Monica Relyea Events

ed a few wedding planners, all fantastic people, but Monica stood out. She is not your typical wedding planner. Sure, she has an incredible eye for details and knows how to plan a stunningly beautiful event (indeed, many of our friends and family shared with us that ours was the most beautiful wedding they’d ever attended). But she is also all business, and honestly, that’s what you want on your wedding day. There are a few things that really stand out to me about Monica: 1) She is incredibly accommodating: I work full time and Monica made herself extremely available at times that could accommodate my schedule. For example, on my one week of vacation over the summer, which was about the only week where I could dedicate a significant chunk of time to planning, she scheduled multiple calls with me at 7 AM! She also helped keep me on track, giving me appropriate deadlines. 2) She is multiculturally competent: My husband and I had a multifaith wedding, and Monica was extremely knowledgeable. She knew exactly what traditions to ask us about including in our timeline, and made sure we had gathered all of the items we needed for the ceremony. 3) She is detail oriented not only when it comes to aesthetics, but to logistics: My mom uses a cane and Monica made sure that her every need was addressed on my wedding day. 4) She works with vendors who are as incredible as she is: Every single person to whom Monica referred us was not simply talented at what they did, but genuinely kind and enthusiastic . Monica has strong relationships with the vendors with whom she works. At the same time, Monica was always honest about her opinions, and if my husband or I disagreed with a something related to a vendor, she always went to bat for us. When it came to new vendors, Monica went out of her way to get to know her collaborators. 5) She is an incredible listener and has great people skills: Throughout the time I was working with Monica, I really felt she was listening to me. She was also very thoughtful in her interactions with my family and in-laws. I could say more, but to put it simply: Monica is the best you could ask for in a wedding planner: part designer, part director/producer, part emotional support, part fairy godmother. Hiring Monica and her team was the absolute best decision I made related to the wedding (except for the decision to marry my husband, of course!) If you are wondering whether to hire her, don’t think twice, just do it! My husband's review: "My wedding was perfect because of my amazing wife – but Monica was a close second! Monica addressed all of our wedding needs and concerns expertly and diligently, not to mention quite a few we hadn’t even thought of. Monica was a point person to email when issues came up, a scheduler who could help us to put together a timeline, and a repository of wedding knowledge who knew who to talk to to find anything we needed. Truthfully, Monica was totally indispensable for us, especially given our busy schedules. I entered wedding planning with little knowledge and even fewer preferences, but Monica helped me to be a more engaged and (hopefully!) useful partner in wedding planning. She made this daunting process exponentially easier for me. I can’t recommend her highly enough!"

apsulating her role during our wedding weekend. Throughout the planning process, Monica was our north star, our confidant, our rock and she became more than our friend, she became family. Monica made every single vision, idea and dream come true, and built upon them. The MRE team and all of the vendors that Monica brought together executed 4 days of events and activities flawlessly. The attention to detail, willingness and ability to do any task big or small, and handling many curveballs that were thrown our way was all done with the biggest smile. There isn’t anything that Monica and her team cannot do. I dare you to challenge them! We sure did. Two months before our big day, due to circumstances outside of anyone's control, we lost our wedding venue. With invitations already in the mail and vendors booked, this would have crippled the average planner. Instead of even suggesting we push our date or find a less-than-prefect venue, Monica singlehandedly found a new venue and moved mountains to accommodate our original vision in an even better and more unique setting. She handled adjusting vendors, hotel blocks and logistics all while maintaining a cool calm composure as we tried not to crumble ourselves. The team of vendors Monica put together weathered the storm with us with no complaints during the many change orders, and that is a true testament to the amazing team and people that Monica chooses to align herself with. Needless to say, the wedding weekend went off without a hitch and the memories we shared with our closest friends and family members we will cherish the rest of our lives. We just wish we could do it all over again.

inor suggestions and likes/dislikes of ours and design an incredible wedding reception completely from scratch. By incorporating different themes from our family's farm, MRE managed to make our day truly unique, right down to the menu cards and welcome boxes. The team's attention to detail the day of is unparalleled and made for an extremely low-stress day for our family and guests. We highly recommend the MRE team for the Hudson Valley wedding of your dreams!

