Gracie Lou Events

To put it very simply, hiring Liz and Adrienne was by far the best decision I made during our wedding planning process. Like many couples, we were on a tight budget. I knew I wanted a wedding planner to help save my sanity, but the initial price tag was a hard sell with my partner. However, from our first conversation with GLE, we immediately knew that we'd found our planners, and couldn't imagine planning our wedding without them. Before I say anything else, if you're debating whether the cost of planning services is worth it, let me answer with a resounding YES, it is! First of all, GLE saved us far more money than we spent on their services- they have a network of professional relationships with the best in the wedding industry, and they were able to leverage those relationships to snag us amazing savings. Also, their years of experience let them steer us in the direction of more cost savings by making savvy choices on anything from the menu to the bar choices to the attire. They let us know where we could save and where we should splurge and they ALWAYS worked to help keep our spending under control. Further, we are VERY busy people. If you consider that 'time is money,' the TIME they saved us also made it worth it. Instead of interviewing multiple vendors, making phonecalls, setting up appointments, doing endless hours of research, etc, the GLE girls did it all. They would recommend one or a few well-chosen vendors, prep the vendor on what we were looking for and set up the appointment. We would narrow down from there, with their well-informed advice. They would negotiate the final price, as well. This made the entire process FAR less overwhelming than it could have been. Beyond all of that, I loved the fact that we were getting one-stop-shopping with these girls. Decor? They do that. Custom paper goods? Check. Etiquette advice? No problem. Budget planning and keeping an eye on the bottom line? Done! Etc etc etc. They truly went above and beyond and made the wedding the best night of our lives. I didn't have to lift a finger- they let me do as much or as little as I wanted to do, and the night of the wedding, all I had to do was be present in the moment and enjoy my time with family, friends and loved ones. Do not think twice- if you are planning your wedding and want it to be magical, well-coordinated and make the most of every dollar you have to spend, hire these girls!!! You will not regret it!!!

Elizabeth and Adrienne of Gracielou Events do much more than your basic run-of-the-mill wedding planning services. Just to briefly give some background, we interviewed over 20 New England based (Newport, RI focused) and Indian Wedding focused wedding planners. Our search criteria was primarily based on working with a team that would keep us focused, organized, fit our extremely demanding personalities and add value/insight into our décor choices (color theme, linens, floral etc.). Through the hiring process they personally met with both sets of parents (at our request) to get them comfortable with the role of wedding planners (like many Indian families, our parents are accustomed to having family, family friends and siblings do all the heavy lifting). As a couple, we felt it was important to have both set of parents onboard with the idea of having full-time / super-dedicated wedding planners (that were going to be in the middle of everything we did). Both sets of parents walked away from the meetings feeling that Gracielou would be the perfect conduit to keep communications lines open, research all possible options, find the best pricing (and then knock 20% off that!), ensure day of timelines were perfect and most important – confident that they were the right team to alleviate any stress that comes with planning for us. We hired Gracielou Events with the intention of working on two nights of events and potentially helping with a casual post wedding brunch. Our wedding turned into three days of events in Newport, RI and a total of 6 organized meals for all 300 guests. Elizabeth and Adrienne were very flexible with their services throughout the 12 months they worked with us. Despite the laundry list of deficiencies Gracielou was dealt with in working with us (lack of communication, insane work and personal schedules lack of decisiveness and a thousands of changes until the last minute), they were diligent, persistent and motivated to ensure we stayed on-course, on budget, weighed all options and executed in the end. The categories in which Gracielou highly differentiated their services were with help in décor for our wedding ceremony, reception and Sangeet; execution of plan (including timelines, dealing with the surprises); personalization of services and vendor management. • Décor o Created inspiration boards for us to begin to think about tying things together o Extremely creative in their approach and presented both mainstream and highly creative-unique looks o Negotiated with all our vendors ensuring that we were getting the most bang for our buck o Led discussions with vendors to ensure creativity and aesthetics would be uniform and not compromised (linens, floral, furniture rentals, caterers etc.) o Executed plan to perfection at the events by overseeing and managing the process • Execution of Plan o Got us to the events with all the planning and then worked 10x as hard during them to make sure everything was perfect o Took on the responsibility of everything ”has to be perfect” o When things went wrong, got them fixed and made sure we (the couple) were not dealing with them o Understood the hierarchy chain the family and who to talk to for what/when • Personalization of Service o Extremely flexible meeting our demands and dealing with our insane schedules o Constant dialogue which helped them get us to the place we wanted to be and that fit our individual needs (capacity, timing, money etc.) o Worked diligently to win the support of everyone we wanted involved (both sets of parents and siblings) by providing feedback, updates, meeting in Newport on short notice etc. o Kept everyone up-to-date and focused on the bigger picture o Read books and met with Indian wedding vendors to better understand the culture and differentiated aspect to an Indian wedding • Vendor Management o Broad knowledge of Indian and non-Indian vendors o Negotiated with our vendors on our behalf o Vetted vendors, did research, got pricing and then presented them to us o Communicated with vendors regularly and kept us updated on everything o Understood which vendors needed babysitting and which could be left alone in regards to executing Overall, we cannot say enough positive things about the experience we had with Gracelou Events. We would recommend them to any couple looking for wedding planners and can guarantee that the their services will be above and beyond all expectations.

