Southern Hospitality Weddings & Events

through when it mattered most, but unfortunately, it was a complete failure. During the planning period, she was hardly available and created more work for me rather than alleviating stress. I only had two rushed phone calls with her, and the most important one she ended up communicating through a Google doc because of her connection issues. The planning document she provided was unhelpful, poorly designed, and less useful than free resources I could have found online. On the wedding day, I expected her to step up, but it was worse. She never introduced herself to me, and multiple guests later told me how rude she was to them. When it came time for my wedding party to walk, she mismanaged the timing—queuing the DJ for the beer boy song before my MOH even got to the aisle. Worst of all, she sent my 1- and 4-year-old children down the stairs alone, even after being told moments before from my MOH that my 1-year-old could not manage stairs safely. My guests watched in horror as my baby stood at the top, then tumbled down. I screamed for help (I was on a different floor and couldn’t get there), and my beer boy ran back to assist. My 1-year-old cried through the rest of the ceremony, and I don’t even remember walking down the aisle because I was so worried about my child. I couldn’t stop thinking about my 1-year-old falling down the stairs the entire night, and it’s something that has bothered me ever since. Before she left on my wedding day, I asked her what happened, and instead of taking responsibility, she threw it back in my face—saying it was my fault and that because she nor her assist have kids, they “wouldn’t know any better.” Her words were dismissive, her apology insincere, and it left me feeling even more upset. A true professional would have shown compassion, accountability, and genuine concern, but instead, I was met with defensiveness and a lack of care. This experience robbed me of the joy I should have had on my wedding day. I would have been far better off without this planner involved at all. There are many competent, caring wedding planners in the area—but sadly, this is not one of them.

e. If there were any problems I never knew or found out about them. I wish I had another reason to work with Southern Hospitality!

ervice as well. This allowed us a chance to run through the ceremony and get last minute questions answered. It made for a smooth wedding day. As smooth as can be anyway! Ashley was the boots on the ground for the event and I couldn't possibly say enough about how truly invaluable she was. She really shows her experience in each step of the day. It was nice to have someone who wasn't a family member or friend of the group to manage everyone. She was professional on on top of things. I felt so relaxed and even when things didn't go perfectly (thanks to wedding party members who were on their own agenda), Ashley kept things moving. I would absolutely suggest this company to anyone getting married in the Outer Banks. Fantastic to work with!

ns were answered (while also planning her own wedding!). She is direct and honest which is so helpful in making quick decisions and finding solutions to challenges that inevitably pop up. She worked so incredibly hard throughout the entire wedding day but always had a smile on her face in the process. I can't think of a better person to make the wedding of our dreams happen!

her and she made it happen! Her expertise and knowledge of the industry and the Outer Banks are invaluable. She has a fantastic eye for design and I truly trusted her instincts. Ashely goes above and beyond for her clients (including shop vacing water off the grass the morning of our wedding) and made our wedding dreams come true! Thank you for everything-you took my vision and executed it flawlessly!

ut the area, vendors, planning, and being so responsive to questions or worries. She worked hard behind the scenes, ensuring that every aspect of our celebration ran smoothly and allowing us to enjoy the day. From coordinating vendor arrivals to overseeing setup and managing last-minute details, she was a calm and reassuring presence, allowing us to enjoy our special day with complete peace of mind, even thinking of things we had forgotten to mention, like setting up our fete phone. If you are thinking about getting married in the outerbanks do yourself a favor and book with Southern Hospitality ASAP, you won’t regret it!!

enge to help us find vendors and execute our vision. Our timeline had a lot of intricacies and she was extremely helpful in preparing a detailed plan for the day-of and making sure we adjusted as needed to stay on track. She managed all of our vendors very well leading up to and at the event. Ash was also always willing to hop on the phone with us and chat through new ideas or concerns. Her team worked very well together on the day of to troubleshoot any mishaps and help execute set-up and break-down efficiently. We will miss chatting with her so frequently and could not have done it without her.

