About this vendor
YOUR WEDDING DAY WILL HAVE MANY WONDERFUL MOMENTS; PLANNING IT SHOULD BE FILLED WITH THEM TOO.
Whether you are still on the engagement high and just starting to plan or need some direction, we can help you find joy in planning your wedding.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Planning
- A la Carte Wedding Planning
- Day-Of Coordination
- Full Service Wedding Planning
- RSVP Tracking
- Wedding Design
- Wedding Website
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Engagement Party
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Bachelor Party
- Bachelorette Party
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.0101 reviews
Review photos
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We hired Dana and her team to help us with our November 2024 wedding and we are so so grateful for her! From the start Dana was a dream to work with. She’s on top of her stuff and so incredibly knowledgeable. She helped steer us in the right direction on many things and she helped us see the light on how important linens are (she loves a good napkin!) and I genuinely feel that her help with linens made a HUGE impact on how lovely our venue looked and felt! She has a way of offering her expertise and advice in a way that doesn’t ever feel pushy or controlling, which I appreciated as someone who had a vision for the day and space, and she’s just a great person that’s so easy to get along with!
Our day went off without a hitch because of Dana and Kimberly, they were on top of it and literally all of our other vendors commented to us afterward on how amazing they were to work with. If you’re not sure if you need a wedding planner or if you’re not sure if you should hire Keyed Up Events as your planner, you do and you should! I am certain that our wedding day would not have been as seamless, enjoyable, and beautiful had we not hired Keyed Up Events - so thank you to Dana, Kimberly, and Hope for all they did to make it so amazing!
Photo Credit: Audrey Nicole Photography
Planning my daughter's wedding was made so much easier thanks to Dana and Hope and the entire team at Keyed Up Events! From the first meeting, their organization was evident. They provided comprehensive checklists and timelines that kept us on schedule and reduced stress significantly. I was particularly impressed with their ability to anticipate our needs and answer questions we hadn't even thought of. Their strong relationships with vendors and deep understanding of the venue were a huge asset. I also appreciated Dana's willingness to attend meetings on my behalf when I was unable to attend. On the big day, Dana and her entire team were true professionals, seamlessly handling any challenges that arose behind the scenes, allowing us to fully enjoy the celebration. I wholeheartedly recommend Keyed Up Events to any couple or family planning a wedding!
Dana and Kayli were fantastic to work with for our wedding at the end of September! We worked with Keyed Up Events as a day-of-coordinator as required by our venue and ended up being very glad to have them on site. Dana knew our venue (the Gardens of Castle Rock) really well and was able to answer many of our questions about logistics there during our planning meetings. On our wedding day Kayli and Dana helped out in tons of ways from making sure my dress stayed positioned correctly to holding my bouquet during transitions. It was really helpful to have people on site who would just handle situations as they came up without needing us to hold their hands.
If you are weighing whether you think you need a day of coordinator or even if you think you don’t need one - you do! Booking a day of coordinator is essential with the number of vendors and the increasing complexity and expenses of the wedding industry. Dana and her team were FANTASTIC to work with and so on the ball! This is the team you need on your big day so you can be as relaxed and in the moment as possible. Dana and the Keyed Up Events staff are experts in the twin cities area and with anything wedding related. Even though we utilized Dana’s day of coordination services we really benefited from all of her knowledge and recommendations throughout the entire planning process. They were so quick to answer questions and help with any and all troubleshooting questions. Keyed Up Events also has tons of planning resources that make wedding planning more approachable, efficient, and will put you in the best possible position for as smooth of a wedding day as possible. I would also very HIGHLY recommend booking Dana to be present on the day of if possible. She is the ultimate point person for venue staff and all of the many vendors you will have. Time goes at warp speed on the wedding day and Dana somehow managed to keep us right on track without us having to watch the clock or worry about it. Regardless of organization and planning there will be multiple things and details that come up the day of and Dana is well prepared to handle them all so that the bride, groom, and their families can enjoy the day and guests without having to be the go to person or worry about logistics. Booking with Dana and having her there on your big day is the best gift you can give to your parents and your wedding party.
Dana Allison was such a wonderful addition to the wedding planning team. We hired her as a "Day Of" planner, but this included helpful planning information, email communications, two Zoom meetings, a ceremony rehearsal, and help with set-up/decorating. She also scheduled time to visit the venue. So much more than just the wedding day! She was excellent with communication, support, creative ideas and organization. She had 22 attendants, bride, groom and parents/grandparents to organize, and maintained a calming presence on the wedding day when weather required a change for the ceremony location. She kept the whole day moving along as planned. We definitely recommend Dana Allison for your event. She'll do a great job!!
Dana was absolutely wonderful! i can’t sing her praises enough! I ended up finding her last minute and she made everything so incredibly easy! From coordinating with the vendors and checking in about everything needed to execute the day to being the point person I needed on the day-she absolutely nailed it.
I actually ended up finding her last minute-I had an incident with a day of coordinator who wound up being a scam artist-and she was very understanding that my trust had been broken and took the time to call me and FaceTime me and even showed me all of her awards. She had also done weddings at my venue before and has great relationships with the people there which also helped to put my mind at ease.
Everything on my wedding day was perfectly executed and taken care of, and she also was checking in with me over the course of the day to see what I needed. I found myself all day saying to myself and anyone around me how much I love her and am so grateful to have her. She’s a great communicator and clearly has so much experience and expertise. If you are looking for an amazing day of coordinator who is caring, organized and kind, hire her!! You will not be disappointed. :)
Planning a wedding is a job. I can’t stress this enough. Could I have planned my own wedding?… sure.. Am I glad I got help? OMG YES! I did the partial planning package: no regrets. It was so nice having someone to bounce ideas off of, help make decisions (decision fatigue is real), and vendor and industry recs were super helpful. There is no way my wedding would have been as perfect and definitely would not have run as smoothly with out Keyed up Events.
