Reviews of Blue Ribbon Weddings (Event Planner)

Jessica Hatch

Book Katie immediately!! We came into our wedding with a small budget and very little insight into what we wanted and somehow Katie made all our dreams come true! She had great connections with vendors and a lot of information that helped us stay where we wanted to financially without feeling like we had to skimp on things or make it less than gorgeous. None of our family or bridal party lives in Orlando so I especially appreciated having someone that could come to meetings with me when my husband was unavailable and just to have another opinion to bounce ideas off of. I also had her as our florist and not only were the affordable, they were gorgeous. I gave her some photos I liked, told her ONE flower I really wanted and she designed all our gorgeous bouquets. Multiple people have said they were the prettiest they'd ever seen. On the day of, I literally didn't have to worry about a thing. She had everything moving like clockwork and I didn't even second guess if something was going to happen or not. My family pretty much all wrote her thank you emails immediately following the wedding and even attendees noticed how on top of things she was. And when I told them that she did my flowers? Floored. I've told all my engaged friends and now I'm telling you - do yourself a favor and hire Katie. It'll be the best wedding present you give to yourself!!

Stephanie Climer

Blue Ribbon Weddings was a DREAM. We met with Em within a couple weeks of getting engaged and I knew we found the person who would help guide us and provide a stress free day. We selected the day of coordinator packet but just like it states… Em was so much more than that! She was always an email away when I had questions and even scheduled a phone call when I was feeling overwhelmed. In our meetings, she asked questions and helped us put into words our vision for the day. She got exactly what we meant, especially since it was a morning ceremony & brunch reception. She read all of our contracts and picked up on things I missed. I don’t remember having a moment of stress on my wedding day due to the coordination of vendors. I woke up the morning of and didn’t have to text or call anyone. Em & Katie were on it! Em worked with many of my vendors before and communicated so well with them. She let me know things when I needed to and left me out of loop on things I didn’t need to know or told me after (like my Publix cake slanting but Arthur’s Catering fixed it before I saw!). The best part… handing all of our items the night before the wedding. We even handed tip envelopes over so my parents could enjoy the day just as much! And anything we were keeping after, made its way back to us. I remember handing my veil over at one point and it made its way back in perfect shape to me. Blue Ribbon Weddings was amazing to work with, not only because of their positive and helpful attitudes, but because they genuinely are happy for you. They want you to have your best day ever and truly know how to bring that to life. Maybe one day they’ll go into baby shower planning so I can work with them again ;) Em- thank you!!! You truly were a blessing and a friend in the planning process!

Mark Williams

We couldn't have done our destination wedding without you! From our first Skype meeting, you helped us prioritize the big things and took time to listen to Chloe's vision of her day. You really read her thoughts and even helped us find the vintage glasses from a wonderful vendor that really made the tables lovely. Your suggestions of where to purchase the garlands, flowers and tent were also perfect. I loved that we were able to work with the floor plan and even tweak that up to the last couple of weeks to maximize the space. The timeline was to the minute and guaranteed that everyone was where they needed to be at the right time...I even got to see the cake cutting, which I might have missed because I didn't hear it announced. I never gave the vendor drop off and set up a thought, as you had it handled. You even made the extra trips to pick up ur vegan cookies at a local restaurant and handled getting the flowers from our Air BNB so we could enjoy the makeup and hair part of the day. From the moment we got to the venue until we left, everything was carefully orchestrated so everyone was comfortable, ready and organized. I was amazed at how seamlessly you reworked the processional when a dog and extra Jr. Groomsman showed up at the wedding...we didn't even know that was going to happen and you didn't get ruffled! Amazing, since at the rehearsal we still had no idea that was in the works either! Having all of our personal items, leftovers and everything else all packed up, cleaned up and loaded in the car allowed us to party until the end of the evening. You listened to Chloe's concerns about the dancing and came up with the beautiful idea to have a private last dance with her husband. I'm sure that was more meaningful to them than anything else that evening! The special packed bag of food and cake for their evening at the hotel was a lovely surprise as well. One huge convenience for us was being able to meet with you for the tasting and hand off our centerpieces and vendor contracts. Those last minute calls to vendors and final touches to the tables happened without us giving it a thought. Our day was stress free from start to finish. The wedding was beautiful and you and your team were there to handle each and every issue...in fact I didn't even know if there were issues to handle. We enjoyed the day and you were instrumental in that happening. Thank you Katie!

