Skip to main content
Weddings

Kinship and Company Reviews

Kinship and Company

Kinship and Company

Trumansburg, NY
5.0 out of 5 rating, 25 Reviews
View more information

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 rating
25 Reviews
  • Quality of service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
100% Recommended by couples

Awards

25
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2019 Winner
  • Erica
    Erica Sent on 10/25/2021
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Amazing, calm and Collected but a productivity machine!!!

    My energy is very frenetic when I am in planning mode. Rachel completely balanced me out. She worked with my schedule, approached every hurdle related to changing covid guidelines with a calm and positive attitude. She worked with me to cover details I had never even thought of. When I actually walked up day of I thought to myself I couldn’t believe she made my dream happen. And I Didn’t have to worry about ONE thing day of. She took care of every single detail, from ordering pizza for the party late at night, to getting all my flowers back to the hotel.
  • K
    Kristen Sent on 09/20/2021
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Literally, Rachel is the best!

    We can't say enough good things about Rachel - she's organized, professional, and so personable and friendly. She did the most amazing job of helping us through moving our original date, doing "month-of" coordination (especially since we were planning from afar), managing all of our other vendors, and handling all of the set up on our wedding day. We never imagined that we'd be so relaxed on our wedding day - we literally didn't have to worry about a thing! Everything ran so smoothly from start to finish, and it was so nice to know that she had thought of everything, so that we didn't have to!
  • V
    Vivienne W. Sent on 08/10/2021
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Rachel is amazing!!

    Rachel worked with my partner and I per her "month-of coordination" option and we truly could not have had a better experience. She scheduled a call with us early and gave us so many amazing vendor suggestions, she provided us with planning resources we could use from the beginning, and she kept us up-to-date on all of the ever-changing COVID protocols. Once she came fully on board the month-of, she managed all of our vendors - creating a detailed schedule, confirming everyone's arrival, double checking our rental orders, answering all of our questions about everything from tent sizes to tips, running our rehearsal, and generally just being on top of everything. We felt so much relief once she came on board.

    Last thing: the day ran so smoothly, thanks mostly to Rachel. She made sure both our ceremony space and our reception space looked just as we imagined, she provided signs for our ceremony, card tables, and more, she handled all of our vendor tips, she made sure everything was set up and on site according to plan - basically she somehow seemed to be in literally every place at once from 8am until after midnight. I can't even imagine how I would have enjoyed the day as much as I did without knowing she was behind the scenes.

    Highly highly recommend!
  • illustration stars

    Are you interested?

    Send a message
  • L
    Lauren H. Sent on 03/07/2021
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    You DO need a wedding coordinator, and Rachel is the best!

    Rachel has a true gift to bring such efficient organization combined with a personality that makes everyone feel comfortable and relaxed. We hired Rachel for a June 2020 wedding at the Ithaca Farmers Market. Although we hired her as a "month of" coordinator, our initial consultations and her planning tools were invaluable throughout the planning process, so I definitely recommend not only hiring Rachel but hiring her early!

    As spring of 2020 and COVID came around, I really don't know what we would have done without Rachel. She went above and beyond to help us navigate the decision to postpone and to work with our vendors to figure out postponement policies and a new date. When our new date in the fall came around and we decided to have a scaled back wedding, Rachel continued to keep us all on track--and most importantly, calm and feeling like things were under control. Even with a very small wedding, there were so many decisions to make and details to keep track of, and we were so grateful that Rachel had them completely under control. Throughout the entire process, Rachel struck a great balance of making us feel like it was our wedding and we could do it however we wanted (there is no "right" way to have a wedding!) while also providing an opinion or options from her experience to help us navigate the countless decisions and options.