If you can afford the partial or full planning I promise you it’s so worth it. Dana and her team are TRUE PROFESSIONALS . I was stress free on my wedding day and will be forever thankful I got to truly enjoy it.
A huge perk: KeyedUpEvents rental decor came in handy; I can’t even tell you how many times I would put an item in my Amazon cart and Dana would be like “oh we have that” amazing!
I have no regrets going with Keyed Up Events for my wedding planning and day of coordinator I highly recommend Dana, Hope, and her team. They went above and beyond!
“To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge” Confucius. I do not know much about creating a fabulous wedding, but Dana and KeyedUp Events do. Dana and her team offer resources, exceptional talent, and directly attend to worries natural to the wedding planning process.
Here, and without hesitation, I emphasize that a good wedding coordinator is money well spent. An exceptional wedding coordinator such as KeyedUp and Dana’s Team is both a bargain and a blessing.
As trusted guides, KeyedUp took the reins and created an unforgettable experience. Reflecting on the impact of KeyedUp, I could write more details highlighting how Dana and her team brought joy to my daughter’s special day, but space does not allow it here. Dana and team KeyedUp were “spot on”. Dana is responsive, respectful, and a fierce vendor negotiator. The KeyedUp team knows how to make a wedding “the best day”.
For my daughter’s wedding at the Lumber Exchange, the KeyedUp team was outstanding. Their work allowed our families and guests to stake claim in joy of the day—trusting and knowing that KeyedUp “has got this”. Doing so freed up a lot of headspace for me as a MOB. There were roadblocks Dana and her team seamlessly detoured. KeyedUp made sure we knew nothing about any trouble (like the venue running out of some supplies). KeyedUp found solutions and implemented them, so the families and guests could enjoy the celebration. The KeyedUp team’s talents, skills, organization, and management coupled with legitimate care for their work crafted blissful memories that my family will cherish. Even small details like having a special team member astute in bridal gown bustling was far beyond what I imagined possible from a coordinator. A joyful day thanks to Team KeyedUp. Dana is the one-of-a-kind person who not only makes sure the couple experiences a marvelous wedding day, but also that the guests are relaxed, catered to, and astonished.
I truly cannot imagine planning a wedding without Dana and her team. When we first got engaged, we were so overwhelmed by the planning process. Then Dana swooped in like a superhero to take care of every detail, work out every minute in our timeline, and find all our vendors. This made wedding planning very relaxing and fun. On our wedding day, I did not feel stressed about a single thing because I knew Dana was handling everything. I could not recommend Dana and her team more.
Working with Keyed Up was great! At the time we booked with them we had most of our wedding planning already done so we went with their cheapest package which is essentially just day-of services with some great wedding planning resources and a few meetings leading up to the day of to make sure everything is going well. They helped us put together our day-of timeline and get everything sorted out down to the minute, which was great because it was the one thing that we needed the most help with on the planning side.
On the day of we had two coordinators helping us, Kimberly and Sammi. Both of them were great to work with and super helpful! They moved between our ceremony and reception venues and ensured everything was getting set up so we didn't have to worry about it, and by the time we got to the reception they continued to check in with both of us throughout the night to make sure we were doing okay. We also got various rentals through their company which we got at a very reasonable rate since we were already booking with them, and those turned out great as well!
Overall we're very happy that we ended up booking with Keyed Up, as having a fully made plan and having someone else to help execute that plan allowed us to enjoy the day stress free.
If you're on the fence about hiring a wedding planner, let me make it easy for you: YES, you should absolutely do it, and Keyed Up Events is the way to go! We had the pleasure of working with Dana and her fantastic team for our ceremony and reception at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and they turned our special day into pure magic.
From the get-go, Dana and her team were amazing. They shared the best planning tips and tricks, held Zoom meetings and phone calls to tackle any pre-wedding jitters, and even handled real medical emergencies like pros! Seriously, if you want peace of mind on your big day, hire Keyed Up Events!
Dana and her crew are the sweetest people ever. Dana guided us through the planning process like a seasoned pro, and Randella was our rehearsal superhero. Together, they made sure our reception was flawless and swooped in to fix any hiccups along the way.
Dana's planning tools, tips, and timelines were lifesavers. She made sure everything had a backup plan (and a backup for the backup) so we could relax and enjoy every moment. Thanks to Dana and her team, our wedding was the most magical day we could have ever dreamed of!
So, if you want your wedding to be stress-free, fun, and absolutely perfect, go with Keyed Up Events. You'll be so glad you did!
It’s been almost 2 months since our wedding, and all of our family and friends still comment frequently about how incredible our wedding was! As someone who really thought they could plan a wedding on their own before getting engaged, I now know that it was a necessity for us to have all-inclusive planning and that it was money so well spent. Dana and the entire Keyed Up team were incredible to work with; they were responsive, timely, and detail-oriented. They were so helpful during the planning process and truly made the wedding day stress-free so we could just focus on enjoying our day. 10/10 would recommend them to anyone in a heartbeat!
We got day of coordination from Dana and her team for our small wedding, and very happy we did! Dana helped craft our timeline, met vendors, set up our decor, made the day run smoothly, and more. Dana was very nice and easy to work with. We would recommend!
Dana and her team were INCREDIBLE! I literally could not have gotten married without them. I felt like I was able to take my full wedding planning brain and hand it over to Dana so I had no worries on our big day. Everything went flawless. She thinks about things that would never come to mind. If you are back and forth about hiring a coordinator/planner, DO IT and make it Keyed Up Events. You will not regret! I used them for all my rentals as well: candles, vases, thank you card box, arch, cake stands, etc. etc. 10/10!
Keyed Up Events was very helpful in making our wedding weekend a success. Throughout the wedding planning process, Dana was very proactive in helping us prioritize the right things so we felt well prepared. For the Grooms Dinner, Dana and her staff met us to go over our wedding ceremony processional. On our wedding day, Dana and her staff were great being our day of coordinators and ensure the whole event was seamless. Thank you Dana and Alexis!
