Rackel Gehlsen Weddings & Events

result, people (like myself) who have had a bad experience can’t legally say or post anything negative about their experience. I would be very wary before signing any contract with her and make sure that clause is removed. That being said, we did have a bad experience with Rackel. I don't want to get into too many details around the reasons for our bad experience to protect my anonymity, but needless to say, we ultimately fired Rackel after only a few months of working with her. Once we did that, she had her lawyer send us a demand letter asking for additional compensation beyond our initial deposit for all the “work” she had done. I will repeat that this is an anonymous review and the wedding date is made up to protect me from Rackel and her lawyer; however, I was a client and do have emails and documentation that support all of this information.

tress free. As the mother of the bride I was amazed at how relaxed our daughter was knowing Rackel was taking care of the details. She and her team planned and executed a wedding experience we will never forget. We thank her from the bottom of our heart.

ackel exceeded our expectations in every way, right from the start. She was very experienced and knowledgeable, an absolute joy to work with, and really made the entire wedding process stress free! We would absolutely recommend Rackel to anyone looking for a top wedding planner and we look forward to working with her again when our second daughter gets married! We consider her part of the family now. Thank you Rackel for making ours daughters dream wedding come true. It would not have been the same without you!!!

y professional. On my wedding day, I didn't have to lift a finger and everything turned out even better than I could have imagined. Half my bridesmaids mentioned that they wish they could have hired her for their weddings! I don't know how we could have possibly done without Rackel - do yourself a favor and hire her ASAP!

rs and friends! From the second my mom and I met her we clicked, she has such a contagious genuine personality and I knew that she was the one I wanted to help plan the day I had always dreamed of and I trusted her immediately! Hiring her not only made life as a bride less stressful but it made the entire process a million times more fun because of her bubbly personality and amazing positive attitude. She truly couldn't be easier to get along with! On top of all that, she is SO organized and on top of every little detail. She knows the ins and outs of everything, will give you her honest opinion, and will always be ready to tackle anything that comes your way, good or bad during the planning process. I could seriously go on and on about a million things I loved about working with her and how professional and fun and truly amazing she is at what she does. She is the absolute best of the best and when I look back at my wedding day I won't just think of her as my planner I will think of her as a family friend who was there through it all with me and who I know will continue to be in my life from here on out. So happy that this experience brought us together and I had the pleasure of working with her!

nything, if there is any issue at all, you won't know anyways, Rackel will take care of it before you even know there was an issue". This could not have been more true. I was never under the impression that anything went wrong, even the smallest thing. I heard mumblings later from people who chatted directly with Rackel later but as the bride on such a big day I had NO IDEA. Also, as I am not an expert in weddings or event planning in any capcity, she brought all my ideas to life. She dreamed up this amazing popcorn wall for cocktail hour, thought of additional florals to hide service entrances, moved the ceremony seating the night before at the rehearsal to insure none of the guests including the groom and I had the sun in our eyes and that our photography would be top-notch. Everything she did months leading up to the date was first class and if there was a class above that she was there on the actual event date. She thought of every last detail, things I could have never imagined which really just led to me having the time of my life at my wedding. I cannot thank Rackel enough and I cannot recommend her enough. She will provide the wedding of your dreams and beyond with a beautiful smile and amazing laugh! Make sure she is the first vendor you book!!!

tirelessly on our behalf to make our wedding flawless. Plus she is a whole lot of fun.

most out-of-the-box ideas that made our wedding extra special and unique!! Rackel made our day so beautiful and all our guests RAVED about the details and seamless flow of our wedding. Thank you, Rackel, for giving us a wedding experience we will cherish for a lifetime 🌸💓!

ged to plan our destination wedding with one destination visit and the rest was done remotely. Rackel is where elegance and wedding fun merge into an event to be remembered. As in all event planning, we encountered obstacles, and Rackel was the first one up to bat for us. Her personal and loving touch is second to none, and now we call her “friend”. ♥️

I could; a truly unparalleled experience and I would ABSOLUTELY recommend Rackel Gehlsen Weddings & Events to anyone and everyone. Thank you to the team who made all of my dreams come true!!

guided me through the planning process and helped me develop a vision that turned out to be a truly stunning wedding day. My wedding was a dream and it was because of Rackel's knowledge of the wedding industry and relationship with every single vendor. Rackel represents herself in a professional and poised manner, a true representation of what every wedding planner should strive to be like! Thank you, Rackel!

