Soirees By Lauren, LLC

out her appearance on the Today Show and receiving a recommendation from a friend. Additionally, she had experience with our chosen venue, which seemed promising.. **Initial Impressions** From our initial phone interview, I sensed a disparity in enthusiasm. While I was overjoyed about my upcoming wedding, Ashley's responses were notably subdued, which should have been an early indicator of our differing communication styles. **Pre-Wedding Interactions** Throughout our planning process, interactions were sporadic and often left me feeling like a bother rather than an excited bride gearing up for her big day. This lack of engagement and enthusiasm was disheartening, especially when trying to convey the importance of specific details. **Rehearsal and Day-Of Execution** At the rehearsal, Ashley seemed competent, which temporarily eased my mind/worries. However, the day of the wedding was less reassuring. Key elements like a specially-made photo op arch sitting aside our very special custom guestbook I ordered were poorly placed, resulting in very minimal use and engagement from guests. :( The chilly weather required some on-the-fly adjustments that just were not made, affecting the overall guest experience being limited! I feel like the initiative to maybe notice hey all her guests are huddled under this tent, let’s move the interactive stuff like the photo op sign and guest book to where the guests are huddled and hanging out. I’m just so heartbroken my guest book got no use and the sign we worked so hard to build didn’t get any attention or use from our guests. Ashley did not properly bustle my dress despite specific instructions and clearly stating I wanted a French bustle, which was a significant disappointment. The bustling was done so distastefully it was the exact opposite of how I wanted it & it breaks my heart when I look at the photos :’( **Professionalism and Attitude** Unfortunately, Ashley's demeanor on the wedding day did not reflect support or excitement for me and big day. She appeared disengaged and was frequently hard to locate. The timing of events was off, leading to significant moments being missed by our photographer, like the bouquet and garter toss which my husband made a very comical performance in doing..no photos.. no photos of me tossing my bouquet :( just bummed she didn’t help coordinate the timeline better. Additionally, her interaction with our beloved family friend who was our cake baker, was less than professional. My cake baker drove 4 hours to deliver the cake and only charged us $150…and upon delivery my coordinator was rude to her and snatched the cake out her hand which was both embarrassing and disappointing to find out. **Final Thoughts** The wedding day flies by, and every couple deserves a coordinator who not only manages the day effectively but does so with a spirit that matches the occasion. It’s crucial to ensure not just professional capability but also a personal connection with your wedding coordinator. Regrettably, my experience with Soirées By Lauren was not what I had hoped for, and it impacted our wedding day significantly. I share this review not out of spite but as a caution to future couples to prioritize compatibility and mutual enthusiasm when selecting a wedding coordinator. ~Rating: 2/5~

had any questions, she truly is a pro and was able to guide me in all the right directions. Then week of the wedding, my goodness, she was ON EVERYTHING. Organizing & speaking with all our vendors to make sure everything/everyone was on the same page. She sent me a checklist of every detail possible that I would not have even thought of! They helped completely with our rehearsal. The day of: I truly am speechless. My husband and I did not worry about not one single thing. They took care of EVERYTHING. Anything I thought of, they already had done it. My in laws were absolutely amazed by them. Truly the day ran so incredibly smoothly because of them, my wedding day would not have been the same without them. YOU NEED THEM!!! Forever grateful <3

ks leading up to our wedding. She went above and beyond to make our wedding vision come alive and was genuinely invested in making sure we we were happy and having a good time the whole day!

needed to be there. She helped take off a lot of stress the day of the wedding.

d to accomplish so much the day of. The ceremony and reception were exactly as perfect as they could have been. We both had an amazing time and will always cherish our wedding day.

