Allison Barnes Events

ended up choosing ABE because they would consistently respond super quickly and they made us a customized proposal based on what fit our needs, while other planning companies fell through. Jillian was so on top of everything throughout our entire wedding planning process, more so than we had even expected from the proposal. She figured out exactly what we needed and how we worked. She took so much stress off our shoulders, and even when I would be nervous about something, she was always available to assure me, iron out all the details, and make any changes necessary. Our wedding day was beautiful because Jillian and the team were there and made sure everything went smoothly! Jillian went above and beyond in every way. I have unlimited compliments and endless thanks for Jillian! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Allison Barnes Events!

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riceless. Allison and Jillian were meticulous, detailed, creative, organized, accessible, supportive, and patient. Brittany saved me from a busted bustle on the wedding night. Just all around excellence in wedding planning. We had an incredible wedding and we have ABE to thank for that. Highly recommend!

th ease and skill the rescheduling of our wedding from Nov 2020 to Aug 2021. Initially we were not even sure we had much of a vision for our wedding, just looking for someone who could help us coordinate it all. When we started talking to Allison, she was excellent in helping us flesh out our thoughts and offered excellent ideas on making it all work out. She is very good about developing appropriate timelines and gently but firmly keeps folks (both us and other vendors) on task without being pushy. She is incredibly easy to reach and responds very quickly to email questions about anything. Her contacts are superb and every vendor she recommended was spot-on. When talking to the other vendors we used, it was also clear they had respect and confidence in Allison and her team. As an added bonus, Allison is a lovely, kind individual who is just fun to be around which makes working with her even better. She was simply a gem the day of the wedding and was instrumental in creating a seamless perfect wedding day. I had the utmost confidence in her and knew she could absolutely handle anything unexpected…and having that ease of mind is incredible at that point. The compliments we have received from our family and friends about our wedding have been across the board excellent. If even considering the possibility of using a wedding planner, I would strongly encourage you reach out to Allison and her team and utilize her services to the utmost that your budget will allow. She is definitely worth it.

we could trust Allison and her team with every detail. My husband and I got engaged at the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic – it was a very stressful year to plan a wedding and Allison helped us figure everything out – including changing the date from April 2021 to July 2021 without losing any of our vendors or any money. Allison’s deep knowledge of the industry resulted in the most beautiful wedding that blew us and our guests away. We truly loved all our vendors – Allison has the best contacts! We all had the most amazing time and even when things didn’t go as planned (we had horizontal rain an hour before our outdoor ceremony), Allison quickly figured out how to make everything work for us, so we still had the most beautiful and memorable day. We opted for Allison’s full-service planning package (rather than partial planning) because we both work full-time and needed all the help and advice we could get. Allison took care of everything – she created design boards to help us come up with a cohesive vision for our wedding, shared vendor shortlists with us that fit in our budget, handled and negotiated all contracts with our vendors, and more! We definitely saved thousands of dollars by working with Allison – her contact list is extensive, and she knew the right questions to ask and where we could shave off costs and still get the wedding we wanted. I can’t say enough good things about Allison and her team. We feel so lucky that we had her by our side for our whole wedding experience!

and she was always calm and collected when answering me. She made sure that all of my vendors were communicated with, that I always knew what was going on, and that I kept on my planning timeline. On the actual day of our wedding, she was so fun to work with and everything went so smoothly - she really ensured that I had the best day and my husband and I are so thankful!

for the big day. She responded promptly to our emails and made us feel like a priority throughout the planning process. She also worked seamlessly with our venue and other vendors to carry us over the finish line. On the day of, Allison and her assistants were on top of everything and a great team of cheerers-on for us and our guests. Can't recommend highly enough!

planning and we relied heavily on Allison to help us coordinate with vendors. Day-of she made sure that everyone performed per their contracts and made the entire experience stress-free for my fiance and I. I honestly don't know how we would have planned our wedding without her and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a planner who will go above and beyond to make your wedding run smoothly.