. She made recommendations for vendors, reviewed all of our contracts, and took care of many details for us that we didn't even know needed to be handled. Her team is very organized and professional, and our wedding went incredibly smoothly thanks to her coordination. Not only is she very talented at wedding planning, but she is also a wonderful person of whom I am glad to call a friend.

edding and couldn't have asked for a better day, thanks to Rackel. She is extremely organized and took care of everything for us on the wedding day. It was so nice being able to enjoy the morning, not having to worry about any of the day of details (rentals, vendor coordination, decor set up, etc.). She is knowledgable about all of the local vendors, and how to get the best deal while maintaining quality. We also hired her to help plan the rehearsal dinner, which was perfect from the food to all the small details. For anyone considering hiring a wedding planner, I would highly recommend Rackel and her team!

sound reason, and endless patience. I've heard horror stories of friends' experiences with subpar planners and cannot imagine having gone through this experience without Rackel and her team. The day of went absolutely flawlessly, and more importantly I didn't have to worry about a thing. The next morning everything was wrapped up and stored nicely, and it took all of 10 minutes to get it into my car and out of the venue. Rackel is smart, kind, (and hilarious), and really knows her business inside and out. You would be a fool not to hire her.

of are simply amazing. Professional, SWEET, engaging, and faster than the speed of light in responding. It’s safe to say that Rackel and her team saved my wedding day and helped make it an event to cherish forever. I am so grateful for her positive energy, generous heart, and serious boss-babe mindset as she executed tasks for us. She’s amazing and your wedding day needs her and her ladies!

ng countless revisions to my timeline until it was perfect. She was always quick to respond to all of my questions and so genuinely kind I immediately felt like I was in good hands with her. She is very detail oriented, professional and knowledgeable w/ her years of experience in wedding planning. Her team helped my wedding day run so smoothly, they were all so sweet and helpful!

that made us confident that everything was going to go smoothly. Rackel went above and beyond for our wedding. I would give her 6/5 stars. If you want the best wedding planner in town, go with Rackel.

ues. If you and her go see a vendor and she does gave a good feeling about them, or she thinks they are trying to just milk you for money she will find a new vendor for you. She does have a team that consist of her daughters but they are very professional as well. We also had our wedding out of town and she was very accommodating. When we have our vow renewals I will do whatever it takes to get her to help us. If I could put more stars I would. My newly wife and I have nothing but good things to say about this company.

mony, rehearsal, and reception. Rackel is so fun, supportive, organized, punctual, and gets the job done. She knows everyone in this business and will make sure that your day is beautiful and that events run smoothly. We cannot thank Rackel enough for saving our wedding day when unexpected things happened. We didn't have to worry about anything on the day of - she had everything we could've ever needed. If we had hired her from the beginning, it would've saved me a lot of time, stress, and sanity. Her personal touch makes Rackel the coordinator you've been looking for. She really went above and beyond!!

our wedding a blast, and gave me so many ideas I never would've thought about otherwise. You truly brought the vision I had to light and added flare to our simple ideas that left everyone at the wedding saying "everything is GORGEOUS". I don't think I could have ever planned this wedding without you, let alone planning it from out of state. You made everything look easy! Every little piece of the wedding went smoothly because of you, and I can't see how anything could have gone more perfectly. I will recommend you to everyone I know in the future. Thank you so much for making our wedding such an amazing day, and making it a wedding all of our guests will remember for a very long time.