Amalie Orrange

LOVED working with the Blue Ribbon ladies!! They were so incredibly organized, had great attention to detail and had fantastic communication before and on wedding day. They were a dream to work with and as a photographer they made my job so easy! Highly recommend them!

antonia giovanna

Hiring a wedding planner was the first thing that I did once I got engaged. There was no question that I would need help, and it took about 3 seconds to decide to reach out to Katie. Having known her once upon a time in a professional setting when I worked for her (so therefore knowing firsthand her attention to detail and just how hard she works!) and looking at her beautiful portfolio online (gorgeous, right?), I knew that she was the one. From our first meeting together, I knew we had made the right decision. During that first meeting, Katie and her colleague, Em, were talking about things that I hadn’t considered or even known about. Somewhere along the line I also tasked Katie with the role of our florist (another brilliant decision!). My engagement was about a year a half; in the beginning, communication was pretty consistent, died down for a bit (since there wasn’t much to do!), and then picked right back up in the months leading up to the day. Katie was also very cognizant of the budgets that my fiancé and I had laid out for her which is of course always appreciated. And if you’ve seen her portfolio, you know that she has a wonderful eye for decor and flowers - everything came out even more beautiful than I could’ve imagined (photos by JP Pratt Photography - who is also amazing!). Katie also helped with much of the correspondence between our venue and other vendors - just another thing I didn’t need to worry about! I cannot emphasize how little stress I experienced the day of my wedding because of Katie and Em. Of course I was nervous, but I was able to take my time getting ready, enjoy time with my girls and family, and not worry about if the tables were set, if the caterer needed anything, who was going to pick up our cake. Everything felt seamless and perfect and I don’t even think anything went wrong and if it did, I have no knowledge of it lol. If you’re getting married, you NEED to talk to the girls at Blue Ribbon Weddings to see what they can do for you!

Harpist Christine MacPhail

I have had the good fortune to work with the lovely ladies from Blue Ribbon Weddings for many weddings. Emily, Katie, and the entire team are always superb. They pay attention to details, while at the same time they are personable and enjoyable to work with. They are able to create an event which is stress-free for the couple, with a smooth and pleasant work environment for the vendors, and fun for the guests! I highly recommend this business for wedding planning.

Simone MakeoverStation

Blue Ribbon weddings is one of the best planning companies in Central Florida. As a wedding vendor I'm always extremely happy when my brides choose their planning services because I know the wedding day will flow smoothly and efficiently. Em and Katie's aesthetic is timeless with touches of unexpected whimsy, warm and welcoming, yet still refined. The elevated guest experience this company provides is unparalleled. I would definitely give 10 stars if I could!

Lauren Elias

An Actual Dream! Katie and Em went above and beyond to make everything about the day absolutely more than I ever could have dreamed of. From last minute change of plans - thanks Florida rain! - to all of the planning around my vision (florals, hospitality, dresses, personal touches - hello bourbon bar!), I could not have asked for a better team. 4 months later I am absolutely loving the memories that were created!

Lindsey Bynum

There are absolutely no words I could use to describe how amazing my experience was with Blue Ribbon Weddings. One of my main concerns with planning a wedding was the stress and anxiety that can sometimes overtake the bride. However, my wedding planning experience was completely stress free and so much fun thanks to Katie and Emily. These girls had EVERYTHING organized, from vendors, to setup, to reception flow. They made sure everything got to the venue, including my personal accessories for the wedding day. I had a bridal party of 16 girls, and every one of them mentioned how Emily and Blue Ribbon kept everything light, fun, and with absolutely no stress. Throughout the months leading up to the wedding, Blue Ribbon maintained constant communication with everyone including our band, officiant, florist, makeup artist, I mean, literally everyone. They packed up all of the gifts from the reception, made sure our suitcases were in the car prior to venue departure, and they just were a constant help from beginning to end. If you want a wedding where you literally can sit back and RELAX, while your dream unfolds magically before you, you must go with Blue Ribbon.

