About this vendor
Ignite your imagination.
Embrace your authenticity.
Celebrate your story.
Drawing from expertise of over 700 weddings nationally and internationally, Black Swan empowers couples to plan the wedding of a life time .
From intimate to grand, in a Cathedral of Trees or weaving your personality into 4000 years of tradition, we have one opportunity to make your wedding extraordinary.
"Let’s create something brilliant !” Gabrielle Dowding
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
- Destination Wedding Planning
Planning
- A la Carte Wedding Planning
- Budgeting
- Day-Of Coordination
- Destination Wedding Planning
- Full Service Wedding Planning
- Honeymoon Planning
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Engagement Party
- Honeymoon
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Bachelor Party
Awards and Affiliations
2-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2022.2021.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.017 reviews
We hired Gabrielle as our wedding planner but unfortunately had a conflict come up a few weeks later (through no fault of her own) that prevented us from sticking with her. She ha...
ndled the situation with grace and integrity, where I doubt few other vendors would have. In the time we worked together her knowledge and experience shone through. I highly recommend her to anyone.
My wife and I were nearly halfway through planning our Victorian Gothic Wedding till things had become so hectic that we felt like this wedding was going to be way over our heads. ...
After realizing they we may have bitten off more than we could chew, we were referred to Gabrielle Lennartz from Black Swan Events. She has so much knowledge and experience in multiple types of weddings. She gave us so many ideas and things to decide, thing that we never knew we should've planned. If it weren't for her all those fine details could have potentially ruined our weddings. Gabrielle took what work we had done and fined tuned it and made it a cohesive and wonderful wedding. She referred us to an awesome photographer, Jon from Atelier Photography, and they both built a timeline for our wedding to make sure that every minute was used to its fullest. Thanks to her, our wedding was a great success. We highly recommend Gabrielle to anyone looking to have a professional, wonderful, and smooth wedding on their special day.
Gabrielle of Black Swan Events wildly exceeded my expectations. I knew I wanted to invest in a wedding planner to avoid day-of stress and to allow myself to actually enjoy my weddi...
ng. Well, Gabrielle gave me that and so much more! She connected us with vendors that exactly matched our needs and price points. She was available to answer any question, big or small, and to provide her expertise on everything, from layout, to flow, to timeline, to addressing vendor questions/issues, etc.
Gabrielle was regularly available via text/email and in person to help get everything planned just the way we wanted it. During the dress rehearsal and our actual ceremony and reception, Gabrielle truly shined and exceeded my wildest dreams. Our day went off without a hitch, and that was 100% due to Gabrielle working behind the scenes to take care of everything and address any problems or issues. I am sure there were bumps along the way day-of, but I did not have to deal with anything! I had absolutely no stress and was able to be fully present in our special day, and created amazing memories with my now-husband and our friends and family. That would have NOT been possible without Gabrielle. I am a control freak by nature, and my way of managing anxiety is to overplan and overworry. In the case of our wedding, I did not need to do any of that! Gabrielle went through everything with us ahead of time so she knew exactly what we wanted, and she took over day-of and made it a magical, wonderful day. She was careful to build in some "down time" at a few key points throughout the day to give me and my now-husband a chance to relax, breathe, have a bite to eat and rehydrate, and actually spend some time together! She navigated and advocated and did everything I could have ever wanted, and more.
You know she excelled because not one single issue came to my attention -- which meant she took care of EVERYTHING. So, from my perspective and our guests' perspective, everything was perfect and went off without a hitch.
Gabrielle was worth every penny. I would highly recommend her.
I worked with Gabrielle of Black Swan events, for my recent (July 2022) wedding at the World Forestry Center. She was competent, calming when I was stressed and did a great job mak...
ing sure everything went smoothly day-of. My decorations were all set up and packed up properly, she coordinated with the caterer and the venue so I didn't have to worry at all that evening. Having that extra help meant more time I was able to spend with my family, friends and husband.
She came to my final walkthrough of the venue and had great ideas for the tables layout. Basically she has an excellent aesthetic, she listens to you and she is really good at making sure stuff gets done. Hiring her was a great decision.
We were so fortunate to get to work with Gabrielle and Black Swan Events. I truly can't say enough good things about our experience. I am not a planner so the thought of a weddin...
g was daunting and she made it so doable and even fun. The vendors she found for us to work with were second to none and the day of was stunning and from my perspective seamless!! She was easy to communicate with, quick to reach out to vendors to help keep us on task and on time. I can't say enough good things, we had a backyard wedding and it felt like we had rented a venue with how smoothly it ran and the decor was beyond my dreams! I highly recommend Gabrielle!!