We hired Dana/Keyed Up Events as our wedding planner, and all I can truly say is, "wow." :) We met Dana & some of the other KUE team members originally at my sister's wedding back in June of 2022, as she had hired KUE to handle her planning/day of coordination. I was absolutely floored at how beautiful and seamless my sister's wedding was that I knew immediately once I got engaged that we'd also be hiring Dana/KUE for our wedding this past February. :) Not going to lie, in the beginning, I was definitely a very stressed out bride. We'd had a bit of a miscommunication regarding the pricing for our venue, and that led me to a very frantic call to Dana sobbing and concerned about the pricing discrepancy. However, Dana was immediately able to not only resolve the issue WITHIN A DAY of my call (due to her extremely strong, longstanding relationships with venues & other vendors), but she also was able to completely calm me down and reassure me that this issue was NOT going to be how the rest of our wedding planning would go with her and her team by our side. And she was absolutely right. Dana and her team completely took over all vendor communication and made sure everything was smooth sailing going forward. :) We truly had the best wedding planning experience ever, and Dana was truly a mountain mover when it came to some last minute requests and changes we had throughout the process. We also worked very closely with Hope & Lauren from the KUE team too, and they were absolutely amazing as well. Keyed Up Events truly made the very overwhelming task of wedding planning a really positive experience, and when it came to our Big Day, everything literally went perfectly. :) All of their vendor suggestions were amazing and they honestly gave my husband and I the absolute best day of our lives. :) I would highly recommend Keyed Up Events and Dana to anyone thinking about hiring a wedding planner, and I cannot thank them enough for giving us the most beautiful wedding day ever!! :)
Dana and the Keyed Up Events team took our wedding vision and made it a reality! Dana was so easy to work with from start to finish, she designed a partnership that met our needs, and kept me focused on the most important decisions for the moment. I didn't worry about a thing the day of the wedding, everything ran flawlessly and the team took great care of us throughout the night. I loved working with Dana, she made the planning and the wedding day delightful. Want a hassle-free wedding? Hire Keyed Up Events!
Dana and her team were fantastic throughout the wedding planning process. We chose KUE to handle the day of coordination for our wedding in Minneapolis. Not only did they provide tools to help me stay organized throughout the process, but Dana has so much experience with weddings and with vendors in Minneapolis that I never felt lost in the planning process. The day of coordination was led by Calisto and Alexis, and Dana even stopped by during the reception flip. Calisto and Alexis handled the day so well. I couldn’t believe how smoothly the day went. We didn’t need to worry about a thing, and our guests all had an incredible time. They (and we) were so impressed by how drama-free the wedding day was and that’s all thanks to KUE. I can’t recommend them enough! Just wish we could use them again ;)
We genuinely couldn't have done our wedding without Dana and the KUE team. Dana is so knowledgeable and connected in the industry that venue and vendor searching was a breeze! She found things that were in our budget, and were exactly our style that weren't even on our radar. Dana and her crew were so supportive throughout the whole process and made sure we stayed on track with planning. It was the wedding of our dreams and KUE made it a reality!
Dana and her team are top class wedding organization & planners. They were fun to work with and made both of our daughter’s weddings run smoothly so that we could enjoy the evening and not worry about details. Great communication, attention to detail, along with a splash of humor. Highly recommend!
Dana and Alexandra and Hope were all excellent to work with! We did the smallest event management package (month/day of) and it was worth every penny.
I’m sure there are a million things day of that were smoothed over by Dana and Alexandra, from fixing a pizza screw-up to reaffirming details, vendor coordination, and making sure nothing was forgotten or left behind.
With bourbon in hand, signing my wedding license, I felt perfectly supported and cared for and confident we made the right call. Doing relationship management for a living, I was more than happy to handle generic “send email, fill out spreadsheet, follow up on questionnaire” items. With their wedding expertise, Dana and her team made sure we were aware of industry-specific information and asked all the right questions. WOW. Such a beautiful day.
Of further note: KUE also has excellent preferred vendor recommendations for those who are unsure of even where to start!
When I say that hiring KUE was the BEST MONEY IVE EVER SPENT - I 100% mean it. Working with the entire team led by Dana Allison was a dream. I used them for their full wedding planning and management services and they did not disappoint. If you are looking for a sign on if you should do full planning services or just day of coordination - use this as your sign to TREAT YO SELF because they will not let you down. I dont like planning and making decisions and so I was very nervous to take on the wedding planning process. But Dana and her team were SO easy to work with and brought so much experience and knowledge it made everything so easy. I didn’t worry about one thing during the entire process including the day of because I knew they were always keeping me on track. They truly went above and beyond and I had the best day of my life at my wedding. Dana even surprised me with my dream live painter on the day of my wedding and it was so beautiful I cried. Everyone here genuinely cares for you and wants you to have the most magical day and they make the process FUN. THANK YOU KEYED UP EVENTS!
After working in the wedding industry for 5+ years, when I was planning my wedding I knew exactly who I wanted as my planner, and of course, we chose Dana and her team. Dana is a fabulous planner and pays meticulous attention to detail. I really thought I knew each detail that I had to cover on my checklist but I was surprised at many of the questions on Dana's checklist - the level of detail her team goes to is extraordinary. I think the most helpful part of hiring Dana was having someone who I could bounce ideas off of at any time, as well as thinking through each scenario and how we wanted the night to play out. Decision fatigue is real and the KUE team was able to keep me on track, and feeling great throughout the process. The night of our wedding, I didnt have to think of a single thing, and it was wonderful. Dana kept the whole team of vendors on track and everything went off perfectly. I wouldnt have changed a thing.