made sure no stone was left unturned, and quite literally made my very all over the place, hard to describe vision a reality. She's so incredibly organized, a calm presence needed during the chaos of wedding planning and basically just gets it DONE. Our day was flawless, perfect, stunning, the best day in the world because of Ashley. She handled any situation so efficiently, and even sent someone to CVS for lash glue a mere 30 mins before I was supposed to walk down the aisle. She really made our wedding perfect and I would recommend her to anyone who listens. People quite literally still talk about our wedding almost a year later. Not only was she a huge help with our wedding, she also helped my mother in law plan our welcome dinner for ~120 guests. She was onsite the night before and was a huge help with all of us coming from out of town. Her husband (who owns BrewDolly) supplied our keg and margarita keg and it was phenomenal. Ashley cares so much about her couples and is the best of the best!!!

to ask unlimited questions. They were SO responsive during the few times I had to reach out during the course of planning. My husband raised his eyebrows at me when I hired them and wondered, "do we even NEED a coordinator?" ... well, come wedding day, he commented multiple times that "having a coordinator was key!" Ashley and Bethany did such a beautiful job making everything flow behind the scenes so that all we had to do was show up and get married. My wedding day would have been SO different had I not hired excellent coordinators. They were worth every penny, and honestly, although there are so many things they took care of that I know about (floorplan, organizing vendor arrivals/exits, set-up, packing up our things for us at the end of the night), I can almost guarantee there are a hundred other things they did that we weren't even aware of, because we didn't NEED to be! These ladies know what they're doing and do it to the absolute highest standard. Even if full planning is not in your budget, having these wonderful women as your coordinators will not disappoint! I highly recommend Southern Hospitality!

ough we're both from the east coast, the military had us living on the west coast all while trying to plan an OBX wedding. Ashley made it an absolute breeze. It's apparent that all of the wedding vendors in the Outer Banks are a close-knit group, and Ashley knew just who could make our visions (though sometimes vague!) come to life. On the day of the wedding, a small storm shower was looming and due to arrive right at the ceremony time. No sweat for Ashley! We made the decision earlier in the day to chance it outside! Though we had to push back the start time a little bit, everything went off smoothly, and we were able to get married in the sand. She did an INCREDIBLE job of decorating the Sanderling pavilion with the little details- many of which were from her personal collection. We loved Ashley's 'Type A' personality and all of the checklists provided to keep us on track with planning. Most importantly, she is a very sweet, caring person, and it's apparent that she takes great pride in her work. She makes dreams come true! Thank you again, Ashley!

destination wedding without their advice and help. Ashley was so communicative in the year plus leading up to our wedding - I had a lot of questions, and she was always happy to point me in the right direction. They are so knowledgeable about vendors, planning, and the unique features of doing a wedding at a beach house in the Outer Banks. Bethany walked us through the rehearsal the day before the wedding, and it was fast, smooth, and fun. We ended up pivoting from our original plan of a ceremony on the beach to holding it in the house yard due to weather, and you wouldn't have even known that was Plan B - they worked with the vendors effortlessly to change the set up, which is exactly what you want as a bride making that decision the morning of the wedding! It was beautiful and everything we dreamed for our wedding. During the ceremony and reception, they were both attentive and discreet at the same time - checking on me and my husband to see if we needed anything and handling small issues that arose. The timing of everything flowed smoothly, and their set up and breakdown of decor and rentals was so helpful. They have amazing relationships with Outer Banks vendors, and you will be in good hands with them. Cannot recommend them highly enough!

re wedding up a day. Even with all of the last minute changes, the wedding was SEAMLESS. I appreciated their responsiveness and accessibility, organization, and that they went above and beyond in every aspect of the planning and coordination process. Could not recommend them more!

further than Southern Hospitality Weddings and Events! Bethany and Ashley, along with their team, were absolutely remarkable to work with. Leading up to the big day, Bethany's exceptional knowledge of the venue, organizational skills, and attention to detail left us with complete confidence that everything would run smoothly! And what a dream of a day it was!! Bethany flawlessly managed the timeline and ensured everything ran seamlessly. Her tireless dedication shone from start to finish and her ability to handle every situation with poise and grace was truly remarkable. She anticipated our needs, orchestrated the ceremony perfectly, and worked expertly behind the scenes to keep everything on track, allowing us to relish every moment! Our wedding day was absolutely perfect! We enjoyed ourselves immensely and we and were able to be present during every minute of it! We can say with 100% honestly that we could not have done it without Bethany! We highly recommend Southern Hospitality Weddings and Events to anyone looking for help to turn your wedding day dream into a reality! Our heartfelt thanks for making our day unforgettable! Kara and Krieg McClure

hing was being taken care of behind the scenes. She did all the reaching out and coordinating of vendors. And she stayed calm, cool, and collected even when my dad was being a bridezilla and helped redirect him and I bickering. 100% hire Ashley!!

