Greater Joy Events

Simply put: I cannot imagine the wedding planning process or our wedding day without having hired Greater Joy Events. Madeline is detail-oriented, organized and attentive. Because of Madeline, I was able to fully enjoy our wedding day and be present as a bride. We had several family members and friends compliment Madeline’s expertise as well. We truly did not have to worry about a thing throughout the wedding planning process, as well as the day of our wedding, and it because of Madeline that we can say that. Without hesitation, I strongly recommend hiring Greater Joy Events to ensure your wedding planning and wedding is a joyful event for all!

Madeline is incredible to say the least. I am a type A personality, and thought I had it all figured out, and she helped me realize there were so many things I hadn't thought of, and she made sure our day was perfect! On the day of, everyone kept telling me how calm I was, and asked how that was possible, and I literally said "I know Madeline will handle it", and she did! She thought of everything to make our day perfect, and was so thoughtful and intentional on everything that was important to us. She is one of the best decisions for our wedding day, and I am so grateful to her!

We cannot say enough amazing things about Madeline. From the very beginning of our planning process she jumped right in and was extremely helpful and communicative throughout the entire year leading up to our wedding. She made the wedding planning process fun and much less stressful than it would have been doing it on our own. She took care of everything the day of the wedding and made it the least stressful day ever. Madeline is such a joy to work with and we cannot recommend her enough! -Jenna & Kent

Hiring Madeline with Greater Joy Events was the best decision I could have possibly made. Madeline was there every step of the way making sure she knew every detail. She was organized, extremely helpful, and genuinely cared about what she was doing. I highly recommend using Greater Joy Events!

Greater Joy Events was the best decision we made! The whole entire wedding planning process was less stressful because of Madeline and Carly. They were very responsive and we had many meetings, emails, and checklists to make the day go smoothly. My husband, family, and I were able to relax on the day of knowing everything was taken care of. Highly recommend Greater Joy Events for your wedding planner!

We cannot speak highly enough about Madeline and her incredible efforts in helping us plan our wedding! Looking back, hiring Madeline was truly the best wedding-related decision we made. As we were planning our wedding from across the country, Madeline made the entire process as seamless and stress-free as one could, considering the circumstances. Working with Madeline was incredibly easy. Throughout the entire process, she was always available to answer our questions and listen to our concerns. Especially as we neared the wedding day, we felt extremely supported and felt as though she was truly going through those last-minute decisions with us one-by-one. Her attention to detail and organizational skills were unparalleled. We were blown away by her ability to take our vision and turn it into a reality. On our wedding day, Madeline was present, helpful, and ensured that everything went smoothly. We did not have to worry about a single thing, as Madeline took care of everything from vendor coordination to making sure that all of the details were perfect. We cannot overstate how important that was for us. Her professionalism, expertise, and kindness allowed us to truly enjoy our special day without any worries. Ultimately, we would highly recommend Madeline to anyone looking for a wedding planner. She is the perfect choice for anyone looking to allow someone else to help them fulfill their vision for their wedding day. Madeline is truly exceptional, and we cannot thank her enough for making our wedding day exceed even our highest expectations.

Madeline was the best decision we made in the entirety of our wedding planning. Everything was perfect and she took so much stress off of my husband and I. She is so experienced and helpful. Our day would not have been the same without her. Thank you, Madeline!!!

I would give Madeline 100/ 5 stars if I could. We could not have planned our wedding without her. (I'm 100% serious!!) My husband's family is from a tiny town in Illinois, but we were at the time living in Charleston, SC (Military Family). We wanted to have our wedding at the same traditional church his parents and grandparents were married, but we wanted the modern reception celebration as well. Planning from out of state was so stressful for me that I didn't even know where to start. Madeline was my saving grace during both the planning leading up to the wedding and the entire day of. There were so many tiny details that I would have lost track of without her. (who has a key to the church, transportation to and from church, when toasts start, when dinner starts, when to send out save the dates, etc etc) She kept the entire event running smoothly, she planned and scheduled my meetings with vendors, spoke with vendors on my behalf (so all I had to worry about were the fun things), and had amazing recommendations for catering/photography/stationary/ videography/ DJ/ etc.. And she was so patient with me changing my mind a million times or when I felt like a bridezilla! You can tell she has years of experience coordinating and planning. She answered all the tough questions from vendors I wouldn't know how to answer for myself! She is so organized and keeps an amazing shared google drive with her clients that have everything from to- do lists, timelines, meetings, budgets, payment due dates, and etc. It's perfect with anyone who has a little OCD or Anxiety like me!! She lays it all out there and it was such a relief not to have to keep track of it all myself. She was so prompt with deadlines and reminders and was SO professional yet also felt like I was planning with a bestie and not someone I hired to help! She truly made it a priority that my husband and family enjoyed the week without any disturbances from vendors, clean up, you name it. She took on EVERYTHING and knew exactly our taste, and made SURE our vision was respected by florists/ other rentals. As a person, she is truly such a treasure and we loved every second of planning with her and having her a part of our most memorable day. She is such a joy to work with and anyone would be lucky to have an event planned by her. It will be everything you have ever dreamed of and more!!

