Smiling Through Chaos

Amanda helped us plan our daughter’s Bat Mitzvah (2 different parties over the course of the same day!) which ended up being everything we had hoped for and more! Amanda and her team are creative, super resourceful and lots of fun. All out amazing and couldn’t have been possible without her!

Amanda has amazing energy and she was so much fun to work with. Everything was on time and she was a great communicator!

Smiling Through Chaos goes above and beyond! Amanda is exactly the kind of caring, creative, professional, organized presence you want on your team. She has such a bright personality, and it's beyond clear that she is 110% all in for her clients, always. We had less than a year before our wedding day and Amanda was so much more than just a planner or coordinator. She was an advocate, a negotiator, and the creative director who took our feedback, crafted it into a cohesive story, and executed the wedding of my dreams. From our invitations to our florals/decor and cakes, her network of vendors was top notch. She understood us and just *knew* who to bring in to match our style both in personality and the top-tier products they brought to our day. I was never worried about any of our vendors being uncommunicative or delivering anything less than amazing thanks to Amanda. During the last few weeks before the big day Amanda was my saving grace, managing last-minute details that needed handling and confidently assuring me that everything would be stellar when I got overwhelmed. The day of my wedding I can honestly say I was able to be fully present and enjoyed every minute! Amanda made that happen and I'm so grateful. You can't put a price on that kind of peace of mind.

Amanda was the best decision we ever made before planning a party. I don’t even know where to start on how amazing Amanda is and was during our entire planning process and day of the party for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary. From start to finish she was always on top of the planning and so organized. She went beyond any expectation we had and was very patient. She gave us many options according to what we wanted and helped us find what we were looking for as far as photographer, floral, music and DJ and Entertainment (we had a hula dance show). She made my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary party a dream and we can even say perfect! It was such a flawless planning experience that was fun and effortless. All I can say is if you have the opportunity to work with Amanda and Smiling Through Chaos do it!

Amanda did a wonderful job on my daughters birthday party. She was very well organized and professional. She paid attention to detail and made my daughters day so beautiful and special. I absolutely love her!

We loved working with Amanda!! She made our wedding process feel so fun so we were able to enjoy being engaged and not stressed with wedding planning. She’s definitely an expert on everything wedding! Organized, punctual and ahead of the game at all times. Amanda was a dream maker she took our vision and made the most beautiful wedding we could’ve ever imagined. She is a ray of sunshine and including her in your big deal won’t be a regret she will make everything happen for you in a positive fashion. We are so lucky to have found her! Thanks Amanda -Harold & Crystal

I’ll start by saying both my husband and I were dead set against having a planner in the beginning. We didn’t see a reason for one and we didn’t want the extra expense. On the request of our mom, we looked into a planner hesitantly- and then we found Amanda. Amanda is EVERYTHING. Calling her a planner isn’t enough- she really does it all. She made sure our day was everything we wanted it to be, and thought about details that never would have even crossed our mind. She ultimately ended up saving us money, stress, time and anxiety. She understood my vision and transformed the venue and every thought of every detail to make sure we had the day of our dreams. She made the day and the weeks prior feel so effortless so I could just focus on being happy and enjoying the process. Not to mention, everyone loved her. She literally feels like a part of the family now. It’s hard to describe exactly how much time and effort Amanda put into our day and how much she delivered. I will say this: every bride and groom needs an Amanda. She is the best of the best and she made our day what it was. I will be forever grateful that we had Amanda for our special day.

As a mother of the bride, I was tasked with a lot of details, I am a project manager, but have NOTHING on Amanda. What a relief, what a pleasure to work with! She was on top of EVERY detail, with professionalism. She put me at ease, she managed ALL the details big and little, that allowed me to just be MOM that day! She's incredible. Strong work ethic, responsive, never annoyed by my 1,000 questions to ensure it was taken care of. I could go on and on. Bright and wonderful personality! WORTH every cent and more! She over delivered. She also had resources and opinions (if asked). Her #Goal was that the day was everything you want it be! No matter how well you plan, something will come up, small or big, and you will want someone paying attention to notice it and resolve it so you don't have to! THAT IS AMANDA!! I wish I had something else to plan to keep working with her!

Amanda did a nice job putting the finishing touches on our children’s’ wedding. She helped coordinating vendors and to resolve last minute issues with transportation and flowers that could have had a disastrous impact on the wedding. The event was perfect in every way and we appreciated the part Amanda played to ensure such a successful outcome.”