Gracie Lou saved my sanity while helping me create the most amazingly beautiful event where all my family and friends had an fantastic time! Choosing to work the Elizabeth and Adrienne was the best decision we made in our wedding plans and they made our day magical!

If you can find the money in your budget to hire a DOC, I absolutely recommend it. I spent 2 1/2 years planning my wedding and I was so worried that things were not going to come together the way I wanted them to. I wanted to be able to enjoy my day without having to think about the little details and the ladies of Gracie Lou made sure that was possible. Once I met with Adrienne and Liz, I knew that my wedding was in fabulous hands. They were meticulous about keeping the details of my wedding straight and helped make sure we were on time and having fun. They oversaw the set up at the Biltmore and made sure everything was perfect. They were a blast to work with and I couldn’t have been happier with their work.

Having Gracie Lou Events be apart of our wedding was one of the best decisions we made! Liz and Adrienne were both so courteous during our planning and not only helped us to maintain organized but made sure the whole day went smoothly. I don't know where we would have been without them! I would most certainly recommend having Liz and Adrienne and Gracie Lou Events help you to plan and coordinate your wedding. They are in the loop with all things wedding related and can refer to just about anyone or anything you may need or want for your wedding day. Throughout the planning they were prompt in returning emails and phone calls and were willing to plan meetings in person when needed. It gave a piece of mind and made us feel like our wedding was just as important to them as it was to us and our families! On our wedding weekend they were there to help run us through our rehersal and to pass our timelines they created for our wedding day to our big bridal party. They made sure everyone was there and accounted for and was paying attention to make sure our day ran smoothly and it paid off because our wedding ceremony went without any problem! I would recommend Gracie Lou Events without hesitation!

Gracie Lou Events was such an amazing help to us to get our daughters wedding off without a hitch, they were so professional. They were so helpful and had so much insight to vendors, we had most of our vendors chosen when they came on board, but could visualize the vision that my daughter and I had for her important day and it all came together great !! They were there for any small problem that came up and handled it with such ease and control that we never felt at all that they would not be able to handle any situation, they had our complete trust. Most importantly, they cared so much for my daughter and her vision that they did all they could to make sure she had the wedding she dreamed and it was amazing !! Adrienne and Elizabeth were so great and always there for us from the day we hired them.....I would recommend them to anyone !!!

June 5th 2011 we were married in beautiful New Hampshire. It seems like only yesterday I was talking to my fiancé about his thoughts about a wedding coordinator. I first met Elizabeth and Adrienne at a bridal expo over two years ago. They had a fabulous set up and I always kept them in the back of my mind. I of course thought how hard could it be planning a wedding. It wasn't until the planning actually started that I called them for a meeting just to see what they had to offer. My fiancé were both blown away and wanted them with us throughout our whole planning process. Looking back now I can say with confidence that it was the BEST decision we ever made for our wedding. Gracie Lou Events introduced us to the absolute best vendors; Binita Patel Photography, Jeff Brouillet Films and Jacques European Pastries. They listened to my every thought and made it ten times better. Our wedding was beyond gorgeous and we still have people saying it was the best wedding they've ever been to. Gracie Lou Events were my saviors. Without them I wouldn't have the most spectacular wedding of my dreams.

