First of all, I will say that our big day was, literally, P E R F E C T. Second of all, I will attribute most of that to Maria and her staff. When I began planning my wedding I thought, "this is no big deal. I plan engineering projects where people can die if you don't do it right; I'm going to be able to have this done in two weeks." How I laugh now at my naïveté! I did do a fair bit of leg work early on, but about 4 months out my mother decided we really did need a planner to pull off the party we had put together. (Mother very was right!) We had 125 people at the Elms Mansion, very old school, afternoon. I interviewed several planners in town, and found that many of them seemed to be 24 year olds who speak to potential clients in a valley girl voice--very annoying to me (I am in my early 30s and my husband in his late 30s, so no thank you). Maria was actually the first planner I spoke with, and I almost didn't even call any of the others, our conversation was so pleasant and professional and I could immediately tell she had a feel for me and the type of event I wanted the wedding to be. I did do my due diligence (mothers! :) ), but my instinct proved right. Maria is a well-connected, knowledgeable, organized planner, with a very positive can-do attitude no matter what is happening around her/me/the bride. She went over and above with anything I tasked her with--even getting a babysitter for my brothers' children for the rehearsal dinner. Our wedding was beautiful, many of the guests remarked that it "was probably the best wedding they'd ever been to" or "it was like watching a movie of a wedding." Maria was so helpful, so sweet, I could just go on and on...!
Besides all the usual requirements in a planner, all of which she exceeds, I do want to remark on what a calming presence Maria brings to any situation. Whether it's the sometimes tedious but necessary checklists, or dramatic family members, she REALLY REALLY is like having a yogi by your side. And that went SO FAR during all stages of the planning and right through the big day. It even went so far as to make my now-husband feel more relaxed just knowing I'd have her with me during the most stressful parts. (He says this, but I think she chilled him out a lot too, wink wink!) I am a very no-drama personality, and weddings do seem to bring that out in a lot of people, so I just can't emphasize enough how valuable her spirit is during this time of life; the morning of my wedding I felt completely at ease, able to actually take in the day and focus on the main event--marrying my best friend/most wonderful man I've ever met. In my mind, if someone can allow you to have that on your wedding day, that person is pretty much priceless, and for me, that person was definitely Maria.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Maria and staff!
Mr. & Mrs. Turnage