GOODNESS they were there the day-of, because the wedding was such a surreal experience, and they kept me and my husband focused yet moving seamlessly throughout each moment of our big day. You guys ROCK!! :)

Laura Auer made my day go so smooth that I would not mind doing it all over again. From beginning to end, Laura met with me when I needed it, answered all my questions (sometimes even twice...sorry :-) Also everybody loved her organization, dedication, and creativity. I myself am inspired by her passion of wedding planning! Thanks Laura for making my day feel like a dream come true.

I used Laura with Soiree and she was amazing. She was incredibly responsive to any email, phone call or other attempt to get in touch with her. The two times we met with her before the wedding were great- we really clicked and she genuinely listened to what we wanted.

She made the day of the wedding go by so smoothly for my husband and I. We didn't have to worry about a single thing, because we knew she had it covered. I would highly (highly) recommend Laura to anyone planning a wedding.

Probably the best wedding vendor that I picked and the most valuable on the actual day. Laura was incredibly helpful on my wedding day and I know that the day would not have been a success without her. She remained calm and composed the whole time and was incredibly helpful with keeping things flowing, on time, and the way that I had envisioned things. I highly recommend Soiree, specifically Laura and Mariah - they were so great!

I got married last May and Kim and the team from Soiree were such a big help. I knew that I would need a wedding coordinator since I live in Richmond and the ceremony was in Alexandria and because I am a big time procrastinator. I found Soiree Special Events online and then I was paired up with Kim. From our first meeting I knew that she was the perfect person to help me. Without Kim I don't know what I would have done. She helped every step of the way with ideas, suggestions, contacts for people to help with alterations, photography, flowers, ect. She really listened to what my vision was and helped me make it a reality. She made sure we stuck to our budget and she came up with creative ways for us to do everything we wanted but without paying extra. Whenever I emailed or called she responded right away and I called a lot - I was very anxious leading up to the event and Kim was very calming and reassuring. I had a lot of family drama and Kim figured out the perfect way to work it out. She came to almost all my appointments and was a great sounding board for things like colors, flowers, table settings - which my husband wasn't very helpful with. On the day of the wedding Kim had extra help from 2 other Soiree employees and they helped to oversee every little detail. They brought emergency kits which thankfully I didn't need and helped to make sure that we stuck to our time table. By having Kim as my wedding coordinator I didn't need to worry about all the little details leading up to and on the day of the wedding. I got so many compliments regarding the wedding and the great work she had done. I highly recommend the Soiree Special Event team and if I ever need to plan another party or special event I would definitely use them again. I continue to recommend Soiree to my friends who are getting married.

Laura did a great job keeping in touch before the wedding via email. She was a pleasure to work with and really made the wedding day go very smoothly. At the last minute, we couldn't find vases to do our sand ceremony with and she was able to go out and find us perfect ones to use for the wedding. She did a great job keeping us on schedule and shuffled it around some when it was needed. When the florists forgot the ribbons at the church she was out there helping them put up what they could last minute. She really made it so neither me nor my fiance had to worry about the details the day of our wedding. She made everything go smoothly. Laura was really good and I would recommend her to anyone looking for some assistance for their wedding. My husband and I thought she was fantastic.

I really loved working with Soiree Special Events. They were just fantastic. I knew that I would not have to worry about anything because Laura would be there to take care of it. I also knew that I could call her in a panic and she would make it all better! She was fantastic. So professional and she always had the best ideas! One of my favorite vendors!

Ryan Hayes of Blue Canary Events helped us plan our March 25, 2007 wedding in Jupiter Florida. He was absolutely fabulous!

Ryan was always in contact with us and looking to assist where he could to make our planning easier. He was a great resource for information and was not over bearing in giving advice - always generous with his time.

The day of the wedding was stress-free, thanks to Ryan! We had problems with weather and had to change the venue (within the resort). Ryan was cool, creative and handled a difficult hotel staff with professionalism and ease. We barely knew there was a problem! In fact, Ryan's calm, professional, "can-do" attitude the day of the wedding is his greatest strength and we had no doubts about his ability to manage every detail. He only contacted us when there was a big decision that needed to be made which allowed us to relax and enjoy the hours and minutes leading up to the ceremony. We had a lot of challenges: we had to move the location of the ceremony (beach) at the last minute due to the wind, my aunt had a stroke the night before and my family did not want us to know about it until after the wedding therefore the seating had to be arranged in such a way as to not alert us that there was an issue, and most importantly...the wedding coordinator at the venue did not even show up until twenty minutes before the ceremony.

