Debra Thompson, Planning & Consulting LLC Reviews
Reviews
5.0 out of 5 rating
5.0 out of 5 rating
139 Reviews
100% recommend it
Awards
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![Ellen]()
Ellen C. Sent on 11/24/2023Debra Thompson is the G.O.A.T of Wedding Planners
Working with Debra Thompson and her exceptional team for our wedding was an absolute dream come true. Debra not only excels professionally but is also an incredible person. The entire wedding planning process, guided by her expertise, was a joy from start to finish. Debra made us feel like family, offering unwavering support throughout. On the big day, everything felt like a dream - every detail was meticulously handled. Even when I had a thought, Debra and her producers were already on top of it. We are grateful for an outstanding experience. Thank you for making our day amazing!! -
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Kevin V. Sent on 07/12/2023Debra and Her Team Made Our Wedding Day Perfect - Genuine, Compassionate, Dedicated, and Supportive!
I’m writing this review as both my Wife Allie and I had not only an incredible experience with Debra and her team (Esmeralda, Nadia, Martuly,). From day one, Debra made us feel like family, she was available whenever we needed her, she kept us on task, and provided her guidance and advice each step of the way. I know my wife and I both agree that the day would not have been the same without Weddings by Debra and her team. If you are considering whether or not you need a wedding planner, our suggestion is to give Debra a call, text, or email her. She’s such an incredible person and has become family to us. She will make you feel less stressed, more confident, and provide you every bit of support. It’s been an absolute blessing to have had Debra to remind us of all the things we needed to do in preparation of the big day. If you are a newly engaged couple, I promise you that the wedding day goes by so fast, and you will need someone to organize/plan it all. Debra made sure we took time that day to enjoy the moment, made us feel peace, control, and remain confident because her team covered it all. Weddings by Debra, you all are incredible people, my wife and I will never forget all you did for us and for making the day perfect. - ❤️ Mr. & Mrs. Volpe -
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Brittany L. Sent on 12/28/2022Phenomenal!!
My sister in law works in the wedding industry and HIGHLY recommended Debra Thompson to us. Debra was there for us from start to finish...from recommending bridal shops to calling us after our honeymoon to chat and see how it went! When Debra takes on a couple, she is ALL in! You feel as if you are her only couple and have her absolute undivided attention. Debra's attention to detail and logistics is unmatched. While she prioritizes making your fairytale dream wedding come true, she also prioritizes the "boring" details (that maybe you as a bride don't want to think about...but need to) which is what makes that fairytale dream wedding actually become a reality! Debra is patient and flexible while also providing structure, direction, and clarity to the wedding planning process! On a personal level, Debra will become your friend...and your family and friends will LOVE her as much as you do! Debra is caring, committed, reliable, funny and a comfort/joy to be around! After your wedding is over you will miss her! Not only is Debra phenomenal, but her team that she brings the day of the wedding surpassed our expectations! Debra and her team were at our every beck and call, always with a smile on their face. I truly felt like I was a princess for the day! Debra is WONDERFUL at what she does and is an expert at bringing all the pieces together to make your dream wedding come true! Thank you for everything, Debra! We love you!!! -
Maire A. Sent on 01/26/2024
Wonderful! Amazing! Choose Debra!
Deborah Thompson is an incredible and talented wedding planner. She makes you feel so comfortable and welcomed. When you speak to her, you feel like you are talking to a close family member who wants to plan the wedding of your dreams. Deborah listens attentively and remembers the tiniest details that matter to you. What I love most about Deborah, is she takes the time to get to know you, and helps you figure out your vision. I never felt rushed or a bother like other vendors. Deborah was always so prompt when responding to my questions and emails. She is a thorough and reliable planner who has a creative eye and a logistical genius. You will be disappointed working with Deborah. She is the best in the business!! -
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Kathleen W. Sent on 11/28/2021
The Wedding Whisperer
Deb is the wedding whisperer! My husband and I both wanted a unique combination of traditional and nontraditional elements and Deb truly listened and understood the vision we were trying to create. She helped us navigate complex family dynamics and reinforced our perspective at every turn. She was also wonderful about connecting us with vendors — including our florist and tent/ furniture vendors. Everything stayed on track thanks to her wonderful talent for coordination and made sure
On the day of the wedding itself, Deb and her team were simply spectacular—keeping everything moving along on time, jumping in to rectify any hiccups, making sure everyone was where they were meant to be. I felt totally assured having her present—a total wedding day blessing.
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Gina T. Sent on 11/15/2020Incredibly friendly and efficient planner!
Debra took the time to get to know me and my fiancé and our style. She helped us plan a wedding, find our band, recommended the perfect venue (The Abbey Inn and Spa) put us in touch with our photographer and florist! Working with Debra made planning so easy especially if your an indecisive person like me! She took the pressure off and made the process fun and seamless. I feel safe having Debra looking over all of our plans and i know she will make sure our special day perfect. She cares more than any vendor I've ever worked with. Her expertise, patience and drive really impressed me. She is also incredibly responsive any day or time and she makes you feel like your the only bride in the world! I can't say enough good things about her, she really became a friend and i know i couldn't have done all this planning without her help. Having her as our planner was the best decision we made all year! i can't wait for out special day, thank you to Debra for piecing together our beautiful day and you will not be disappointed having her by your side! -
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Courtney Q. Sent on 10/19/2021Hire her now!
