Michelle Amarillo Event Planning

We absolutely love working with Michelle and her team. She did such an excellent job and made sure our big day went smoothly and stress free. We're so thankful for her and her team and we definitely recommend her. Like what people say.. "you get what you pay for." We love you Michelle! :)

Michelle is absolutely AMAZING! She was the best person to help ensure that our wedding went smoothly, and we had no stress day of! She made sure everything was taken care, and we loved working with her. I would absolutely recommend her to everyone!

We love Michelle! My husband and I got married on May 28th 2022 and Michelle played such a big role in making it the best day ever! She is extremely detail oriented, organized, and fun to plan with. She helped us throughout the planning process from start to finish and we wouldn't have had it any other way. On our big day we did not worry about a single thing. Michelle took care of things that we didn't even know about until after the fact. So thankful for her and her amazing team!!!

You get more than your money's worth using Michelle Amarillo. She is well organized, attentive, and detail oriented. Michelle did an excellent job of incorporating various aspects that my wife and I wanted included in our wedding day. She has the foresight to handle any obstacle before it becomes a big problem. She became a confidant and close friend to my wife and me during the entire process (including two years of COVID delays). Michelle's services are invaluable and will make any event exponentially better.

Michelle has literally become apart of our family! We couldn’t have have had our special day, April 30, 2022 at the Historic Post Office, without her. Months in preparation, hundreds of emails, multiple tastings all made easy by Michelle. She even entertained my outlandish ideas and toned them down 🤣. Our wedding day was perfect even with unforeseen circumstances. She advocates for her bride and makes you feel that everything will be fine. Through numerous tears and laughter I wouldn’t change a thing. Our vision of our wedding was only made possible by the organization, professionalism and caring nature of Michelle♥️♥️

When we started planning the wedding we knew immediately we wanted someone to help guide us and take the stress off our plate and really help execute our vision and boy, oh boy did Michelle and her team do that and beyond!!! Michelle guided us through a 1-year covid delay, negotiated vendor contracts, and took a lot of crazy texts from us like a champ!! Looking back on our wedding we have said many times we would not have changed 1 single thing and we both agree Michelle is the reason behind that. There wasn't ONE thing that didn't go smoothly and I wasn't worried about anything. Michelle is forever our go-to for our future events and we cannot suggest her enough!

Michelle was absolute the MVP of the whole wedding planning and execution experience. The amount of work, care, and effort she and her team puts into your event is immense and makes you feel like they truly care. She has literally become family to my wife and I. We would never want to do an event without her assistance.

Michelle is someone that you're going to want to have on your team. She is so committed to making sure that your most special day is about you, your wants and your needs. Truthfully, my groom and I would have been lost without her guidance, her patience, her ears to listen to our concerns and her words of encouragement to get us to the big day. She really is the best! As a Covid-19 bride who was very particular about details, my journey to the alter was very stressful. Yet, even with all the uncertainties, Michelle was ALWAYS positive and reassuring. She was available for us when needed and is extremely professional, but most importantly she is a joy to be around. Our wedding was so much more than I could have ever imagined, and I know that is because I chose Michelle as our planner. We will always be grateful to her for helping us make our wedding day everything that we dreamed of.

Michelle was absolutely brilliant as our Wedding Planner. Do you know what everyone said was missing about our Wedding day? The 'disaster' story! Nothing went wrong (and if it did no one knew about it!). Everything flowed seamlessly and that was all down to Michelle. Do you need to add a last minute popsicle vendor to help for a hot wedding day? Michelle sorted it in a matter of days! Do you need to plan a wedding from overseas? Michelle made us feel like we weren't an actual ocean apart. Michelle helped us find excellent vendors, she planned the day out so it worked perfectly and coordinated with everyone, so we didn't have to! She helped with design and decor to get everything just how we wanted it. And if we really had no idea about some of the design decisions, she helped with that too. She was creative, helpful, organised and just really nice to work with. We had the best day, our guests had the best time and Michelle made it all happen!

From the moment we met Michelle, we felt an amazing vibe with her and knew she was great fit for us. We just meshed really well with her. She always had such a positive attitude and was very accommodating. Whenever we needed anything, she was there to provide her input/feedback, or just an honest opinion. She did an amazing job with not only figuring out decorations, but with those last minute details as well. She made sure we didn’t stress and that everything was taken care of every step of the way. Without her, we don’t know what we would have done! Thank you, Michelle, for making sure our wedding day as perfect in every way possible!