We were unaware of multiple other challenges that came up throughout the day. We only know about them because in some instances he needed assistance from our family and friends to fix the challenges. The venue was changed to a veranda and was beautifully decorated, neither of us noticed that my aunt's entire family was missing (she has almost fully recovered since then), and although there was no on site coordinator available, Ryan managed the venue's entire team. In the end, we had a perfect day. We were stress free and our pictures prove that.

There have only been a couple weddings that I remember as being "special"...ours was one of them. Obviously we are biased, however, I have very honest friends (too honest sometimes) and everyone tells us that our wedding was one of the greatest they have attended. That is, in large part, thanks to Ryan.

Having a wedding planner there was the best decision we made and Ryan was perfect for the job. Good luck in your search and with the planning of your "special" day.

Laura is a fantastic person to work with for wedding planning. She always has an answer to any question a bride might have. She puts a positive spin on every piece of the planning process! She can even make the seating arrangement decisions more fun. Not only are my family and I aware of all that she did, but the wedding coordinator at the Club and guests at the wedding had the highest praise for her.

I will always recommend Laura and Soiree Special Events to any friends getting married in the future!

Laura and her team are a dream come true. Early on in my wedding planning I knew it was important to have a DOC, to take care of all the odds and ends that a bride doesn't want to deal with. My now husband was not too sure about this idea, and thought it seemed kind of silly...in the end he was one of her biggest fans. Every time I needed something Laura was right there, as if she knew I was going to have a question or concern. She was always two steps ahead of me, and usually my question had already been answered and taken care of. by the end of the night I stopped asking, as I knew that Laura had it under control. On a day that can lead to a range of motions, Laura is the calming force that holds everyone together. Her sweet and subtle nature is ideal for this industry, but she still can make things happen, and does it with a smile on her face. Laura was a lifesaver and my wedding would not have been such a beautiful and memorable day, had I not had her there by my side.

Mariah of Soiree Special Events was our wedding coordinator and my wedding day truly would not have been the day it was without her. I got the partial planning package, mainly because I wanted someone who would be with me throughout the planning to bounce ideas of off and to embrace my vison. Mariah did just that. When I was going overboard...she told me, when she thought my idea was great...she told me, not only was she my wedding planner...but through the process and on the day off she was like an old friend who I could count on explicitly.

I highly recommend her (and Ryan ... who helped her on the day off). It was worth every penny and more!

Laura, at Soiree Special Events, coordinated our wedding from start to finish. She was always available to help via e-mail or phone, and was always quick to respond. She was very organized, and was helpful in keeping me on track as the big date got closer. She had a laid back flexible style that allowed my wishes for our wedding to be the focus, without being pushy about what she thought we should be doing. I had many comments from friends and family saying how calm I was on my wedding day. There is no way I could've been so calm if it had not been for my complete trust in Laura, and the confidence she gave me through her planning and coordination.

Heather of Soiree Special events came in 2 weeks before my wedding to be the day of coordinator. It was hands down the best money we spent for the entire wedding process. She was GREAT - took care of everything, thought of things I hadn't thought of, and was just stellar on the day of my wedding. I can't say enough good things.

Lauer Auer of Soiree is wonderful. She is responsible, flexible, smart and helped us save money by making suggestions about how to budget when we started to get carried away. She is also incredibly organized. I can't imagine how the wedding would have come together so perfectly if not for her. She and her staff were especially good the night of the wedding--she took care of so many little things without us even realizing it till afterwards.
We contracted her several months ahead of time for a partial package, and she was flexible about what exactly that entailed. She spent a lot of time with us, in person and via email, helping us figure out what hotels our guests should stay at and how to budget. She eventually became our point of contact for vendors as we got closer to the date--and that was incredibly valuable.
My only complaint was that, based on the set-up of the tables and the way the space is configurated, some of the diners were very far from the folks who rose to make toasts at the microphone. In retrospect, I wish Laura and I had anticipated this and done something to fix it, but I don't know if it could have been fixed.

Hiring Laura was absolutely the best decision we made regarding our wedding. Our wedding would not have been as great as it was if it wasn't for her; there were so many little details that I never would have thought of. Plus, she and her assistant Kim saved the day when the bus didn't show up. I don't know what we would have done with out her.