coordination and we stayed in touch over all those months up until it was time to transfer over everything! Bethany was so incredible at answering any and every question under the sun! We are from PA so we had countless vendor, OBX, beach, and wedding questions that she knows everything about! We got married in a rental house and we were there the entire week leading up to the wedding. Bethany was even nice enough to come over earlier in the week before it got crazy to walk through the house and talk through everything!!! She ran through a perfect rehearsal practice and everyone knew exactly what they needed to do for the wedding day. My entire wedding morning I was able to relax in the bridal suite with my bridesmaids because I knew Bethany had everything under control - and I was right!!!! She set up everything perfectly just as I had dreamed of! I couldn’t have asked for a better planner, she even joined us for a dance during the reception! She is incredible and you absolutely cannot go wrong with Bethany & Southern Hospitality!!

he moment I woke up on my wedding day, she handled everything flawlessly. We had some off and on rain all day and Ashley and her team still managed to give us the perfect wedding! She was the most thoughtful and helpful person, who brought some really great vibes! I cannot stress enough how perfect everything was. I had a vision in my head of what I wanted, and I told her to "do her thing" and it was like she read my mind (but did an even better job than I imagined). If you're getting married in the OBX area, I wouldn't recommend anyone else but Southern Hospitality to help with your wedding!

e's ability to execute everything and knowing, in the end, she was overseeing was such a RELIEF! I thoroughly enjoyed chatting and working with her. We got along right away. I emailed her everything I had booked for and like magic less than 24 hours later there was this perfectly organized plan and timeline capturing every detail. I cried in a line at Starbucks I was so relieved that someone would handle everything. After that, the stress melted away. I was ALWAYS confident she had everything perfectly under control. And if something did go wrong on our day, I saw no signs of it! It was PERFECT!

zing and having her help coordinate the wedding was the best decision we made for the wedding. She was our day of coordinator but it felt like she was there every step of the way of the planning process. She was there to give advice when we were stuck on some wedding decisions beforehand and she made the day go super smoothly. Ashley is incredibly organized, great at communicating, and always a few steps ahead. I don't think our wedding would have gone as well as it did without her. HIGHLY Recommend!

how to get things done and keeps things tight and on schedule. She had a plan from the moment we met her in person and the day if she was absolutely unstoppable. She was all over the place making sure everything was perfect and had furniture moved (she even tried to move some things on her own and she is pregnant) There really are no words that are great enough to describe how amazing she was. The only thing I can say is thank you Bethany! I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else there to help us. You helped make it the most amazing and easy day. You are going to be a lifelong friend now. Thank you for being so awesome! If you want to get hitched and want it to go off without a hitch… cask for Bethany she is amazing!!!

I knew I did not want a traditional wedding and it was going to take a lot of guidance and specialized expertise to actually help me execute my wishes, and Ashley was that person for me. She knew exactly which vendors I needed to book early on and those I could sort of sleep on. She always gave me options for vendors but not too many to overwhelm me and was always upfront at the beginning of when I should aim to have made a decision by. On the day of everything, and I mean everything, went off without a hitch. She also made sure my wedding was beautiful, I hired a florist/decorist, but also made a ton of stuff DIY style for my wedding and she placed it and made the vision come alive perfectly. Lastly, hire her for her reputation alone, when I told vendors Ashley's my planner they always responded with "Oh thank goodness, Ashley is amazing you're so lucky"

ey rolled with it and made the wedding look beautiful!! We had some high winds the day of, so they met with me when they got their to go over the plan and alternative options. They were very punctual, professional, detailed, kind, and hard-working. They made sure to check in on us frequently throughout the night to see if there was anything else that we needed. They made the bride and groom plates and brought them to us to make sure we ate. I was so grateful for that! At the end of the night, they broke the wedding down, cleaned up, and stored all the decor away. Ashley also let me use decor from her own personal items. I appreciated this since we were traveling with so much already! We couldn't have done it without them! Thank you!