    Whether you're planning a 175 person wedding, 30 person wedding, or end up planning both, Rachel is going to make the wedding day and months leading up to it 1000x easier and more relaxed.
  • Mike
    Mike B. Sent on 01/07/2020
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Absolutely The Best

    Over and over, on the day of our wedding and after, my wife and I kept saying to each other, "Rachel is a lifesaver!" I would recommend her a thousand times over to all of my friends.
    We had a very specific vision for our wedding, and wanted to have it in an unconventional venue, and yet Rachel was able to make everything go off without a hitch. Throughout the planning process, she guided and re-assured us with her expert knowledge and experience. She was there for us whenever we had a question, and she made sure we had all of our planning bases covered.
    In the days leading up to the wedding and on the day of, she was on point. Her confident leadership put us at ease and let us relax and enjoy our own wedding, knowing that we had nothing to worry about. She coordinated our other wedding vendors, the wedding party, guests, our family, and us. She put out fires all day (not literally, but if there was a real one, she'd put that out too) and truly went above and beyond what I'd expect a wedding planner to do. She put in long hours and hard work to make our wedding what it was, and because of her, our special day was perfect.
    Hire her right now, you'll be so thankful you did!!!
  • Lisa
    Lisa Sent on 12/11/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Best Decision Ever

    Hiring Rachel as our 'month of' coordinator is hands down the best decision I've ever made! Rachel was so amazing to work with! She was kind, patient, pro-active, and is the only reason I was calm and sane that weekend. She was able to wrangle all the pieces together to create a workable schedule for everyone and directed the rehearsal so smoothly that we only needed one run-through and we were done which was awesome because it was cold and drizzly that day. She did everything from rolling away the wine barrels, scrubbing the mud off my dress after I stepped all over it, keeping my husband distracted so we could carry out the surprised entrace I had planned, to making sure everything was dropped back off to our room at the end of the night. I can't say enough good things about her and if you're considering getting a coordinator but aren't sure - just do it! Rachel will make your life sooo much easier, I promise!
  • Nikki
    Nikki Sent on 01/31/2020
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Hire! Her! Now!

    Rachel is, without a doubt, the best thing to happen to our wedding. We could not have done it without her. From the very first phone call to the very last goodnight hug, Rachel took care of everything. She helped us find vendors, visit venues, review contracts, brainstorm ideas, cut down costs, specialize the event to be perfect to us. She coordinated vendors, she helped manage the budget, planned timelines, she talked us through the hard parts and shared in our joy through the exciting parts. On the day of, SHE MADE THE WHOLE THING HAPPEN!! Honestly, I tell every single person I know that's getting married that they need her. She is open, warm, friendly, knowledgeable, flexible, game for anything. And perhaps best of all, she truly cares about you! She wants your wedding, however it may look, to be as YOU as you want it to be, and that's something special nowadays in this crazy crazy wedding industry. She's reasonably priced and goes above and beyond for her clients - it's 100& worth every penny. She's wonderful, and you will be so grateful to have her in your corner.
  • M
    Mitchell C. Sent on 10/04/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Just hire her!

    Working with Rachel was the best decision we made about our wedding. She is an absolute joy to work with and will put you at ease throughout the entire process. She made sure we were completely organized and, best of all, allowed us to just enjoy our wedding day and not think about any logistics. She is kind, patient, knowledgable, thorough, organized, and will ensure everything runs smoothly. We highly highly recommend her!
  • S
    Sarah Sent on 10/21/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Great experience working with Rachel

    We can not recommend Rachel enough! We planned our Ithaca wedding remotely from Washington DC, and I don’t know how we would have done it without her. She helped us narrow the field of vendors to consider based on our budget. She gave us great planning documents to help us save time and stay organized, and she reviewed our vendor contracts (even finding some places where we could save money!). The month of the wedding, Rachel owned coordination among all of our vendors. She then ran our rehearsal the day before the wedding. And the day of, she set up our venue and ran the event. I can’t tell you how beautiful the day was thanks to her time and talents, and how much less stressful everything was thanks to her guidance. She made it possible for us to focus on each other the day of the wedding because Rachel was so on top of everything else! Rachel was just a Joy to work with, a friendly sounding board the whole way through, and incredibly, incredibly good at her job.
  • R
    Rebecca B. Sent on 09/04/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Worry Free Wedding Planning!