Gabrielle was phenomenal to work with, she was supportive and helpful through the whole process. Her communication was thorough and she was so detailed and organized from the first...
day we met her through our big day. She made our visions come to life for our big day so seamlessly, she was truly wonderful to work with for planning the most important day of our lives. I highly recommend her services for your event, whatever you need for your big day she’s got you.
Gabrielle is a wealth of knowledge and ideas that was so helpful in the wedding planning. Her vast experience and professionalism were vital through the planning process and the j...
oyous wedding day. Our son and his bride were married in our backyard with about 70 guests. Gabrielle and her team coordinated everything the wedding day, allowing all of us to just enjoy the beautiful moments. We so appreciated Gabrielle's energy and attention to detail, and that was a crucial to the huge success of the ceremony and reception. We had so many guests say it was one of the most enjoyable weddings they had ever attended.
Given CoVID my now husband and I went through numerous hurdles trying to even have a wedding. We’ve had to change city locations, push back dates and even last minute venue change ...
one week prior to the wedding. Despite the venue change last minute for our 100 guest count Gabrielle (Black Swan Events) made it happen! Gabrielle was up for the challenge, she reached out to all her contacts for us, and she kept the positivity alive in such a stressful situation in the end helping us have the wedding of our dreams! We definitely were lucky to have Black Sean Events!
Words cannot begin to describe how much I appreciated having Gabrielle be apart of our big day. Planning a wedding is no easy task to begin with, let alone planning a wedding durin...
g Covid...in less than a months time, yet Gabrielle handled it with such precision and professionalism. Due to Covid restrictions during the early stages of our wedding planning I thought “it’s a small wedding, there will be no need to hire a planner” but that could not be further from the truth, and I was so thankful that Gabrielle was there to help me. Not only is she so well educated on the wedding/event industry, she has built relationships with countless vendors to ensure everyone you hire for your big day is well vetted, professional and reliable. However, if you have chosen your own vendors she is more than willing to accommodate and help ease their way as well. One of our main concerns while dealing with COVID was ensuring the guests we invited all felt comfortable and were still able to enjoy their time. Gabrielle thought of everything! we had “social bubble” seating charts, our dinner was served in the most elegant picknik wine baskets, and all of our cutlery and dinnerware was all disposable. Gabrielle went out of her way to source all of these materials and even brought my fiancé and I a trial basket before the big day, Just so we could get a feel of what it would be like for our guests. Your wedding day happens once, and truly goes by in the blink of an eye. You can trust that Gabrielle will ensure the whole event runs seamlessly and on time. Do yourself a favor and make the whole experience more enjoyable, and let Gabrielle worry about the details, you won’t regret it!
If there is one investment you make in your wedding, it should be with Gabrielle and Black Swan Events. She was the saving grace of our big day, especially during COVID wedding tim...
es. This woman is more than a wedding planner, she is driven, organized, and the steady hand we all needed during the uncertain times. Not once did Jordan and I feel worried or scared about our wedding. If plans needed to change, she made sure to have multiple other solutions before we had a chance to panic. One thing that makes her stand out among everyone else, is Gabrielle cares. She deeply cares for her clients and puts you at the top of her priority list. She is extremely established and well versed and there is not one detail missed. She will take your vision and make your wedding dreams come true. If you are looking for a wedding planner, look no further Gabrielle is your girl.
Black Swan Events went above and beyond for us, even through a pandemic. We don't know what we would've done without them.
With COVID in mind, we wanted a small wedding with our closest family members with plans of a bigger celebration to follow in 2022. We hired Gabby for the 2022 celebration but as s...
he said in the very beginning when we hired her: "I do it all, from now until the big day. It's all inclusive." She is a true professional and helped us bring this intimate backyard (and very impromptu wedding) to life -- and in a matter of weeks!
Her genuine character, passion for her work and the extra effort she always puts forth is immeasurable. We feel like the only couple she is working with and are consistently comforted with her full-undivided presence and attention. More than just doing the job effectively, her way of relating to love is touching, real and remarkable. She brings that touch and intention into her work and it shows. Moreover, her ops and logistics trained brain helped us tremendously to stay on top of our timeline and responsibilities.