ts throughout the wedding day where things did not go according to plan (due to other vendors) but she was ALWAYS there to support me. My mom even raved about how caring and attentive she was to not only me but to my husband, family and friends as well. She kept in contact throughout the month continuously and was always around the coroner the day of the wedding. She always responded to my emails/phone calls in a timely manner and overall she is just a wonderful human being. I cannot express my gratitude enough. I am SO happy I went with Southern Hospitality. 100% would recommend Bethany to anyone looking for a wedding coordinator.

e planning process. I felt like I emailed her constant questions but she was always so responsive and helpful. When I mentioned I was stressed about something, she would always reassure me that ‘xyz’ was going to be fine and all would work out. She always knew the right thing to say. Planning a wedding states away (we are from Indiana) should be stressful, but Ashley helped make it stress-free! She gave great vendor recommendations and every vendor said we were “in great hands” when I told them Ashley was our day-of. Fast forward to the day of the wedding, she came in and took control! Everything she did was flawless. Her attention to detail is incredible. A lot of my guests even commented how impressed they were by Ashley! Not to mention, she’s such a great person and was so much fun to work with. She even brought my husband and I appetizers when we were taking pictures on the beach during cocktail hour - the sweetest gesture! She boxed up the top tier of our cake, set up all our personal & rental items for the reception, brought everything back into the event home after the reception, bustled my dress, came up with the layout of the reception…. I could go on and on about how amazing she is. Thank you SO MUCH, Ashley! Our wedding wouldn’t have been what it was without you. We are so grateful for you! To anyone reading this review, PLEASE hire Southern Hospitality for all your planning/day-of needs - I promise you won’t regret it!

erience (and I'm NOT afraid of a bad review so this really counts!) Highly recommend!

r a year before the wedding and Ashley was incredibly responsive with all of my questions - and there were a lot. She made me feel important even thought I knew she had so many weddings coming up before mine. OBX has always had a really special place in our hearts so it was the perfect place to have our wedding. I was initially stressed at the thought of planning a wedding across the country from Colorado, but Ashley made it so much easier and honestly fun. She is incredibly creative and helped with design as it was not my forte. She brought my vision to life, made sure my rentals were correct, gave incredible vendor recommendations, set up everything perfectly, and was honestly just so much fun to work with. Her organization and communication, timelines, questionaiires, etc. were so helpful in the planning process and her execution day of was flawless. She is such a boss babe! Every vendor that asked who my planner was would respond "oh you're in amazing hands she's the best" every time I mentioned Ashley. Thank you Ashley - I couldn't have had such a beautiful stress free wedding without you.

ive with folder to keep all documents organized and on schedule. I hired her in 2019, and with the changes and curve balls that 2020 brought us - she reassured and guided us each step of the way with recommendations regarding potential venue changes, date changes, guests lists..etc. We had to pull a last minute venue change about 4 weeks from the wedding date and she pulled it all together flawlessly! My husband and I both have time demanding jobs, so she was huge in making this process manageable. With day of coordination and set up - perfect! She found everything and had it look better than we had envisioned together. She kept the day running smoothly and timely. My parents, in-laws, and wedding party all commented on her professionalism, effectiveness, yet easy-going personality that made us feel comfortable! Highly recommend booking Ashley for your OBX wedding!

Ashley from Southern Hospitality. Once we first talked, I had a good feeling, as she was very down to earth and you could tell right away she was passionate about her job. We used Ashley's help from start to finish and it took away a ton of unnecessary stress on us! If I ever began to stress or become overwhelmed, Ashley was only ever a phone call (sometimes in-person meetups!) or email away. She always had the right things to say, was one step ahead of my own thoughts, and after talking to her, I always felt better during the planning process. Based on all of our personalize meetings, attention to detail, and coordinating all vendors leading up to the day of, Ashley is the definition of a hard worker that you can put your trust into. She does so much behind the scenes that I probably didn't even realize, but she made our wedding day so perfect (and even made sure we enjoyed every second of it!). So if you are looking for a laid back but attentive, go-getter, dog lover, genuine, trustworthy wedding planner, Ashley is your girl. Thank you for EVERYTHING Ashley, we are so glad we got to work with you and enjoyed every moment! Love, The Pandaks

n wedding day, my husband and I didn’t have a care in the world because we knew Ashley was on top of everything. She is professional and fun. She is organized and energetic. She is detail oriented but sees the big picture. She is personable and attentive. She makes me want to get married every day for the rest of my life! Simply the best!