have been half of what it was. From the start, she was very friendly, accessible, and involved. She was always quick to answer emails and phone calls and created spreadsheets to keep us stay organized! Her connections are truly outstanding as well! Not only did Rackel suggest amazing vendors, she worked closely with them to make sure everything ran smoothly and perfectly. She went above and beyond by truly being very hands-on throughout the entire process. As my wedding had boho-desert vibes, she surprised us on the weekend of our wedding with moroccan rugs for the aisle (we of course could have turned them down, but they were AMAZING)! Rackel also worked with the vendors to create a floral laden teepee as well as a luggage tag escort card board with the vendors. Rackel truly made our vision for our wedding day come to life! She also created a very thorough timeline for all of the vendors. As a result, we did not have to worry about ANYTHING during our wedding day as we were confident everything would flow smoothly and according to plan. We couldn't recommend Rackel more!!! She will really ensure that your wedding day is perfect!!!

She was so forth coming and honest and helpful and anything going wrong never felt wrong because of her great ideas and help and quickness to address things right away. I would suggest anyone to hire Rackel and her dream team for any event no matter where they are and will be hiring her for any other parties I can convince her to join us for! The sweetest cutest best ever!!! Love her to pieces!!

nsiveness. We ran into a few snags because of another vendor the day of the wedding and Rackel and her staff worked tirelessly to smooth things over. She went above and beyond to make the most of it while keeping a smile on her face. She is not only an incredible planner, but an even better person. We absolutely adore Rackel and I would recommend her to any and everyone!

mer wedding planner switched jobs but personally recommended Rackel. We met Rackel with 30 days left to the wedding! She picked up right where others left off and handled everything with great efficiency. I would highly recommend Rackel for your wedding.

and we were left without a wedding planner a month or so before the wedding. Worse yet, the person who was taking over to be our wedding planner also quit a few days after, and we didn’t even have a chance to meet her. This is where Rackel came in. Our venue hired her to handle all the weddings in the interim while they looked to higher a new in-house wedding planner. My fiancé and I were really nervous, having still much to do before the big day. Once we met Rackel, all of these fears went away. There’s no other way to say it: Rackel is a rock star. Rackel took charge in a way that our previous planner never did. She was very well organized, and had many contacts to recommend for the details we hadn’t pinned down yet (such as the seating chart signage). With her guidance, we were able to make it to our wedding day extremely prepared. On the day of your wedding, you don’t want to be worrying about the event going well. It’s a day to reflect on your life and to prepare for the greatest journey you’ll ever have. With Rackel there making sure everything was running smoothly, we knew we were in good hands. Rackel is able to hit the sweet spot between being kind and easy to work with, while still taking charge and making sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be. With a family as big as ours, I am very impressed she was able to keep us on track for our schedule. If you are looking for the best of the best, Rackel is who you are looking for to plan your wedding.

vendor meeting. It was obvious she is a seasoned planner and seemed to have insight into people/vendors in the wedding world of Tucson. She provided recommendations based on what we wanted and what would be best for us. The wedding timeline she created was worth it's weight in gold and helped so that everyone knew their role and expectations!! She is detail oriented and thought of anything and everything that may be needed for a seamless day- and that it was! Rackel is a professional, fun, and confident woman that handled anything thrown at her with ease! She comes highly recommended from us and our families!

found her! I would recommend her a thousand times over! Thanks so much again!

thought of every detail and helped us avoid potential issues. She met with us regularly as we approached the wedding date and provided planning tools to make it easy for us. Rackel has a great demeanor and was a joy to work with. I highly recommend Rackel and her team for your wedding!

solutely made my daughter’s wedding wonderful. Weddings are stressful but she took all of that away from me. She is the most amazing,competent and talented person I have ever met. One meeting with her and you’ll know that she’s the best!!!!! I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her. Her attention to detail is is amazing!!!!

ommunication with them so booking, details, etc were seamless. From day one until our wedding day, Rackel was enthusiastic, hardworking, organized and honest- letting us know what she genuinely thought would turn out best for our big day. In addition to some last minute changes at our venue, we had unexpected rain on our wedding day. Rackel worked quickly to coordinate the move of our ceremony to under a canopy instead of inside, allowing us to still have our dream of getting married outside. We can't thank her enough for going above and beyond for us! Our wedding day was minimal stress for us and our families because of Rackel! Thank you thank you!