We are endlessly thankful to Dana and her team at Keyed Up Events. We really didn't know all the help we would need and I don't think we could've pulled off our wedding without her! Because of Dana, the day was as close to perfect as it possibly could've been and went extremely smoothly. In addition, she is extremely communicative, non-judgmental, supportive, and easy to work with! Thank you so much to the entire KUE team <3
Dana and Alexis were two keys in making our wedding an absolutely, 100% perfect day. Not a single detail was left out, every thing was taken care of. Because of their work, we were able to sit back and actually enjoy our wedding day, which was such a great gift. They went above and beyond our expectations for a day-of-planner, and we are so grateful we chose them to be our planners! They were incredibly professional and prepared for the day. Thank you KUE!!!
We used Dana and her team for day of coordination (wedding management) for our wedding on 9/8/2023. We went back and forth on hiring someone for day of coordination, and I am so unbelievably happy we decided to go with Keyed Up Events. Dana and Alexis helped to make our wedding day the absolute best day of our lives by allowing us to be fully present in our day. They ensured that we didn’t lift a finger or worry about anything, and just allowed us to live the day in a “happy heart-shaped bubble” as Dana put it. They are AMAZING at what they do, and were worth every penny we paid them. If you are on the fence about hiring KUE (or a day of coordinator in general), just do it because it’s worth it. Thank you Keyed Up Events!!!
Dana was nothing short of amazing! She helped with my son's wedding this past July (2023) of which I was heavily involved in. I got to experience first hand all the help provided by Keyed Up Events prior to the big day and the weekend of the event. Her help the night of the rehearsal was more than we could of expected - getting evertyhing lined up and situated for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. Her help the day of the event was INVAUABLE! She kept everything on moving along starting 3 hours before the ceremony. I am not sure how we would have kept track of everything that needed to be done, not to mention getting all the items that were at the church to the venue for the reception - which was four hours after the ceremony. She and her team worked non-stop to get everything taken care of - before, during and after. She coordinated with the caterers, DJ, photographer and florist. We did not have to do a single thing! AND, her team stayed until the very end when the bride and groom left - 11:30 pm! I never expected them to stay until the very end - even going as far to help load things into our vehicle to remove from the venue. 5 LARGE stars to Keyed Up Events! They were professional, curteous, helpful and beyond indispensable. My family, and the bride's family, could relax and enjoy the entire weekend thanks to Keyed Up Events taking the wheel.
Dana and her team were phenomenal! She was always available for questions whenever I had them and always knew the answer. If she didn’t, she found it out much faster than I ever would have! If you are a type A bride like me and questioning if you need a wedding planner, I will tell you two reasons why you absolutely should. First, Dana has amazing connections with vendors. Imagine having two, almost three weddings a week- you see it all and work with almost everyone! She has the experience to tell you who to go with for what you are looking for, and she also gets a way faster response than a bride would. It takes the stress out of booking your favorite vendors right out of the equation! Second is the best things about having a Dana involved in your wedding is her and her team know how to handle ANYTHING day of. I did not have 1 thing go wrong on my wedding day, and if I did, I knew nothing about it before it was fixed by Dana and her team. She did not have to ask me one time about confirming something as to how I wanted it and you have no idea how magical it is to just getting to be present on your wedding day, knowing there is a team of people who genuinely listened to your vision and are determined to execute it-not only for the sake of their business, but because the really want you to have the best day ever. If you are deciding between Keyed Up Events and another vendor, I can’t speak for the competitor, but I can tell you that you will not feel like you are making the wrong choice going with Dana and her team! They are so lovely and you would feel extremely lucky and blessed to have found them!
Dana and her team were absolutely amazing, and worth every penny. We kept getting compliments throughout the entire planning process, and wedding, how organized and well run everything had been.
I cannot recommend them enough, we didn't have to worry about a single thing on our wedding day, and in the process of planning they were invaluable, giving us feedback on what we hadn't planned and what we still had left to do.
They were running around on the day of the wedding so we didn't have to, or any of our family didn't have to. Everything turned out exactly how we envisioned it, Dana and KUE was by far the most important vendor we hired for the wedding.
We are really glad we hired Dana! Her expertise made the planning process SO much easier: she had awesome venue and vendor recommendations, she was great at helping us manage both the big picture decisions and the nitty-gritty details, and she was just a kind, reasonable person to work with. The KUE team were great and super organized on our actual wedding day, as well--Dana and her assistant planners kept track of all the details for us and made sure everything ran smoothly and efficiently.
Our wedding planning process took nearly two years, and Dana and the team were both patient and supportive through the entire process! I can't imagine having planned our wedding without her wealth of knowledge and industry connections! She is so dedicated to what she does, very responsive and made the planning process very streamlined. Not to mention she was the best advocate for us in communicating with vendors and respectfully guided us in our decision making process.
Having Dana and the team there with us on the day of our wedding celebration was especially helpful. The team worked so hard behind the scenes in order for us to enjoy our day stress-free. They were all so well organized and made sure we were on time, looking great and that every detail of the day was perfect.
Thank you so much Dana and team! : )
We hired Dana for day-of coordination. Alexis also helped. They seamlessly handled all vendor organization, room equipment movements, lighting... everything else that needed to happen. Hire Keyed Up Events and you will not regret it. It's as simple as that.
