By Invitation Only...Event Planning & Design

We are so incredibly happy we booked Melanie and her team to plan our wedding and we cannot recommend her and By Invitation Only enough. If you're looking for a wedding planner, Melanie is absolutely your person. Not only did Melanie plan our wedding to perfection once, but she also flawlessly moved our wedding TWO times due to COVID, so she essentially planned our wedding 3 times. We are eternally grateful for her hard work, calm demeanor, and flawless execution of our day. She somehow took our vision which I'm not sure we ever were able to fully express coherently, and turned it into the most beautiful day with each detail better than the last. One the day of our wedding she was there from start to finish to make sure everything was perfect. We were never stressed or worried and we were able to fully enjoy our day with family and friends because Melanie and her team took care of everything. We will recommend Melanie to everyone we know.

From the moment I met Melanie and Ashley, I knew that we had found the absolute BEST! Ashley was such a delight to work with from start to finish...we had many last-minute changes due to weather, and she handled everything beautifully. If you are looking for a solid team that will help you design and implement the wedding of your dreams, look no further!

Stop your search for wedding planners now, because the ladies at By Invitation Only are seriously THE best! Ashly was my wedding planner (through two wedding plans thanks to covid) and she by FAR was my best investment in my wedding. She handled EVERYTHING, every little detail including packing to go meals at send off for us to eat at our hotel! Things I didn’t even think about, she covered it. She kept my wedding party on task but in the friendliest way! She looked out for me with vendors and helped me review items when I needed to stay on budget. I couldn’t have imagined my wedding day without her, and because of her I have NOT. ONE. SINGLE. REGRET!! Thank you Ashly, Melanie, and the rest of the BIO team for going above and beyond. I will forever recommend you!!

Melanie and the team at BIO truly exceeded my expectations. From the start of planning to the time I left the venue the night of my wedding, Melanie was by my side. The team took care of everything. Melanie gave advice on everything from floral design, to budget saving tips! The team worked so well with all other vendors to coordinate a flawless day. By far, the best money spent through this wedding planning process was for this group of fabulous ladies! My day would not be nearly close to what it was without the help of the BIO team!

Loved Ashely from start to finish! Very personable, very detail oriented. We met with Ashley on a weekly basis reviewing all the plans all the while reassuring us that all was going to be okay. So it was coincidental that on our wedding day, Mother Nature decided to show her ‘hotter’ side! We reserved a small venue and lo and behold EVERYONE showed up so we packed >80 folks including all the supporting vendors in a very, very hot room. Ashley and her colleagues went to Walmart and bought all of their fans so we could at least have some ‘cool’ air circulating during the ceremony and following party. We were all very grateful for their help and support! Highly recommend By Invitation Only! We loved working with them!!

A real life Fairy Godmother!! Melanie and her team will make your wedding day dreams come TRUE!! They stop at nothing! I can honestly say I would not have been able to get through my wedding without her. This woman is talented beyond all belief! Melanie is there for you, the bride, the one who has dreamed of this day your whole life! She has got your back. She will work with you to find the perfect vendors, set up meetings with them and keep dates straight, she’ll help you find ALL the things you want in your wedding and get the job done!! She is your fairy godmother and you are Cinderella. She will bippity boppity boo your whole wedding! Whether your the type of bride who knows EXACTLY what you want, maybe a Pinterest queen with a big board of pins and dreams... Melanie Murphy will bring it all to life and make your wedding day what you want. Or if your the bride who hasn’t got a clue where to start, what to do, and didn’t know a wedding dress could come in SO MANY shades of white? Melanie has got you, she will walk you through it! Your worries are gone with her and she will make a heavy, overwhelming wedding process feel like floating on a cloud. So, if you want your wedding process to go as smoothly as possible, contacting Melanie and her team at By Invitation Only is the first thing you need to do. TRUST ME ,YOU WON’T REGRET IT!!!

Melanie with By Invitation Only found us a new venue after our original venue canceled 4 weeks prior to the wedding!! She transferred all of our plans to a new venue and executed everything perfectly. We had the most amazing wedding day and planning experience and we owe it all to Melanie and her team!