step of the way (aside from the engagement!). What we loved most about Allison was her easy going nature, but when it comes down to business and planning, she is always on top of everything. She helped us sift through our many venue choices, came on vendor visits with us, asked all the questions we didn’t even know we had, and ultimately helped us pick an AMAZING team of vendors and an absolutely beautiful location! Allison has such a wealth of knowledge about the wedding industry in general, and has worked with many of the best vendors in the DMV area – she even found us an amazing bagpiper per my father’s request. It was always that Allison only wanted us to have the wedding of our dreams. She has an excellent eye for design, and helped to create our vision exactly how we wanted it! Throughout the whole year and a half we worked together, Allison was always available and responsive, even when we saw her instagramming photos from 2 weddings she was planning in one weekend. On the day of the wedding, everything went off without a hitch (or at least it seemed to)! We enjoyed working with her every step of the way and could not recommend her more highly!

n person. Allison took our initial vision and managed everything down to the last detail. We ended up having the perfect wedding weekend: chic, low key, intimate and not too traditional, exactly as we hoped. Allison was always available to chat, offer explanations, and ease any of our concerns. I would give her more than five stars if I could!

ng because she took care of even the smallest issues. She worked well with all of the vendors and was very familiar with our wedding venue. She set-up a walk through with a few of our vendors so we could get even the smallest detail correct. I would highly recommend her to anyone.

She had wonderful suggestions and some great vendor referrals. Allison and her staff made the wedding day magical. They were ever present when needed and were a godsend at the end of the wedding. We are grateful we found Allison to help us during the entire wedding process.

. The relationships she had with vendors was a game changer for us, as was her expertise in coaching us through some of our 'dream ideas' so that they could be brought to life. She could not have been any more helpful, diligent or prepared and we were thoroughly impressed by her entire team. She will make your wedding everything you want it to be!

ut getting us involved, and really made the day run totally smoothly. If there were any issues day-of, we don't know about them! And that's exactly how it should be. We did the month-of package, but I honestly wish we had done the full thing or at least hired Allison right at the beginning--weddings are stressful and it would have been great to have her guidance even earlier! Of all vendors to have, I think a planner--day-of, month of or otherwise--is absolutely crucial, and Allison and her team were really great (thank you for the pie and sweet note left in our room at the end of the night!!). It was great to have them on our side and we miss them already!

erything, and it turned out amazing. She's the best!

e and gave us the time to enjoy our day and even get to eat dinner. I would recommend Allison to anyone planning a wedding.

assed if I said there were little things I didn't feel like spending money on or didn't care about. I could ask her anything wedding related and was so happy to have her advice. She's honest, thoughtful, and really fun to hang out with. We went with the full planning package, and I have zero regrets. She really made our wedding so special. It felt personal, unique, and beautiful. I had general ideas about what I thought would look nice, so she was great at honing in on that and creating an incredible vision. It took my breath away to see the space on our wedding day. We were told by countless guests that it was the: nicest, most fun, and most beautiful wedding they'd attended. A groomsman went so far as to tell us the space looked "magical." High, and surprising, praise from that dude, trust. Allison was really great at figuring out what we liked - things I had no idea to think about, such as what style of photographer we wanted. I only thought about wanting someone who would notice if we were too far apart, or someone was blinking in a great shot. But she sent me several different photographer's sites to demonstrate how different the styles could be, and to identify what looks we liked best. Little things like that made having a planner, and in particular having her as a planner, were so helpful. She was really great at communicating as well - I could send her long emails with disorganized general thoughts, and she'd respond quickly and with great feedback. She also put together a dream team of vendors, and handled all of the details there. As much as we tried to get everything taken care of in advance, of course with a wedding little things pop up. Our hotel we planned to stay in wound up not opening up on time, and we were told a week before the wedding. Instead of this being devastating and frustrating, Allison took care of it, and made sure we were more than taken care of and accommodated for the headache. My mom had already said countless times over the course of our engagement how much she loved Allison, and how grateful she was that she was able to enjoy the planning process (dress shopping, tasting) and not deal with any of the actual details. But it was at that moment that my mom, husband, and I were SO happy to have Allison. The fact that we didn't have to deal with any of it, and it ended up being *more* than OK in the end, was a dream. That's the thing I tell people when they ask if they should get a planner. Not only does she have a beautiful vision, know vendors, is able to handle the details, but moments like that when you have someone able to tell you "I got it, I'll call you when everything's fixed with an update," is priceless.