all of the details that go with it) incredibly quickly and was supportive of everything that was important to us - as well as incredibly thoughtful to creating the absolute best experience for our guests possible. From being thoughtful about which way buses were parked to ensure guests had the loveliest entrance into our tent, to having a fantastic rain plan, to mastering our master schedule, Monica was truly on top of all of the little things that make a wedding day that much more special. She was also truly a joy to work with throughout the entire year of planning - right through to carrying my train for all of our photos - to being the last man standing at our after party (with the fantastic Luis by her side!). Monica is a true professional who always wants to do what is best for her couple. She is constantly behind the scenes ironing out any wrinkles in the day and knows how to problem solve when a challenge comes up. She truly made our big day one where I was able to completely focus on enjoying our wedding knowing that everything was in very safe hands with her and the entire MRE Team!!

we hired Monica about a year and a half before our wedding to plan and implement all aspects of the weekend. She helped us find and book amazing vendors, make all types of decisions, and coordinate a truly unbelievable wedding weekend in Hudson, New York. Monica was by our side throughout the entire planning process, keeping us sane and ensuring that we were on track. With Monica and her team, we were able to plan and flawlessly execute a beautiful and fun 300-person black tie wedding in a venue in which we were required to bring in every single thing. We simply could not have done it without Monica. Monica is creative, well organized, and compassionate. She has a great eye and incredible attention to detail. Monica thought of everything we could ever imagine and anticipated potential hiccups. She is an amazing problem solver and quick on her feet. Monica’s team is also amazing – every member of her team made us feel special and comfortable throughout the entire weekend. Thanks to the Monica Relyea Events team, we were able to really enjoy our wedding weekend, and to not worry about anything other than having the best weekend of our lives with our friends and family! If we could do it all over again, we would 100% pick Monica to plan this special event.

er white wedding that involved transforming the venue space from a rustic/industrial look to more winter glam. We knew it would involve various vendors and new things that the venue space had never seen before. We searched for a planner knowing we had a vision in mind, we wanted someone that could fully immerse him or herself in the vision and help make sure it came to life seamlessly. Above and beyond, Monica made sure all of the elements of the wedding were going as planned and had each vendor timed to the minute! But nothing could compare to how incredibly helpful, diligent, and on top of everything she was on the wedding. I ran into an issue with my wedding dress that would have driven most other brides insane! Monica calmed me down and was able to fix the issue within minutes. My husband had a similar wardrobe issue and Monica was there to fix the issue quickly! She was able to stay with my husband and I through all the photographs offsite and was able to communicate with her team to make sure the venue space looked exactly how we wanted (this is despite some pushback from the venue...she was able to make it happen!) We can’t put into words how important it is to have an experienced troubleshooter onsite, and that is what Monica was! She made sure our needs and our wishes were always first, and went above and beyond to make sure our experience was memorable.

Our friends and family kept saying after our wedding that they need their own Monica! Our wedding was very personal, with a lot of details that were customized to what we wanted and not necessarily conventional. Monica never shied away from the challenges, logistical or otherwise. When other vendors said they couldn't make it happen, Monica figured out a way to make it work. She ended up creating our table designs because we didn't trust anyone else to execute our vision. She advocates for her clients more than anyone I've ever seen. Monica does not b.s. her clients and that is essential in an industry that often upsells its clients. The other essential piece of working with Monica is that she makes YOUR vision come through. She is not a planner that has a vision for your wedding and will not create what she wants for you, but rather listens to YOU and designs what you and your partner dreamed of. I cannot overstate how important this is to creating a wedding that feels authentic. Moreover, Monica is a wonderful, kind, hilarious human being who we absolutely adore. I would hire Monica a million times over and would recommend her to ANYONE.