It was an honor to work with Melanie and her team. They all went above and beyond to make sure our day was perfect. I followed her work for a couple years leading up to getting engaged. She helped me navigate through changing venues in addition to three wedding dates. She and her team were amazing to work with! The amount of professionalism, communication, hospitality, coordination, and helpfulness really made the day perfect for us. We decided to have a destination wedding at the Biltmore Estate. Melanie took care of all the “behind the scenes” planning and communicating with vendors which helped me focus on the other wedding details. Anytime I had a question, Melanie was quick to respond and had an answer! The day of was amazing! We really felt catered to by everyone on the team. Whether it be help with my dress, to my feet needing wiping off to get into heels – thanks Ashley :), losing my earring-it was seriously amazing how fast Melanie found it, me making eye contact with Melanie and she knew I needed her help, helping me find something-anything, it was just all amazing the amount of hospitality! Melanie coordinated a photoshoot around the Biltmore Estate and assembled a timeline for us. Every idea I had, she helped me incorporate it in the wedding. She made planning the wedding seamless! The ceremony and reception… WOW! It was absolutely gorgeous. The little to big details - colors, placement of candles, the lining of the chairs, the placement of the glassware, the lighting, the flowers with the globes, the bar menu and guest favor note was perfect. Every direction was photo perfect. All the details were so perfect. I loved where the quartet was placed and everyone was able to get up and dance, no dance floor needed. The placement of Mrs. Gina’s live painting - every detail was perfectly placed. I loved it all! People are still contacting us and telling us how great of a time they had and it was THE BEST WEDDING they had ever attended.

If you are searching for the absolute perfect wedding EXPERIENCE then look no further. And I emphasize 'experience' because of how flawless the entire process was from start to finish. Melanie really takes the time to listen to what you and your significant other are searching for and delivers on all fronts. She communicates well, is prompt and organized in setting up meetings with vendors or her team. EVERY vendor recommendation was spot on and it truly is a testament to how well she knows the area. Most importantly, the wedding day itself was perfect. Everything is taken care of behind the scenes from vendor placement, the execution of their services and the flow of the wedding . Because of how brilliantly Melanie and her team performed at our wedding, I was truly able to devote all of my attention to the only thing that should've been receiving it that day, marrying the love of my life.

I cannot say enough good things about BIO. After I got engaged, I knew for sure that I needed a planner. After meeting Ashly Gregor, I knew, without a doubt, that she was our girl! I got married in Columbia, SC but lived in Florida and my parents were an hour away from our venue. Ashly was AMAZING at taking care of the details but always making sure that I felt included and never strayed from the vision I had, even though I was three states away. Ashly’s knowledge and rapport with our vendors was top notch. She has a vast knowledge of vendors and great relationships with many in the area. Throughout the entire process, Ashly was incredibly professional but so much fun. As a bride, it was easy to have jitters but after every meeting or phone call with her, I felt at ease knowing we were one step closer to making our beautiful day become a reality. If you are on the fence about hiring a planner, go with these ladies! They are absolutely amazing at what they do and you will not regret it one bit!

BIO handled the planning and execution of my son's rehearsal dinner followed by a welcome party for all of the wedding guests the night before the wedding. Ashly Gregor led the team of vendors to make this a truly spectacular event. Her outstanding relationship with each vendor was evident at each planning meeting. The vendor collaboration was seamless. Ashly was the epitome of professionalism throughout the planning of the event and also during the evening. She was always responsive and extremely knowledgeable when I had questions. The timeline that she developed ensured that the process was as smooth and stress free as possible. The creativity that she brought to the planning and execution was a testament to BIO's business model of creating an unique event for each couple. I HIGHLY recommend Ashly Gregor with By Invitation Only to plan and execute your wedding event!

Ashly Gregor is the absolute best. Every detail of our daughter’s wedding was flawlessly handled by Ashly. The fairy tale wedding was pulled off on the weekend before the COVID shutdown. Contingency plans were made but not needed. I would give Ashly ‘s firm the highest recommendation .

Ashly Gregor was such a lifeline in helping plan our wedding especially when we had to postpone everything. She always answered my questions and was willing to listen even when I just needed to vent some anxiety. Rehearsal and day-of she had everyone coordinated and on time. If something didn’t go according to plan I had no idea because she had everything so under control! Highly recommend!!

Melanie and the entire team at BIO are amazing. We knew after our first meeting, she would be the best person to plan and facilitate a beautiful, seamless wedding. As the pandemic shut down gatherings right before our original wedding date, we, like many couples in 2020, had to completely rearrange our plans. Melanie did not skip a beat (even while much of her own business was directly affected) and was immediately available to meet, go over our options and make plans as we decided to move our date. With the pandemic still in full swing by our new date we made more adjustments making it feel like we had planned three weddings instead of one. There isn't any way I could have pulled it off without Melanie's help. When our wedding day finally arrived I was blown away by how perfect it was. Melanie listened to things I had said and incorporated details that really made it even more special. She is professional, organized, creative, did I say amazing? and all together a dream event planner. I am clearly biased, but By Invitation Only is by far the best wedding/event planning group in town!