We chose Madeline early in our wedding planning journey and I’m so thankful we did. My husband and I lived more than 7 hours away from where we were getting married and we needed some help with pretty much every aspect of planning the wedding. Madeline was incredible and helped us pick vendors , decorations, organize our wedding day and much much more. There is no way our wedding would’ve been nearly as good without Madeline there to organize everything and help out even when our ceremony had to be pushed back because of rain. Madeline is just the best. She is she is super sweet, loves her job, and I would recommend her to anyone getting married in the Peoria area.

Madeline took care of everything for my daughter's special day! There was noting Madeline wasn't involved in and all Emma had to do was show up when and were she was told. There were a few speed bumps on the wedding day but as far as any of us knew, the day was absolutely flawless. I cannot imagine anyone having a wedding without Madeline by their side!

Madeline and Greater Joy Events were nothing short of amazing. We truly could never have had such a smooth and stress free day without her. From day one, Madeline was reassuring, communicative, and there to ensure we had the best day of our lives. Her knowledge about weddings and the planning process is needed by every couple no matter who you are! We are forever grateful for Madeline! Thanks again for all your help, time, and effort put towards this special time in our lives!

My daughter & her then-fiancé no longer live in Peoria so when it came time to decide where they would marry, it was a big decision. Of course, given that both families were in the Peoria area, we were excited when they chose to tie the knot in their hometown, even though we knew it meant that much of the planning would shift to those of us who were local. It was then that we knew we were going to need some help, given that I work full-time and they lived more than 7 hours away. Therefore, it was important that we find someone who could provide experienced and detailed guidance, connect us with all the right vendors, and help us stay in budget. Madeline was all of those things, and more. She is knowledgeable, well-connected, attentive & so incredibly kind…and even went above & beyond to help me pull off a special wedding day surprise for the couple. Having an expert to bounce ideas off of, one who was willing to give the bride & groom room to be creative, but also provide alternative suggestions based on her experience, proved invaluable to us and helped ensure the day was exactly what the newlyweds envisioned. And for me, since my daughter is my only child, it was also of utmost importance that I did not have to worry about any of the day-of details, so I could just be in the moment and enjoy the day as mother of the bride. And I did. Ultimately, the day was everything we dreamed it would be – even more, actually - and none of it could have been accomplished without Madeline. She is truly the BEST!

Madeline made be MOB a piece of cake. She was right there with an answer to any questions or concerns concerns that came my way. Her expertise lessened the stress and allowed me to really enjoy the day! Money well spent.

When we first started talking to Madeline it was to find a day of planner, but after our first meeting I knew we needed to hire her on for full time planning, she is so sweet and easy to talk too! She made everything a breeze and kept me so organized! The wedding planning folder she makes is amazing, anything and everything you need is right there. From your budget, contracts, guest list, and month by month check list to keep you on track, to a list of things you need the day of, she’s got it all. It’s impossible to remember and think of everything but Madeline takes great notes and makes sure even the smallest things you mentioned get done! As for me I’m a people pleaser and go with the flow but Madeline could always tell if I wasn’t into an idea during vendor meetings and was sure to steer the conversation in a different direction for me! My husband on the other hand he says how he wants things flat out, Madeline truly can work with every personality!! The day of Madeline brought Carly on to work with us and she was just as amazing! The two of them worked tirelessly to finish decorating the morning of and made every last detail come together, and I had some silly toothpick place settings I was really adamant about! They both made sure to check in with all of us as we were getting ready and keep us on scheduled. I didn’t have one worry, one hiccup, or one upset guest. They truly made our day perfect! Overall if you are looking for a day of planner or a full wedding planner Madeline and Carly are your girls! I got to enjoy my entire day and take in everything because I knew Madeline and Carly had me covered, for that I cannot thank them enough!!