stop talking about. Monica deserves 100% of the credit for such a flawlessly executed weekend that we were so lucky to call our wedding. Monica is the planner who will help you create your vision and has the resources to bring it to life. She's not the planner that's going to just do what had been done before or what she was comfortable with. She will make you feel like you are the only event she is working on. I was a bride who didn't want to have a wedding because I didn't want to have to plan it. But, I didn't really want anyone else planning it because we are picky and didn't want the wedding everyone else had already done. We picked a date that was 5 months from the day we were engaged and a venue that wouldn't accommodate the number of guests we anticipated. Mission Impossible. We met Monica through that venue and she immediately asked us questions that proved how invested she was in getting to know us, our taste, our expectations, what we didn't know, and she digested everything quickly. We visited our venue together where neither of us had ever been and we agreed together that this was the spot. Her perspective and ability to handle the questions I wouldn't have come up proved to me that she had the confidence to deliver on our vision here. Monica had never worked at this venue but after our first walkthrough she immediately had schematics so we could see how our event could come to life and a list of the types of vendors we would need so we could estimate cost and scope right away. She reviewed contracts of vendors we had already chosen and flagged things I never would have known to flag. Monica knows everyone in the Hudson Valley and surrounding areas and everyone loves Monica. She has earned this through her professionalism, passion, respect for others/properties and flawless execution. She's driven, focused and was not afraid to have the hard conversations on our behalf. She's the kind of person you WANT to be around and she understands the value of trust and relationships which deserves more credit than anything in this industry. Monica made miracles happen. We didn't want a white tent so she found us a modern clear tent that had never been done before on the property. We wanted to get married in woods but to have a view of the river. She trekked out to the venue on a rainy day and found us a spot that you would have thought was created for us. No one had ever been married there. She's always up for a challenge and nothing will stop her from bringing your dream to life. No task is too big or too small for her. She always had a great idea, a better deal or had taken care of something I didn't want to do. The day of the wedding was 100% seamless. I am a control freak and I didn't once worry nor get interrupted from being in the moment at my event once. She was the very last person on property that night and made sure that each of our guests made to the hotel safely. My friends call Monica a magician. She was there when you needed something but disappeared when the events were happening. I am fortunate to call Monica a friend now. I had no idea that I wanted the wedding that we had. Monica got behind our vision and so tastefully brought it to life, saved us thousands of dollars, and executed a weekend of memories that we will have forever.

from across the country, we wanted a coordinator that had an open mind, an impeccable aesthetic, and someone that was lovable yet took no BS. We found it all in her and so much more. As two creatives with lots of ideas, Monica helped us cultivate our vision into something we could have never imagined. She helped us navigate vendors with grace and ease, and came through on the clutch when needing to execute details that we just had to have. She made what can oftentimes be a stressful process so enjoyable. Monica is an expert at her craft, and it was a true honor to have her by our side. Our wedding was simply perfect, and very much represented who we are as a couple. We will never forget the beauty of this day, and the unexpected friendship of one incredibly talented lady. Thank you.

, my husband Shea and I are beyond thankful we got to work with her for the months leading up to our wedding. She's genuine and has your back as the client above everything else, we instantly felt comfortable sharing our ideas and concerns with her from the start. She's extremely creative - she listened to what I wanted and brought it to life, connecting me to other vendors or mentioning where I could rent/purchase certain items. Monica had worked at my wedding venue in the past but she made sure that our wedding was unlike any other that had happened there before. She found us the most unique and beautiful ceremony site that made the most amazing backdrop for our photos. Working with Monica you can tell she truly loves LOVE and creating that special day for you and your significant other is her number one priority. Monica is legitimately the most thoughtful person - she ran out to grab snacks and drinks for my bridal party and 2 little flower girls because we completely forgot about eating that day, all without hesitation. Who else would do that!? One thing that stands out to me the most when I think of working with Monica is that I always felt supported. I could call her and vent about my bridal party, ask her to handle a transaction with another vendor, or just ask her opinion on something and she was always honest - when your knee deep in wedding planning it's nice to feel like you have someone that will just listen to you vent, calm your nerves and give you an outsiders perspective. Our wedding day was the picture perfect day. Monica and her team handled everything - if there was a fire to put out I surely didn't know about it. She made sure the reception was set up to perfection, that the vendors were where they needed to be at all times, that my fiancé wasn't late, etc. I honestly didn't have to worry or think about anything the days leading up to my wedding day or that day. She kept the day on track (did I mention yet that she's extremely organized?), she made sure Shea and I always had a drink in our hands or something to snack on, and at the end of the night her & her team stayed to handle the clean up - THIS IS HUGE. And last but not least, she's FUN - at the end of the night she got out on the dance floor and danced to a Drake song with me! It was the perfect way to end the night! I can't say enough good things about Monica! She's THE BEST!

had a very particular vision for our wedding, and an unconventional venue, and Monica embraced it all and executed FLAWLESSY. The weekend of our wedding went smooth as silk thanks to all of her meticulous organization and coordination, and our ceremony and reception looked magical!!! Her style is impeccable, and her eye is on point! Monica was always honest with us about expectations/ pricing and put so much thought and passion into her work. From sending me photos of decor items she thought I might like, to spending time with our parents, she was so invested every step of the way. We would have been lost without her! And most importantly, us and our families had a stress-free BLAST at our weddings, because she was so on top of everything! ! Truly cannot recommend her enough.