Mariah, Ryan, and Amy were all at my wedding and took care of every last detail. Between filling the lemonade jars that I purchased, setting up the chocolate fountain and dipping items, putting out all my jam jar placecard/favors, and handling all the "last minute" emergencies, the three of them were a godsend on the wedding day. I was able to relax and enjoy every second with my dearest family, friends, and new husband. Being able to leave the reception without cleaning up was just great! I'd definitely recommend booking Soiree Special Events for at least Day-of Coordination...the peace of mind is worth every penny!

Laura was amazing. I simply do not know what I would have done without her. In the beginning, My husband initially thought I was crazy for "wasting" money on a day-of coordinator. Halfway through the wedding planning, he was "glad we have one", and during the wedding reception and every day since then, he has been singing her praises! There's no better compliment than proving yourself so well that you make someone's head spin. Laura and her team were professional and a joy to work with.

Laura is so nice, professional and really knows how to keep an event flowing. Her demeanor is very calm and she will really carry out your vision for the wedding. We were very lucky to have found her! I really was able to enjoy my wedding day because Laura took care of all the details.

Laura was fabulous. She really took care of everything on our day!

Laura is very professional and organized with a great sense of style! She is very friendly and I know of several brides that were happy with her services.

We could not have pulled off the wedding without Laura. She was our sanity during the planning process, remembering all of the details I couldn't have thought of (what will we do with any gifts that come to the wedding?), and keeping things on track. On the big day, she was everywhere at once and she, along with the Washington Club director, made any potential problems disappear before they even occurred. She got me down the aisle, my husband and his attendants into the church, and timed the entire ceremony to the moment.

She is a consummate professional and, on top of it all, a lovely woman. She also went above and beyond, taking my gifts home overnight, so that I could pick them up on the Sunday after my wedding at her home, since she just lived a mile from me. I would highly recommend any level of Laura's services to anyone looking for wedding coordination.

Rebecca at Blue Canary Events is a rockstar planner! We used her as a day-of coordinator as we had to bring everything into our venue.
She did a great job bringing everything together leading up to and on the day of the wedding. Even with the threat of rain, she kept us relaxed and excited and handled everything seamlessly.
In fact, while I am sure that things went wrong the day-of, for my husband and me, it was perfect! We didn't have 1 issue with how the day turned out.
The most important thing though - she is lovely to work with too! Really nice and down to...

Laura was extremely helpful. Frank & I were a bit nervous at first because of her age and that she was just starting up. However as both of us have business degrees we really wanted to encourage her entrepreneurial skills. Laura worked hard to make things go well. An Orthodox wedding is very different from other weddings and I know she took considerable time to get everything down. When the limo didn't show she worked furiously to work out the details to get us a replacement. She dealt well with my NY family who were at times pushy and at one point actually yelled at her. I figure it'll give her some practice in dealing with super difficult people. I think Laura did an excellent job and I highly recommend her work.

Working with Blue Canary was wonderful! Rebecca was our wedding planner, and she was always available and very responsive.

I was a bride who wasn't sure if she needed a "day of planner..." boy am I happy my fianc� (now husband) insisted on it! I thought: "I've done all this work, made sure that everything is planned and in order...why do I need to spend more money on a day person when it should just go as I've planned it." Well... the #1 reason: SO I COULD JUST BE THE BRIDE!!! And, that is a really great reason.

Even though I had hired wonderful venders, set up a day of schedule that would insure the day ran smoothly and had wonderful friends to help-- there is nothing like hiring and knowing that you have a professional to pick up any pieces and insure that I could know that thing were being taken care of. It meant that I wasn't making calls and checking in on things--instead I could become calm and enjoy my wedding day.

I worked with Rebecca from Wish. Highlights about Rebecca include:
1. VERY responsive (if I could give her higher then a 5 I would). She e-mailed me back within a hour most times, and never hesitated to go above and beyond here "official" day of responsibilities-- even attending a pre-wedding walk through with our florist and ceremony site months before our wedding.

2. Super Motivated-- you can just tell that she loves planning, brides, and the whole process around weddings. Although new to wedding planning, she is always learning and researching new things to pass on to her brides.

3. Flexible-- About a week before my rehearsal dinner, I decided that I needed an extra pair of hands to help with the coordination of the dinner (we had all 160 of our guests at the "night before dinner") and Rebecca put aside her Saturday night plans and offered to work for us that night (at SUCH a reasonable price). And then, when I just couldn't handle getting flowers for the "night before dinner", she bought the flowers and arranged them BEAUTIFLY that day! I had hit my "full" point, and Rebecca stepped in and made sure that the tables looked beautiful and I could enjoy the night with friends and family.