Ashlhea Demianovich

When searching for a wedding coordinator, I knew I needed someone as detail-oriented and as obsessed with the little things as I am. After my first conversation with Katie, I knew she was the one! When I didn't know where to start, Katie swooped in and set me on the right track. I didn't have to worry about a single thing with her. We had almost 200 guests, 24 people in our bridal party, and she not only ran our rehearsal with finesse, but our wedding day was met with the utmost professionalism and attention to detail. Katie nailed down what was important to me and made sure all my dreams came true that day. I didn't have to worry about getting in touch with a single vendor as our day approached and our day ran so beautifully. Katie made sure to send goodies and food for us in our limo and that all our cards came with us. When I needed something, I turned and either Katie or Lindsay was there for me. Anything I hadn't thought of, it seemed like Katie had already taken care of it. She was there for opinions, guidance, and to talk me off ledges! Not to get all mushy, but I couldn't have imagined that day without Katie; she was the last smiling face I saw before I walked down the aisle, she talked me out of some nerves that day, and even gave me her adorable glitter Keds to wear when my heels started to kill. Katie is a gem, and although she started off as my wedding planner, I am blessed to call her a friend.

Marjory Snell

We had the pleasure of working with Em for our wedding as a day of planner and could not have been happier with our experience. Planning a wedding from the west coast was at times difficult and working with Em made everything super easy. I am not the most organized person or to familiar with weddings so Em was a HUGE help in keeping me on track and she knew all the right questions to ask our vendors which was awesome!! I met Katie on our wedding day and she was so sweet as well, honestly they are the best team! They have the killer combo of friendliness and professionalism! On the wedding day everything went so smooth!They literally took care of everything so I could have a blast with my new husband, friends and family! Look no further for a wedding planner!

Sitou Byll-Cataria

I've worked with tons of wedding planners. Most of them are good but very few are as exceptional as the ladies of Blue Ribbon Weddings. The are detailed, thorough and always available to help. They act as a bridge between brides and their vendors, making life and coordinating easier for the vendors but most importantly for the brides. All that with a smile that shows how much they love what they do and care for their clients. Katie and Emily, you are the absolute best wedding planners and I can't wait to work with you again.

Black and Hue Photography

Katie and her team were absolutely fantastic to work with. They were super professional, fantastic at communication and gave us just the right amount of space for us to do our best as well. We can't wait to work with them again!!!

Kylie Thompson

I truly can't say enough about how wonderful Emily and Katie (and all of their team) with Blue Ribbon Weddings are. I was referred to them from a friend who used them for coordinating her wedding and she said the same thing I'm saying now; you have to hire them! From Emily and I's first meeting where we went over every possible detail of the day of the wedding, she made it clear how organized, meticulous, and professional she was. The most important thing to me on our wedding day was to be STRESS FREE and this was goal was exceeded! My husband and I had the best day and it went off without a hitch because of their team of experts! I've been in weddings before where the coordinators were rude to the bridal party and guests in order to move the day along and Emily and her team were nothing but calm and kind (while also corralling the masses). For all the work that was put into our big day, I truly feel like these ladies are worth way more than they charge!