Madeline and Carly did such a great job planning our wedding. She was fantastic with following up with suppliers and was attentive to our every request. She always responded to our questions promptly and brought up topics we had never even considered. She has great relationships with most of the caterers and venues in the Peoria area and we felt we got special treatment since we worked with her. My wife and I would highly recommend anyone getting married in the Peoria area to use her!

Madeline and Carly made sure that my day was absolutely perfect! From the moment I booked Greater Joy Events for Day of Wedding Coordination to the very end of my wedding day, Madeline and Carly ensured that everything was perfect. I felt so at ease knowing that I had someone to handle the logistics and to make sure my vision was executed! I specifically loved Madeline's calm demeanor during the times where things were a little crazy! It was so nice to have someone there who could look at the big picture and to make sure everything went well! They were always available for questions leading up to the wedding day and the organization and timeline was so spot on. Overall- I could not recommend Greater Joy Events, Madeline and Carly more for a day of wedding coordination service. They were so spot on and it truly was a huge part of why the day ran so smoothly.

Greater Joy Events was absolutely amazing and a life saver for someone who is not organized or likes planning things. Carly was our lead coordinator for our wedding and she was incredible, so kind and on top of everything!! She was doing so much behind the scenes the day of that I didn’t even realize as the bride. We met multiple times before the wedding and they made a timeline, were in contact with all the vendors, and made some of my crazy ideas a reality. Madeline was also a huge help in the planning process and even showed up the day of just because she’s sweet and loves her job. No detail was overlooked by Greater Joy Events, they even saved my husband and me a plate of appetizers that were waiting for us after our entrance to the reception.

Madeline was great! We could not have asked for a better planner for our daughter's wedding. Madeline was pleasant, professional, knowledgeable, and extremely organized. Our daughter and her fiance had to postpone their wedding day twice because of the pandemic, and Madeline was with them every step of the way. I can't imagine what it would have been like to plan the wedding without her guidance and assistance. I would recommend her to anyone planning their special day!

My husband and I cannot say enough great things about Madeline! She was always available to talk to, very knowledgable and extremely organized. I would highly recommend Madeline to anyone considering a wedding or day planner! She helped alleviate any stress leading up to the day of the wedding and was extremely diligent in finding a replacement vendor when one of ours became ill the day before the wedding. Madeline made sure every single detail was perfect during our big day, and I cannot recommend her enough to help make your dream wedding a reality! She was the best wedding decision we made!!

Hiring Madeline for day of coordination for our wedding was the best decision we could have made for our big day! From the moment we hired her, until the night of our wedding, she went above and beyond to help us with anything and everything we needed! Having her coordinate our wedding day gave us the peace of mind we wanted and needed to be able to thoroughly enjoy every moment of our wedding! She is so kind and patient and you can tell she puts her heart and soul into helping you bring your wedding vision to life and she loves what she does! We would recommend Madeline over and over again!

My husband and I loved working with Madeline and Carly for planning and coordinating our wedding! They made our wedding day a stress-free success! We were planning our wedding in IL while living in NJ, and they were instrumental in keeping us organized, ensuring we were accomplishing the right tasks and making decisions when we needed to, and providing guidance on local vendors to use since we were so far away. They seriously made the process so much less stressful than it otherwise would have been had we tried to do it on our own, which gave us the opportunity to slow down and enjoy our engagement as well! On the day-of, they were great about keeping track of vendors, decorations, and making sure everyone was where they needed to be. I can't express how enjoyable that made the day, and honestly, I don't even know what they were dealing with from a logistics standpoint because they were that good at keeping us out of it :). At the end of the night, they took on the clean up as well, which took that worry off our plates too. The day could not have been more perfect! For our Fall 2021 wedding, Carly joined the team about halfway through planning and jumped right on board. She was great at diving into the details and supporting us, and I know she'll continue to be a wonderful planner at Greater Joy Events! I highly recommend Carly and Madeline to plan everyone's wedding; it was one of the best investments we made in the whole experience!

We hired Madeline as our Wedding Coordinator, something we were initially unsure if we needed and I cannot state enough how glad we were that we did so. Madeline was such a massive help on organizing our timeline and making sure everything stayed on track, vendors were on time, etc. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, Madeline was a fantastic coordinator the day of, making sure everything was moving along and that neither us, nor any of our guests had to worry or stress about anything. Madeline was a perfect presence on our day, ensuring that everything went smoothly, but without being over-bearing or stepping on anyone's toes. Again, so, so happy we decided to use Greater Joy Events and Madeline and would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for wedding planning or coordinating.