If you are hesitant to hire a wedding planner because you think you are organized and don't need anyone please reconsider. I am a very type A person and plan events for a living but my parents still thought it would be a good idea to hire a wedding planner. Debra and her team exceeded all my expectations. Debra was there for me whenever I had concerns about COVID or needed advice about vendors or family drama. She genuinely cares about each of her brides and wants us to have the wedding we always dreamed of. The day of my wedding Debra's team had everything organized and was always two steps ahead of me. They made sure we got all the pictures from our shot list, set everything up at the venue how we liked, made sure everything was ahead of schedule and even made sure we had food and drinks throughout the whole night. I can't imagine a more perfect wedding day and it was all because of Debra and her team. All my stress was gone the minute I started getting ready because I knew I was in good hands. Debra's team are rockstars and I think every bride needs them by their side. -
Lisa C. Sent on 09/08/2021
Debra’s experience, wisdom and professionalism is unmatched. She is a gem!
Debra was introduced to us by a dear friend who works in the hospitality business for a venue that caters to weddings. I mentioned that I needed someone to help us plan our daughters wedding and to be there to organize and coordinate the day of the event. My friend told us we wouldn't find anyone more attentive and easy to work with than Debra and she was right. Debra was right there with us from the beginning making sure we stayed on track, interviewed vendors with us, guided us through contracting, reminded us of important details that we would not even have thought of, and so much more! There was so much uncertainty with Covid on the fringes of every step in this journey. Debra helped us to keep things in perspective and to concentrate on what mattered most. Debra and her girls (who were amazing too) worked tirelessly from the rehearsal dinner to the end of the reception seeing to every detail and giving my husband and I the freedom to enjoy our daughter's wedding with confidence that Debra was in charge. We relied on Debra's experience and wisdom throughout this incredible experience and could not imagine having a better partner. Debra is one in a million and we are grateful that she was with us for this most important event in our lives. -
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Lauren Sent on 08/02/2021Amazing All Around!
I cannot tell you what our wedding would’ve been like had we not worked with Debra, but I will say that despite Debra spending 50+ hours on the phone with us, accompanying us to vendor meetings, and attending the wedding weekend with a team of four assistants, we, as the couple, were incredibly busy during the whole wedding weekend and absolutely exhausted at the end of it. The wedding was a dream, everything we wanted, turned out better than we expected, much better, because we thought more things would go wrong, but they didn't largely because Debra saw them coming and was able to prevent these little fires. She's got your back the whole weekend and really makes sure that everyone is thought of, that everything goes smoothly and that no one skips a beat. -
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Jacqueline S. Sent on 07/26/2021In the best of hands!
No words can express how thankful I, my husband and family are to have had Debra by our sides through our entire wedding planning journey - she is a dream and the best you can work with. She not only has a tremendous wealth of experience in every area of planning, coordination and production, but she takes the time to get to know you (and every family member who is helping to organize the wedding) to become the ultimate confidante and make planning an ease.
Debra helped coordinate the planning of my sister’s wedding in 2014, so when we got engaged in February 2020 and envisioned a “destination wedding” in nearby Hudson Valley, Debra Thompson was the first one we called to get on board. And oh boy, was that the best decision we ever made! Who would have expected that a few short weeks later the world would be turned on it’s axis because of COVID.
COVID and Logistics:
With the circumstances and the world shifting around us every day, her poise, calm demeanor, organization and expertise were essential in making this wedding a success. Given the changing limitations, precautions and logistics of event planning during COVID, it was difficult for us to envision how we could plan the wedding of our dreams. Debra helped us set up meetings with all vendors (David Beahm, RedBliss, Millers and Makers, Laurence Craig Catering, Glenmere Mansion etc), stayed on top of (and helped negotiate) every contract (with the possibility of changes due to COVID), and kept us focused and on schedule. Most of all, I am so thankful with how she worked with me and my family to stay calm and take each thing one at a time. I am sure you can imagine the heightened emotions and sadness that would come in waves due to COVID during this planning process. We didn’t know if our wedding would be just us and our parents, or a larger grouping of our family and friends.
She managed not only every iteration of what our wedding could have been, but also took the time to get to know each family member involved and how to best work with each of our working styles. This was key, as the Covid requirements for events (size, testing, vaccination, pods, masks, 6ft distance etc) kept changing in the weeks and days leading up to our wedding. She dove in to become an expert in each area: calling state health departments and medical concierge companies to ensure we had all of the details in order for us to safely celebrate our wedding. For example, in the days before the wedding, Debra’s team worked with us to send out the state required forms to upload vaccination status and coordinated with a medical concierge team to execute rapid COVID testing onsite for all guests and vendors - we were at 100% vaccination and had 0 positive tests!
On top of all of those unusual COVID logistics, we envisioned a very high-production event. Debra expertly coordinated all of the logistics and weddings vendors for this nearby “destination wedding”: magical dream flower installations by David Beahm, rentals of custom designed tables, chairs and china, installation of lighting and drapery in a barn, custom signs and seating charts (by pod), fireworks and more!