Ansley Boyd Haskins

Katie and her team at Blue Ribbon Weddings exceeded all of my expectations and dreams of a perfect wedding. BRW took my vision and ran with it. I cannot thank them enough for being so kind, thoughtful, patient and so darn good at what they do. Our vision was carried throughout our entire wedding weekend seamlessly and we couldn't have been more in love with it! Katie and her team thought of little touches that made us feel so special. We had passed Prosecco as our guests arrived to our ceremony and BRW added our reception linens to the serving platter, which made everything very cohesive. During the cocktail hour, they did a "first look" for my husband and I to view our reception area and it brought tears of joy to our eyes. They also pulled us aside to enjoy one another's company and such a fast-paced day with hors d'oeuvres and our favorite drinks in the wine cellar that I just feel in love with. They took care of everything with the vendors on our wedding day so we were able to fully enjoy our day without having to worry about crossing all the T's and dotting the I's. Katie and her team met with us the week prior to take most items off of our plate, benches for a conversation area, frames and a neon sign for our photobooth, chargers, votives... we packed her car to the roof and they couldn't have been more gracious. Words cannot fully express the gratitude and love I have for Katie and her team at BRW. They truly are near and dear to my heart and we couldn't have have a more beautiful wedding.

Tali Gallo

Several of our brides have hired Blue Ribbon Weddings for full wedding planning. My brides always rave about their services. They are very hands on and reach out to check in on the wedding attire details. Blue Ribbon Weddings can give you great peace of mind for such an important time in your life. We look forward to working with them again soon!

Sheena Grosshans

The team at Blue Ribbon Weddings exemplifies the perfect mix of warmth, friendliness, and professionalism. Their eye for design is impeccable, and they consistently beautiful events that are both completely on trend, but ultimate classic, timeless, and uber romantic. Their organization, attention to detail, and quality service cannot be beat!

Amanda Hughes

If you’re looking for the cliff notes: look no further and hire Emily and Katie to be your wedding planners/coordinators. Even hiring someone sounded daunting to us because we had a pretty tight budget, but I knew they’d be invaluable. Their planning portal online was where I lived for the entire planning process and I never felt a lack of attention or help because I had only booked a month of coordinator package. They were there the whole way offering advice on decorations and ideas for the theme I wanted (citrus). The timeline portion was SO helpful and limited stress because I knew what I did or didn’t need to be focusing on which was nice. I loved that I could put info about vendors in the portal so in the future Emily knew who to contact. It saved a lot of time and effort. Then when the month of came and they took over it was a huge weight off of my shoulders. I met Emily and she collected all of my decoration items and told me ‘I’ve got it from here’, and she totally did. She got in touch with all of my vendors, even the ones that were family friends, to make sure that everyone knew where to be and when, and that everyone knew what my expectations were. I ended up DIY my florals for budget reasons and she helped get me in touch with wholesale florists to save some money. My biggest worry was that the venue wouldn’t look like what I wanted it to because neither my mom nor myself would be there for set-up. With Emily and Katie’s help the venue was more than I could expect. She carefully and perfectly decorated the venue with all my signs and knickknacks, she made sure things were placed the way that I envisioned and even enforced my unplugged ceremony rule when a family member stood up and held her cell phone out in the front row. Every single family member complimented on how amazing they were and how they kept things moving in a coordinated and organized fashion. There were no surprises and nothing was out of place. My dress was dragging all night because my bustle wasn’t short enough and they spent all night continuously retying it so I could dance comfortably and enjoy the night. She was there at the cake cutting to make sure I stood the right way so photos would look good. She helped me change my shoes when my feet hurt. When my hair was falling out she repinned it so I’d look nice all night. Emily and Katie weren’t just there for myself and the groom on our wedding day they were there for everything. They took care of every single detail so my mom, my maid of honor, my in-laws, no one had a thing to fret about and could be present enjoying the day. They were more than I could have imagined. They felt like family that day I couldn’t be more thankful.

Jess Meute

Where to even start.... working with Katie and Emily at Blue Ribbon Weddings was the best thing that could have ever happened to us. Not only are they the most wonderful people, but they are ON it! Words truly can't express not only how many headaches, tears, and mistakes they saved us from, but how truly AMAZING our wedding was because of them. We only did a partial planning package, and looking back, the only thing that I would change would be to get the full service package. They made me feel comfortable throughout the entire process, never let me feel any stress, went above and beyond my expectations, and most of all made it fun. On our wedding day, everything was executed flawlessly. I truly credit how perfect our day was to their hard work. Working with Blue Ribbon Weddings was the single best decision we made during the process. I recommend them to anyone I meet that is getting married because I know they won't disappoint!