We worked with Ashly and she was great! We used the basic package, and I really appreciated the flexibility during the planning phase to conduct our own research and input our own ideas, with Ashly on hand to lend her experience to review our plans and make suggestions for improvements. She is so cool, calm, collected, confident, and fun to be around that when we hired her, the planning experience went from stressful to fun. She and her team were so helpful day-of; they rolled with any and all hiccups without showing away any hints of stress on their parts. Overall, would recommend!

I highly recommend “By Invitation Only” wedding planners and Ashly Gregor. All details were handled before, during and after the festivities!!!! Ashly made sure everyone was taken care of!!!! Everyone was able to enjoy the day and we all created wonderful memories!!!! Many thanks to Ashly and her crew for a job well done!!!!!

I honestly could rave about how amazing and fantastic Melanie and BIO team are. I am the type of person who typically strongly avoids needing help or relying on others but it was so easy to do that Melanie. Her readiness to answer any of my (or my Mother’s) questions (most probably didn’t need to be asked) and her willingness and o set up meetings that worked with my crazy work schedule made the process even easier. I love that I was able to connect with her helped me to be vulnerable and open about what I truly wanted for the wedding. The greatest part was how she weathered the pandemic storm. Our wedding happened the same weekend that all the restrictions started and Melanie was on top of it. No lie, I cried when I hugged her goodnight on our wedding night simply because I knew that journey our journey with the wedding had almost ended (that is until we got published in Martha Stewart Weddings woot woot). But really, I highly recommend Melanie and the BIO team to anyone getting married. She works with your budget, helps complete last minute DIY projects the day of, listens and hears you out... I mean I could go and on. She and her team are the actual best ever.

My husband and I were married on August 1st this past year at the Capital City Club, and Melanie and her team were fantastic! Melanie recommended amazing, reliable vendors and she attended every meeting with me, truly making sure that I was advocated for and taken care of. She offered her expertise as well when it came to wording our invitation and any design related choices, keeping true to my wishes and giving me the support I needed living states away from my mom. Detail oriented, personal, professional! Would recommend to anyone!

When I was getting married, I was a full-time graduate student who did not have family or fiance living in Columbia to assist with wedding planning. I appreciate artistry but am not artistic myself, and I get overwhelmed with too many choices (i.e., wedding planning)! I interviewed a couple of wedding planners in the area. Melanie immediately stuck out with her clear communication, prompt follow-ups, and demonstration of her ability to follow-through. She was recommended by a friend whose wedding she also planned, and she did not disappoint! Melanie's Full Event Planning package was hands-down the best wedding gift I received. Melanie happily and patiently guided me every step of the way with attending vendor meetings, explaining options, helping me narrow my options when I was overwhelmed by too many choices, and answering my many questions. She also answered my family's questions which was a big help to me! All the vendors she recommended were wonderful and suited our style. She was respectful of budget and was attentive to details while also keeping the big-picture in mind. I greatly appreciated how respectful and attentive she was when it came to adding personal touches that honored my now-husband's and my cultural backgrounds. At the rehearsal and day of the wedding, I had no worries about logistics. I knew Melanie and her team had everything handled! I could not have imagined that wedding without Melanie's services. Seriously. Melanie alleviated SO MUCH of the wedding stress from my family and me which helped everyone to enjoy and be present to the moment. I HIGHLY recommend Melanie and her BIO team for your event planning needs! Do yourself a favor and hire her!

Hire By Invitation Only immediately, Melanie Murphy and the team at By Invitation Only are masters of wedding planning! My husband and I were planning our wedding from out of state and Melanie made it happen. She was in constant communication with us, keeping us on track and giving advice every step of the way. If we had a question she always had an answer, any problem that arose, no matter how small, had a solution almost instantly. Melanie was completely on top of every detail. I was extremely daunted by planning a wedding and had no clue all of the little details that go into every aspect so I knew from the start that I wanted a wedding planner, and Melanie was absolutely perfect for us! She worked incredibly well with all of our vendors and kept our stress to a minimum. On the day of our wedding my husband realized multiple of the guys didn't have a pocket square for their tuxes, he called Melanie and she had it covered. She was our advocate throughout the wedding planning processes and worked with our budget to make the wedding of our dreams. Our day was absolutely perfect and it was because of all the hard work from Melanie and the rest of the ladies at By Invitation Only.

The words 'thank you' do not give justice to how much we appreciate all that this amazing team of ladies did for our wedding on January 13, 2018! Everything went smoothly and as planned from the very first meeting to the minute our special day came to an end. We (my husband and I, my parents, sisters, and close friends) have recommended Melanie and By Invitation Only Event Planning & Design to others, and will continue to do so! The wedding planning process can be overwhelming, but they made it enjoyable and memorable. So enjoyable that we want to relive our wedding weekend every weekend! Looking back, we don't know what we would have done without them. They made all of our wedding day dreams come true. They are undoubtedly the best out there! We are eternally grateful for all their hard work and talent!