There are so many details that can easily slip the mind of a nervous, excited bride-to-be but the sanity savers at Gracie Lou Events left no stone unturned. They were there from start to finish - ensuring a smooth execution of both the Cambodian wedding and the Western ceremony and reception. I was really impressed with their ability to communication my wishes. I was even more impressed with how warm and welcoming they were with our guests. The mini crisis we encountered on our wedding day was quickly and quietly resolved. Their calmness and confidence became an anchor for me whenever I started to come undone. My husband and I are so thankful to have them (Liz, Adrienne and Kate) part of our big day. Hiring a DOC was not in our initial budget but Gracie Lou Events worked with us. They were the best wedding investment we made because they gave us complete peace of mind. I say this because even at the end of the night, Adrienne drove us (I and my less than sober husband) to our hotel.

The day after the wedding, while we were reflecting on everything with my parents, my father said to me "Those girls were fantastic. We should have hired them from the moment you got engaged." My father is not an easy person to impress so these ladies must have made him happy. Adrienne and Elizabeth were there at the rehearsal making sure we knew our places. They helped transform my rain plan into something beautiful. They communicated with all of the vendors, didn't step on any toes, made me feel secure about not being in control (I am a self proclaimed control freak so this was not an easy feat), and made everyone's life easy on that days before the wedding. Elizabeth even let me borrow her birdcage veil--now that's going the extra distance for the bride! I highly recommend them.

I was introduced to Gracie Lou Events at the original wedding expo in Fitchburg. I am easily overwhelmed when it comes to planning things that require great detail and have a hard time finding the time in my tight schedule to sit down and plan everything on my own. With the help of Gracie Lou Events I was able to tell them what I had in mind or wanted for my wedding and they were able to save me time and money. They are both are very professional and responded back to everything I requested from them in a timely fashion. I am so glad I hired them because I do not know how I would have planned everything by myself. They helped me with things that I might have forgotten and gave my wedding a creative edge that I was lacking on my own.

Adrienne and Liz were an amazing addition to our wedding day. They did SO MUCH as my DOCs, I cannot even list it all. They even attended my rehearsal and got comfortable with my wedding party. My bustle came apart quickly and MacGuyver with a needle, aka Liz quickly fixed it and sewed it up. They were always available to me and my bridal party, and that was a comfort. They also had the job of setting up all ball room décor and did so exceptionally. I cannot wait for my pro pictures to see it all again. They were amazing. I would recommend without reservations.

Elizabeth and Adrienne planned my wedding beautifully! They are bubbly, professional and always at the top of their game! Their love for weddings and creative nature really shines in all of their personalization services (they did our favors and menus). Nothing was overlooked, everywhere you turned their was something sweet that was just so "us." My Big Day went off without a hitch and I truly believe it was because of their hard work. I really can't say enough wonderful things about them!!

Gracie Lou did a terrific job helping plan and coordinate my wedding this past June. Adrienne and Elizabeth are responsible, responsive and fun to work with. They are also incredibly creative and tasteful--they gave us some excellent design insight and money-saving ideas! In planning our wedding, I was most excited about taking on the details (selecting the vendors, designing the paper products, creating the decor, etc.). They primarily helped us with the big picture: conceptualizing, scheduling, budgeting, and other logistics. Their advice was invaluable! The weekend of the wedding, Elizabeth and Adrienne were on-hand at all times. They did a great job overseeing the setup and managing the day. We couldn't have done it without them! Their consultation and coordination services were WELL worth the price. I highly recommend them!

Elizabeth and Adrienne made our wedding the amazing event it was - without them it would have been a basic wedding but their expertise, recommendations, and planning came together to create the most memorable day of my life. They saved us money, were incredibly responsive, friendly, completely understood our vision and made it a reality, leaving no detail untouched. They found the perfect location after we thought it couldnt be done, and every vendor they recommended was 100% professional and did a great job. Every one of our guests commented on how we thought of everything, how much fun they had, and how beautiful everything looked - we cant take credit, because Gracie Lou did all the hard work. Cannot say enough good things about this fantastic pair!

Gracie Lou Events helped to make my daughter's wedding a day that will be remembered for a long time. Their knowledge helped to make this a wonderful bonding experience for us. Thank you ladies.