o the wedding through the locations owner and was able to still get us through our timeline and make sure everything else was perfect. Rackel went right along with our wedding and the unique ideas that we had, all of the vendors that she suggested were just wonderful! I recommend Rev George as an orator if you are needing one he was charming and the ceremony was very special. Thanks so so so much to Rackel, if you need a planner I can't imagine anyone else who could better make your wedding dreams a reality.

e process about how fabulous she is. Right from the beginning, Rackel impressed us by contacting venues and figuring out available dates before we had even booked her! We were so impressed with Rackel straight off the bat, and she only continued to impress throughout our 17 month engagement. We were planning from another state, and Rackel made herself 100% available for our questions and worked to help us secure vendors. She had excellent recommendations for all of our vendors, and we would have absolutely been lost without her. Rackel truly goes above and beyond and the day of the wedding we were all able to relax and enjoy the day, which was something so important to me from the beginning. She made sure all vendors had copies of the timeline and knew where to be and when, oversaw all of the set up, provided decor items from her own collection at no extra cost to us, answered family questions and bridal party questions, and made sure that as the bride & groom, we were completely taken care of and could relax the day of our wedding. I cannot imagine what our wedding would have been without the help of Rackel. We received compliments all night for how gorgeous the room was (her style and attention to decor details is impeccable), and how seamlessly everything went. If you are looking for a wedding planner who goes above and beyond, and who will execute your wedding to perfection, book Rackel! We can't thank her enough for making our day perfect!

with Rackel we knew that she was the right planner for us. She's so genuine and we could tell that she would go out of her way to make our wedding day the best day for us. During the whole planning process, she was always available to talk to us if we had any questions and she helped us so much with our vendors. She knows all of the vendors in Tucson and helped us get the best value. Thanks to Rackel, we had such a beautiful wedding and the best time!! Everyone kept telling me that I was such a relaxed bride during our whole wedding weekend and it was honestly because of Rackel. She is the best and we couldn't recommend her more!!

every decision. For the year of wedding planning, I was able to constantly ask Rackel questions and she responded promptly. She helped me find all the special décor I wanted including the spectacular lace tablecloths that I envisioned and the fabulous florist! She definitely brought my vision to reality and exceeded my expectations! She and Joelle at Hacienda del Sol worked together beautifully. In conclusion, the rehearsal, wedding and reception ran so smoothly that I was able to enjoy every moment. I know that Rackel caused that to happen, because she was on every detail ahead of time! Thank you again and again Rackel for your hard work that was beautifully done!!!

was lets do it :). She was so organized, and talked to me like she was in my head, and knew exactly what I wanted. She made sure that the planning process was just as much fun as I wanted my wedding to be. When I walked in on wedding day I was so overwhelmed by my vision being executed flawlessly, that I couldn't contain myself. I could not have done this day without her.

, it’s magical. It really is, when you think fairytale perfection, she gives that times 10. You’ll have your breath taken away at the sight of everything and how well she takes care of it all. Rackel threw together one of the most amazing surprise proposals for me that I’ve ever seen, in less than 24 hours! Balcony, rose pedals everywhere, sunset in the mountains, candles, a rose bouquet. We had our private table on the balcony of a high class resort, where I got down on one knee in a giant heart made of rose pedals. The scene was amazing and perfect. Like a fairytale come true, I couldn’t have imagined it better myself, I don’t think anyone could. I’ve seen all her work, she’s working personally with me and my fiancé, and she worked personally on my surprise engagement. I promise anyone reading this, you really don’t want anyone else. This woman is gifted by god, and her passion bleeds through her work. I would not recommend anyone else, ever. Rackel is amazing, period!!!!!

n to help us achieve a weekend-long wedding celebration filled with family and friends, love and laughter, great food and superb music. We knew there were things we didn't know and Rackel quietly and diplomatically helped us steer a course that resulted in an experience that exceeded our expectations. She's truly the best at what she does and we were blessed to have Rackel on our team!