    Rachel at Kinship and Company isn’t someone you just think about hiring, she’s someone you HAVE to hire. She delivers an unprecedented level of knowledge, organization, and over all great energy. We had very specific parameters to adhere to, and she made the entire experience effortless. Rachel gets to know her clients and is able to actualize their personal vision in an extraordinary way. I sincerely cannot say enough about her, she is a phenomenal wedding planner and human being.
  • L
    Lara G. Sent on 10/05/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Spectacular

    We don't know how anyone plans a large wedding without the help of a coordinator! Rachel is incredible!
  • Abigail
    Abigail Sent on 11/24/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Fantastic and Seamless Experience

    We highly recommend Rachel!

    Before we even hired her, she spent a half hour on the phone with us discussing vendor options and how we could keep our wedding costs down, which was something we were very focused on.

    We had a pretty specific vision for our wedding, and we did a lot of work planning it. But we could not have pulled it off without Rachel. She knew our vendors and our venue at the Ithaca Farmer's Market extremely well, which made the planning experience a lot easier. She was so generous with the items that she had made or acquired over the years, and we ended up using a lot of these things for our wedding, like chalkboards for signage, seating charts, lawn games, and lanterns. All of that we would have had to buy if it weren't for her.

    The best thing about hiring Rachel is that you have absolutely nothing to worry about the day of the wedding. She handled everything we needed, from helping set up the event to making sure everything ran smoothly and on time, and coordinating all of our vendors so that everyone knew what was going on and when certain things were happening. Our venue did not come with anyone to run the event and Rachel was that person for us. She is extremely nice and professional and we loved working with her. It was one of the best wedding planning decisions we made.
  • Heather
    Heather Sent on 07/11/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Beat wedding coordinator ever!

    We worked with Rachel for our wedding weekend if 200+ people, with multiple days of festivities, and it could not have gone more smoothly! During planning, Rachel had the best recommendations and she was so easy to communicate with. As we got closer to the wedding day, Rachel took over all logistics with all of our vendors (we got married at an airbnb, and had to build a wedding from scratch). She even coordinated a welcome party the day before the wedding (in addition to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner). Everything went so smoothly, and we were able to have so much fun at our wedding. Rachel was able to perfectly execute our vision from just a few calls/emails/screen shots and make it our dream wedding! I’m having a hard time putting into words just how amazing Rachel is, but if you have the chance to work with her, I highly highly recommend it!
  • Kelsey
    Kelsey C. Sent on 10/08/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Our best decision

    I was a burnt-out bride almost before I even started planning. Rachel took all of my half-ideas and threw together an incredible wedding. She set up the venue and made it look amazing (I still don't know how she strung up lights where she did or where all her signage came from). She handled all my vendors, even through a change of location. Seriously, there were some vendors I never even met! The guitarist just showed up, was brilliant, and left. Same for the baker. I had practically no vendor interactions at all the day of. Rachel just made everything happen, as if by magic. She was a walking, talking, one-woman oasis of calm and joy. When I needed chapstick in the middle of the reception, she had it. When I hadn't planned for coffee at the end of the night, she brought it. When I didn't have containers for the glass ceremony, she sent me options. All the vendors I worked with were excellent, but Rachel was a real stand-out. If I had to plan my wedding again, there are some things I might change, but I would hire Rachel again in a second.
  • K
    Kimberly M. Sent on 09/01/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    She is the best

