Weddings Summer 2008 > Planner

Always a Bridesmaid

Xochitl (pronounced “Socheel”) Gonzalez and Mayra Castillo have four years of experience designing personalized weddings, often held in loft spaces such as Ramscale Studios in the Village. Typically working with clients from creative industries, the duo likes to help couples showcase their individuality. A basic package costs $6,500; more-comprehensive coverage is $13,000.

BFF Bridal

When trend forecaster Meredith Levy teamed up with Tara Mandy (a longtime New York contributor) to create a wedding-planning service, they decided to take an innovative online approach, offering a host of bridal discounts and deals for subscribers and more-personalized attention in the form of an online consultancy. Bridal clients pay a one-time $9,500 fee to gain access to all the insider knowledge and impressive connections the two women have cultivated over the years.

Cheryl J. Fielding-Lopalo

Finding that a wedding is just too much to plan on your own? Cheryl Fielding-LoPalo understands; she calls herself a mentor as well as a friend during the wedding-planning process. Cheryl’s goal is to make each wedding as unique as its bride—without unnecessary stress.

Cristina Verger

This full service planner knows almost everyone in the biz, and she works with you from A to Z. Her expertise lies in destination weddings (she’s working on one in Zihuatanejo right now). To boot, Verger’s Italian roots are anchored in Rome, and she can promise the connections and a broad-reaching network of Italian vendors that other planners cannot. Prices from $20,000.

Colin Cowie

This internationally known event planning guru who is sought out by couples on both coasts and abroad has penned six books on parties and entertainment. He’s thrown lavish blowouts for everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Tom Cruise. Cowie doesn’t require a celebrity budget for his services, and his egalitarian approach to lifestyle and events has everyone from Oprah to CBS picking his brain for tips. Expect detail-oriented elegance with an edge and plenty of chilled bubbly. Prices upon request.

David E. Monn, LLC

Transforming the Met into an English garden party complete with espaliered apple trees and moss-covered stairs—as Monn did for 2006’s luxe Costume Institute Gala—is just one of the reasons many call this dapper society planner the “Architect of Style.” Prices upon request.

David Reinhard Events, LLC

For the past seven years, Ann David and Nicky Reinhard have tag-teamed to create a hands-on boutique approach to planning weddings. Their limit of two events per month allows the pair to spend most of the year planning a variety of occasions—from urban receptions to tent weddings in the Hamptons, even destination weddings in Hawaii. Prices upon request.

David Stark Design and Production

This studio approaches event design as if it were a gallery installation—think globes of baby’s breath suspended from clouds and entire walls covered with floral tapestries. Stark takes care of all the aesthetic elements of an event, including furniture, lighting, and invitations. Prices upon request.

David Tutera

Known more for his A-list parties than for weddings, Tutera can deliver the ultimate in luxury and couture style. Expect to pay about $250,000 for 175 guests and be sure to call nine to twelve months in advance.

Delaney T. Bagwell Associates, LLC

Todd Bagwell has been planning weddings, society events, fund-raisers, and corporate shindigs since 1989. Though based in Manhattan, he specializes in destination weddings, and his all-inclusive services cover everything from save-the-dates to party favors. Client references and prices upon request.

The Designer’s Co-op

The Designer’s Co-op, based in Willamsburg, exudes modern romance without being over the top. Brides come to owner Bridget Vizoso for her custom prop-building and signature “carpets of flowers”. At the Foundry, she reworked the industrial space into a stunning organic environment with dense curtains of orchids and a canopy of branches laden with candlelight. Prices upon request.

Elegant Occasions

Elegant Occasions specializes in calm, comprehensive planning for both domestic and destination weddings, especially those in Italy. Each wedding is customized, but the company is particularly adept at overseeing multiday wedding events, such as those over a long weekend. Prices upon request.

Fête

Jung Lee heads up this stylish, in-the-know planning and design boutique; her Wharton-grad partner, Josh Brooks, supplies the business acumen. Together, they come up with the most detail-oriented weddings we’ve seen. For couples planning their own, they’ve written the manifesto, Fête: The Wedding Experience. Prices upon request.

Francesca Events

The hand-holding approach of Francesca Events is ideal for busy clients with full-time careers who still want a flawless wedding. Although she focuses on logistics and production, Francesca also has extensive connections in the New York haute cuisine scene for foodie couples. She plans many destination weddings, having done several in trendy Tulum, Mexico. She recommends that you contact her four to six months in advance. Prices upon request.

Harriette Rose Katz

Katz has been lauded as one of New York’s most in-demand wedding planners, and her business, with its growing team of experts, has been around for almost 30 years. Her events are usually held at venues like the Plaza Hotel and the Waldorf-Astoria, and tend toward the spectacular. Prices upon request.

Jennifer Brisman

Featured in various publications and on television (in her ten years in the business), Jennifer Brisman specializes in grand-scale event managing. She works with vendors all over the world to create memorable weddings both in New York and destinations around the globe. Working with budgets starting at $150,000 and going up to budgets in excess of $1 million, Brisman designs each of her events, whether vintage, contemporary, or traditional.

Jerry Sibal — Design Fusion

Philippines-born Jerry Sibal worked with the likes of Preston Bailey before opening his own design firm in 1996. With fifteen years of experience as a floral and event planner, he relies on his background as an architect and traditional Chinese brush painting artist to bring something a bit different to each project, and will travel anywhere. Prices from $10,000.

Jill Gordon Celebrate

This shop will plan each element of your Hamptons wedding: from the music and food, to the tents and lighting. Gordon’s team knows all the best vineyards, beaches, and farms in the area, and prides itself on collaborating with the couple to create an individually tailored wedding experience. They will work closely with you to make sure the big day is as glitch-free as possible.