Michelle is AMAZING!!!!! By nature I am a worry wart. I get anxiety and stress about everything so I was worried that I would be so stressed with all the details for the big day that I wouldn't be able to enjoy my wedding. With Michelle as my wedding planner that wasn't the case she took care of finalizing all the details and dealing with my vendors and completely took all the stress off me. My day was perfect and amazing thanks to all the hard work Michelle did. She was always very flexible and was quick to respond to all my texts, calls, and emails. As an added bonus Michelle isn't just great at her job, she is also a genuinely awesome person and I always had a fun time working with her .

Michelle didn't know this, but what ended up becoming a dream wedding for us came after some logistical roadblocks and a severe car crash. My husband and I rebuilt our wedding vision in a completely different geographic location (Hampton Roads), after taking a deep breath, and found that we also needed a wedding coordinator, and quickly. I found Michelle on Google, and I was attracted to her clean, crisp marketing aesthetic and friendly vibe. She did not disappoint, either first on the phone or later in person. She is genuinely friendly and supportive of even a very indecisive bride. While we had already made some of the big decisions when we met her, Michelle filled in the blanks with tried-and-true suggestions (shout-out to Tara Liebeck Photography, Gather floral, and Bella's Custom Cakes), which also came in at great quality and price-points. Her e-mail reminders and ample opportunities for communication kept my head on straight. I truly understand that Michelle believes in love and in seeing a dream unfold. On the wedding day, she whisked herself in and out of my field-of-view, with cues, treats, and last-minute touches to the day. I am grateful for Michelle's services and genuine nature. It really was a beautiful day. Thanks, Michelle.

We hired Michelle for partial planning services, and that decision was perhaps the best we made during our journey to the big day. Of course, Michelle has the skills required of any superior event planner, such as attention to detail and a thoughtful approach to structure and organization. But more importantly, Michelle is simply a wonderful person to work with. Michelle is sensitive to her clients’ needs and wants; she’s able to communicate objectively and reassuringly; she is crafty and creative, and has built great relationships with other vendors in the industry; and she handles herself with grace and poise in what others would consider challenging situations. Her skill set combined with her warm and thoughtful demeanor made me feel at ease (which is not easy to do!). Our wedding day was a dream, and that’s largely because I put my trust in Michelle, and—without a doubt—she delivered, and she will do the same for any other couple seeking her services.

I have had the honor to work with Michelle and her team were absolutely amazing every step of the way. We were able to execute the timeline perfectly....adjust to the changing weather as well ensure that the bride and groom were having a phenomenal time at that wedding! I look forward to working with Michelle in the near future.

If I have one piece of wedding advice, it's to hire my girl Michelle! My husband and I were married at an outdoor covered venue, and it poured right after we finished taking photos with the wedding party. While all my guests were partying and enjoying themselves, Michelle and her wonderful assistant were running around (in the rain and mud!) making sure everything was perfect. She went so far above and beyond to make sure our day was perfect and I can never thank her enough! Beyond her super-power-day-of skills, she also worked with us as a partial planner for almost a year and a half leading up to our wedding, and I seriously couldn't have done it without her. She kept me on track during the planning process, provided vendor recommendations, and helped to make sure all of my wedding dreams came true. My husband and I lived three hours away at the time and Michelle was always so flexible with meeting over FaceTime or texting when I needed something quick. If you're on the fence about whether or not to hire a planner, JUST DO IT (and specifically hire Michelle!)! She took any and all stress out of our big day and she'll do the same for you!

We utilized Michelle for partial planning and day of coordination. She singlehandedly ensured our wedding went off without a hitch. When our venue was difficult and trying to impose unjustified last minute restrictions, Michelle reached out to them. When the weather suddenly changed our plans, Michelle independently worked with our vendors to accommodate our changes and make sure all was well. It was a huge relief to not have to stress about all the last minute snafus and let Michelle handle it which she did like a champ. She really goes above and beyond. If you hire Michelle, know that you and your significant other are in amazing hands!