Wow, Melanie Murphy did a marvelous job. I had her do my rehearsal dinner for 170, not an easy task. My event went off without a hitch and I am miles away from Columbia SC in Texas. We had a 4 course sit down dinner that Southern Way Catering executed beautifully per her recommendation. She then pulled off a flawless wedding for the brides parents the next day at Lace House. Melanie was great guiding us to resources that could execute what I wanted. I was able to really enjoy my dinner and the entire weekend because I truly did not have to worry about anything. Extra bonus of the weekend was that the bride and groom were surprised by all the thoughtful touches and were completely happy with absolutely everything!

Melanie and her team are so amazing! We have gotten so many compliments on how much fun and how beautiful our wedding was. Melanie literally took all of my ideas and turned them into a reality. My family and I had nothing to worry about on my wedding day. Melanie and her team took care of everything (communicating with the other vendors, decorating, keeping the families and bridal party under control, making sure everyone was in the right place at the right time). A wedding can be stressful no matter what. The month and more specifically week leading up to our wedding, my husband and I were have problems in our rental house (completely unrelated to wedding stuff). It would have been overwhelmingly stressful no matter what, but having the wedding added to everything I thought my head was going to explode. Melanie helped me so much there’s no way I could have gotten through everything without her. The week before the wedding Melanie helped me tie up all loose ends with the wedding and I was able to focus on getting the situation with my house fixed before our families arrived for the wedding. On our wedding day I had nothing at all to worry about. I’ll never forget arriving to the venue from the salon and seeing everything put together exactly how I had imagined it (like my Pinterest pages came to life). It literally took my breath away. My best friend referred Melanie to me. I have also been to several weddings that Melanie and her team have designed and planned. Each wedding was absolutely beautiful and different from the other. She’s able to match her design to each brides’ different personality and ideas. The best part about all of her weddings that I have attended is they have not only been breathtakingly beautiful but an absolute blast! She’s a necessity if you are getting married and need a planner. You won’t regret it!

I cannot say enough positive things about Melanie and the whole team she brought to the wedding! By Invitation Only was recommended to me by my cousin's wife who also hired them for a wedding a few years ago and had great things to say. Initially going into wedding planning,, as a project manager myself, I thought I didn't need a wedding planner... but I was absolutely wrong. Even if you think you can handle it on your own, there are more than a few reasons to hire Melanie and her team. To name a few - Melanie is always prompt to respond to messages and thoroughly. She has a wedding or three (or more!) every week, yet throughout the planning I felt like ours was the only one she was planning because of her attention to details and how well she remembered every detail we discussed (even when I had forgotten...) Melanie's vendor referrals helped us find what fit our style and price range without feeling pressured to use a certain vendor. Every vendor she suggests is wonderful, but every vendor has a different style - so she helped us pick the vendors that best fit ours. Her taste is impeccable - I am not a designer or stylist and that's where I needed the most help. I came to her without even a clue what color I wanted my bridesmaids to wear! I gave her some opinions about what I liked on the tables, etc... but I honestly had no idea. I trusted her to make something beautiful, and she did, without me having to stress or wonder if what I picked would look good. If you don't have an eye for color combos or style, just leave it to her... she'll come up with something beautiful and "you". I could go on more about how she made the process easier - but where Melanie and her team shine the most in my eyes is the day of. I had zero stress on my wedding day and that was fully due to her and her team. She kept the whole event organized, setup and broke down the event, and made sure it all went smoothly. Her team of ladies were all so poised and helpful and looked genuinely happy to be there and a part of our big day. Our wedding was better than I ever imagined. My mother and I both felt relaxed the entire day, and for us (we're planners and worriers!) that is saying A LOT!

By Invitation Only... is an absolute dream with which to work. Melanie helped me plan for almost a year and a half, had a wealth of ideas and recommendations, was always patient and flexible, and put together the most beautiful fairy tale wedding I could have imagined. She is well organized and meticulous, which was perfect for me and my busy work schedule. The weeks leading up to and day of our wedding couldn't have been easier because we had Melanie guiding and supporting us through everything. I would recommend Melanie and her wonderful team to everyone - I absolutely adore them.

I worked with Liz Hefka and I honestly don't know how I could have made it through the process without her. She and Melanie and everyone at By invitation only are amazing at what they do! if you're looking for someone to help you take some stress off your plate, definitely contact by invitation only!!!