omfortable with every plan along the way (and with a little of her magic there was no rain!). Ashley has her stuff TOGETHER! Our crowd is a bit rowdy and she kept us all on track for the rehearsal. I can honestly say before looking for a planner/coordinator, we were unsure how much help it would really be especially because I tend to be pretty organized but oh my goodness our day could not have come together without her. We really got to enjoy the days leading up to and the day of our wedding which would not have happened without someone external making sure everything went smoothly! Pretty close to our wedding, we decided we needed to offer shuttles for our guests and Ashley got on it, communicating with my husband’s mom, and the service we used just raved about her. It was really really nice for us that the majority of our vendors have worked with her before, even ones from RVA, and they all love her too! She responds SO quickly and never made me feel like my questions or opinions were unimportant. We found out later that we were the first of a triple header weekend for her and she always made us feel like we had all of her attention. She is a ROCKSTAR! We could not recommend her more! With so much love, Molly and Ben!

ionnaire that was provided and felt pretty good about things. The day of my wedding, there were some balls dropped. For example, The guest book was not placed on the correct table, along with a flower arrangement, even though it was detailed in the paper work. Because of this, I had hardly anyone sign my guestbook. When I brought things to their attention, they worked hard to rectify the situation, but I was bit disappointed for the money that was spent.

d or question I had. She proactively coordinating with all of our other wedding vendors, and it was like she was somehow everywhere at the same time. Like, how does she even do that? It's amazing. I felt so at ease like everything was being taken care of on my wedding day, which made it that much more enjoyable and memorable. I highly recommend Soirees by Lauren to anyone planning an event. THANK YOU so much for a perfect wedding day!!!

through everything. She sent detailed google docs to help me with budgeting, organizing, contracts, details, checklists, you name it. She even brought me Starbucks the morning of! She made every last detail of my day really come together and helped me stay calm through everything! If I could hire her over and over again I would!!

tle decorations! Would recommend to others especially those who planned the rest of the wedding on their own. It really paid to have someone help coordinate on the day of!

representative and she was inexperienced and unknowledgeable. We didn’t see her much and when she was around, she didn't have the answers for anything. I filled out a questionnaire and it was not followed. I thought I was hiring someone who wanted things to go smoothly for us, who wanted to hear our vision and make it happen. At the rehearsal, I was in tears because of how unorganized it was. It took our FRIENDS to be the ones to position people and listen to what we wanted. Not her. I would look to her for guidance or direction, ask questions, and I'd only get "I don't know" or "It's up to you". I had to be the one to practically beg her to stay for one more walk through because NO ONE in our wedding party felt like we were on the same page. So after the 3rd walk-through (wouldn't have needed this many times had she made any initiative) she just left. Didn't help direct anyone where to go for the dinner, didn't stay to speak to me about anything, she was over it. I saw her maybe 3 times the day of the wedding: once when I arrived at the venue and then 1 or 2 times at the reception. The venue hostess, DJ and photographer all stepped in to help. They keep asking, where is your wedding planner? I've never been a day-of coordinator, and I make no effort to make assumptions based on a job I have no experience in, however, I do know customer service and this company should be ashamed.

ll in shock at how amazing the night went. (I have the worst luck in every thing haha, so i was like mind blown how perfect the day went) They were so professional and so down to earth. I felt so comfortable with them and I knew from the moment I had reached out to them, that they were going to be great. I cannot thank them enough for making my day perfect. If you want peace of mind on your big day, please consider them, it was the best decision I could’ve made. Thank you!!

took the pressure off of us, including my mother, during the weeks and days leading up to the wedding and made sure the details of our wedding were perfect. She is very flexible and communicative, and did a nice job of stewarding us all through the rehearsal and the wedding day. Would absolutely recommend her!!! Thank you for helping us create the perfect day, Ashley!!!

and the pack up of everything was a little haphazard.

the organization and communication. I met Ashley at the final detail appointment at our venue and she seemed like she was on the same page and we left with her saying she would see us at the rehearsal the day before the wedding. As we arrived to the rehearsal another girl from Soirees by Lauren was there instead. I have a pretty large and loud family and felt like I had to take charge since the wedding coordinator was too soft spoken. I then figured Ashley would be at the wedding the next day to help guide things and tell vendors where things go; but she again was not there and two other young girls were there instead. I ended up having to sort all of our decorations and tell them where things should go. Overall, things worked out, but I wasn't too impressed with them. On top of that they packed all of the decor so fast that the boxed up rehearsal dinner food from the caterer (for my husband and I) got packed in a car with a bunch of decor instead of going home with the bride and groom. Again, the girls were unorganized and inexperienced it seemed.