wedding day, but also makes sure that your vendors are on time and everything runs smoothly. Ashley is not only an amazing wedding planner, but she's also a great person. I was sick the week of my wedding, and she texted me to check on me. She genuinely cares about her brides, and she goes above and beyond to make the day perfect. I can not recommend her enough! Thank you again, Ashley! <3

. The moment she arrived she was on top of it all. As mother of the bride, she made my day too! Would highly recommend!

wedding journey!! She was so responsive with emails and even provided emotional support when we were dealing with some wedding stress! We can’t begin to describe enough about how lucky we are that we chose Ashley to help make our day so perfect! She was always willing to change things and help us whenever she sensed we needed something!! From taking charge at our rehearsal dinner and ordering our large bridal party into place, to getting our plates of food, to hugging us goodbye as we were soaking wet in the pool at the end of the night! Some people don’t know if they need a day of coordinator but trust me, Ashley is so worth it! I can’t imagine what it would have been like without her and everyone commented on how amazing she was and our wedding was! Thank you so much Ashley!! You are the best person and Dan and I are so happy you helped make our wedding dreams go above and beyond!!!

d suggestions on how to make our wedding flow seamlessly! On our day of the wedding she was running the show behind the scenes and I didn't have to stress or worry about a thing. She even went as far as helping us get food and drinks during the reception because we couldn't catch a breath between saying hi to everyone! Ashley is amazing and I would highly recommend hiring her for your wedding!

and never became frustrated with us. We forgot our cake cutter and she brought an extra one just in case. She made everything run so smoothly and we didn't have to worry about a thing, not even our food. She asked if we wanted to rest and she would grab us some food. After she grabbed us food, our photographer grabbed us for some beautiful sunset pictures. Of course, our food became cold. Ashley was right there to ask if we wanted more hot food. During our reception, a huge storm rolled through and if Ashley was not there, I probably would have had a panic attack, but Ashley was there to still make everything perfect. Due to the storm, we were unable to have our sparkler send off, but Ashley made sure we received our sparkler photos and teamed up with our photographer to help capture those spectacular sparkler send off photos. Ashley did an amazing job on our wedding and making it a dream come true wedding.

sh. Ashley was so responsive and helpful through all the ins and outs of wedding planning. When it came to the wedding day, her calm attitude really helped set the mood for us that day too (bride & groom) :) She's one of a kind & you can tell she is so passionate about weddings and helping couples experience the best wedding they could have ever dreamed of. Thanks Ashley! And GO DUKES! :)

process as this was a destination wedding for us. We were married March 24, 2018 at the Kitty Hawk Pier, and worked with Southern Hospitality since summer of 2017. From the start, she was professional and detail-oriented, asking us questions and offering advice on things we hadn’t even considered! She showed immediate interest in our Pinterest Boards and helped guide us with vendor options, as well as local pricing and what was within the appropriate range and what could probably be negotiated (I negotiate for a living but had no clue what is appropriate pricing ranges on the OBX). Having Ashley there on our wedding day was amazing. My husband and I were able to be fully present, and my Mom and sister (MOH) were too! She managed every detail, as well as gave our tips to vendors and coordinated everything along with Miha from the Pier house Events Team. Ashley made sure everything happened on-time and was GREAT at keeping us on track for vendor payments before the big day. She created a to-the-minute timeline of the day, which allowed us to be fully present in every moment, because we knew Ashley was managing our time as we all decided on before the event. She is an expert on all things wedding, details, planning and the OBX in general and we highly recommend her services! She seems like a friend to me now and I fully enjoy following her on Instagram! Thanks Ashley!

he Outer Banks from New York, without ever seeing the venue, meeting the vendors or tasting the food. Ashley made this all possible for me with her attention to detail, honest opinions, recommendations and can-do mentality. From day one I had full trust in her and her commitment to helping me create the day I envisioned, and she exceeded my expectations! She was always available answering all my questions and concerns throughout the planning process. Dan and I had the most amazing and unforgettable wedding at The Black Stallion and it would not have been possible without Ashley. Not only does she have a vast knowledge of wedding planning and great relationships with a wide variety of vendors, she is an amazing and incredibly kind, funny and wonderful person! I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to plan their wedding in OBX!