Melanie and her team were wonderful! Without her, my husband and I probably would have ended up at the courthouse. The decor was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, every little detail was perfect. I didn't have to worry about anything the day of, there were no issues or disasters, and my mom got to relax and have fun with me on my big day! Wedding planning is stressful but Melanie made it SO much easier.

As another local wedding professional (hair/makeup) I was so excited to use Melanie and her team. From the beginning the was professional and so well organized. Having worked with many other wedding planners she is by far one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of working with. We can't say enough good things: from her ideas, working with our own ideas too, use of her personal inventory, and best of all the day of coordination (which was so calm and organized). I can't imagine our big day having gone nearly as well without her and her staff. It really was the happiest day of our lives, so beautiful and meaningful, and we are so thankful that Melanie was a part of it! I would give her 10 stars if we could!

Booking Melanie Murphy and her team at By Invitation Only was the best decision we made while planning our wedding. Melanie helped us enormously throughout the planning process, but what really sold us was having her and her staff there to do the set-up and breakdown of the event. We were able to spend more time with our family and friends, and we didn't have to ask anyone to take on extra duties that would have interrupted their enjoyment of our wedding week. Our rehearsal was during Hurricane Hermine, but Melanie made it through the storm from Columbia to conduct the rehearsal in Pawleys Island. Plus when we were worried about the condition of the grass at the reception, Melanie told me she had already coordinated with the rental company to set up the tent before the storm in order to try to keep the grass dry. We didn't think a full planning service would be in our budget, but BIO's packages include extras that we would have had to pay for anyway. The little things that Melanie always brings to an event would have added up to a large, but necessary, cost if we'd purchased them on our own. Plus the stock items that BIO provides as part of the planning package are an enormous cost savings. I tell people all the time that having BIO as our planners made our dollars go much further than they would if we had done everything on our own. Book By Invitation Only! You will not regret it.

I rarely meet someone and immediately think, "I want to be her friend", but I felt that way about Melanie. She is amazing. She and her team made everything about our wedding perfect. She accommodated every request including providing a shovel and a place to bury a bottle of bourbon. She is the glue for any event.

Melanie and her team were AMAZING!! They helped me pull off the wedding of my dreams. Melanie was there with me every step of the way and I couldn't have done it without her. She helped organize my mess of ideas, she recommended other vendors, she brought everything together. Every little detail was perfect. She orchestrated everything from timing the bridesmaids walking down the aisle...to making sure nobody lit their sparklers until it was time for the send off. Having their team is a MUST! Our wedding was even featured on The Knot :)

I can't thank BIO enough for helping me create my dream wedding. From start to finish they helped me along the way. I would recommend a day of wedding planner to anyone that is getting married. Whether it is in your budget or not... find a way to make it work! Peace of mind is priceless :) Lacey and Melanie really helped me create my dream wedding day! My entire day was perfect!

Melanie was SO awesome. I don't know what my day would've been like without her. She took care of everything behind the scenes, I was full all night, I had a drink in my hand the whole night, and she got us started and finished on time. There are probably so many things she did that I wasn't even aware of, but I appreciated her expertise every minute of my wedding day. My reception decorations and floor plan were fantastic. I'm not a very picky bride, and she gave me some great ideas since I didn't really have many ideas of my own. She organized all the vendors to make sure everything was on time. She was very easy to communicate with, and she made my day perfect. I loved her personality, and I trusted her with all of my details. There was not a moment where I was stressed, which is priceless in my opinion.

I read reviews to help me in choosing the right vendors and am happy to take the time to help others make the right decision for them. My daughter and I chose Melanie Murphy of By Invitation Only for her wedding planner and as I've told everyone, it's truly one of the best decisions we made. I am a very organized, detail oriented person; however, I would NOT plan a wedding on my own. Many people said we didn't need a planner and if anyone could do this it was us. Well, Ashley and I are so glad that the very FIRST thing we did was hire Melanie. She and her team made Ashley's Charleston wedding so beautiful and so stress free. She made countless trips to Charleston with us to help us find everything from the venue, catering, florist, bakery, DJ, etc...For an entire year, she answered countless emails with all of our questions and was ALWAYS there for us. From the first day to the wedding day, she took care of everything! And we truly felt like she was apart of our family. I would highly recommend hiring a wedding coordinator and Melanie and her team are THE BEST! Stacy Evans and Ashley and Travis Porter

Melanie and her team were GREAT! We used them for day of planning and they had everything in line and perfect! She obviously pays attention to every detail, is very organized, and is passionate about her work! Highly recommend!

So, so pleased with Melanie Murphy and By Invitation Only! Best decision I made all year - she is extremely professional, organized, accommodating, service-oriented, with top-notch design ideas. She recommended the absolute best vendors and we had NO issues, NO glitches, NO problems whatsoever. Entire wedding went off without a hitch - a remarkable achievement from what I hear. Would recommend her hands-down, every time to anyone looking for a high-class wedding.