I worked with Dana and she was honestly so incredible. My biggest regret is that I didn’t start working with her sooner in the process. She had the best suggestions for vendors. I was having a hard time finding a florist and she found someone under budget that did an amazing job. She also has a variety of wedding add-ons if you use her services such as candles, vases, and chargers so that was huge because we didn’t have to source any of that ourselves. We gave Dana a budget for decor and she found the most incredible ways step up our wedding including finding the most beautiful linens to elevate the space. I was a very hands off bride from the decor perspective. I’m not that creative and I had sent only a few pictures to Dana of what I thought I might want and she and the florist she worked with (Studio B Florals) did an amazing job. The wedding was gorgeous— we got compliments from seriously every guest. Best part is Dana stayed in my budget so my wedding looked amazing but I didn’t feel like I had to spend a fortune. I’m still pinching myself thinking about the day and the space. Also- Dana has every planning tool and sheet you would ever need. She was very in the details and had tons of great advice prepping for the wedding and the timeline. I seriously could not have done this without her. My wedding day was 100% perfect and I will attribute that all to Dana’s hard work. She and her team set the whole space up and had everything ready to go at the end of the night. I did not have to lift a finger. Both my mother and mother in law were asking what they could help with and in the end were also so in shock of the amazing service Dana provides and so incredibly happy they got to sit back and enjoy the day. They had nothing but compliments for Dana and her team. I seriously can’t say enough good things about Dana and keyed up events. If you’re on the fence 100% use Dana and give Keyed up events a call. My wedding was the best day. I was able to enjoy the whole thing from start to finish and my guests were blown away by their experience. None of this would have been possible without her. Thank you so much, Dana!!!
Dana with Keyed Up Events is the best ever! She is so knowledgable and passionate about what she does. We had the best experience for our wedding using her as our planner. Everything turned out absolutely perfect! Highly recommend Keyed Up Events!
My husband and I are so, so pleased we chose Dana for full wedding planning from start to finish. Out of all of our vendors, we felt that Dana's wedding planning services were by far the most worthwhile investment. We worked with her over the course of 1.5 years and countless phone calls, email chains and text messages and we found her to be endlessly resourceful, organized, honest and fun. Our wedding was seamless and simply perfect - Dana and her team coordinated an army of vendors and wedding guests across multiple locations in the background, which allowed us to really enjoy our wedding and melt in the experience. But even before the wedding day, Dana was invaluable. She has irreplicable knowledge and contacts in the industry which saved us time, energy and money. She directed us to vendors who were experienced and trusted, then subsequently coordinated all the meetings, contracts, and scheduling. She handled an avalanche of tasks effortlessly, all while working around our tricky schedules (and the fact that we lived across the country from our wedding location). We could not be happier with our wedding experience and it could not have happened without Dana and Keyed Up Events!
Other than the bride and groom themselves, Dana and Calisto were the reason our daughter's wedding was perfect. From the time we hired Keyed Up Events, Dana offered expert guidance, kept the couple on a timeline and helped with recommendations for the venue, service providers and vendors. Her advice and recommendations were spot-on. Our guests said the venue, flowers and decor was gorgeous and the food was delicious. Until the wedding day, I did not fully appreciate how much I needed Dana. She and Calisto managed every aspect of the day--from hair and makeup to setup of the wedding and reception to tear-down -- so that I could focus on our guests and families. I was able to enjoy the wedding! I would recommend Dana and Calisto to anyone planning a wedding.
At first, we were pretty ambivalent about having a wedding coordinator. It felt like an extra expense on an already expensive event. We were planning something small-ish (100 people) and already had the venue and caterer figured out – so we weren’t sure what else was needed.
But as time marched on, we quickly realized we needed help to manage all the details. After evaluating several vendors from The Knot, we went with Keyed Up Events. Why? Three reasons: 1.) they came highly recommended from other vendors who didn’t meet our needs, 2.) the price was right, and 3.) our initial consult made it clear that Dana Allison and her team would have the attention detail needed ensuring that the day would be stress free.
We opted for their day-of coordination service which included interim checkpoints to ensure alignment. Her deep experience instilled me with the confidence that we were collaboratively arriving at the right decision. She had ideas and shared her opinions when we were struggling to find a concrete direction, and had a range of vendors at the ready to meet whatever needs we may have (including finding a Drag Performer for us!!!) Her resourcefulness was complemented by a robust set of tools that made coordination super easy.
In the final months leading up to the wedding, my partner and I realized – we were NOT stressed. It was almost worrying! We felt like maybe we should have been more stressed. But working with Dana, we realized we really didn’t have that much to worry about. That was proven on the day of our wedding: everything went PERFECTLY. We really couldn’t ask for anything more.
If you’re looking for a seasoned professional who is prepared to get the job done, Dana Allison from Keyed Up Events is the right gal for the job.
I had the pleasure of getting to work with Dana directly for our wedding. From the very first phone call I had with her, I knew that we needed her to be apart of our day. There is no way I could have planned without her. I could list out all of the things that she helped me with but the list would be never ending. We were able to be guests at our own wedding with Dana there to guide all of the other guests and vendors. She arrived before me on the wedding day and left at about the same time, ensuring everything went smoothly, and everything exceeded our expectations. Even making sure we had a drink in hand throughout the night! I will miss working with her because I enjoyed it so much! There are just not enough words to describe how grateful we were to work with her! Thank you for everything Dana!
Keyed Up Events was an amazing asset to our stellar vendor team. Dana Allison was super helpful to have as both our wedding planner and our day of coordinator. She pulled everything together thinking of every little detail including personalized cocktail napkins. Dana was easy to communicate with and organized. She helped us stay on time - getting us from the ceremony to reception in one smooth transition. We were able to enjoy our wedding without worrying about all of the little details and that is the biggest gift of all!
Dana answered any question we had regarding vendors and leading up to the wedding. It was nice to have a fallback person who is experienced in the field since we had done most of the planning on our own before finding her. We had her as a day-of coordinator but she answered any and all of our emails from the time we met her/before signing the contract up through the wedding. She has an added bonus of having a variety of great rentals for a reasonable price with her discount plus some free rentals for those smaller items. She and her assistant fully set up our venue space and cleaned up everything by the end of the night. They made sure the night was seamless so we did not have to worry. Dana even made sure to account for time in the Timeline for my husband and I to have our cocktails, mingle with guests, and finish all of our dinner. She is very organized and answers emails right away. Dana and Keyed Up was definitely worth the money at a good price for everything they helped us with.