ed every vendor we worked with, and she took care of the messy stuff like contracts and left the fun creative details to me. Her website was seamless, easy to use and kept my fiancé and I organized. She knew where to cut costs that wouldn't detract from our day, and where it was more important to spend a little more. Her day-of staff made sure everything ran smoothly, from fixing last minute foto booth Snafoos to running song requests to the DJ. I couldnt recommend Allison Barnes Events more!

She goes above and beyond to ensure that all the details are covered and on my wedding day, it ran so smoothly!!! Allison is a true professional, she’s approachable, and easy to work with!! Thank you so much Allison for all of your hard work you put into making our day perfect and everything we dreamed!!

elped us save money in areas without sacrificing anything. Honestly couldn't have done it without her. Thank you so much!

med control freak!) but we were in very good hands with Allison and she was truly a calming presence. Allison was always professional, responsive, and kind. She thought of every little detail and had excellent relationships with other vendors in the field. Our ceremony and reception were wonderful --couldn't have done it without her! We recommend Allison without hesitation!

ce and led us through the process but is also just fun to be around. We saved so much money by using her -- she not only has great ideas on ways to save, but connected us with vendors she knows and trusts and were able to provide us a discount for being one of their clients. We had the most amazing day, her day-of execution was great, she made sure everything kept running smoothly despite a few bumps in the road. She also has a great creative eye and knack for detail, something I am very much lacking, so she helped pull the full vision together and we couldn't be happier!

ervice!!

t goes on. The minute we got engaged, I knew Allison would be apart of our wedding day. I switched my date due to her availability (that's how serious it was). Our first email, our first meeting, our chats back and forth eased my mind and we (especially my fiancé) knew we made the right decision. In his words "she is the only one you will let take over, if we had it this is worth a million dollars". One would think it doesn't get any better..well it does. Into our wedding planning, we decided to buy house, cut our wedding budget more than half and pretty much decided to elope. So sadly (I'm not kidding I was sad) we would not be needing her full service. We reached out to Allison to explain the changes and what did Allison do??? She gave us advice, pointers and tips, courthouse rules AND refunded our deposit (WHAT? seriously who does that)? We had ZERO expectation of that happening, she simply said "of course, I wouldn't have it any other way". She wished us well and was just as excited for us as the first consultation. She's genuine, caring, and this truly is one of her gifts, she loves what she does and it shows. She is a gem for sure and it was a privilege working with her. Book early, b/c she fills up quick!!!!

e logistics and day-of management so I could focus on the "fun stuff". Allison was organized and on-top of every detail. She allowed me to take the reins when I wanted to, but easily swooped in whenever I needed her - handling all my frantic, one-off emails the week-of like a champ! Once the weekend arrived, she took care of everything so that we could simply relax and enjoy. We had the best weekend our lives and truly thank Allison and her team for making it happen.

d, and incredibly well prepared. We hired a wedding planner so we could spend less time worrying about the details and more time enjoying the day. That's exactly what Allison allowed us to do. She made the day stress-free and everything came together perfectly. We would absolutely recommend hiring her for your wedding!

r special day run so smoothly and we will forever be grateful for their dedication and support. I highly recommend Allison Barnes Events :)

dle of the woods, on top of a mountain-this required a keen attention to detail and lots of knowledge. Allison handled our rural, mountain top wedding with ease. She was instrumental with every last detail. We had to bring in EVERYTHING-generators, bathrooms, water, tables, chairs, tents, etc. From vendor recommendations, handling the timeline of deliveries, helping me find the most cost effective choices-to dealing with last minute emergency details-she handled it all professionally and calmly. Every single one of my vendors LOVED working with her. Not only is she really good at her job-she's also extremely likable. She is someone you'd actually want to be friends with after your wedding is over. I have to admit-I'm sad the planning is over because I enjoyed working with her so much! I cannot say enough great things about Allison and her team. I always have very high expectations and she exceeded every single one of them. I am not easily impressed but she is out of this world good. My wedding was perfect.