Amanda and the Smiling Through Chaos team made planning and executing my wedding such a seamless and enjoyable experience. From her creative ideas to her impeccably detailed timeline, Amanda's professionalism and skill in party planning is unmatched. She always responds super quickly, is extremely approachable and definitely someone anyone would be lucky to work with. My husband and I cannot stop talking about how helpful and important she was for our big day. We highly recommend Smiling Through Chaos for any wedding or party planning need!

We knew from the beginning that Amanda was the top of the line wedding planner. We actually regretted not hiring her for her full package, and advise all couples to just go for it if they want peace of mind. Amanda took over a month before and helped us through all the little crisis moments. We literally couldn't have done it without her, she was on top of it and incredibly thorough and organized. On the day of, everything came together and it was the most magical day of our lives. She was a pleasure to work with and can't recommend her enough!!

Amanda and her team were an absolute pleasure to work with. Going into wedding planning my wife and I didn't think we needed a wedding planner as we are quite organized and type A personalities however about 2 months before the wedding we decided it would be useful to have some extra help. Short story is I am soooooo glad we did because I do not think my wife and I would have been as relaxed and zen come the big day. Amanda paid very close attention to our needs really helped us figure out some of the smaller items we had yet to plan leading up the day. We had multiple phone calls and emails to discuss everything from the agenda for the day to table-card placements and Amanda made herself very accessible to us (which in the wedding world is not very common). Amanda made us a super detailed oriented spreadsheet (down to the minute!) detailing how the day would go. She helped us create a list of all the items we needed to remember to bring and while these things might seem minor they are super important because the last few weeks leading up to the wedding were quite hectic and stressful and having these items checked off was one less thing for my wife and I to stress about. Smiling Through Chaos allowed us to enjoy our big day to the fullest. Amanda also helped to review all of our contracts and communicated with our vendors to make sure everybody was on the same page in terms of deliverables and timing. I cant thank her and her staff enough for enabling us to have the best day ever. I truly do not think we could have planned such a great event without her help.

Amanda helped me realize my vision for my wedding and I cannot recommend her enough! She gave great suggestions and ideas for parts of planning I was unsure of, meanwhile supporting my decisions and wishes for aspects that I wanted to be included. She assisted both the wedding party and vendors stick to the timeline. Any time anyone had questions, we went to Amanda. She maintained peace between any guests with tension and made the night run smoothly. My wedding was wonderful and I owe it all to her. AMANDA IS AMAZING!!!!!!

Amanda was our wedding planner for our vow renewals. Never in my wildest dreams could I have even thought such a event was even possible. Our vow renewal and reception was spectacular from the beginning to the end. It was a dream come true. My husband has terminal cancer so I was busy taking care of him and my kids. Amanda did everything! It was the first time in 2 years my husband and I were so happy. She is by far the best wedding planner. She gave us the best of the best, from the no1 hall in the tri state area, amazing food, absolutely amazing flowers, beautiful and best cake I’ve ever had, henna artist, gorgeous makeup by Stacy, wonderful hair, greatest dj and Mc, the beautiful and scrumptious favors, wedding artist, the entertainment which blew everyone away, and of course amazing photographer…. She is kind, caring, patient, extremely organized, fast worker and courteous. A heart of gold! I highly recommend her. You will have your dream wedding come true because of her.

I love working with Amanda! Her timelines are so organized and easy to follow, which makes my job as a wedding vendor 1000x easier because I know exactly when and where I need to be at all times. She facilitated all discussions between myself and her clients and made for a truly memorable wedding experience! Can't wait to work together again!!

Amanda is a creative soul who strives to bring a unique take on every wedding. She has a true eye for design and makes sure that everyone is set up for success on the big day by her attention to detail in planning. I would recommend Amanda to anyone who wants their wedding to be creative, fun, and stress-free!

Amanda was incredible. She took every idea and detail of what we wanted for our wedding and made it come to life. Anytime we needed her she was there and was quick to respond to any questions or concerns. Amanda made it her priority to make the planning process stress free and smooth and allowed us to have the most magical and memorable night of our life. She is creative, responsive, professional and most of all kind and I cannot recommend her to plan any event enough.

How Amanda continues to smile throughout the entire process is beyond me! We loved her throughout the planning process - but to see the precision with which she pulls it off on the day of- always with a smile and such warmth - is beyond! She has a wonderful rapport with the vendors and is there for you in every way possible.