It was so great working with Dana to plan our wedding! She is so knowledgeable and experienced. She helped me think though ideas and helped bring them to life. On the day of, she kept everything organized and moving and executed our vision perfectly! I am so thankful for Dana - having her on the day of allowed me to relax and enjoy my wedding day. I would highly recommend Keyed Up Events!
Dana was an instrumental part to making our wedding day a smashing success. I wish I could give examples of all of the things she did, but she likely did so many things behind the scenes without my knowledge that compiling such a list would be impossible.
My only regret for our wedding is that we didn't get involve Dana from day 1 of our wedding planning, as she consistently removed stress, asked questions of vendors I never would have thought to ask, and consistently brought a "you don't have to worry about this, I will handle it" sort of attitude. She also has a ton of decorations, flower vases, etc that we were able to rent through her It was great to not have to go through another vendor for such a thing.
She approached everything with the utmost professionalism and expertise. If you are getting married in the Twin Cities and you want to be sure it goes off without a hitch, hire Dana.
Dana and the team at Keyed Up Events were absolutely wonderful in helping us to plan our wedding. They were so flexible and made it very easy to choose exactly what we wanted their help with and what we wanted to take care of personally. Dana is incredibly communicative and went out of her way to make sure all the details were perfect and helped us find little touches here and there - vintage suitcase for our wedding cards, perfect linens - that made the day that much more special. I can't recommend Keyed Up Events enough!
Dana is FANTASTIC. 10/10 would recommend.
I was planning a wedding in a relatively short amount of time, I had no idea where to start, and I was drowning in work responsibilities. Dana was with us from beginning to end. She’s patient, truthful, and helps you walk through the whole process. She helps you dream up amazing things for your wedding, and also helps you gage the realities of what is possible. Even with sometimes tense family situations, she was always an agent of peace. I honestly don’t know how we would have done it without her. Also she knows all the best vendors and really helped connect me with people that were my vibe. Everyone she brought on to my team was the best of the best for the kind of wedding I wanted. I would suggest her for anyone I knew and for any kind of wedding. She really listens and helps you get the kind of wedding you want. She even talked my mom, my fiancé and I off the ledge at different times throughout the planning process when things got stressful for us. The day of the wedding was so smooth and beautiful. Dana really kept our needs in mind the whole day i.e. a moment of alone time after the ceremony with snacks and drinks. Little things like that were so considerate. She thought of everything. I could rave about Dana and Keyed Up Events literally forever. You will want her on your team- even if it is just day of coordination. As my husband says, “I mean she’s just the best.”
Dana with Keyed Up Events is absolutely amazing and my husband and I would HIGHLY recommend hiring her and her team for your wedding! Dana went above and beyond for us. She helped us with figuring out our wedding vision, finding and communicating with our venue and vendors, creating a master schedule, borrowing us votives and other wedding supplies, setting up and taking down wedding decorations, and basically running our entire wedding day all while working within our budget. I just think the world of Dana. She really helped make our wedding planning, rehearsal, and wedding day go so smoothly and took away so much stress. Again, HIGHLY recommend!
Our daughter was getting married in 6 months in Minnesota(I live in Omaha, NE). I had no idea what vendors to choose. I went to The Knot to find a few wedding planners. Dana Allison had a phone number. We had very little time and she answered the first time I called. Everyone else had only an email. I reached out to several. I was expecting to have to leave a voicemail(Loved that she answered). The others did not get back to me for several days. I knew Dana was the right planner for our family from the very beginning! She is organized, fun, calm, and has amazing vendors she uses. She knew which ones to pick for what we wanted and we loved everyone of them(when we started, we had a venue and a photographer). We bought the full package and I wouldn't do it any other way. She was always quick to respond with any questions we had. Nothing fell through the cracks with her. She had the perfect timeline and I didn't have to worry about getting anything done at the right time. She walked me off the ledge several times when things got stressful. She always keeps her cool, and solves the problem if the would arise. If I had any questions the day of the wedding, she was right there to help figure out what to do, or answer the question. I wish I could give her 10 stars!!!!! We loved having her in our lives for the short 6 months and have missed her. You will not be sorry, and will be blessed if/when you choose her.
Dana from Keyed Up Events was so amazing to work with. We hired her for our Day Of Coordination and we wished we would have hired her to plan the whole wedding. She took a lot of stress off our plates and allowed us to feel like guests at our own wedding. She provided a lot of insight during the week of the wedding as well, giving us a clear to-do list to make sure everything was done in time. Thank you Dana!!!
Dana was amazing! It is so clear that she is passionate about her work, and truly loves weddings. She helped us pull off a couple hat-tricks, including a surprise proposal for one of the wedding party members AND a sword fight. I felt in good hands the whole day, and she delivered on what she promised. Her assistant was a peach, and they both just made the whole day EASY - and trust me, that is exactly what you want.
Dana was instrumental in the successful conclusion of our wedding. She knows to ask the questions you didn’t know needed to be asked in the planning. She was forthcoming with copious advice, and she was fast with her answers. Her experience allowed for a smooth wedding day. Even when we fell off schedule, she easily coordinated everything to fit. We highly recommend her services
Dana joined our planning team as a "day of" coordinator, but rapidly became much more than that as we navigated changing pandemic restrictions, new venue coordinators, and unanticipated hiccups along the way. She was calm, well-connected with every resource, and attentive to every detail. She kept us all level-headed up to and through the big day. She participated in numerous calls and even more email exchanges as we worked through every aspect of the wedding weekend. Her advice helped us successfully navigate through a number of last minute issues and provided the bride and groom with a perfect day. Her presence, along with that of her assistant Caitlin, made the day run almost flawlessly (at least that's what our guests saw!). We can't thank her enough and can't recommend her highly enough. Thank you Dana and Keyed Up Events!