If you are wondering about hiring a day of planner... don't wonder, just hire one. You'll be SO happy you did! My wedding never would have been as wonderful without Rebecca from Wish!

We worked with Rebecca and found her to be very helpful and quite professional. She was extremely knowledgable and full of suggestions about different vendors, and was great to work with before and during the wedding.

Laura at Soiree Special Events was our day of wedding coordinator, but she really was there for a lot prior to the big day. When our photographer fell through, she pulled together a list of photographers who were in our price range and we ended with amazing photos for a great price. She has a business relationship with DJ Greyhound (who was also great), who offered us a discount on his services for working with Laura. She quickly answered any question we had. She was also there on the walk-through with the vendors and at the rehearsal. She knew everything that was going on the entire night, was cool and collected, and could solve a problem before it started (or at least made us feel that way, which is really what counts). The one thing I would say is that we have large and unruly families and I think that Laura, while supremely organized, didn't quite know how to handle all the overbearing relatives trying to take over right before the cermony. It was the best money we spent on our wedding!

Wish Special Events were great for my wedding. I would recommend them to any bride. My wedding was pushed up several months due to my unexpected but exciting pregnancy and Rebecca (my planner) was fantastic at helping organize everything and keep my stress levels down. She helped with everything and had great recommendations for vedors (venue and rentals in particular). The cost was really not that much and they work with you on any budget even if you really are not sure what the budget it.

Amy Landry was my day-of Wedding Coordinator. She was a little hard to get a hold of at first but towards the date of the wedding it was a little easier. The day of the wedding she kept everything running smoothy and was very professional. I would definitely recommend her.

It was tough to rate Wish Special Events. My Wedding Coordinator was extremely nice and very responsive to all of my questions. However, I do not think that Wish Special Events is worth it for their partial planning service because it is almost the same as month of coordination package (and you can save yourself about $2000). They do help you find vendors but I already did that on my own anyway. We were given a checklist and we had to bug our coordinator to get a budget and have her help us out with it. We thought it was hilarious that it turned out we were over our budget for wedding coordination fees! We just felt that the partial planning service isn't comparable to what other partial planners do. It was more of a month of coordinator. Other companies have partial planners that will assist with contracts, help pick out stationary, favors, seating arrangements, programs, etc. I did a lot of things last minute and it would have been nice to have someone help me out or force me to stay on schedule. I had a candy buffet and I was disappointed that Wish didn't take the time to prepare all the candy in advance so that my guests could see it. They started to put out the jars and candy as guests came by and took them. They didn't take the time to make it look pretty or organized. They didn't even put out the seals with our initials that I spent so much time working on. There are little details that are nice for planners to do - for example, we didn't have tent cards only flat cards because we didn't have time to get holders. It would have been nice if someone went out to go get some (if we gave permission for them to purchases things for us). My husband and I also didn't eat lunch or dinner and it would be nice if a plate was set aside for us in our room. It's just the little things... everything else went very smoothly so I was happy for that. Mostly I think the package isn't worth it.

They are the best planners - organized, friendly, always go the extra mile for their clients.

We offer the clients of our preferred planners a 10% designer’s discount off our services - photography $750, videography $500, dance bands $1500 +

Hire them, you won’t regret it.

Best regards,

David Fletcher
New York - Washington’s Best Musicians, Photo & Video

I worked with Blue Canary Events at a perfect wedding at Woodend in Maryland. The wedding day was beautiful. The couple loved the job that Blue Canary did. From working out great schedule for the day and keeping everybody on time the wedding party had a great time. No detail was missed and the day was flawless because of the work Blue Canary did for the couple and all the vendors. It was an honor to be part of the team that Blue Canary brought together. I look forward to working with them again!!!

Wish Special Events is an incredible event planning company. I can't say enough good things about the weddings they have pulled off!!

Working with Wish Speacial Events is always a pleasure, they are a wonderful team!

When you're looking for a great wedding coordinator, look no futher, Wish Special Events make your wedding truly unique, personalized, and special. I've worked with Wish Special Events on numerous weddings and every aspect is taken care of. My recommendation is to treat yourself to the perfect wedding and considering using one of the best!

Great working with Ryan.