perfection, and I would highly recommend her to any bride to be!!

quickly!

ithout her!

g day run so smoothly. Would highly recommend them. Thank you again Lauren for making my wedding day flawless!

brief overview off everything we had decor wise for the wedding and the way we envisioned the flow.. they made it all come together beautifully. My husband and I would recommend them to anyone getting married! They did an excellent job :)

ss knowing they were taking care of so many of the smaller tasks that my husband and I didn't want to have to worry about! I am so happy I hired Ashley and her team

question. Danielle and Keighly helped so much and I am so happy I hired them! They were the behind the scenes and I honestly don’t think my wedding would have gone so smoothly had it not been for them. If you are worried about clean up or set up or just stressed about timing. These people have your backs and have it all covered!!

needs and still offered me the assistance I needed. Ashley was able to set up my entire reception and it was absolutely beautiful. I could not have asked for anything better. She is so nice and you can truly tell that her number one goal is to make all your wedding dreams come true. I would definitely recommend Soirees By Lauren and Ashley herself to anyone and everyone! Thanks again so much!

true, thanks to her. She was so great a communicating with me, listening to me, coordinating with the other vendors, and just all around professional. I met up with her a few times to go over the itinerary, wedding details, gave her any decorations that I bought for the room, explained where I wanted them, and she took it all in her hands. She even made a timeline for the day of which was neat. The only thing I had a hard time with was the seating chart and they helped me big time with it! I didn’t have that done until the morning of the wedding (my fault), so I did not have time to put it on a board or anything. They just had me send the chart to them over email and they took it from there. No one ever knew that I had made the seating chart last minute, it was great!  So thank you Ashley, Soirees by Lauren, for making everything go smoothly for my wedding, including last minute things, you guys are the best!

e baton to two wonderful members of her staff. Ashley runs a tight ship and has amazing people working with her. I do not know what we would have done without having Kelsey F. and Danielle coordinating during the day of our wedding. They were nothing short of miracle workers, especially since we had to change our plans due to inclement weather. They were polite, extremely helpful, upbeat, gems that we found to be absolutely necessary. We do not know what we would have done without them. All I know is that the day would have been a big ball of stress. So, Ashley, Kelsey, and Danielle--- thank you so very much for everything.

our partial wedding planners and they both went above and beyond in every aspect, from working with us to get everything logistically organized before the wedding to being a fun and efficient team the day of. I always pictured the day of our wedding being a stressful, crazy day, but knowing that I had Ashley and Danielle there the day of made me be able to leave my type-A personality behind and truly enjoy my wedding day. Your wedding day goes way too quick to be stressed the day of, choose this team of ladies to be sure you get to take in every second of it!

nd the coordinator (Molly) that helped me at the rehearsal and my wedding day was fantastic throughout the entire time! I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to hire a wedding planner/coordinator."

s in the weeks before the wedding to confirm arrival times and really prevented any stress. Molly was there for the rehearsal and wedding and made sure everything went smoothly. Several people mentioned to us how calm and relaxed we both were and I know that Molly had a lot to do with it. She knew what needed to be done and handled it perfectly. We highly recommend hiring Soirees by Lauren and can't thank them enough!

endors. Her assistance on the day of the wedding helped to make this milestone event even more memorable. She made sure everything was smooth sailing that day... from the start of the event until the very end. Overall, she is wonderfully patient, very friendly, and quickly answers any questions, regardless of how ridiculous the question seems.