Michelle was recommended by a few of our friends and I definitely understand why. As soon as my husband and I had our first meeting with Michelle, I knew we found our planner. I saw how much hard work she put into all the planning and it definitely showed on our big day. She was there every step of the way. I can’t thank her enough for all she’s done for us!

I have always loved Michelle's work with past weddings and I told my fiancé if we ever needed to hire a wedding planner for our big day then it would have to be Michelle. We started planning by ourselves with the help of our family until life events caught up to us and we realized that the time was now to get in touch with Michelle. We had a vision for what our day would be like and working with Michelle to make it come true had been an absolute joy! By the end of our wedding planning journey, out of all the stressful not so fun moments Michelle brought such a positive light and was there for us every step of the way. She not only made everything easier with keeping us track with to do lists, she helped with ideas, day of obstacles and communicating with vendors when I didn't know the answers. She was my shoulder to cry on when I had a wedding dress emergency, I don't know how much I can thank her for being there for me. Our wedding day was everything we wanted it to be and so much more. We wouldn't be able to experience such a magical night with out Michelle.

My husband and I can't thank Michelle enough for helping to make our wedding day stress free and gorgeous! We had a year and a half long engagement and we were in contact with Michelle from the very beginning. We hired her for full planning and design services, so we could just sit back and relax. Her designs were awesome and exactly like my minimalist home decor style. I really didn’t need to make a pinterest board. She kept us organized with every detail and came to every vendor meeting with us. We thoroughly enjoyed the planning process because of her. When our wedding day finally came, everyone around me kept commenting on how calm I was and how beautiful the reception looked. Our guests had so much fun dancing, winning the table centerpieces, taking photos/videos in the photobooth, eating Westin’s blueberry cheesecake and drinking boba tea! Yeah that’s right, we’re the first to bring out the boba lol. Thanks to Michelle for executing and coordinating the delivery of Jelly Ball. I definitely overestimated the food with too much sugar because we basically took home our 4-tier cake. Our alcohol tab is a different story… but those types of things are so unpredictable and everything else was definitely under control of Michelle and her team. Michelle will make your planning process so much easier. It can be a big expense to your wedding budget, but it was worth every penny to us. I will truly miss working with her.

I think I could plan a wedding for myself, but when you add everything else in life - I doubt I could do it without losing my sanity. That's what Michelle is... peace of mind to say the least. We picked Michelle since some of the best weddings we've been to were coordinated by her. Finally, it was our turn to have her! My husband and I both have busy jobs and it doesn't help that I work crazy hours as a health professional. Michelle is very accommodating to meet with us to the point that when our schedules weren't matching to meet in person, we met by video conference. Michelle is also very flexible in helping a couple find what they want. I say this because I had a vision in how I wanted my flowers to look, but the initial quote at one florist had me worried that it wouldn't happen. Instead, Michelle gave us options on what we would be comfortable with and it turned out even better than I could have imagined. I also love how organized Michelle is. There is this awesome master google doc she makes that keeps everything in one place for both my husband and I to see. I also love that she keeps all our contracts and details in one spot to easily reference. Other than organization, Michelle helps couples see the big picture. It's easy to get lost in the details, especially when my husband can be nit picky as a graphic designer. If ever there was a debate about design or protocol, Michelle would be the verdict on what was right. What I value the most about Michelle is that she really becomes your family throughout the process. There were some issues that came up and Michelle would be the one that handled it so we would not have to worry. She was always our advocate throughout the process whether if a vendor was running behind or just keeping us in line for our budget. I am truly going to miss all the time we got to spend with her!

Michelle was absolutely wonderful to work with! As mother of the bride, I sincerely appreciated Michelle's ambitions and extra efforts to help us create a magical wedding event. Michelle put together the best team of vendors possible and followed through on every detail with each of them. Michelle is very personable, creating a relaxed and enjoyable working relationship. At the same time, she is creative, organized and efficient and did an excellent job maintaining a timeline for all the details that go into planning an event such as this. I would recommend Michelle without hesitation to help plan your next special occasion.

Todd and I were so happy that Michelle was able to work with us. My mom was very involved in the wedding planning process as well, and we all loved Michelle. She was easy going, but very attentive to details, crafty, and able to wrangle a large wedding party come time for the rehearsal! Even better, she recommended fantastic vendors, which really pulled the entire night together. From the start, I felt more like I was working with a friend rather than someone we had hired, which speaks a lot to Michelle's character. I would not change a thing about the planning process or our amazing wedding, which wouldn't have happened without Michelle!