Okay, here's the scenario, I have a client who wants 53 formal pictures done in 30 minutes, what do you do, what DO you do?

You rely on the event planner to lend a logistical hand well before.
Rebecca, and I know Ryan as well, go that extra bit to make what needs to happen happen, and more importantly they do it smoothly, no histrionics, no drama, just smooth and efficient, it makes what I do a dream, and can guarantee the difference between a picture that looks like a highschool senior portrait at prom, and a really knock down, drop dead wedding...

We absolutely LOVE working with Laura and her team at Wish Special Events. Wish events are always beautiful, always memorable, and designed in amazingly thoughtful and charming detail. In addition to designing and coordinating amazing events, the Wish team are just plain old wonderful people, and we look forward to the next time we'll work with them. Highly, highly, recommend!

ZBest Limousines works with event planners to specifically customize clients needs It has been a pleasure to work with such professional coordinators like this one and we look forward to assisting their staff to ensure the customer recieves the best in quality transportation on there wedding day

We would like to thank the staff of Wish Special Events for being so organized before and on the day of our weddings. I have worked with Rebecca on numerous occasions and appreciate the open communication during the planning process as well as the hectic days leading up to the wedding day. They pay special attention to detail and always have a back up plan for when things don't go quite as planned. I would highly recommend the work of these wedding professionals as they have exceeded my expectations in every way. Bravo!

Laura and the team at Wish are my favorite!! We always look forward to working with them because we know they give first rate service: organized, professional, and friendly to all clients AND vendors. Very classy. Thanks!

I recently worked with a bride referred to me by Wish Special Events, and I was very impressed with the level of professionalism and attention to detail that they paid to the entire event. She was one of the most relaxed and stress-free brides I've ever worked with, and I know it was because she had the peace of mind knowing that everything was taken care of. I highly recommend Wish Special Events to any bride looking for that same level of comfort and ease on their big day!

I recommend wedding coordinators (specially Day of Coordinators), to all my brides because I think their added value to the whole wedding day activities and their smooth flow is tremendous. I've works with Laura and her team many times and can't emphasize how professional and caring they are through out the day and that's why I endorse Laura and Wish Special Events whole heartedly.

Laura is an absolute pleasure to work with and the ultimate professional. She is prompt and efficient and always there when you need her. We were lucky enough to be able to work with her, and it was a wonderful experience. Highly, highly recommend!!!

I've had the pleasure of working with several of Soiree's coordinators. Events always seem to go much smoother with a coordinator around, and Laura and staff are always great to work with!

We have heard great feedbak from our clients about Soiree. It is such a pleasant occasion when they run events at our venue.

Laura and her associates are some of the most professional coordinators you'll ever meet. She's calm and collected and gets the job done without a lot of fanfare. Whenever I find out that Laura is the coordinator at a wedding I'm photographing, I know it will be a good one. I really enjoy working with her!

I have recommended Laura and Soiree Special Events to many of my brides and grooms. I have found their services very professional, warm, and organized. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty in making sure that my couples have everything they need in order to relax and enjoy their wedding day and not have to worry about the details.

Laura and her staff are an absolute pleasure to work with and have a perfect "bedside manner" when helping stressed-out brides. She's ALWAYS on top of the schedule for the evening and does a great job of keeping everyone informed and focused. Plus, she takes the time to go to important meetings with her clients, so there are no mistakes!

The creativity of Soiree Special Events is what I noticed first when working with the coordinators. I think they have wonderful ideas and easily get every job done with stress free ease. The events they help plan are always well executed and gorgeous!

Stacey Blomstrom
Owner of Labor of Love Photography, LLC

I always enjoy working with weddings planners and Laura and her crew are fabulous! She is so organized and detail-oriented and keeps things going throughout the day. Being a recent bride really gives Laura an great perspective on wedding events! I highly recommend Laura!

I've had the pleasure of working with Laura several times over the past couple years. She's very professional, organized, and keeps on top of things - we are both on the same page when timelines/schedules need to be adjusted. I look forward to continue a solid working relationship with Laura and her staff!

-Vern

Wish Special Events team are wonderfully welcoming! All of the team is very hospitable along with soothing, they bring peace of mind to any event or affair! The service they provide to their clients is simply priceless! We have had the opportunity to meet with each one of the Wish Special Event Coordinators and they all are simply delightful and well worth the investment of not having to stress about anything but saying your vows on the wedding day!