In terms of wedding planning, investing in a wedding planner like Dana at Keyed Up Events was the best thing that I did. I was in my last year of pharmacy school, going on rotations, and studying for board exams, so I was extremely busy. COVID restrictions didn't help either, as we were limited to 50 people as of January 2021, and this number could increase or decrease. I needed someone who could help me with adapting the wedding planning to the new CDC and Minnesota Dept. of Health planning, as well as helping me communicating with vendors if there were any changes.
Dana did an amazing job, from creating a timeline that could be adapted over time, recommending vendors, to confirming with vendors on every detail possible before the wedding. All of the guests told me they had a great time at the wedding: great food, great music, great vibe, etc. And instead of frantically running around during the wedding or doing last-minute tasks, I had time to enjoy my big day with my soon-to-be husband. Thank you, Dana, for making my wedding day stress-free!
As a colleague and fellow wedding professional (I run a string quartet in the Twin Cities), I rely on wedding planners for sharing information both on, and in the lead-up to, a couple's big day. Dana always has time to connect with vendors like me. She's organized and prompt in emailing details ahead of time, and takes a few minutes on the day to walk through the space and make sure everything is set up as we need it to be. Frequent check-ins follow throughout the day to convey any changes to the schedule, confirm break times, or to check if there's anything else my team needs. I love performing at Dana's events!
Working with Dana at Keyed Up Events was one of the highlights of planning my wedding. As someone who is a stickler for details, I could not have asked for a better person to co-plan with. Dana was always so responsive and open to my ideas. She had great connections with other vendors I was working with that made coordinating the last-minute details so much smoother. And having Caitlin on-site for our wedding - WOW! She brought my vision to life and was absolutely amazing in every aspect. Our wedding day could not have been more perfect and we have Keyed Up Events to thank for that!
Dana was an absolute blessing for our daughter’s wedding. All her work helped make Kayla and Dylan’s day very special and well orchestrated. Her work provided us with the opportunity to take everything in, relax, make happy memories, and enjoy every moment on the wedding day.
I own another wedding company in town and recently have had the pleasure of working alongside Dana and Keyed Up Events several times. As a vendor, I love the clients she works with as they match up well with our company and personality. We also love working with Dana because she is so great at finding balance between getting done what needs to get done and being very personable and easy to talk to. She always makes vendors feel appreciated and checks in with us multiple times each wedding to ensure all is going well. That extra step keeps your vendor team working in unity on your wedding day and ensures things are running smoothly. Highly recommend!
This review is coming from the mother of the bride, a bride who has watched “say yes to the dress” and “4 weddings” since they aired and she knew what she wanted for her wedding. Even though my daughter lived out of state, was in her 3rd year of medical school and COVID reduced her wedding size from 160 to 40; she had the wedding of her dreams! Much of the wedding success can be attributed to Dana. Her upbeat-can do attitude during ever changing preparations through the wedding day made this a smooth, fun experience for everyone. I would not hesitate to recommend Dana for your wedding planner!
We booked Dana as a "Day of Coordinator" and I put that in quotations because she basically helped us plan our entire wedding, in addition to executing our wedding plan we've worked so long and hard on. She has a relentless work ethic, is innovative, AWARD-WINNING, & her attention to detail are just a few of the elements that make the service she provides an absolute necessity in today's wedding world. After we made a 180 in our plans due to the pandemic, she was there every step of the way offering support, ideas, vendor recommendations, safe procedures, and more. Even after the wedding she is still helping us with difficult vendors. She and her assistant were absolutely key in making sure everything went smoothly during our wedding. It was such a relief to just "let go" and enjoy the day with your friends and family and having confidence that the work is being done in the background. If you are wondering whether a coordinator is even necessary, just give her a call and brace yourself. We were in the same boat. My husband and I are truly thankful for the beautiful wedding she helped us create and enjoy. Please do not hesitate to hire her-- the sooner in your wedding process you do so, the better off you'll be!
We originally hired Dana as a day of coordinator, but with all the difficulties with COVID planning, she took on the role as planner as well. She was always available via email and phone. My mother called her a number of times for help with planning. She set up a number of video calls with our vendors and us. All of our vendors appreciated her organization and planning. She created an incredibly detailed timeline that was extremely helpful for me and my bridal party. She made sure every detail was considered. We could not have had our perfect day without her and for that we are forever grateful. Thank you for everything, Dana!
Dana’s attention to details, strong communication skills and vendor connections are what allowed us to have a seamless Wedding and Reception during a pandemic! She was so friendly, organized and responsive. We would HIGHLY recommend Keyed Up Events.
I always knew having a wedding coordinator would be helpful, but in the midst of planning our wedding during COVID, I told Dana that she was helpful in ways I never expected! We loved Dana from the start for her enthusiasm, creative ideas, and calm, can-do attitude. She also has solid vendor recommendations that made it so easy to put our team together. We appreciated her throughout our rollercoaster planning experience for providing sound advice and being willing to work her hardest to make whatever decisions we made work. She went above and beyond checking in and meeting with us to talk through our options, researching alternative options when we decided we needed to switch venues, and ultimately helping us pull off a backyard wedding in just six weeks! On the day of the wedding, Dana and her assistant Krista worked so hard - mostly behind the scenes - to make sure everything went smoothly and all details were attended to. Could not recommend Dana more!
Dana. Is. Amazing. I was fortunate to be connected with Dana before COVID19 happened, and WOW am I so blessed that she was with us during the planning of our pandemic wedding. She's a tireless worker, and worth every penny and then some. I will definitely be hiring Dana next year when we have our bigger, better, badder reception :)
Dana is a wealth of knowledge and connections in the wedding industry! Not only does she manage her weddings, clients and a venue space but she also collaborates and provides mentoring to other wedding planners in the Minnesota community.
I recommend Dana whenever I have a couple who contacts me about wedding planning services and I am already booked for the date because I know that she will do a great job for them. She recently stepped in for me on a wedding so that I could go on maternity leave. I didn't even worry about her handling it for me because I knew with her experience she would be able to lead the day for my clients.
