Ashley Theimer is an absolute godsend! She surpassed all my expectations as a planner. Where to begin!
In the lead up to our wedding, we experienced multiple crises that Ashley handled with panache, grace, and professionalism.
We received a c...all two weeks prior to our wedding date from the venue manager, saying that due to Covid restrictions, they cannot hold 3 weddings in a row at the barn area of our venue, so they needed to move us to the owner's private home (on the property, but a completely different spot and setup). Ashley had just completed final walkthroughs with ALL our vendors at the original location, but didn't miss a beat, even while I was absolutely panicked. She drove out to the new venue site with 2 hours' notice, on a Sunday, to map out the location and begin producing a CAD drawing to provide the vendors to begin formulating a new floor plan. She led the meeting like a champ, negotiating new terms with the venue manager, pushing back when they backpedaled and became unreasonable, and advocated for me at every turn. I truly can't imagine what would have happened if she wasn't on my team. When the wedding day came, she executed it to perfection, and was the LAST person on site, supervising the venue manager's "inspection" to make sure they didn't try to charge me for something unnecessary... which they tried to. Let's just say that this particular venue seems to try to charge you for any and everything they can sneak by you, and they hit a brick wall with Ashley. She wasn't having it! In addition, we had about 15 people fall ill with Covid in the week leading up to the wedding, which threw the seating chart/catering into disarray. Ashley helped coordinate these changes with the caterer, advised me on how to best adjust the seating without overcomplicating the situation, and settled the issue.
Ashley is kind, but firm. She is a consummate professional; she is a boss. She is the captain you want on your ship in a storm. Once you communicate your vision to her, she knows exactly how to weave it seamlessly throughout your event. She keeps you on a reasonable, doable schedule during the planning process, completing tasks in order of urgency, and mapping things out with more than enough time. She touches base often, giving you status updates, reminding you of tasks you need to complete, popping in with ideas you might not have considered, or offering ways to save money (such as buying tablecloths & table number holders on amazon instead of renting them for triple the price, etc).
Ashley was fully available to me, 7 days a week, nearly 24 hours a day. There were times when I was shooting her emails at 10:30pm, to which she promptly responded. When I called her during the day, she never once missed my call, picking it up by the 3rd ring, even while she was physically setting up at other weddings. She has connections and relationships with vendors that will often lend you a level of service, or price, that is unavailable to others. There was a florist who wanted to charge me almost $40k for florals, and Ashley was able to get me the same thing for less than half the price. She understands the ins and outs of contracts, the industry norms, and she spots red flags immediately.
To say I highly recommend Ashley is an understatement. I can't imagine my wedding becoming a reality without her.