I cannot say enough about Michelle! She is one of the best people I've met and is an AMAZING planner! I felt so comfortable on my big day with her there. Everything went perfectly!!! We met with her 3 or 4 times before the big day at the venue and she was so helpful! She would then follow up with me to make sure everything was done before the next meeting. She was so responsive whenever I contacted her! I HIGHLY recommend her!! If you want a hard working, lovely lady working next to you on your day, please pick Michelle!

We absolutely loved working with Michelle! After seeing my two sisters plan a wedding without additional support, my husband and I knew that for our sanity, and my mother's, we needed to hire a wedding planner. It was very important to us that our parents enjoy the ceremony and reception as the honored guests they were without any added responsibilities. In fact, my mother was so impressed with Michelle's work, that she said, "Michelle was your gift to me, she took care of everything!" I agree—we really made a great choice with Michelle; she was prompt and helpful with an easy going personality. She understood our quirky personalities and never tried to push us in a direction we didn't want to go. In the days leading up the ceremony, my husband and I were worry-free knowing that Michelle was handling all the vendors, set-up, and last-minute details. It goes without saying that we highly recommend Michelle for event planning.

We got married in Sandbridge and had to plan our wedding remotely from our home in Chicago. Michelle was a HUGE help throughout the process. She was very amenable to evening calls so we had time to get home from work and call her from our Central Time Zone. She visited our wedding venue to take photos and measurements when we needed. We knew we could count on her to respond thoughtfully and promptly to any of our inquiries. To top it all off she was a wonderful person to work with and it was a joy getting to know her. Although we only hired her as a partial planner Michelle continually checked in on us as our wedding date grew closer to make sure we were on track. We had a lot of last minute requests and a number of DIY decor projects and Michelle did a great job keeping everything organized. She kept us on our timeline and we even arranged for her assistant to pick up a large order of Taco Bell for a late night snack. I can honestly say the wedding day went perfectly and if there was a problem we had no idea. We were able to relax and focus on getting married without having to worry about a thing.

As an out of town bride, Michelle was there to make sure every element of our vision came to fruition for our big day. She kept me calm despite the countless challenges (mostly with my conflicting ideas) and was always ready with creative solutions. She kept all of our vendors, family, bridal party, and peanut gallery focused and did so in the most sweet and kind way I have ever seen. In many cases her assistance was outside the scope of her duties as our partial planner. Even when things were completely out of her control she found a way to get it all back on track. We had the best night of our lives, her team was amazing, and most importantly our guests have not stopped raving that our wedding was the best they've ever attended. We were not only so grateful to work with such a talented professional but are so thankful to have gained a friend. MAEP is the best around; don't waste your time going to anyone else!

Investing in Michelle Amarillo Event Planning was the best thing I could have done. Although I am originally from the Hampton Roads Area I lived ands still do in Charlotte, NC. Having Michelle as an extra pair of eyes and hands helped me out tremendously during my wedding planning process. Michelle treats you like family and never tried to force any ideas or suggestions. She continues to be a great friend of the family to this day and I would recommend MAEP to any future bride in the and out of the 757 area :)

I hired Michelle Amarillo as a partial event planner to help us plan my daughter's wedding in 5 weeks. Yes you heard correctly! First I was impressed with Michelle’s professional yet friendly demeanor. Secondly, that she would even attempt to tackle a wedding on such a short notice. Choosing Michelle was one of the best decisions we made and helped relieve the stress I was under. She did a phenomenal job stepping in working with some of the ideas we already had in place. Yet offering her ideas and expertise that we so readily accepted. The wedding was held out of state in Pennsylvania. Michelle arrived a day early to begin the preliminaries and hit the ground running the morning of the wedding. She took care of every detail of the wedding & reception. I didn’t have to worry about a thing and could focus on my daughter on her special day. It is evident Michelle loves what she does. She is incredible and a joy to work with! I highly recommend Michelle as an outstanding wedding planner!