By Invitation Only made my fairy tale wedding come to reality! They are an absolute joy to work with and have such an amazing and talented team! I would highly recommend them to anyone planning a wedding. Hiring a wedding planner and especially this team was the best decision I ever made. They made the whole process come together stress free. On my wedding day I got to enjoy getting ready with my bridesmaids and soak it all in instead of worrying about things that needed to to be done because I knew they were already taken care of by my wedding planner. They are very known in the community and have great relationships with all the top vendors. They will help you stay within your budget and guide you the whole way along the process. They are beyond words amazing:)

Melanie & her team of experts are AMAZING! Not only do they build on ideas and brainstorm with you, they LOVE doing it and you can tell! It's makes the stressful part of planning your big day a breeze. If that wasn't enough, they also gave great referrals in my price range and (most importantly) saved me money! After everything was said and done, I saved more money by using them then their fee! I recommend By Invitation Only to any and everyone planning an event!

Melanie Murphy from By Invitation Only helped me plan the wedding of my dreams. She was absolutely amazing from day one! She listened closely to everything I had to say, and even when I found myself lost for words, she read my thoughts clearly and was able to convey them in her design. She took my ideas and truly developed them into something far greater than I could have imagined! She was so meticulous on every detail from the up lighting on our naked wedding cake, to the sequined table cloth on our sweetheart table. She allowed me to be involved in anything I wanted, make every change I desired, and even leave tasks completely up to her (being that wedding planning is so over-whelming, with so many decisions!) Overall I could not have asked for a better friend to also me my wedding planner. The only thing that could make me happier than my wonderful wedding designed by Melanie Murphy from By Invitation Only, is being called Mrs. Halacka for the rest of my life.

I can not say enough about how wonderful By Invitation Only was. Melanie and her team managed to take my ideas and vision to a whole other level than what I imagined. Not only did everything look and feel perfect for our wedding, but I was able to enjoy the day without any stress. BIO handled all the things that I didn't want to fool with on my wedding day- errands, setting up, tearing down, cleaning up, questions from guests. I just showed up and had fun, and that's how your wedding should be! Using Melanie's in-stock items also helped me to save money, which basically let her services pay for themselves. Using BIO was the best decision I made- other than picking the right groom, of course!

There aren't enough adjectives to describe how awesome Melanie's services were for our wedding. Her creativity, level of detail, and organization were EXACTLY what I needed in planning my wedding. Since we live out of state, we knew it was very important that we find someone with great responsivness, and Melanie was awesome at keeping us in the loop and replying to calls/texts/emails/you name it. I loved bouncing my ideas off of her and how she was able to expand on my vision for the wedding. From the beginning, she 'got' what I wanted to create and that was an amazing feeling - being able to trust the planner to plan the event that I was imagining. Everything about her and her team is awesome. This is truly the best decision I made regarding the wedding, besides picking the right guy. :) I would HIGHLY recommend Melanie's services. I know that my wedding was as beautiful and memorable as it was due to her attention to detail and her great talents in planning and design.

Wow, where would we have been without Melanie and the team at By Invitation Only? Our big day was more than we could have ever imagined and the best part is all we did was show up! We had a 13 month engagement so we had plenty of time to overthink things but Melanie was awesome about being impartial and showing us all the options. She listened and used her knowledge to get us in touch with the best vendors for us. As the new age of the "pinterest bride" emerges it can put so much stress on the bride. Melanie helped me create a beautiful setting with crafty touches, something I wouldn't have been able to do on my own. Melanie added value every step of the way, especially 20 minutes before we walked down the aisle and the sky opened up! She stepped into action and moved the ceremony and still made it absolutely gorgeous! I am so thankful we hired Melanie and By Invitation Only because they made our day stress-free and perfect!

I don't know what I would have done without Melanie! She is absolutely amazing at what she does!! Everything at my wedding was perfect and I was stress free! I would recommend anyone looking for a wedding planner to hire her ASAP! You will not regret it

Melanie was absolutely fabulous. I was never worried for a minute about how it would go. Best part, the whole thing was better than imagined. She has a great attention to detail and an awesome team. She takes your vision and makes it come true. She even keeps your mom calm :) I would recommend her to anyone and everyone.

I just had my wedding on June 9, 2012 and used Melanie and her staff. My day was all that I could ask for! Melanie and her team did a GREAT job in making my day special and stress free (well as much as it can be on your wedding day!) The venue was turned into a magical place and everyone had nothing but good things to say about the ceremony and reception! A special thanks to Melanie for being my "right arm!"