Amanda was such an amazing planner! She took all of the stress out of planning, especially in a pandemic, and made it the most amazing day! We couldnt have ask for a better day, and we would highly recommend Amanda to anyone! Not one thing went wrong that day, and we cant thank her enough for everything she has done for us! She started as our planner, but she has turned into a friend! i cant imagine not having amanda in my life!

Although not a wedding, this birthday party that Amanda coordinated would rival the best weddings anywhere! What a gem we found in Amanda and Smiling Through Chaos! My best friend hosted a 50th birthday party and hired Amanda to coordinate all of the details. We were supposed to be in Paris but due to COVID, we had to stay local and bring Paris to New Jersey via an outdoor dinner party. From the moment I met Amanda, I knew she would be great to work with. She is upbeat, has a positive attitude, and is full of awesome ideas. Amanda clearly has long standing relationships with a wide variety of vendors to make events truly special. The number of vendors for this event were endless and Amanda displayed a knack for keeping everything organized. The gorgeous recommendations she made for linens, place settings, floral and so much more transformed this event into a beautiful Parisian experience. Additionally, the food, desserts, and specialty cocktails were perfect! All of the guests were raving about the entire experience. Amanda was able to incorporate so many special touches throughout to make this the a truly memorable event. If you are looking for a truly magical event, I highly recommend Amanda and Smiling Through Chaos!

Smiling through chaos helped plan our wedding through one of the most uncertain times. Nearly everything changed from our original plan except for two things: my beautiful bride and the planner keeping us both sane.

How lucky was I to move next door to Amanda's mom and find this extraordinary human! After first meeting Amanda, I wondered could any one be that happy and upbeat all the time, and yes she is! I hired Amanda to plan my daughter's wedding and shower. I knew this would not be an easy feat, as my daughter and I are polar opposites when it came to our vision. Amanda was always available, creative, and passionate about "marrying" our two styles. While the wedding became a mini-mony in my yard, I decided a few months after the wedding to go ahead and have an outdoor shower while remaining socially distant. We had talked about the decor and had gone back and forth about some color choices, and in the end, Amanda knew best. We were all blown away by her design and creativity. We just received our photos from the shower, and in every photo everyone was smiling and laughing. After seeing how beautiful the shower was, it made me a little sad that we never got to see her work and plans for the original wedding. I can honestly say she is the wedding planner you didn't know you needed!

I found Smiling Through Chaos online shortly after getting engaged last September, my fiance and I wanted a wedding within a year in the summer, Amanda met with us and immediately got to work. We both have busy stressful jobs so we knew we'd need support if this was going to happen in a "short" timeframe. Amanda was literally a godsend for us! She was with us from a week after getting engaged through our rescheduled date this Sept. She helped us plan a June wedding and then was amazing helping us reschedule to a September wedding. We are a pandemic couple who literally went through everything you could imagine and more during this wedding planning and Amanda was always a light to talk to and a person in our corner. She becomes your confidant and your cheerleader and allows you to be who you are but brings the light to remind you it's always around the corner for when you're ready to see it. We wound up having a beautiful day with our friends and family who were comfortable celebrating with us and now everything else is history and doesn't matter anymore, but we would never have gotten here or enjoyed our day without Amanda's help, support, guidance, and love. Thank you Amanda <3

I had the pleasure with working with Amanda as my wedding planner. My mom had actually hired her before I was formally engaged, and three days after the proposal, I had my first meeting with Amanda. Our one hour session quickly turned into a four hour meeting; she came prepared with all of the questions and already had some ideas to throw at me, in the first session of us meeting. The next session Amanda showed up with a binder of typed notes, organized plans and more pictures she had printed with more ideas. This was really what it was like working with her throughout the entire planning process. She always made herself available by phone, no matter what time or day (even though she certainly has her own family and other clients). She showed up to the every session with the organized binder filled with more ideas. After every meeting, my fiancé and I felt extremely productive, positive, and excited! Unfortunately, my wedding was planned for the summer the pandemic that changed the world. My fiancé and I decided to keep our date and opted for a private ceremony. During the stressful months leading up to our dreaded decision, she was checking in with me to see how we were doing. She was always reminding me to stay hopeful and optimistic. I know that if we had been given the chance to see all of our plans come to life, it would have been the most amazing, unique, unforgettable celebration, not just for us as the bride and groom, but for all our guests as well. It was such a pleasure being able to work with her this past year. Although things didn’t work out the way we had all wanted, I am grateful for all she has done for my family, fiancé and me this past year.