Madeline is the nicest person on the planet and was one of the best parts of our whole wedding day. We hired her for Day Of Coordination and were given so much time, attention, and so many tips along the wedding planning journey. She even kept me sane when our original venue canceled on us last minute. It was such a relief to know that a pro was there on our wedding day to make everything go. Myself, my husband, our families, and our wedding party were able to relax and have a great time on our big day because we were so confidant Madeline would help the day go off without a hitch - and it did!

I first hired Madeline to help with my day of timelime because she was unavailable for our wedding date but when she became available, I immediately snatched her up and it was one of the best decisions I made. Madeline was a true pleasure to work with. She handled our giant wedding party with professionalism and somehow kept us on time (we are perpetually late people)! She took all the stress of me and anyone in my wedding party to and made sure the day ran smoothly. She was willing to help with any last minute details and made sure my day was absolutely perfect! 10/10 would recommend her to help with your big day! I cannot thank her enough for everything she did!

We decided about 8 months before our wedding to look into month/day of coordinators and Madeline was our first choice. By some miracle she had our day available and I am forever grateful she did! We were also blessed that she was able to coordinate our ceremony through the Diocese of Peoria. From the first time we contacted her until after our wedding I was overwhelmed with how wonderful she was. Everything she did was so helpful to make that last month and the day of our wedding so much more enjoyable. From tips and checklists, to contacting vendors, to the set up on the big day; we could not have done it without her. It was even more reassuring with the ever changing pandemic to know that she would be there through any obstacle. Sure enough, the whole day was flawless and it was all thanks to her timeline and coordination. I can truly say I didn’t stress about one thing on our wedding day because I knew whatever happened she would make it perfect. She even captured some “behind the scenes” videos that I will treasure forever! Both my husband and I agree this was the best and most invaluable decision we made for our wedding. The only thing I would change is contacting her sooner. Every bride (&groom) deserves a coordinator on their wedding day!

I, personally, genuinely enjoy to organize and plan. So, as my wedding planning unfolded I had the best time gathering details, creating items, organizing All. The. Things. I realized with as much joy I find in planning and organizing- I will not be able to enjoy the days before and day of my wedding because I will be stressed about all my details falling into place. That is when I hired Madeline! I wanted to ensure not only me, the bride, but my friends and family did not have the obligation to coordinate the details before the event. I could not be happier with Madeline and her coordinating performance through out my wedding and planning process. She is thoughtful in her delivery, professional with all vendors and experienced! She does not leave one box unchecked. My wedding day went seamlessly, thanks to Maddie!!!!! - Katie , bride

I can not speak highly enough of the wedding coordination services that Madeline provided. My fiancé and I booked Madeline for the Day of Wedding Coordination. Prior to the wedding day, Madeline was detail orientated while assisting with our wedding day timeline. The week of the wedding Madeline reached out to all of our vendors and provided us with the confidence that the day would run smoothly. Madeline was professional, timely, detail oriented, and organized throughout our entire wedding experience. She is extremely knowledgeable about the planning process has connections with other local vendors which we also found to be helpful! Madeline’s wedding coordination services were worth every penny and then some! She truly brought us “greater joy” during the planning process and on the day of the wedding!

Madeline was incredible, and probably the most important person we hired for our wedding. At first, I thought we wouldn’t need a day of coordinator, but now, I can’t imagine our wedding without her! Madeline put together our day of timeline, coordinated our rehearsal dinner, transported all of our decorations to the venue, set everything up, contacted and coordinated all of our vendors, tore everything down that night, and made sure every little thing was taken care of. She even helped figured everything out for us when our limo was an hour late at the end of the night! Madeline is so kind and helpful while also being firm when working with large groups of people. I absolutely recommend hiring Madeline for your wedding day, even if you think you don’t need a day of coordinator. She made our day so easy and it truly allowed us to spend more time with family and friends. Thank you for everything, Madeline!!!

I was hoping that I would be able to hire Madeline to help plan my wedding based on reviews I read and personal reviews but she was already engaged. However, she started to provide a Wedding Timeline consultation service and all I can say is WOW! She was so easy to work with and had answers to all my questions. She took a ton of worries and stress off my plate by helping me create a timeline for my wedding day. I highly recommend using her timeline services if you want to do the majority of the planning for your wedding but need a little guidance! She is amazing!!