Nikki Phelan

The whole journey with the women at Blue Ribbon was brilliant. I needed a lot of help and wanted to find a team who could lead me in the right direction. Sometimes it was difficult to explain what I was envisioning, but Emily had such a great sense of what questions to ask, that would ultimately guide us to creating such an amazing, carefree day. It makes it so much more enjoyable when you feel like the people helping you also understand you. Prioritizing is so important when planning a wedding in the little time that we had, and I remember asking Emily if we could do it, if it was even possible, and without a hesitation, she calmly said, “Of course”. Really from then on, there was this confidence that helped carry the whole experience. The entire planning process leading up to the wedding, from helping us pick the right vendors, to helping us write and send out our invitations, Emily was always available and full of helpful advice. I didn’t imagine that meeting with our vendors would be so personal! We made all new friends! Which helped put me into “party mode” rather than making things stressful. And when I’d throw some kind of new idea or change, things were so easily adjusted. I never felt like I couldn’t achieve exactly the idea I was after. The timeline for our wedding day was full of detail. Everything was coordinated and specifically molded to our particular vision. I really had no doubts about the wedding day that night before and it made for such a better evening with all our friends and family. The wedding day was more than I imagined and there is no way it could have been done with out BRW. When I saw our ceremony and our reception area, I had butterflies. It was exactly as I pictured it in my head all those months (actually nicer than I imagined)! I got so many compliments from guests saying how wonderful the BRW women were, and also how beautiful the wedding was. We didn’t have to worry about the end of the night, and the cherry on top: Emily made sure we had cake to go, to take to our hotel, for our wedding night! The BEST GIFT was that I got to enjoy every second of our wedding weekend. All the time spent with my bridesmaids, every dance with our families, and being able to get lost in little moments with my husband because I knew everything was being taken care of. I don't know how to thank them enough. What wonderful planners and even better friends!

Samantha Eckhaus

Let's be honest, wedding planning is not easy breezy... that is unless you hire Katie with Blue Ribbon Wedding & Event Planning. I was fortunate enough to meet Katie when setting up during a late night for an early morning wedding expo. She was only a couple of booths down and I couldn't help but keep wandering over to check out every new detail she was bringing out of her boxes for her booth. Literally every detail was covered, from the gorgeous backdrop to the beautiful gold accessories. Katie's passion is truly what sets her apart though. She is insanely passionate about bringing your dream to a reality. With her attention to detail, absolute LOVE of what she does, there is no better option let alone an option... she is the option! I highly recommend Katie for your special day! Best, Samantha Eckhaus, Owner/Photographer of Corner House Photography

Piper Manley

Lindsay (and the rest of the Blue Ribbon team) made our wedding everything we could have ever hoped for and more. I had the pleasure of getting to know Emily, Lindsay and Katie throughout the whole planning process and I cannot thank them all enough. Lindsay was our Day-Of-Coordinator but she did so much more than just run the day of (although she did that flawlessly no one had to worry about a thing!). She and Emily worked with us starting several months out giving us planning suggestions and guidelines even helping us find our Rehearsal Dinner location! We knew we were in good hands when Lindsay sent us drafts of our layouts and timelines and worked hard to tweak them until they were absolutely perfect. Lindsay was always just a quick text or email away whenever I had any question or wanted her opinion on any last minute detail I bought. It was great to have someone to turn to when I needed a second, more experienced, opinion on anything from vendors to layouts to guestbook ideas. We were able to rent some great day of details from Blue Ribbon as well that really tied everything together for great prices! The day of I the only thing I had to worry about was making sure I was on time (which I wasn't, sorry Lindsay) everything else was handled and I had no doubt it would stay that way because Lindsay and her team were on it! Being the last of three sisters to get married in my family I have seen just how crazy and stressful a wedding day can be but with Lindsay and the Blue Ribbon team we were able to just relax, have fun, and actually enjoy our day! I cannot thank them enough or recommend them more to every bride!