Karen Bussen

Planning by Bussen transcends mere logistics to include top-notch design and décor, her specialty. (Bussen is the author of the Simple Stunning Weddings series.) Her relationships with vendors can yield discounts—she aims to earn back her fee in savings for the couple—and she works with all budgets. Prices upon request.

Loulie Walker Events

This planner is overflowing with sophisticated ideas for personalized, of-the-moment events. She’s skilled at producing lavish affairs of a more traditional nature, having done weddings at the New York Public Library and the Frick. Prices upon request.

Lyndsey Hamilton Events, LLC

Throughout the process, Hamilton and her staff remain attentive, working with each couple from the minute they’re contacted to the moment the couple heads for their honeymoon. They offer full or partial planning packages with three different tiers available: senior planners, manager planners, and Hamilton herself. Prices upon request.

Marcy Blum

Marcy Blum’s hands-on approach to wedding planning makes the process interesting for couples, filling in their vision with ideas they might not have come up with on their own. From Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick’s nuptials twenty years ago to the numerous upscale weddings they currently handle, the boutique company creates detailed personal ambience, featuring Blum’s trademark whimsical elegance. Prices upon request.

MD Events

Husband-and-wife team Alison and Michael Dalewitz applied the experience of planning their own wedding to their business. Michael Dalewitz, a contract lawyer, approaches the organization and negotiation of a wedding with an eagle eye, and Alison uses her background in art design and fashion. Prices upon request.

Meghan Walls Events, Inc.

This new-on-scene planner (her business began because of postive word of mouth) targets couples on a budget. Walls reportedly knows how to achieve a look for less. She’ll be respectful toward your vendors, and a calming presence throughout the whole the process. Prices upon request.

Preston Bailey

For couples who want their wedding to be nothing short of spectacular—in every sense of the word—Bailey is the go-to planner. His drama-laden events are replete with decadent décor (think pools of water strewn with rose petals, larger-than-life daisy-covered poodle sculptures, and enormous crystal candelabras). He prioritizes customer service while still engineering events that most laypeople can dream up, but not pull off. Services start at $100,000.

Save the Date Event Consulting

Specializing in Indian, Pakistani, and Middle Eastern weddings, Sonal Shah knows where to find the right Bollywood-style choreographers for the sangeet, henna artists for the mehendi party, and the groom’s horse or elephant for the barat—nnot to mention how to combine all three ceremonies into one. Prices range from $15,000 to $45,000.

Sidekick Events

Full-service event planner extraordinaire Ellen Kostman has all the credentials to make sure your big day happens precisely to specification. She’s done everything from well-appointed garden parties to high-drama black-tie galas at the Rainbow Room, and she happily supplies day-of services for brides worried about last-minute snafus. Prices upon request.

Sofia Crokos Events

This highly sought-after boutique firm offers a variety of services, including floral design and décor, photography and videography, transportation, and destination planning. Crokos started the firm in 1998 and has since done weddings all over the world, using her fashion background and passion for food, design, and travel to make each event unique. Prices upon request.

Soraya Weddings & Celebrations

After planning her own wedding in Spain, Soraya Jollon now provides the service to nontraditional brides and grooms, same-sex couples, or anyone looking to wed in a private club in Manhattan or in her own backyard. For one couple getting married in the recreation hall of the groom’s childhood camp, Soraya covered the walls in burlap to create a rustic feel. Prices upon request.

State of the Art Enterprises

One of New York’s premier event planners, State of the Art works with high-end, reliable vendors to produce spectacular weddings. For a Sundance destination wedding, they branded the couple’s initials onto steaks, which were served from an authentic barbecue chuck wagon. Prices upon request.

Swank Productions, Inc.

Maya Kalman started Swank Productions after she planned her own wedding, which was televised on the Food Network. After the show aired, Kalman was contacted by friends and strangers with requests for her services. Now, eight years later, Swank Productions has expanded and is a popular choice for those wishing to have custom-tailored weddings. Starting at $9,500.

Toby Ellen Sarna Ltd. Special Events

Sarna is a serious, hands-on planner who will be deeply involved. While the company specializes in large-scale, big-budget blowouts, the planner aims to evoke quiet sophistication with a fresh take on tradition during a highly personalized ceremony. Although most events take place in Manhattan, Sarna also coordinates destination weddings. Prices vary.

Van Wyck & Van Wyck

After graduating from Yale, Bronson van Wyck honed his party-hosting skills while coordinating receptions for diplomats at the American embassy in Paris. Before long, he went into business with his mother, Mary Lynn, and began hosting parties for the likes of the Clintons, Gores, and Bushes. Prices upon request.

The Wedding Library by Claudia Hanlin and Jennifer Zabinski

The invitation-only referral list of roughly 80 vendors offers brides a reliable list of top-notch bands, florists, videographers, photographers, D.J.’s, and more. A full planning service includes everything from the necessities (staff, etiquette advice, and vendor relations) to the extraneous. The basic day-of package is perfect if you want to ensure a perfectly scheduled, snag-free event without the extras. Prices upon request.

The Wedding Salon

This luxury wedding showcase produced by 4PM Events is “one-stop shopping” for 70 different vendors, from cakes to caterers to honeymoon destinations. If you’re looking for personalized wedding planning, expect to spend big, as they only do weddings with budgets upwards of $500,000. (The planning fee is typically 10 to 15 percent of the total budget.)

From the Summer 2008 New York Wedding Guide

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