    Having Rachel coordinate was the best money we spent on our wedding. It was stress free and flawless because of her. Not to mention her calm positive attitude made everything that much more wonderful. We couldn’t have pulled it off without her!
  • C
    Cady Sent on 10/04/2018
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    We literally could not have done it without Rachel. From quelling nerves, creating a schedule, communicating with our families, all the way to the clean up on the wedding day, Rachel made the process enjoyable and calm. Especially important was her role day of, keeping us moving to where we needed to be, and keeping any issues from reaching us on our special day. I never imagined I would benefit so greatly from involving a coordinator, and will recommend Kinship & Co to every future bride I encounter. If you pay for one thing for your wedding, make it this.
  • J
    James Sent on 10/10/2018
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    If you think you can plan a wedding without Rachel at Kinship & Co, well, you’re just plain WRONG!
    Rachel helped us create a beautiful event with just the vibe we were after. It all went off without a hitch and that is due in LARGE part to her help. As a groom, it was wonderful to have someone easy to work with around before and during the big day, both for me AND my then-bride-to-be. Is somebody in your family difficult to deal with? Worried about your friend having too much to drink and trying to get behind the wheel? Rachel to the rescue! Forget the duct tape? The extension cord? Rachel has your back.
    We wholeheartedly recommend Kinship & Co.
  • C
    Carly Sent on 08/07/2018
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    Rachel was beyond diligent, deep thinking, and a great pleasure to work with. We used Rachel as our wedding coordinator mainly for the purpose of ensuring that our entire wedding weekend and the months leading there to were seamless. Among other things, she executed her job flawlessly, while providing the following excellent services: she communicated with all vendors during the planning process, days leading up to the wedding, and during the wedding, created a detailed timeline of the weekend for vendors, venue, and family members, she made sure flowers, food, music, ceremony, transportation, etc. were executed to perfection, she lead a rehearsal the evening before, she was responsible for organizing all wedding items from table cards, sunglasses, games, to our own personal items. She made sure we had it all! She also had drinks and personal items ready and available for the bride and groom! We were able to be a guest at our own wedding because of Rachel! She made the day and night stress free and calm. Rachel made sure that we collected all of our items after the wedding and even made sure to collect all of our gifts. She met us at the hotel when the evening was over and delivered remaining items along with a pizza for the bride and groom! She truly made sure everything was perfect from beginning to end. Rachel is detail oriented and an excellent communicator. We could not have survived the day without her! She is highly recommended! We loved her!
  • A
    Alberto Sent on 07/23/2018
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    Rachel's coordinating services were the best money we spent in our wedding! She is calm, straightforward and so so so competent. She helped us wrangle unresponsive vendors, fielded questions from my mother and made the whole wedding experience feel like a breeze! If you're looking for someone to help you finish the details, and want some pointers for good local vendors, Rachel can't be beat!
  • C
    Cassandra Sent on 07/08/2018
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    I cannot even put into words how amazing Rachel is. I started off the wedding planning on my own, thinking I was capable of doing everything without going crazy. Finding vendors wasn't too bad and making my ideas on pinterest was easy - but figuring out how to execute and bring everything together was about to drive me crazy. And then I found Rachel. I never realized how much I needed Rachel during this process until the first time I spoke with her. Everyone else around me told me that heard a huge relief and calmness in my voice when I was talking about wedding plans once Rachel was involved in the planning. Rachel was extremely organized and professional with everyone. Most of my planning was from a distance so she was on every conference call or email chain I had going. She would reach out to all my vendors and make sure everything was lined up and ask questions that I did not even realized existed. Rachel was always available to talk - through phone call, email, text message. I never felt like I was waiting for a response or concerned about anything. I considered myself somewhat of a control freak when it came to planning this wedding, since I wanted it to be absolutely perfect - but when it came to Rachel, I felt like I trusted her with my life and completely let her take over anything she asked. Even 4 days before the wedding, I was hysterical because one of the vendors told me they were not going to be able to do something we have talked about for the past 6 months. My now husband called Rachel right away to let her know about the situation, and after a few hours back and forth on the phone, Rachel was able to get the vendor to do exactly everything we wanted. I'm not sure how she did it but I don't even care! Rachel was at our venue the day before for the set up and rehearsal and showed up early on the wedding day with breakfast for us! She stayed the entire day and we literally could not have imaged a more perfect day - and I owe it all to Rachel.
  • A
    Anna M. Sent on 12/07/2017
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    Rachel was the coordinator for our 250+ guest backyard wedding. She met with us several times in the 10 months leading up to our wedding and helped us to plan everything from the rehearsal dinner to the ceremony to the reception. We decided to do all the decorations, flowers, set-up, drinks, and food ourselves (with the help of many friends and family) and Rachel made sure that everything went smoothly. Her planning lists have every detail you need to have your wedding day be seamless. Perhaps the most amazing part of Rachel's role in our wedding was her day-of coordination. We never had to think about anything other than enjoying the celebration, knowing that she was on top of everything. We absolutely could not have pulled our wedding off without Rachel, and everything went even more smoothly that we could have imagined! We would certainly (and already have) recommend Rachel to anyone planning a wedding!
  • A
    Alice Sent on 12/11/2017
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    The BEST decision we made...among the hundreds of choices in wedding planning...was hiring Rachel. Just three months since the wedding, and already it seems like a beautiful, magical dream.