Michelle is: Beautiful Reliable Professional Reasonably Priced Relatable Attention to Detail Precise I used Michelle's partial planning to plan my wedding in 5 weeks. I have dreamt of my wedding since I was 8 years old and now I'm 30 and everything I ever imagined and more came true to life! I highly recommend her! :o)

We can honestly say that choosing Michelle Amarillo was one of the best decisions we made while planning our wedding. When we decided to start planning, we were so overwhelmed and had no idea where to begin in the process. Our initial meeting with Michelle immediately put us at ease and lifted the wedding stress from our shoulders. Michelle was very professional and easy to work with. She worked around our busy schedules to set up phone calls and was always available when we had questions for her. She had wonderful suggestions for vendors and offered good advice based on her experiences. She was always open to our ideas or concerns and did an amazing job of executing our vision. On our wedding day, Michelle took care of every little detail. She organized all of the vendors, helped set up the reception, and made sure the timeline ran smoothly. It was such an amazing feeling to truly enjoy the day, without any worries. I would highly suggest anyone looking for an experienced wedding planner at an affordable price to use Michelle Amarillo Event Planning. We could not have done it without her and we are so grateful for her service!

I originally didn't want a wedding coordinator but my now husband talked me into it. Honestly, it was the best decision I made during the wedding planning process! Michelle was very responsive, professional, creative, and has an eye for detail. She went above and beyond with her services. I can't thank her enough for taking the stress out of the planning process and my wedding day! The day of our wedding was a breeze and not to mention beautiful! I HIGHLY recommend Michelle!

Our special day went without a hitch, thanks to Michelle! She made everything so easy for us and we couldn't have gotten through it without her guidance, preparation, and patience!! We are so happy to have used her planning services, and will always count her as one of our friends!

I cannot say enough great things about Michelle. She and my husband had been friends for years and when we had our initial meeting, I knew that I didn't want anyone else planning our wedding. Unfortunately, she had a scheduling conflict with the date we initially picked, but I was so set on her, we changed our date. From our first meetings, she understood exactly the type of event we wanted. We wanted something elegant, but also something fun and exciting. This was exactly the type of wedding we had. Michelle was never afraid to say no to me and while the idea I had was cute, it was not going to tie into the theme of our wedding. Michelle is very well connected to vendors in the area and if we ever had any questions about which videographer to use or which florist to use, she always had suggestions for us. She also responded in a very timely manner to any emails we sent her and is very up to date with technology. My husband loves his spreadsheets so she created a whole wedding folder for us on Google Docs where we could share budget updates, receipts, to-do lists. Michelle definitely kept us organized and on time when it came to booking vendors and vendor payments. There were definitely a few breakdowns during the process, but Michelle was always there to calm me down and reassure me that everything was going to be fine. The fact that I was at 0% stress the day of my wedding is a true testament to Michelle's wedding planning skills. I had zero worries that morning. We even had a last minute guest that my husband found out about the day of the wedding and she took care of it with no problem. I didn't even find out about it until it came time for the reception! I kept telling people that I didn't want to do anything on my wedding day except attend my own wedding and that's exactly what I did. I don't know what I would have done without Michelle throughout the wedding planning process, but I am definitely glad she was with us every step of the way!

I did not originally plan on having a planner for my wedding. It was not in the budget, and I thought I could do it on my own or just have an organized friend help out on wedding weekend. I ended up hiring Michelle for her partial planning services for day-of coordination, and I can tell you my wedding would NOT have come off anywhere near as beautifully if she hadn't been there. She ran my ceremony rehearsal; none of us would have known what to do if she had not been there coaching us. She did all the decorations, coordinated with my other vendors, got everybody where they needed to be when they needed to be there, and coordinated things after the wedding, too. I had described to Michelle and given her photos for my ideas for the wedding, but it's more like she was actually in my head and could see the same vision I had. I was amazed and so glad when I got to my reception and EVERYTHING was EXACTLY how I had imagined it. That is all thanks to Michelle and her creativity, her ability to listen to the bride, communicate with others, coordinate and execute an event. She is truly a professional, and writing a review hardly gives her credit for what an important part of my wedding she was. She'll become more than just your planner, though; I'm keeping her as a friend!