he does a great job" (all rave reviews!). And now having worked with her, Ashley is AMAZING, I would refer her to anyone I know. I seriously can't thank her and her team enough for the exceptional job on my wedding day. I could go on and on as to why, but the first thing on my list is how she has this innate ability to give me peace of mind. On the days leading up to the wedding, I told her I was getting anxious/frazzled and she would look me in the eye and say "I'll handle that" with zero hesitation. She reassured me numerous times that everything will turn out perfectly, they'll make sure of it. And I trusted that. She had met and exceeded both my expectations and my father's. She kept everything running smoothly, she was highly organized, her customer service and professionalism is exceptional, I literally did not have to worry about a THING, she had her game face on during the entire wedding - all business, which I respect so much. I didn't realize how much I would value a day of coordinator, but now having experienced it, you should not get married without one. I can't speak enough about how grateful I am for Ashley.

ay of is unbelievable. The team of woman that worked with me was nothing shy of amazing. They were super responsive to my every (annoying) question I had for them, kept me feeling very confident, and no matter what the situation- they were on it full force. They went above and beyond in helping me with all my decor details and over all kept the whole day running smoothly. I will forever be grateful for these women!! Highly recommended!!"

wonderful. They set everything up on the day of, and cleaned up that night. They made sure everything ran smoothly so that I could just enjoy the day. Highly recommend!

d I was able to relax on my wedding day. I highly recommend her!

ht before the wedding, she sent relaxation tea (conveniently arriving the day before my florist called to say she couldn't get the primary flower for the bouquet, so perfect timing there!). She kept the other vendors on track, and I got positive feedback from them on the weeks leading up to the wedding. For our wedding, I essentially gave Ashley a car full of decorations and some vague instructions on what I envisioned with them. What she did was amazing and more than I could ever have hoped for. The wedding was beautiful, and she kept the entire night on track, without anyone having to ask me any questions. I couldn't be happier with Ashley's work, and I just wish I'd found her sooner and booked her for full service wedding planning, because that's the only way the wedding could possibly have been better! Thank you, Ashley!

viding recommendations for services that I had not yet booked. She made sure to check in with me the months/weeks leading up to the wedding to see if there was anything that I needed if I had not reached out. I was completly overwhelmed with nerves on the day of my wedding, but was in great hands with Ashley. I didn't have to worry about anything, but making it down the isle!

his a much smoother process than I expected. I'm so grateful I connected with her! The actual day of my wedding was so smooth for me and if there were any issues that day, she took care of it. I didn't feel stressed at all on the day of my wedding, mostly thanks to Ashley and her coordination! I highly recommend Ashley!

having to worry about details. I would recommend her to anyone and I am so glad she was a part of our perfect day! Thank you Soirees by Lauren!

d they made sure the day was exactly how I had dreamed. I cannot tell you how many guests and vendors came up to me and said it was the most fun, most well run, most beautiful wedding they had ever been to! I owe a huge part of that to Ashley, so THANK YOU!

ad to ask! She made everything so easy, smooth & convenient. As picky as we are, Ashley's so great - we definitely give her 4 thumbs up & recommend her to any bride & groom looking for a reasonably priced, but WORTH IT wedding planner/day-of-coordinator. Our wedding day was amazing thanks to all of our vendors, especially Ashley for making our vision come to life!

ad to ask! She made everything so easy, smooth & convenient. As picky as we are, Ashley's so great - we definitely give her 4 thumbs up & recommend her to any bride & groom looking for a reasonably priced, but WORTH IT wedding planner/day-of-coordinator. Our wedding day was amazing thanks to all of our vendors, especially Ashley for making our vision come to life!

Lauren. We booked Ashley about 9 months out of our wedding and she was always willing and able to answer my random questions over the 9 months, even though she was only day of. She even made an extra trip to Richmond, VA a few months out to meet my husband and I in person and your the venue with us. Two weeks leading up to the event she took control with all our other vendors and confirmed times and other logistics. It was so refreshing for her to help streamline everyone! Day of the event she went above and beyond, she handled so many little tasks and tons of items I didn't even think about. I originally thought it was unnecessary that we were required to get a day of coordinator but at the wedding and looking back I don't know how everything would have gone off without her!! Not to mention brownie points for sending little treats and favors leading up to the wedding and working our wedding in 100 degree and high humid weather :)