    Nothing daunted Rachel. Coordinating input from the bridal couple and local family on opposite coasts? No potable water or refrigeration at the outdoor wedding site? Storms from the tail end of a hurricane on the day of? Last minute changes to the whole tent layout? “We can make anything work,” was Rachel’s calm, reassuring response. And she did.

    Rachel handled countless details we would have overlooked in coordinating a farm/vineyard wedding for 160 guests. Who knew it was so important to review the rental order multiple times? Or to think through the flow of the food and music so precisely? Or that extra sweaters for guests as the night chilled could be so beautifully displayed?

    Every detail was planned and executed so smoothly and elegantly that we actually relaxed and enjoyed every wedding moment with our family and guests.

    The first piece of advice we'd give a friend contemplating a similar venture: Hire Rachel! We think she walks on water.

    ~Claire Green (Bride) and Alice Green (mom)
  • M
    Michelle Sent on 12/06/2017
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    Rachel is amazing. She did day-of coordination and made desserts for our beautiful, perfect backyard wedding (~100 guests.) She is completely professional, organized, clear communicator. She has a very genuine and calm personality. She payed attention to all the details, and went above and beyond in many, many ways. First, the desserts: she made homemade ice cream and GF fruit-tarts with almond crust. Both were absolutely phenomonal. She made test batches of both flavors of ice cream (coffee with dark chocolate flecks, vanilla bean to compliment our homemade pies) and adjusted to suit our tastes. Initially, we hadn’t planned to have her do day of coordination (didn’t even know that was a thing) but it was the best decision we made. We planned the wedding ourselves. Rachel provided a couple of consults along the way and a great ‘check list’ to help our organization. Then she took over the evening before (at the rehearsal). She made sure all the last minute details were ironed out, fielded questions, basically ran the show and let us float through our amazing day and not stress about a thing. She was very low-key and behind the scenes, but quietly pulled all the right strings and made the entire day perfect. We can’t say enough about the Kinship & Co. team. Rachel is a dream to work with and just a great person.
  • Allison
    Allison Sent on 09/04/2018
    4.9 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      4.5 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    Rachel was great and easy to work with! I would recommend her to anyone.
  • K
    Katherine H. Sent on 09/30/2019
    4.6 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      4.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      4.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Great advance planning, would have liked more time day-of

    We were really excited to work with Rachel, because she has such a good reputation among Ithaca vendors and we wanted someone who would work well with the people we hired. She provided us organizational tools in the year before the wedding, and met with us a couple times to run through things and visit the venue. She was also great with responding to emails. We hired her as a month-of coordinator, and I realize after the fact that I should have been better at clarifying that position with her. She offered to be on emails to vendors a couple weeks before the wedding, but I didn’t expect to be making almost all of the final calls two weeks and one week out. It would have been really nice if all of the vendors (rental company, venue, etc) knew further in advance that she should be patched in to any contact. I think she tried to communicate that to some, but others still seemed to think I was the best person to call for last minute details that Rachel would have been best able to answer. We managed to pull everything together in the last couple days and the wedding went beautifully, but it was quite stressful, and I was really hoping to somewhat avoid the sensation of being pulled in a million directions by hiring a month of coordinator.