Gabby/Black Swan is not a flashy or super branded company but rather is someone who will be your true partner in making your day a wonderful memory for your lifetime. You won't regret working with her!
HIRE GABRIELLE! I planned a wedding of 35 people at the end of August 2020 during all the corona virus craziness. Gabrielle was fantastic to work with. I was very skeptical that I ...
needed a day of coordinator but once we hired her we decided it was the best decision we made. Her communication was top-notch, very consistent, extremely detailed. Her knowledge and advice about weddings was incredible. She brought things up that I would never think about, down to the very last detail. Gabrielle went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of and our wedding went extremely smooth. When you hire Gabrielle you are hiring someone who truly cares about you and your wedding, you will not regret it!
Wedding of our daughter on June 20th was a very special day of our life. The planning was in process for over a year and then Covid came with all the new normal changes to our live...
s. Gabrielle and her partners were with us in our journey as it changed from exhaustive celebrations to moving the wedding to our backyard. Transformation to the new plan was the best thing that could have happened within the limitations and Gabrielle was crucial to all what finally took shape. She made it special. She was there in every details of the plan, single handidly steered it to become grand. We want to thank Gabrielle for all what she did, her professionalism, her energy that was evident all throughout and making it the most special day for us. Her planning was immaculate and all the work she did in collaboration with Royce Prop Shop was fabulous. Thank you Gabrielle!
I don't know where to start because I am filled with so much joy when I think about our wedding day. We could not have had the wedding day we did without Gabrielle and Black Swan E...
vents. She and her team were absolutely essential to not just our wedding day but the hours, days, months etc. of planning that went into it. We called off the original wedding due to COVID and pivoted to an intimate ceremony in my parents backyard -- when I shared this with Gabrielle she gracefully and very quickly supported us in executing a totally new wedding in a matter of 4 weeks. We had a traditional Hindu ceremony and wedding which Gabrielle has experience in -- it was amazing to bright together our desires and her ideas/experience. We really appreciated the energy, attention to detail, flexibility and personal touch that Gabrielle brought to our wedding planning journey and wedding day. Please please please have Gabrielle and her team be a part of your wedding planning team. You will not regret it.
As if planning your wedding is not hard enough, doing so during Covid can seem insurmountable. We were lucky and our event happened before the shut down. Gabrielle was a huge resou...
rce and her expertise is even more valuable now.
Your wedding may not be what you thought it would be, but it just might be better.
Gabrielle was a partner from the beginning. We always knew that we wanted a wedding redo with an intimate feel and hosted at our home, because when we originally got married we just eloped. She listened to us, and did amazing things with the parameters we gave her. A formal sit down type reception wasn't our style. Gabrielle helped us create a flowing open house reception, which was just perfect for us.
The planning process was extensive, from figuring out parking, where and what seating we could have, menus, decorations, and music.
She helped us solve every problem and anticipated others before they even happened. Gabrielle has a seemingly endless supply of vendors, all of whom love to work with her, and she had wonderful ideas for getting the most out of our budget. We loved every idea she proposed, and she was so good working with us for tweaking any ideas so they fit for us.
We wanted to take a really active role in our planning. Gabrielle completely respected that and worked with us along every step of the planning as well as on the day of the event. Her expertise and guidance allowed us do what we were comfortable with and she handled the rest.
Our wedding revisited was exactly what we wanted and we could not have done it without her.
Gabrielle from Black Swan Events was an amazing guide to all that is needed to plan a wedding, especially one not hosted by a venue. From the other side of the country, she helped ...
us find and coordinate the vendors needed to have our wedding at our own 253 year old farm house. She reviewed each contract and on several occasions kept us from spending extra money in areas where vendors overlapped such as glassware and linens between the rental company and the caterer. She also gave us a ton of great decoration ideas since we were starting with a blank slate in an open field, she threw everything that came to mind out there and we chose or modified her ideas to make a truly beautiful setting.
Gabrielle is a go-getting, she gets stuff done! On the day of, she was way ahead of schedule and knew what to delegate to whom in the wedding party to get the decorations assembled, and the flowers from our garden arranged on the tables. Weddings can be stressful, and when we expected the morning to be the worst, we actually found ourselves relaxing with our friends and a drink because it was all taken care of. You only get married once, and we found the best planner for any wedding!
Contact
Portland, OR
Black Swan Events