ely blown away by all of it, I would not change a single thing. She was a joy to work with, extremely kind, knowledgeable, helpful and fun. I cannot imagine not having her, she truly is the best. I was completely stress free the day of because she took care of everything. She answered all of my questions through out the process, and I had a lot, and made suggestions that turned out really great. If you want your wedding to be spectacular, work with Rackel.

s her ability to in a way read your mind. Throughout the wedding process I had a difficult time describing my vision or my idea but Rackel somehow was always knew exactly what I was trying to say or what I was thinking. On our actual wedding day Rackel made sure everything went off perfectly. I have never seen someone be able to command so many people and time everything perfectly while staying completely calm. Rackel will make you dreams come true and create something even more beautiful than you could ever imagine.

wledge and experience was exactly what we needed! She even knew specific things about our venue that helped things go very smoothly! We will call her for any event in the future!

wedding is over, we still keep in touch. Rackel guided us along the whole planning process and was always available when we needed her opinion or assistance. She and her team made wedding weekend amazing for our family!! We literally handed the reins over to her and she made the wedding everything we hoped it would be. I personally was able to relax and enjoy every moment because I knew she had everything under control. In addition, Rackel has an amazing group of vendors that love to work with her!! We were very lucky to have many of them with us on wedding day also. When our family plans another wedding, I hope Rackel will be with us again. She's the best!!

Rackel was balanced and attentive in the way she communicated with both of us, and never tried to push the norm on us when we wanted to do things “out of the box.” She kept her word throughout the whole year during the planning process, and at crunch time, completed many helpful tasks that seemed like a lot to ask of her. We really appreciated getting her feedback on vendor related items, especially when planning the wedding from far away. We knew even before the weekend occurred that each of the events would run smoothly under her guidance. That peace of mind made the months and weeks leading up to the wedding easier to handle. She is a wonderfully positive person in general, and took great care of our guests who came from several different continents! Because of this, it is our great honor to recommend Rackel and her team to others for their event planning, and to applaud her for the true professional she is. Thank you Rackel!

s entirely due to Rackel's touch on nearly every aspect of vendor coordination, contracting and day of event coordination. Rackel assisted with translating our vision into a realty by assisting with story boards and mock-ups to literally create a visual guide for what was in our head, from which every vendor could then work off of. This insured a cohesion of the vision and we were successful to the extent that EVERY guest commented on the beauty and details of the day as well as the overall joy they experienced sharing in our occasion. Rackel's experience gave me confidence in my decisions and importantly, I would relay that one of things Rackel did so well, was to anticipate all the things that could go wrong- in order to make sure that they were mitigated so that none of them did go wrong! Sometimes I was thinking to myself- now why is she bringing that up- that would be terrible, or as a mildly stressed out bride-to-be this is not something I want to deal with, but that was the point. She made sure that potential pitfalls were NOT overlooked. Essentially, our evening was flawless. I used Rackel for recommendations for all of my vendors (except for the venue) and every one delivered and matched expectations. My entire team had worked together before and knew what to anticipate- I truly felt that they were all working together and ENJOYING the experience they were helping to create for my husband, me and our guests. I have nothing but gratitude and compliments for my year of planning with Rackel. She was generous with her time attending onsite meetings to work through all aspects of the event. She has exquisite taste to the point that if I was fading from making a decision, I could look to her and ask what she would do or thought- then do exactly that trusting that it couldn't possibly be a bad call. I only wish it weren't over so that I could still be having a blast planning our wedding!! Planning a wedding was not easy, but Rackel made sure I attended to every detail and I will be looking for a reason to have another big celebration so that I can work with Rackel again (on something other than a wedding obviously)!! Thank you Rackel!!!

rofessionalism and she always keeps it fun while taking care of business. Raquel has become a great friend of ours and we were so lucky to have her as our wedding planner. She's the best!!!

many decisions for their wedding. When I walked into the reception I was overwhelmed by how beautiful it was. Rackel made it very special and she continued to oversee everything throughout the reception. Rackel went above and beyond to make sure that the day was perfect!