I knew right from the beginning that Michelle was the planner for us. She was so insightful, creative, and such a peach to work with. She was also tech savvy, which helped us since we were planning a long distance wedding. We gave her our budget, ideas, vision and she went to work to find vendors that fit. I'm not a phone person so Michelle was also great with communicating with me through emails and texts. The day of the wedding, I was stress free thanks to Michelle and her fantastic assistant. I knew everything was taken care of and just enjoyed the prep time with friends and family. The wedding went smoothly and the reception was a party like no other. So many people came up and told us it was the best wedding they'd been to and complimented our wedding planner for doing a fantastic job. Throughout the whole planning process I told people 'We couldn't do this without our wedding planner' and I meant it every time! It's a small fee for such great service!

Michelle was incredible! I cannot sing her praises enough. Michelle was recommended to me by a friend who's wedding she had recently planned. While I had seen the details and checked out her blog for other events, what really drew me in was her personality- it didn't feel like an interview the way some initial vendor meetings can...it felt like I was meeting a good friend for coffee and pastries! She was very responsive and so supportive. My mother and sister live out of state so she was part wedding planner part therapist at times... She was always ready with some new ideas to help my vision come to life and it was more than I ever expected. The venue allowed us to see the space before we were introduced and Michelle took my vision and made it better...it was incredible. More than the design, Michelle kept our rehearsal and wedding day running smoothly, rain or shine (we had both!)Our priest had agreed to do a later ceremony than he normally would but still had to get back to perform evening Mass-Michelle made it happen, the timing was perfect. My husband commented after the wedding that he knew Michelle was there to help things run smoothly, but he didn't realize it would be absolute perfection! This review really doesn't even cover half of the service that Michelle provided to us. She truly takes the most joy from knowing she has made her couple happy (ecstatic in our case). Her heart and soul goes into each wedding she does and yet I never once felt like anything less than her absolutely focus of attention.

First of all, I am trilled that I decided to hire a planner. Second, I am so lucky that I found Michelle! I couldn't have asked for a better experience with her. She is friendly, efficient, responsive, and detail-oriented. During the several months and multiple meetings before my wedding day, Michelle gave me tips and advice which helped keep my mind at ease. I can't even recall how many times my fiance said to me, "ask Michelle." My mother and I prepared a bunch of DIY decor for the reception, and I knew I needed Michelle's vision to execute it on the big day. When I walked into the reception, I was in awe! It couldn't have been more perfect. I had zero stress before or during the wedding and reception, and I owe it all to Michelle. Book her while you can! You won't regret it!

Nothing about our wedding would have been possible without Michelle. She handled our insane work schedules and habitual procrastination. Everything about the wedding was perfect, and she took all of the pressure off of us. Anytime anything came up, the answer was always to "Call Michelle" and she would take care of it. For weeks after the wedding, I still wanted to call her if a problem came up in my life. If it had been left up to me, we would have had an empty room with booze and an ipod shuffle. She thinks of everything and then goes out and makes it happen. I was probably the worst bride because I have absolutely no aesthetic abilities, nor did I have a definite idea of what I wanted, but somehow she made it into everything I had pictured in my head. And she kept me sane through the whole process.

I have attended several weddings where Michelle was the wedding planner and experienced her exceptional service firsthand when she helped plan my best friend's wedding where I was the maid of honor. Michelle worked closely with the bride and myself to work out every detail from the timeline of booking vendors to the timeline of the actual big day. Michelle made sure that nothing was left out and did it with such care and creativity. She truly loves what she does and it is evident in all that she does for her clients. I highly recommend her for those brides who are looking for a creative, classy, and organized individual to help them showcase their love on their wedding day.

After I got engaged, I thought wedding planning would be a breeze but when I realized it wasn't and that I needed help ASAP, I contacted Michelle and I couldn't be happier with my decision! Michelle was so easy to work with and really kept me on track. Every time I would speak with or meet with her, I would leave with invaluable ideas and advice. On our wedding day, I was able to relax and enjoy the day because I knew Michelle would have everything taken care of and she would handle anything unexpected with ease. I know that my wedding would not have gone as smoothly without her and I'm so glad we chose her!