We are beyond thrilled to share that on May 22, 2021 we had 110 guests safely in attendance and over 150 celebrating virtually through a livestream production. I don’t know many brides who can say that not one thing was out of step - it was 100% perfect!
Support:
Debra is not only one of the most detail-oriented professionals, but she is also wonderfully supportive and became a close confidante and dear friend. Even in the midst of lock down, she would find ways to make the planning fun and magical: she was the first one to send me wedding magazines to begin envisioning the day, she sent a good luck charm when I had an appointment to go pick a dress, she would work with our design team to send us virtual mockups (with different options depending on the size of the wedding), and arranged for us to have a beautiful cake tasting at home. Thanks to her, we were able to envision our wedding and enjoy the process during these unusual times. Debra is a gem and one of a kind! She truly helped us create a “destination wedding” in Hudson Valley for a safe and magical wedding weekend for our family and friends!
As the weekend approached, I knew I could relax (which is hard with my Type A personality), be in the moment with my groom, and feel confidant that all was set in her expert hands. Because it was a “destination wedding” and big production, she arrived onsite days before any festivities to make sure every thing and every vendor were executed flawlessly. Moreover, her entire team was nearby throughout the entire long wedding weekend to be on hand for me and my fiancé — they were all patient, professional, thorough and compassionate. A few examples: 1. After not seeing anyone for over a year, my groom was having such an enjoyable time the day of our wedding catching up with our family and friends that he decided to be in the moment and spend more time at lunch than going up to the room to get ready. Debra’s team took that in stride, coordinated that update with the photographer and other team members, and still ensured we were all set for our first look at the set time. 2. During the prep, photo sessions and reception, her team would be just steps away from I and the groom with water, snacks, a brush, hair clips, ready to bustle my dress etc - they were all on hand for any occurrence. As Debra always told me, “the day is ours”, and because of her thoughtfulness, care and attention to detail - we felt that love in ever moment!
She is the best wedding planner and forever a part of our family. Debra- Thank you!
P.S. I would even say that I credit her prayers to the “sun gods” which kept the impending rain away on our wedding day. It was sunny and perfect! -
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Megan R. Sent on 08/10/2021If Debra Can Plan a Wedding in Covid, She Can plan any type of wedding
If you are looking for a wedding planner (or if you even don’t know you need one), look no further and lock in Debra Thompson now!!! Debra came highly recommended from a friend who had Debra by her side in 2018. No one really knew the impact that COVID would have on planning a wedding as well as the wedding and hospitality industries but having Debra by our side was the best decision that I made.
Our first meeting with Debra in January 2020 was to really get my husband to come around and get on board, as he was “anti” wedding planner. Debra was friendly, engaging and very welcoming where she took the time to understand our vision, our likes and dislikes, the family dynamics and who we were as a couple and individuals. Her knowledge (and relationships) with the venues and vendors laid out a vision of our wedding that would have the right combination to accommodate our size and budget. When it
was all said and done, she sealed the deal and was able to get him to come around, we knew we made the right choice.
Within 3 short weeks, she helped us lock in the venue, photographer & videographer, florist, band, hair and makeup. Everything was looking good until COVID became a pandemic and shut down NYC. We watched weddings from March to July start being canceled and/or rescheduled but felt the wedding of our dreams in January was still going to happen because we had time on our side. As we reached the summer we were prepping to order our invites but Debra had to foresight to check through her connections if the venue was really going to be open by our date. She was able to find out our venue would be closed until April of next year, saving us thousands of dollars on ordering incorrect invites. Debra was also able to get all our money back when we made the decision to do so from the reception venue. She lead the charge at notifying our other vendors we would be rescheduling our reception at a later date and negotiated using our deposit money for our scaled back ceremony.
As a bride, planning a wedding with the uncertainty of the pandemic was filled with emotional ups and downs. From changes in the entire vision of the wedding to the heartbreak of immediate family and friends not being able to attend due to COVID. Debra was by my side, holding my hand, acknowledging emotions, giving tough love when needed, and making my vision happen.
As the date slowly approached and the restrictions getting tighter by the day, Debra suggested things that we can do now and those that can be postponed. She worked closely and diligently with our church to ensure a safe and socially distanced wedding for what ended up being 18 people after drastically slashing the guest list. With NY guidelines allowing a limit of 25 people indoors, she had the foresight to suggest the added protection of having everyone get a COVID PCR test 48 hours prior and a same day
rapid antigen test for all guests and vendors, which also included our preacher. By going above and beyond the guidelines, she made everyone feel safe when they attended the ceremony.
Planning a wedding during COVID is unprecedented because it does not come with a pandemic playbook or reference guide, but you can navigate it with experience. On the day of the wedding, Debra and her assistant Marissa did everything to make sure we didn’t have to worry about a thing on our big day. By the end of the wedding, Debra felt like she was one of the family and ended up being a close friend in the process. I cannot recommend Debra enough as she was the reason that we had as perfect a
wedding as possible that will go down as one of the best days of our lives.
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