My fiance was deployed throughout my wedding. We are the time to plan and plan early- get things out of the way. My parents not so much. When i met Melanie, I told her what I had planned and she said that I had covered most everything. As it got closer to my wedding day.. I started to worry about who will set up my reception at the club and how will things flow at the Church because all their wedding director did was tell people where to stand and what to do. And how in the world will I set up my party favors. I am not a creative type! Biggest question was and maybe of smallest value, but to me I worried about it... how will my bags get down to the 1st floor from the 25th and into the limo? I don't want to be holding these things on my exit!! Well, EVERYTHING was in the limo I needed. And everything was packed and taken care of after I left. By Invitation Only did a great job. My wedding and reception would not have had the flow I wanted without them! Melanie is busy and hardworking, but will find time to help you with what you need!

Melanie and her staff at By Invitation Only helped to make ALL of my wedding dreams come true!! Her help and guidance in all areas of planning my wedding made the whole process very fun and stress-free! From vendor recommendations to design ideas, Melanie is an expert!! I am forever thankful that I chose to use Melanie and her staff to help make my wedding day everything that I dreamed about and much more!!

Jill at By Invitation Only handled our wedding and she was absolutely GREAT! She made sure we did not miss any detail, like who's going to pick up leftover food, clothes, up lighting on the grounds, etc. Her team made our wedding look like something out of a magazine! She was always so gracious, pleasant and smiling. The value of having a fabulous wedding planner is sooo worth the expense!! She took so much off our plates so we could concentrate on getting married!

Melanie and her team were the planners for my now sister-in-law's wedding a few years ago. The wedding was gorgeous and my sister-in-law raved about how much help they'd been. We chose her because we trusted that she would get the job done. We are GLAD we chose her because she went above and beyond in every aspect. The design was gorgeous. She brought soo many things from her inventory and while some of the design ideas were my own, she took them to a whole new level. Our main focus was personalization. I wanted people to pull up to our venue and say oh yeh! David and Brittany are getting married here! I briefly told her what our vision for the day was and she immediately countered with beautiful, amazing, unique ideas that really made our wedding a one of a kind event. Through and through, the day was uniquely ours. The design elements of our wedding looked like things we would decorate our own house with and those were EXACTLY the details we were going for. Her ability to stay organized and her unwavering time management skills are out of this world. The day of the wedding, she was totally calm and even though hair, makeup, and pictures ran late and a bridesmaid showed up 3 hours late, she was completely unaffected. She gave off a vibe that everything would be fine and encouraged everyone to just focus on being happy. Her calmness was contagious and her words of encouragement throughout the day were so uplifting, it was hard not to feel giddy! Hiring Melanie and her team was money very well spent. Even if you're on a shoestring budget, find a way to fit this in. A fantastic planner with design ideas that rival some of the best i've ever seen is going to make the difference between a wedding people attend and a wedding people REMEMBER. we love you Melanie!!! - the dodgens

Could not have dreamt of a better planner, everything was effortless and easy. She made every step so enjoyable and she helped out with absolutely everything. The most geniune team and very classy design. The best decision we made in the planning process was to hire this wonderful team!!

By Invitation Only...Event Planning & Design is a wonderful, creative, friendly and professional company! They go to every length to make your day perfect! My wedding was absolutly beautiful and it could not have happened without this team! They do make dreams come true!

Wonderful! Always available, it was very beautiful and the wedding ran extremely smoothly

Hands down, the best money spent for my wedding! Melanie handled everything for this wedding. We met to go over event design and she executed everything else from there. I wasn't stressed a bit since I had Melanie!

I worked with Jill and she was amazing. They go beyond what they say they will do. I could not have picked a better group to work with. I recommend them over anybody!!! You and your family will do your self a huge favor by using Melanie or Jill.

Due to a little SNAFU about 6 months before our wedding we had an ex-wedding planner, vendors, an idea, and no plan to put it together. Queue Melanie's appearance into our lives and things came together fabulously. I was more nervous than I could explain hiring another planner, but since we were 3 states away, help was a must. But from nearly the beginning she put my mind at ease. Yes, I was nervous that I was getting a sales pitch and would end up with less than what was offered up. But to my delight, I got MORE than I could have hoped for. She took our vision of a tea party wedding, struck the kitch, upped the elegance and delivered a PERFECT WEDDING DAY. Not only that, she helped my mother-in-law put together a sweet and chic reception dinner. I could not thank Melanie enough for how wonderful a job she did and I know my family and I will recommend her to all our friends and we will use her for any of our event planning needs in South Carolina.