ng expenses (which can come as a shock) and budgets, found us a fabulous venue and scoured the region for fantastic vendors to work with as well. She's also so creative and tasteful. On the wedding day, I was totally worry free knowing Allison had everything handled. She made my dream wedding come to life while keeping me stress free and I recommend her to anyone getting married in the region.

and was very responsive and detail-oriented. She gave us good advice and vendor recommendations. Throughout the planning and on the day, she was calm, cheerful, and collected. I was genuinely grateful for her. Thanks, Allison!

and she was so helpful to me throughout. Leading up to the wedding, she helped us create a detailed weekend timeline and made sure all of our vendors were updated with last minute changes. During the week leading up to the wedding we had to make weather changes, but Allison was always available and handled everything with grace and ease. Day-of, she made sure each vendor arrived and performed as stated on their contracts. She made excellent calls related to the weather, moving certain things inside in ways that made perfect sense and ensuring that the timeline was followed seamlessly. She and her assistant, Brittany, were so helpful to us throughout the day - we could hand them things and they'd make sure they got to a safe place, or we could ask for something and they'd get it taken care of in no time. Hiring Allison took so much pressure off our families for the weekend of the wedding and we were truly able to enjoy our wedding activities without worrying about a thing! I can't thank Allison enough.

g us through the entire planning process, and our wedding would not have been so perfect without her. There was nothing that she could not handle, and she constantly put both of us at ease as she tackled all the potential hurdles that came our way. Allison was incredibly accommodating, and she did her utmost to make our wedding day exactly as WE wanted. But maybe even more important is that Allison's experience and overall wedding know-how gave us invaluable advice, and her suggestions and insight ensured that our wedding day would be perfect. Getting married was so much easier and less stressful thanks to her. She handled all types of difficult vendors, and managed what would have been an otherwise impossible timeline of detailed contracts. We were very lucky to have had her as our planner. We are extremely satisfied with her service, and highly recommend her as a wedding planner. Thank you so very much Allison!!! We wish you nothing but the best! - Shannon and Paul

g us through the entire planning process, and our wedding would not have been so perfect without her. There was nothing that she could not handle, and she constantly put both of us at ease as she tackled all the potential hurdles that came our way. Allison was incredibly accommodating, and she did her utmost to make our wedding day exactly as WE wanted. But maybe even more important is that Allison's experience and overall wedding know-how gave us invaluable advice, and her suggestions and insight ensured that our wedding day would be perfect. Getting married was so much easier and less stressful thanks to her. She handled all types of difficult vendors, and managed what would have been an otherwise impossible timeline of detailed contracts. We were very lucky to have had her as our planner. We are extremely satisfied with her service, and highly recommend her as a wedding planner. Thank you so very much Allison!!! We wish you nothing but the best! - Shannon and Paul

lped to keep me on task! She offered thoughtful suggestions throughout the planning process and made sure that details didn't fall through the cracks. The day of the wedding, Allison and her assistant made sure that my family, guests and I could enjoy the day and didn't need to worry about questions from vendors, any problems, etc. I would absolutely recommend using Allison Barnes Events for your wedding!

s saying just how happy he was that we choose to hire one! Allison was very responsive throughout the entire process. She always responded with thoughtful and helpful answers. Having her there on the day of the wedding allowed my husband and I, as well as our parents, to be able to relax and know that everything was being taken care of. Nothing was overlooked - and everything went off without a hitch! Thank you Allison!

the changes we made along the way. On the actual day, she and her team really made us feel at ease and handled anything gone wrong without a hitch! We would recommend this team to any bride or groom looking for a stress-LESS and great wedding day!