every detail throughout the planning process and on the day of, and she is thoughtfully prepared for any unforeseen possibilities. There’s no question that Monica was the best investment we made in our wedding. My husband and I hosted 200 people for a farm wedding at a venue that had never held a wedding that size nor used their space in the way that we were planning to. We planned our wedding in 5 months and hired Monica three months before the wedding once we had already booked all of our core vendors (venue, caterer, band, florist, calligrapher/invitation designer, photographer, and videographer). Once we hired Monica we breathed a huge sigh of relief; it was clear from the moment we signed the contract that we had made the right choice. Throughout the planning process all of our vendors remarked on how prepared, communicative, and professional Monica was. Monica navigated all of the personalities and relationships (both vendors and our families) beautifully. Monica was a tremendous advocate for us in finding our last vendors (fancy portable restrooms, bar tender, electricians, refrigeration, ice, etc.), always making sure we were getting fantastic service at a fair price. If you’re planning a wedding where you need to bring everything in, Monica is the person you want to have on your team - she knows all the answers to the questions you might not know to ask. We cannot speak highly enough about Monica - she absolutely made our wedding dreams come true and she did so with a smile, calm approach, and genuine enthusiasm. We hope that you too will have the great fortune to work alongside this incredible talent.

she was always there to check in with me, answer any questions, give advice, & calm my nerves. Day before & day of she was there to help set up, put out last minute fires, and set the finishing touches so everything was picture perfect. As my maid of honor said "she was everywhere and nowhere" - there was not one moment where I was worried about something going awry because I knew Mon was behind the scenes & we trusted her 200%. Every detail from making sure our bar was properly stocked, to making sure everyone got off the bus & sat for the ceremony (while not wandering off or coming to the bridal suite), and helping flip the chairs under the ceremony tent! No task was too big or small for her helping hand. You will find a true professional, an experienced designer, and a friend in Monica. What more can I say? She's the best!

so have come to expect her excellence in taste and design. However, nothing could not have prepared us for how extraordinarily she treats her brides and their families, and how ‘all in’ she is to designing and facilitating your wedding, to making it special and spectacular in every way. Monica is a wonderful and enthusiastic listener, and cares so deeply about creating the day of your dreams. She listens intently to your ideas, and asks questions, but also interjects ideas of her own, which only help to take your vision up the notch to ‘over the top.’ She makes great effort to really get to know her brides and grooms, and their personalities and dreams. Each bride and groom has uniqueness about them and their relationship, and Monica strives to bring that feeling to the surface and to the event. Our Amy is an actress, and although she dismissed any idea of being a ‘performer’ on her wedding day, she naturally wanted a wedding that was subtlely dramatic and whimsical, yet formal and traditional. With Monica, we reaped the confidence of knowing that our many thoughts and ideas, although jumbled in our heads, would come together magnificently. And they did! She is a true visionary. Now about her professionalism. She is lovely and kind, and so very excited for and about your experience. She is also organized and dependable, and always calm and collected. These personality traits enable her to facilitate the totality of your wedding. She understands the logistics and timelines, the occasional hiccups, the emotions of families and friends. In a nutshell, she just ‘gets’ all things wedding related. She will bring knowledge and a passion to your wedding planning which is unsurpassed. She will bring her smile which lights up a room, her humor just when it’s needed, and reassurance throughout the process that your wedding or event is going to be truly magical and memorable. I cannot recommend her enough.”

I would never have been able to do on my own. Monica's taste is timeless yet trendy and chic all at the same time. She made sure that I was on track with my planning assignments every step of the way and was available and willing to help with any/all questions that I had; day or night! When it came down to the day of coordination between all of my vendors, Monica made everything flow so easily. It is not always easy working with so many different groups of creative people and Monica made me feel like I didn't have to think about a thing. Monica- thank you for helping create the most magical day of mine and Doug's life!

the best weekend of our lives. Organized, proactive, professional, patient - so easy to work with and simply a lovely person. I never dreamed I'd find the BEST planner, but somehow we did! We knew we didn't have the time or ability to execute our ideal wedding, but we had a very specific vision (which continuously evolved over 9 months of planning). Seamlessly melding our must-haves, families' wishes, and our personalities, Monica created an unforgettable weekend for us and our guests. She effortlessly orchestrated Friday's rehearsal dinner, welcome drinks and bonfire, Saturday's church ceremony, outdoor cocktail hour, tented reception, surprise after-party, and Sunday's farewell brunch. She was instrumental in helping us make bigger decisions like florals & first look location to minute details like the style of water glasses and personally sourcing the accouterments for the build-your-own bloody mary bar at brunch. It's clear she truly enjoys her work and has a passion for event planning. Looking back at the whole experience I can't say enough good about Monica - but what sticks out most is the awesome feeling that you're working with someone AS excited for your event as you are. That's game-changing.