    We also found out a couple weeks in advance that she would only be arriving two hours before the ceremony. I was super busy at the time and it didn’t sink in that that would mean my fiancé and I would still be managing everything in the morning and early afternoon. It would have been wonderful to know that someone else was calling last minute shots (we had spelling errors in the guest table print outs, we realized that we hadn’t set out the luminaries to light the super dark path to parking at night and needed to buy LEDs), and checking on our friends - who were arriving as greeters, bringing in the beer, and setting up homemade cake and cooking us desserts in the kitchen. They all were super punctual and managed well on their own, but since I was stuck inside it would have been nice to have someone there in advance to make sure they felt comfortable with what they were doing. I would have also loved it if things could have been set up earlier so I could actually see them – I never saw the inside of the barn for cocktail hour, and only saw the rest of the tent from a distance during dinner. I tried to take it all in during the rest of the wedding, but I was so emotionally overwhelmed that I didn’t feel like I’d gotten a chance to see all of our hard work come together.

    That said, the staff she hired were amazing, and they did a beautiful job in the crunch time that they had, and as far as I know things went off without a hitch. I think it would have just been good to discuss in advance the fact that we wouldn’t get help with setting up the first look, with managing the makeup and hair schedule, that I wouldn’t get to see the décor before guests arrived, and that we wouldn’t have her help managing our shot list during cocktail hour. That was the only part that our guests noticed – I wound up trying to wrangle various family members needed for shots. I think if we’d known in advance that Rachel would be completely occupied in the barn during cocktail hour (which is understandable), we could have managed by designating family as ‘runners’ in advance, and provided them with our detailed shot list. I think she thought our photographer would be able to wrangle people more – but I’d given her my families’ names and he didn’t have them, and he didn't have an assistant. So he just yelled out ‘Aunt 1’ and ‘Aunt 2,’ when things started getting crazy, which was embarrassing. I think with a little more advanced communication between all of us, things would have been easier.

    Overall, our guests absolutely loved our wedding, and Rachel clearly did a fantastic job of managing a wonderful set of staff. They also did a great job with breakdown and cleanup, and Rachel stuck around until midnight to see that through. Both my fiancé and I were just caught a little off guard by how little we saw her on the day. I would have paid more for that, because I had a hard time relaxing and feeling prepared for how emotionally overwhelming the day was, when the week and even the last couple days in advance felt incredibly rushed. As weird as it sounds, we appreciated the pretty strict deadlines and frequent reminders that we got from other vendors, and I think it kept us more on schedule. Rachel was amazing at doing last-minute things (printing our vows the morning before, table arrangements the week of), but not realizing how much those little things would add up, we actually would have liked some earlier deadlines. I also did a lot to organize the ‘big’ wedding tasks (hiring vendors, making big decisions) in advance, so while her guidance at that stage was great and appreciated, I was really hoping to have someone to fully hand things off to on the day, and that wasn’t possible. Thankfully our makeup and hair artists, photographer, DJ, florist, family, and friends were punctual, organized, and on hand all day – things would probably have been a lot messier otherwise, and I was nervous knowing she might arrive to craziness just a couple hours before the ceremony. Her staff hustled and made it happen, but we would have been grateful if she’d had more time to help us too. So I would absolutely recommend her for coordinating staff and helping with advance planning – vendors clearly love working with her, and she is really professional and pleasant. But I might recommend partial planning package with her rather than month of coordination, or paying extra to make sure she has an assistant if you want a little more weight off the bride and groom on the wedding day.

illustration stars

Are you interested?

Send a message