We contracted with Melanie in June 2010 for our March 2011 wedding, and chose the "medium" level of services, which included day of coordination as well as assistance with design and coordination throughout the planning process. I should also mention that we were planning our Columbia wedding from our current home of Washington, DC, which posed extra challenges. Melanie is a consummate professional who was always open and encouraging of our ideas and responsive to my frequent emails:) She came up with creative solutions to design challenges and saved us so much money on rentals due to her extensive collection of decor items she maintains in-house. Melanie and her team coordinated with all of our vendors on the day of the wedding, and I felt that our vision was executed perfectly. My mom and I didn't have to worry about anything on the wedding day, and Melanie was a calming influence for me as a bride. Her team worked efficiently and seamlessly behind the scenes to orchestrate every little detail. I would recommend her without reservations to any bride!

Melanie with "By Invitation Only" did a magnificent job of executing the design and setup for my daughter's reception. My daughter and her fiance are architects, so the design of the reception was very important to them. Melanie took all our creative ideas and merged them into a sophisticated "Urban Chic Design" that reflected the bride and groom's personalites to perfection. They went above and beyond with her direction and efforts of her team. Melanie insisted on taking the whole load off of my daughter and I. We loved the outcome and would not change anything. Thank you to the whole team at "By Invitation Only"

Melanie Murphy (By Invitation Only) was wonderful to work with. While our event was a bit outside of her norm (not a wedding or rehearsal dinner), she still came prepared with her creativity and professionalism. The Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics is an active organization that is joining political parties together to support women who are currently in politics and encourage women to run in the future. We want to avoid the appearance of being too frilly, while still embracing our feminine touch - which Melanie understood. Our event, the Leading Women Awards Dinner, was held at the modern 701 Whaley. Melanie has been decorating this venue for some time now and understands how to dress it up without going overboard or clashing with its unique look. On top of her style and creativity, she's very nice and pleasant to work with. She knows when to step in and when to step out of the decoration process. By Invitation Only has a vast array of decorative items already in their possession, so it really reduces the amount (if not eliminates it) of items that need to be rented - so we ended up saving money and the stress of doing it ourselves by using their services and decorations. We look forward to working with her in the future!

I had BIO as my wedding planner this past March! They were fabulous in all ways.. from start to finish they were realiable, dependable, has great ideas and left everyone talking after the reception because it was out of this world amazing!!! (Of course I am biased since I am the bride!) Melanie always kept in contact with us and was there to set up the entire week of our wedding. NOt only was she our planner, but you could tell she actually cared about her couples- we became very close over the year process of planning! If you use BIO you will not be dissapointed. Great to work with to help plan your big day and it leaves you stress free!

From the beginning I knew what I wanted guests to experience on the day of our wedding but I had no idea how to make it happen or if it was even possible. Melanie took my vision, ran with it and made our day even better than I could’ve imagined. All of our vendors had different personalities and from time of booking to the day of the wedding Melanie made everything run smoothly. On the day of the wedding I had no worries, other than to get myself ready, because Melanie and her team was at the helm. I’ve had many guests, in the days after, tell us our wedding was one of the best they’ve ever attended. I recommend By Invitation Only to everyone.

Melanie met with us several times in Charleston - driving down from Columbia each time! We used her as a day-of coordinator, but she actually helped a ton with planning the little things before the wedding day. On the big day, she was perfect - she made everything happen on time yet seemed to do so from behind the scenes. Also, she brought some of her own furniture and decorations free of charge, which saved us a lot of money on some rentals.

We met Melanie and her crew during one of our visits to Boone Hall to plan our wedding. The wedding was scheduled to start in the evening and they were set up by early afternoon, so we hired her on the spot and never regretted it. Melanie graciously drove from Columbia to Charleston several times during the planning process to meet with us and not only offered her support, but her professional opinion, which we appreciated. My mom and I wanted to most of the decorating from scratch but had never done a wedding before so we needed to know what was practical. Melanie was a perfect fit! Not only were her suggestions dead on, but she told us when we got carried away and what wouldn't work. And her decorating inventory is incredible! If she didn't have it, she knew who did or could get it. We saved several hundred dollars on decorating. It was a tremendous stress relief planning for an outdoor wedding knowing Melanie had a back-up plan in the event of adverse weather and would be there all day. The day of the wedding she kept our drama queen caterer in check and had the contacts for the rental companies in case they arrived late. Everything was flawless. In the end, we were happy to have Melanie and her crew at our wedding, she was a new friend. I can't say enough wonderful things about By Invitation Only. My expectations were very high and this group exceeded them. My wedding was stress-free thanks to B.I.O!

Melanie was so nice to work with. She really helped with providing alot of rentals. She was really great the day of;She didn't keep as much communitation as I would have liked I felt like I was always calling her.