In the words of my husband "Madeline was the best money we spent by far." Madeline was incredibly organized, prompt with communication and was extra helpful in navigating how closures and policies could effect our wedding due to COVID. Madeline went above and beyond and by far exceeded our expectations. Our day ran so smoothly thanks to the timeline she created for us and she took care of so many details that truly allowed us to enjoy every second of our day. We highly recommend hiring Madeline to help eliminate unnecessary wedding stress and assure that your day runs smoothly!

First of all, I want to say that Madeline is one of the sweetest and kindest people. She is the absolute best. Madeline was so attentive to our needs/wants. She was always giving the best ideas to make our vision really come to life. She stuck with us through the struggles of getting married during COVID, and made it way less stressful for us. She took care of all the small details-that we would never have thought of. Her wedding timeline was amazing, and fit all of our ideas and things that we wanted to do. There were so many changes due to COVID, and she literally made everything so easy. We even had to change our ceremony from outside to indoors 45 minutes before the ceremony, and she even made that transition better than we could have imagined. She helped with set up and tear down, making the list of things we needed to worry about so small. All we have to say is that if you are looking for a wedding planner or coordinator, then this is your gal. We got to focus on embracing every single second of our wedding day without any stress. Madeline is the best of the best!

Madeline went above and beyond with her wedding planning! She was calm and reassuring and before a problem popped up, she had it solved. It was so great to meet with her before the wedding and talk out our vision and have her fine tune it and suggest ideas we had never thought of. She was so great in coordinating communication between all the vendors so we didn't have to. I can't imagine not having her for the big day and all the prep the day before. Thank you Madeline for such an amazing experience and perfect wedding day! I recommend her to everyone getting married so they can have the perfect day they always dreamed of!

We hired Greater Joy Events for a Wedding Day Coordination. Madeline's hard work and attention to detail helped make our wedding day go smoothly and be truly unique and memorable. She worked closely with my wife and I to make sure that our vision became a reality. Even during Coronavirus she made it a stress free process and let us enjoy the day with the reassurance that Madeline had done all the preparation and was there to make sure everything was going according to plan. We really couldn't imagine trying to plan the wedding without her and would recommend Greater Joy Events to anyone!

I truly cannot say enough good things about Greater Joy Events!! Madeline recently coordinated our wedding ceremony and reception on June 20th and did such an amazing job. Early on in our engagement, we met with Madeline to see if her services would be helpful in the planning process. I loved planning my wedding and had the time, so we decided that we probably didn't need her help. It was so refreshing that she was honest with us, and she even offered to be a resource if I had any questions or needed advice! Fast forward several months to the middle of a pandemic, and our wedding plans were changing drastically. I reached out to Madeline and we decided to hire her to coordinate our scaled back and completely different reception. In less than one month, Madeline helped us plan a beautiful reception at a private property and helped to communicate with all of our vendors on the changes. The day of our wedding, we faced a huge thunderstorm and power outage just minutes before our reception dinner began. Madeline helped to get candles lit, found speakers to keep the music playing, and kept the reception flowing. Peter and I truly didn't have to worry about a thing and were able to enjoy our party. Madeline even stayed late to make sure everything was okay- not to mention it was her own wedding anniversary!! The day truly would not have happened without her, and we are so so blessed she was there to help make it the most beautiful and joyful day!

I am a planner by nature, and thought a wedding coordinator was a silly idea. I quickly realized that without help, myself and my family would sent the entire wedding day "putting on an event" and not actually enjoying the moment. Deciding to have Madeline coordinate was the best decision we made for the wedding! She was effortless for myself and all the vendors to work with, perfectly organized and thought of all the things I wouldn't have! Not to mention Madeline is just the nicest sweetest person-- our families were beyond impressed! If you're in the Peoria area, she's a must!!

Madeline was the absolute best. She made the planning up to the wedding and the day itself so easy. She was at all the meetings and was honestly invested in making our day amazing. She went above and beyond on so many levels. We can't say enough about her. We would go with her 1000x over.

Madeline went above and beyond to make our wedding day perfect! Because of her preparation and day of coordination, we were able to be stress free and completely enjoy the moment. We were so happy to have her, and have already recommended her to a few of our friends!

Madeline was fantastic! Absolutely incredible wedding planner. She was indispensable, not only for the planning process, but especially the day of. She thought of everything we could possibly need for our big day and made everything run smoothly and effortlessly. We could not have done it without her!

Madeline helped make our wedding day perfect! Everything ran so smoothly, as she is very organized. She has the best personality, and is very prompt with communication. You can’t go wrong having her as your wedding planner!

Maddie made this day so perfect! She thought of everything and made my life as the mother of the bride, so easy!! My husband and I would recommend her to everyone!