If you are looking for a planner to help you with putting together a fun event and unique event, Dana is your planner!
My daughter was married on 12/21/19 and I thought, with all the help from the wonderful venue and the vendors we'd hired, I'd be fine managing all the final details and the day of the wedding coordination..and then a co-worker said, you should talk to Dana at Keyed Up Events, you need her because you need to just be the mom on the day of the wedding! Boy, was she right...and I'm so glad we were able to use Dana's team to serve as our day of coordinator, AJ was AMAZING!! It wasn't only myself or my daughter who thought that either, the venue coordinator, the other vendors and members of the wedding party and family who saw what she was doing, what she was managing and how she really did take care of every detail on that day to make sure we (bride/groom/mom/dad) could just be present for the celebration and enjoy every minute of it, they saw it too, she was wonderful and exceeded all my expectations! The meeting and planning leading up to the wedding day, the "I got this for you" approach on the wedding day and the calmness and sincerity with which AJ approached us and the day will not be forgotten. Hire Keyed Up Events. You will not regret it.
just now-Edit
Dana is AMAZING! We originally hired a different wedding planner prior to meeting Dana, but because the original wedding planner was pregnant, she subcontracted Dana to handle our day. We are beyond please with how everything went. Our wedding day went without any problems, and Dana ensure we were taken care of. From communicating with the vendors to ensuring the venue was set up, she handled everything. If you are looking for a planner in the twin cities who will manage everything on your big day, hire Dana! My wife and I cannot say enough good things about her. Thank you Dana for making our wedding day perfect!
P.S. she will even bring you drinks throughout the night!
So what can we say about Dana without sounding like we're exaggerating?? Dana, put simply, was such a fantastic ray of light for us in our wedding planning process! For starters, her personality and positivity and "down to Earth-ness" is infectious. There was no pretentiousness with her whatsoever. She made us feel like she was one of our oldest and dearest friends. This helped immensely when just working together...we all got along so well, and actually had fun while doing it! Dana helped us out mostly with "day of " activities, but she was always there - ready, willing, and able to help us out with anything we could need help with! On the big day, she was indispensable! She kept everything flowing and running like clockwork. And what's even cooler, everyone in the wedding party loved her! I heard so many compliments and comments like "Woo...that's your planner? She's so awesome and nice! And totally not a jerk!" To put it plainly: she is fantastic! You can't go wrong with Dana! THANKS DANA!!!
Dana was professional, organized and very easy to work with. She kept us on track and had very good suggestions. She worked extremely hard the day of the wedding to ensure that everything went smoothly and stress free. I would highly recommend her!
Stop what you’re doing and hire Keyed Up Events.
I knew I was going to hire a day-of-coordinator quite early in the planning process. Through some googling, I found Keyed Up Events and I’m so (!!!) glad I did. Dana was an absolute dream to work with. She was attentive and had a keen eye for detail. Things that I would have completely missed, Dana was already five steps ahead, problem solving and thinking things through. Several times on the day of wedding, my now-husband and I thought “Thank god we have Dana.” Even our family noticed and remarked how smoothly the day went. She's simply the best.
Okay, now go! Hire Keyed Up Events!
I knew from the very beginning that I'd want a wedding coordinator. We met with a few different options, but meeting Dana felt like hanging out with your best friend that you haven't seen in a long time but just picked up right where you left off last time. Our personalities and approach matched perfectly. Initially we had an all inclusive venue so I hired Dana to be the day of coordinator. When an unfortunate event happened and we had to change venues Dana stepped up in more ways than we could have imagined. We choose a venue that really wasn't a venue and had many moving parts. She took it upon herself to tour and spend time at the new venue to figure out some details. This assured us that we hired the right person. Emails, phone calls, recommendations, support, and day of was all seamless and I couldn't have been more happy to have Dana at our sides.
So you’re getting married and you think that it’ll be easy and you can handle it. It’s just a party, right? Wrong! Then your parents decide the kindest gift they can give is to hire a wedding coordinator. But not just any coordinator. Dana Allison. And you realize you could not do it without her. Dana is patient, resourceful, funny, compassionate and responsive. She thinks of details you could never imagine and advises you based on her immense experience. You hire Dana so that your “oh crap!” moments turn into “oh thank goodness. Dana is on it” moments. Our day was flawless and we owe it to her. Do yourself a favor and hire Dana. You will never regret it.
As our day-of coordinator, Dana made our largely DIY wedding go off without a hitch! She made everything run so smoothly and I was actually able to relax and enjoy the day--my biggest fear was worrying too much about all of the logistics. But Dana handled everything! We could not be happier. Thank you, Keyed Up Events!
Dana’s experience and knowledge of the industry simply stands out the minute you start talking with her. She knew of or had worked with all of our selected vendors which made wedding planning from out of state seamless! She’s prompt, responsive and has amazing connections and suggestions. Dana was on time, and on top of all of her tasks which included managing the wedding party, day of agenda, coordinating vendors, decor, ceremony timeline/cues and clean up... just to name a few. I had no worries the whole wedding day because I had Dana and her assistant helping me every step of the way. I would rate her 10 stars if I could and can’t recommend her enough.
The best advice we were given by previous brides and MOB's was to hire a day coordinator. We decided to rely on that advice. Best idea ever!! And Dana was our answer! We met with her twice before the wedding and went over every detail of our wedding. She put together a comprehensive schedule and it included reminder notes, vendor information .... In addition, she gave us great ideas based on her extension knowledge of weddings (and our lack thereof being our first)! She connected with all our vendors prior to the wedding to ensure everyone was on the same page. She, then along with her assistant, came the evening before to run our rehearsal. At that time she told the entire wedding party that if there were any problems, concerns on the wedding day to come to her, not us!!! On the day of the wedding, Dana and her assistant, Krista, took care of everything! They set up the decorations based on my ideas and made it even better! They kept the entire night on schedule which is not easy with a large wedding. They also at the