t my wedding planning as I knew the vision I wanted for my wedding, but knew that I didn't have the proper amount of time to work with the vendors on all of the details associated with having an amazing wedding. Allison was very friendly and was my rock through-out it all. She offered me a list of vendors for consideration based on what I wanted for my special day and it helped me choose the best fit to make my day unique for me and my husband. My guests asked me if I was nervous at all on my wedding day and I said no, because I knew everything was being handle by Allison.

all that "month of" for everything she did leading up to the big day! The whole night went smoothly and she made sure that we always had anything we needed! She was also a huge help in picking my vendors who were all also amazing. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a great planner!

questions and emails we had, and she was on top of EVERYTHING. We had Kelly and Brittany assist us on the day of the wedding, and my husband and I were not under any stress or concern. Everything was taken care of, and all we had to do was show up. They were amazing. I highly recommend going with Allison for any event!!

l of her recommended vendors were solid, and we went with almost all of them. Her assistant was also fantastic. The day went flawlessly, and she made sure everything was taken care of. For instance, all of our guests didn't know that we had a planner and said we had done a fantastic job planning it ourselves. She was on top of things throughout the entire process - when the makeup artist dropped out, she was looking for a new one within hours and had some available options by the time I emailed her. I wouldn't necessarily recommend her to anyone who will be stressed out not hearing updates from her all the time. Since we didn't need (or want) that, it worked out great for us! I also think she was key in convincing my parents not to throw a second reception for us - even my mom, who had had some different ideas than us, kept saying how "perfect" it was. If my sister has a local wedding, she already knows who her planner will be.

n and ABE, our wedding would not have been the same wonderful day, and for that my husband and I are eternally grateful. It was the best investment we made in our wedding. My fiancé and I contracted for "day of services" but really Allison made herself available during the whole process and was very easy and quick to work with. Even with as much planning as my husband and I did, I can honestly admit that I would have been overwhelmed with all of the last minute coordination and day of details that ABE handled with ease. In the last week our venue had a change in catering manager without any overlap and Allison quickly jumped in and caught a few details that were lost in the transition. Additionally, our church did not have a service coordinator and our wedding ceremony was going to be the first a new Priest was presiding over. Allison stepped in to manage the entire wedding party and the procession and the ABE team saved the day with handling a rogue 3-year-old ring bearer who wanted to upstage the bride. He was entertained then handed off to a family friend so the ceremony was undisturbed (and they even found the box he chucked to make sure it got back to us!). We had several reception rooms for guests at our venue, which made keeping track of people for toasts/dances/events tricky, but ABE kept us to schedule in a way that was low stress and easy. As a person I’m not typically able to give up control of events thinking I can manage better than anyone. For my wedding I was able to completely relax and enjoy the day knowing the details were in good hands. Anything that popped up we told people “ask Allison, if she thinks its ok-so do we.” Even for the little things, we loved how ABE incorporated our decorations into the venue and they even were able to use other items the venue had on hand to add in seamlessly. Another important note – all of our other vendors raved about Allison and how easy and “refreshing” it was to work with someone like her and her team. They said her enthusiasm and attitude were unique to the industry in a way that she was a pleasure to work with and they would love to work with her again. Allison’s team was also wonderful to work with, incredibly professional, and shared the same positive attitude. Thank you ABE for making our day!

ent. Every person who attended our wedding was thoroughly impressed and a large part of that was Allison's hands on approach and impeccable attention to detail. I would recommend her for any event you have.

hat were immediately handled, with the sort of know-how that can only come from someone that has been doing this a while. Allison's team has a great way of working behind the scenes to make sure everything goes flawlessly - in a way that you hardly know they're there. Except that your wedding is perfect! I would highly recommend Allison's team for anyone just looking to take some pressure off their own shoulders on their big day. She can handle whatever the evening throws at her, so that you don't have to!

venue. She was extremely helpful in meeting all the needs of the bride and groom as well as others. She remained calm during stressful times and was very organized and kept the wedding running as scheduled. She provided assistance to the staff at the venue and to the DJ as well. I would highly recommend her to anyone in need of a wedding coordinator- she does it all and seemed very easy to work with.!!