Kate Kroll

I've worked with and for Katie for years and I know that her work ethic and attention to detail is why she is so successful in all that she does! She cares so much about each couple that she works with and will do everything she can do make sure your special day runs smoothly and is the happiest day of your life!

Samantha Stevens

I have sat down several times to draft my “review” of my experience with Em Gibbons at Blue Ribbon Weddings, but each time I could not put into words the gratitude I felt towards Em and became overwhelmed by the sentiment. In simple terms, our wedding day was an absolute dream. There was not a second of the day that I felt stressed out. In fact, when my husband and I drove away from our wedding venue in our getaway car, I turned to him and said “I feel like I owe Em more money.” That was how amazed I was at the level of service we got from Em and Amy on our wedding day. I cannot thank them enough for the time, efforts, and just overall attention to detail that they paid us on our wedding day. In the weeks leading up to our wedding, Em was instrumental in contacting all our vendors and setting up the timeline for our day to run as smoothly as possible. Additionally, every single one of our vendors commented to us how easy it was to work with Em and how on top of everything she was. At our rehearsal, she gave us and our bridal party detailed timelines which referenced down to the minute where we needed to be and what we needed to be doing. Everyone was so impressed and felt so comfortable knowing Em was handling all of the details. When I woke up on our wedding day, I did not have a care in the world because I knew that Em was behind the scenes handling everything. I had full faith in her and when I arrived at our venue and saw everything set up, it was exactly as we had talked about. The entire ceremony and reception ran as smoothly as possible. Em was always checking in with us making sure that we had everything we needed and bringing us to where we needed to be. She completely got my vision and brought it to life. She supervised the entire event, and when the night was all over, she still brought all of our personal items to our hotel room. When we arrived back at the room, everything was organized perfectly for us to bring home the following day. She even brought us back slices of cake and left over catering to enjoy. Overall, our experience with Em from start to finish was five stars. I would (and have) recommend her and Blue Ribbon Weddings to everyone. You won’t regret it!

Soundwave Entertainment Orlando DJ & LED Lighting

My company, Soundwave Ent, has worked with the ladies of Blue Ribbon several times. Each and every time, it is a true pleasure. They are extremely detailed, very organized, passionate and just all around great. We are happy to endorse Blue Ribbon any time!

Samantha Ollila

We first met Katie at our wedding venue. We hadn’t heard back from the original planner we contacted, and when we saw her work, we had to work with her! I emailed her that night and she got back to me on a SUNDAY (Ah-mazing customer service)! I can’t even begin to describe how great Katie and her team were! Katie made every step of the wedding planning process completely effortless and relaxed! If we thought of it, she had already thought of it and come up with a plan. She is literally the most organized person I’ve ever met and her incredibly meticulous ways made the entire day run so smoothly. Her attention to detail and her eye for stylish, trendy, yet timeless designs is incredible. I could not have imagined a more perfect wedding day, or wedding planning process. If you’re looking for a wedding planner, do yourself the biggest favor, EVER, and hire Blue Ribbon. They are beyond amazing and will work tirelessly to ensure that your day is nothing short of perfect. I can’t say this enough: we loved Katie and the whole team at Blue Ribbon!!

Natalie Como Dunkel

My (now) husband and I had a great experience working with Katie to create our dream wedding. She took the time to get to know us and our vision for our big day, and recommended AMAZING vendors that would coordinate well with our style and wishes. We were very happy we chose her throughout the whole wedding process. She saw our vision and recommended great linens, flowers, etc. to bring together our whole feel. When it came to the week of the wedding we were even more thankful we chose Katie as she worked tirelessly to finalize all last minute details, especially due to the rain forecast on our outdoor wedding and implementing a tent and switching around our seating plan, where the band would go - all of the many logistics we wouldn't even know to consider. The day of the wedding we were even MORE happy we chose to work with Katie. The day went by so smoothly and perfectly. Her team and all of our vendors worked so hard to make the dream of an outdoor wedding ceremony a reality, pulling out all the chairs right before the ceremony and watching the rain to make sure we were able to get our dream. It was the best day, the most beautiful day, and we couldn't have done it without Katie.