I am beyond excited to see how much my body has changed after having two beautiful boys over the last two years. I lost almost 30 pounds in 6 months!! After her program, I am still continuing to lose weight. I lost so far all together almost 40 pounds. For the most part, everyone knows I am a vegetarian but even so I still had much to learn about eating the right foods in order to have a healthy lifestyle. Also, you can't forget to throw some exercises there too! I reached out to Amanda from Smiling Through Chaos to help me to achieve my goals. She is absolutely great to work with. She has an amazingly positive attitude and she is right there with you making sure you don't give up. She listens to you and what you want. That is huge! I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to lose some weight or just to learn to eat healthier. You won't be disappointed! Thank you, Amanda, for everything! You are a gem to work with! 😁

Amanda is an exceptional example of one who who goes about her duties and responsibilities with great enthusiasm, alacrity and efficiency! She conducts herself as a true professional, with effervescent charm and great energy! She knew the answers before I even asked the questions!! Cantor Steve Sher, wedding officiant

Yes Amanda is the best. I didn’t plan to hire a wedding planner but about a month before the wedding, the logistics of managing all the details became overwhelming. All of the wedding party lived far and our destination venue was in NJ. Amanda’s proximity to the venue helped in so many ways. She prepared the welcome bags and delivered them to the hotel, I shipped the wedding dress to her and she brought it to the seamstress for steaming, she met with florist on our behalf to talk through some of the logistics, she helped design and source the reception cards and menus, she organized the transportation for our guests to the venue, she made sure the vendors had everything they needed from us, and she prepared a day of the event timeline so everything was clear. Amanda performed all of the tasks to perfection. We had some conflicts with one of our vendors and based on our discussions together she was able to negotiate a very satisfactory agreement...she always had our back. The bonus of working with Amanda is her calmness and infectious attitude. Nothing upsets her. She’s so pleasant and I really like her as a person! She has a calming influence. There was nothing she wouldn’t do. She made it all come together and I was able to completely enjoy the wedding day. I didn’t think about any of the details because I knew she already had. We really didn’t have any surprises on the wedding day because of her preparation. It seemed to me that everything went off like clockwork. Someone wanted to add a speech, she checked with us, and it happened. She dealt with all the small hiccups. She is definitely 5 star material.

Working at a hotel I get the opportunity to work with many event planners for weddings and events. Working with Amanda has been exceptional. You can see the passion she has for the events industry the second you meet her. She takes the time to make sure her clients and even her vendors have what they need to create a successful event. I cannot wait to work with Amanda again!

I had the pleasure of having Amanda as the planner and day-of coordinator for my wedding this past Saturday. With Amanda’s help, my wedding day was everything that I envisioned and more! A few months ago, my mom and I found ourselves overwhelmed by the wedding planning process. We had picked most of our vendors and mailed out invitations, but we couldn’t figure out how to piece it all together, and manage the individual vendors. Luckily, Amanda stepped in and saved day. From the first conversation that I had with Amanda, I knew that my wedding was in good hands. Not only did Amanda have an extremely positive attitude, but she also showed a genuine interest in getting to know us as a couple. By getting to know us, Amanda was then able to make suggestions regarding the final touches of our wedding (e.g., the design of the dinner menus) that completely aligned with our style and taste. Amanda also made several amazing judgment calls on our wedding day (e.g., removing the strobe lighting from our photo booth setup), which further reflected how well she knew us as a couple. One of the most valuable things that Amanda did for us leading up to the wedding was setting up a timeline for the wedding day. This timeline was amazing! Amanda communicated with all of our vendors - the band, the florist, the photographer, the venue, the hotel, the transportation company, the photo booth company, the seamstress, the hair stylist, the make up artist, the officiant, as well as the individuals responsible for the cookies and cake. On the wedding day, the whole operation was like a well-oiled machine! Amanda even helped us figure out a way to incorporate 10 speeches into our dinner program (while still making sure there would be time for plenty of dancing). I could go on and on about Amanda, but I’m hoping you get the bottom point by now - she is the real deal! With tremendous confidence, and without reservation, I would recommend Amanda to any bride.

