Chatham wedding
Olivia was a wonderful wedding planner and was there to help with every aspect of the planning from the start. It is an understatement to say that planning a wedding on the Cape while living out-of-state can be quite stressful, but Olivia and her team not only made it work, they made it an absolute pleasure. It is her creativity, openness, and excitement that really stood out to us. She is passionate about her job, takes joy in all the details that go into the planning, and is extremely creative in customizing every facet of the wedding day, from the ceremony and cocktail hour to the reception. She even came up with the brilliant idea to do a speakeasy (brainstorming and ordering all the accoutrement that come with it) upon deciding that the reception would be themed to the 1920s! And even then, when we expressed that we did not want it to be a Gatsby-like cliché, she understood us immediately and made sure that the reception was a perfect balance of the Cape and an art deco-styled garden party. Just as important as the style, care, and creativity that went into planning a wedding, Olivia is someone who is conscientious about her clients’ budget. It was clear to us from day one that she is so flexible to a point where she can plan extravagant, maximalist Cape style weddings to ones that are intimate, fun, and thematized budget weddings—and she is free of judgment throughout. Many guests expressed just how incredible our wedding was (during and after): a perfect balance of elegance and warmth, both ornate and graceful, personal and intimate. Even though she had another wedding to coordinate on the same day, she still came to ours towards the end. This truly is a sign of commitment and personal, emotional investment in her couples. We have Olivia to thank for everything.
We also had the pleasure of working closely with another member of the Brent Events team Emily who was the most perfect and professional planner and day-of-coordinator. Her communications were clear and concise, and she was always the kindest and most generous soul in the room. She responds thoughtfully and with deep care, without taking offense to my directness and remembering our conversations so she knew exactly what we were referring to at a later date. She not only brings heart and warmth, but also acumen, intuition, and quick discernment in the way she organizes, communicates, and executes. Always commiserating with me when I had concerns—and always from the heart so much so that I could not bear to say anything more--and an absolute joy to work with, I felt we were in good hands and felt completely free of all the worries that come with being a bride leading up to the wedding and on the day of. In other words, Emily had my utmost trust, perhaps the most important aspect of this professional relationship. We consider ourselves extremely lucky that Emily was there for us on the day of, making sure everything ran smoothly when emotions ran high. I will never forget how sweet and considerate she was, greeting us privately after the ceremony with our signature cocktails in hand and bringing me hors d’oeuvres and an assortment of seafood from the raw bar, when I was away from the site to change into my other gown for reception. She was like a clairvoyant who knew exactly what we wanted and needed at exactly the right time. Emily is genuinely a wonderful person and is meticulous in everything she does. She also has impeccable taste and gave us invaluable feedback on the printables. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have shared our special day with her and she will forever be in our hearts, not least because we will have memories of getting married at the same venue some years apart!
The Brent Events team is incredible and very passionate about what they do. They take every facet of the planning and execution seriously. With calm and quickness, they saved us from a few blunders we made (like when I unknowingly sent our programs to the wrong address and when I forgot a big check in a tote bag that no one could find easily on the day of). I think the only thing we noticed towards the end is that they are so passionate about their job that at very rare times, perhaps once or twice, a minor complaint about a vendor or an innocent inquiry was interpreted as a serious accusation. In our case, it was really more the unintentional or innocent mistakes of a few vendors than of the planners themselves, who had little control over the situation other than to communicate professionally with and mediate between their vendors and clients about what might have happened, without being defensive, and to provide some kind of emotional solace for things that cannot be controlled or changed. A heartfelt apology is everything; so is having patience with clients’ complaints and demands. If we didn’t trust them, we wouldn’t even bother to complain but rather take it up with the vendor ourselves. We interpret a few of these rare experiences as a sign of the Brent Events team’s seriousness and passion about every detail and aspect of their profession, which is ultimately what a couple should want--and absolutely need--in their wedding planner. After all, it is much more preferable to have a wedding planner who cares too much than too little.
We would highly recommend the Brent Events team. We had quite a few friends in the wedding party who were getting married around the same time and they had had horrific experiences with their wedding planners. This was not our experience. Olivia and Emily were with us every step of the way and made the wedding day so special. In the end, that is all that counts.