Let me start off by saying, having Michelle Amarillo as my wedding planner was by far the best decision I could have made for my wedding. Michelle is the perfect balance between creativity and control. She takes the time to understand the vision you have for your wedding, incorporating the most important details while contributing her own touches to enhance the artistry, to keep things consistent with the theme as well as keeping things within budget. Michelle went to great lengths to work with vendors and the competitors to get me the best deal and ultimately saving me hundreds of dollars! She used many of her own personal supplies of beautiful vintage frames, chalkboards, and baskets to decorate my venue, which also saved me from having to purchase all these items myself. From the beginning Michelle was always in contact with me, making sure I was on time with save the dates, invitations, dress fittings, scheduling meetings with vendors etc. Michelle has many wonderful and talented vendors that she works with, and works with often, however if you would like to incorporate other vendors she is exceptionally accommodating, making new contacts and getting them up to speed effortlessly. On the day of my wedding, I couldn’t have been more stress free! Any concern, question, problem, went straight to Michelle, saving me the headache, and allowing me to relish the time with the love of my life, family and friends. I cannot say enough great things about Michelle and would, happily, book her all over again!!!

For anyone considering a planner, Michelle Amarillo was amazing. For anyone not considering a planner--rethink that really quickly! My wedding was a great example of why it is so necessary to have someone coordinating your event, and why Michelle is the perfect choice. I had a wonderful DIY wedding, but when you do a lot of things yourself/have family friends help, sometimes everything doesn't go quite as planned. When my hors d'oeuvres and bartenders didn't show up until much later than expected, Michelle handled it gracefully and secretly, doing everything she could not to burden me or the groom with the extra stress. She was there to coordinate the night and she did it flawlessly, even with the extra snags. Not only that, but working with her was so enjoyable. She worked her butt off to make our wedding happen, from calming my nerves in the weeks leading up to the big day, to setting up everything in the reception space pretty much by herself the day before and cleaning it up, to actually fronting an incidental cost from one of our vendors while we were on our honeymoon so we didn't have to worry about that until we got home. For someone who was only supposed to be the "day-of" coordinator, she worked for weeks in advance and after the wedding to make sure it was the perfect day. I felt like I got so much more than my money's worth. Thanks Michelle!

One of the best decisions my husband and I made during the wedding process was hiring Michelle. I was a bride that hated weddings, so she helped me create an event that expressed my husband and I's personality and helped truly make our wedding an unforgettable day. Michelle was a lifesaver before, during and after the wedding. If you want your special day to go smoothly and be everything you want and more - work with Michelle!

Our experience with Michelle was absolutely amazing. Michelle helped us deal with vendors, kept us on track, and gave us advice and ideas. She is very organized, extremely detail oriented, and very easy to communicate with. If you want your wedding day to run smoothly and exactly as planned, Michelle is the person you need to hire. She truly cares about her clients and their day and she will do everything in her power to make it perfect. Michelle takes her job very seriously and is extremely wonderful at what she does!

I work for a small digital advertising agency in Downtown Norfolk. We all work hard and are proud to treat the company of 26 (plus their significant others, so about 50 guest total) to an extravagant annual holiday party. From the dinner , to the venue for the party and right down to the gifts, every little detail has to be accounted for. I normally have a partner in crime in planning this huge event, but this year it was just me. There was no way I could pull this off on my own and still work my full time shift at the office every day. I forgot to mention that we had just under 6 weeks to plan everything about this party (which is practically a small wedding) to add to the mix of chaos. I knew Michelle personally but had never worked with her professionally. From the beginning I knew her bubbly, enthusiastic and personable personality is what I needed in an event planner during what was going to be a very high pressure and stressful time. Just before I called her to ask if she would be interested in working with my company, I looked on her website and saw all of the successful weddings she put together and was excited to know that her eye for detail and style was right up our alley. As soon as she said "yes", we were up and running. From day one of planning she was in and out of my office coming up with ideas, contacting vendors and following up with me on progress. Whenever something in our plans didn't work, she came up with a plan B on the fly. She was always results oriented, which helped myself and my company stay focused on priorities for the party (ie what we wished for vs what we really needed). Most importantly she always kept our budget in mind and kept all vendors on an appropriate schedule. Before we knew it the holiday party had arrived. Although a colleague and I had to tend to some last minute changes, Michelle thankfully kept the ball rolling and continued to work on getting the rest of the party set up. It was a lot to set up. To give you an idea a very brief breakdown of this event included: dinner at one venue, gifts for every employee and gifts for every employee's date, coordinating travel for 50 people to the second venue, an elaborate photo / slow-mo video booth, dj, snacks and an open bar. Seriously, if it weren't for Michelle, I probably wouldn't have made it to my own event! The dinner and the party went on without a hitch and then some. For the first time in two years, I was actually able to enjoy the dinner and the party without having to worry if the food and drinks were right or if all of the vendors were prepared. Michelle went above and beyond the whole way through and the success of this party is a true testament of her dedication and care for her clients. In my experience of party planning, big or small, you need a planner who is talented, trustworthy, eager and just plain ready. Michelle is all of that and more.