For anyone seeking an event planner, don't look any further. Amanda is it. She helped me plan my New Jersey wedding while I was living in Texas. From the first time we spoke until the day of the event a year later, her energy and enthusiasm never wavered. I'm a hyper-organized person; nothing is ever on my to-do list for more than a day or two. Amanda's organization makes mine look like child's play. She is meticulous in keeping track of the countless little details that go into planning a truly special event. She's quick to respond to emails and texts. She's great about giving input (or not) if desired. Most of all, she is extremely proficient at what she does. She is tireless in negotiating with vendors - she saved me tens of thousands of dollars for my event, "paying for" her own services several times over. It's easy to post a review and say a generic "I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Amanda to anyone planning an event," that's true. While that's certainly the case, I would go a step further: I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Amanda to my *family*. She's that good at event planning. These events are once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Leave them to Amanda and they will be unforgettable for you and your guests.

My husband & I had the pleasure of working with Amanda in planning a very special event. She is both professional and exceptionally efficient; ahead of the curve on every detail. Amanda relieved us of all the stress that comes with planning such an event. She has just the right combination of professionalism & personal charm. It felt as if we had a personal friend assisting us. I would like to thank her for the outstanding job she did in making this event one of the best experiences I and my family has ever had.

kupiyoj@ionemail.net

Amanda was an absolute pleasure to work with!! She assisted us with timelines, communication with vendors and making sure we were set on all fronts leading into the big day! The day of, she made sure everything was taken care of, the vendors ( & groomsmen!) were where they needed to be and made sure my husband and I were able to enjoy the celebration instead of stressing over the details. She handles everything with a smile on her face. She is an absolute joy, super professional and made our wedding a dream come true!!

Amanda/STC was the best referral I received and I would highly recommend using her as your day of coordinator. From our first meeting (about 6 weeks before the event) until the final moments I was amazed by Amanda’s positive attitude and her genuine love of the job. Amanda coordinates with/between all the vendors so you can stress less about those last minute details. She is the timeline queen and works with EVERYBODY to ensure that no details are missed. Amanda took the time to understand what I was looking for and helped to make my day perfect. Because of Amanda, my husband and I were actually able to enjoy our wedding and we are so grateful for that. Thank you!

“My (now) husband and I are so glad we chose Smiling Through Chaos to help us plan our big day. As two busy professionals, we knew we would need help with putting together the finishing touches on our wedding. Amanda was top notch! She made each step of the planning process easier to manage, and answered all of our questions promptly. When our wedding day came we had full confidence that we could ENJOY our day. Amanda’s creativity and patience with orchestrating all the last minute details is what planning is all about. We will definitely call up Amanda again for future events!”

“The events Amanda plans are the kind that just stand out. You can tell she really cares about the details because all of the details add up to a seamless and spectacular event! I also value Amanda’s honesty and trustworthiness throughout the process. She is someone you can really talk to without feeling judged. I only have wonderful things to say about Smiling Through Chaos!”

I have worked with Amanda on nutrition counseling for almost a year. We started when she was planning my wedding and this was one of the services she offered. At that time I felt I had about 15 pounds to lose before my wedding. We had 3 months to work with. Right after our first session, I knew that it would work; that she could help me. See, I have worked with a couple of other nutrition counselors before. Pretty much all of them had the same advice, which boiled down to, eat less carbs or eat good carbs and increase protein intake. They had a very set plan of action, just rinse and repeat. Not Amanda! In our first session, her questions were about my eating habits. Not just my current habits, but we want back as far as I could remember, all the way to my childhood. Based on my feedback she came back suggestions that were tailored to me. They were something I could follow. Small changes that I could make. It was good start. Most of my previous counselors were little restricted with their approach give that that I'm a vegetarian. I also hate raw food, salads and the likes. So I could never really follow their suggestions. Amanda however, gave me recipes that appealed to my taste buds. And that's especially difficult, given that I'm an Indian who loves his spices :) Almost all of those recipes are now part of our regular meals. She would also encourage me to find recipes that I found tasty and would suggest small improvements and replacements that would make them healthy. As a result, I didn't go on a 'diet'. I changed my lifestyle. At the end of 3 months, I had lost 15 pounds. I continued working with Amanda, even after my wedding, only this time the focus was not loosing weight, but to continue making my lifestyle healthier. Six months later, I can say I'm definitely eating more cleaner and healthier than before. I'm also thinking variety, which I lacked before. I'm now confident that I will not go back to unhealthy lifestyle and if by chance I do, Amanda is just a phone call away :) This review would be incomplete without the mention of the emails that Amanda sent after every session. They are a treasure of information. They also have a lot of recipes :)

Amanda and her team were great to work with. I was part of the hair and makeup team for a wedding last year, and Amanda made the entire getting ready process a breeze for both the bride and the vendors. She always answered emails and phone calls promptly, was extreamly professional, and detail oriented. I would highly recommend her services.