THE DUCK- in event planning, is the person who from your limited perspective is smoothly gliding effortlessly over the water, meanwhile, under water she is paddling and working harder than you could imagine. That was Michelle at the wedding I participated in back in 2011. I got to see a little of the behind the scenes and it was amazing to see how much one tiny wedding planner could do. She had so much going on at once but had it all organized and handled every thing professionally- from working with other vendors to answering questions from guests, the wedding party, and more. She even had this cute little bridal emergency kit- complete with bobby pins and tide pens. One thing that stood out to me was how little the bride, groom, and the entire bridal party had to do. Everyone seemed pretty carefree for such a potentially stressful time- all because they knew Michelle had it under control. However, the BEST testimonial to Michelle's quality, service, and value is the feedback from other vendors. You can assume that being veterans in the business that they would be the most critical- but they raved about her! I can only assume that Michelle has grown even more in her role as a business owner and wedding planner since then and I'm excited to see her business blossom each year. The second I see someone get engaged on Facebook- I send them Michelle's information. That's how valuable I think she is- I tell my friends and family to put one of the biggest days of their lives in her hands.

Michelle was SO helpful during the planning process. We hired her for day of coordination but she was so much more than that. She really wanted to help me with the details and the crazy DIY projects I had in mind. She met with my mom and I often and went above and beyond anything we could ask for. Our wedding had some many details and she set them up perfectly and truly made my vision come to life. I never worried about a thing that day. The whole day ran smoothly. I tell her all the time, I wish we could just do it again every weekend. I would highly recommend her to any bride. In fact, she is planning one of my best friends wedding this year! She not only made us feel comfortable and set up our venue beautifully but she became a friend along the way.

I am lucky enough to know Michelle on a personal level as well as professional, and what I can say without a doubt is that she treats everyone she encounters as if you've been BFFs forever. Aside from being super creative, organized, and extremely wonderful at making things gorgeous, what you also are getting when you hire Michelle is something that you need but don't realize you need it: a wedding planner who sincerely cares about YOU. Michelle went above and beyond for me, and I have seen her do the same for others - that's how you know it's just a part of who she is as a person, a planner, a friend, and a business-woman. She's there to calm your anxieties, make you laugh when you don't think you can do anything but snap - without ever showing you whether she's stressed out herself. The level of service, commitment and quality that she consistently delivers to her clients is something on which one can simply put a price tag - she's truly priceless.

Michelle was the biggest help EVER and made my wedding day amazing and better than I could have imagined. She took care of things I never even thought of and just kept things on track while I was focused on myself. I really can't say enough positive words about her and I don't know what I would've done without her guidance and hard work on the big day.

Michelle was a fantastic addition to our day. She helped make sure our day ran on time and paid attention to all the little details. Very professional and a great liaison between all of our vendors.

Michelle helped make my destination wedding perfect! From designing personalized wedding invitations to helping with the wedding theme - my dream wedding would not have been possible without Michelle. From the day of coordination her attention to detail is just what a bride needs on her big day.

I suppose my initial response to hearing the news that MAEP was added to The Knot should be excitement for Michelle and her growing business. Yet, my actual thought was “How fortunate for these new brides-to-be...they might have Michelle as part of their wedding!” Michelle is creative, organized, and flexible. She is passionate about her business and her brand. She will support you when you freak out (over completely legitimate things [like not having anything to wear for engagement photos]) and encourage you and your significant other’s creative process that is captured in “the wedding.” Don’t let her small size fool you- she’s ready to handle all the heavy lifting: from centerpieces to awkward moments. For more info, check out my feedback on her website at http://michelleamarillo.com/raves/.