Reviews of A Southern Soiree (Event Planner)

851 Washington St, Raleigh, NC 27605, United States

Average Rating:

DESCRIPTION

We offer you all the opinions of people who consumed the services of A Southern Soiree (Event Planner) around North Carolina area.

Right now the business receives a rating of 4.9 stars over 5 and that score is based on 70 reviews.

You may have noticed that the average score it has is virtually the best one, and it is founded on a high number of opinions, so we can say that the valuation is very credible. If there are many people who bothered to evaluate when they are happy with the business, it works.

You know that we don't usually stop to give feddbacks when these are positive and we usually do it only if we've had a problem or incidence...

This Event Planner is included in the category of Wedding planner.

Where is A Southern Soiree?

REVIEWS OF A Southern Soiree IN North Carolina

denise federer

I can not say enough about how amazing Megan and A Southern Soiree were in making my son and his wife's wedding absolutely magnificent and helping everyone who attended to have a memorable and flawless weekend. It was a destination wedding for the bride, groom, both families and all the guests. Megan coordinated a weekend of events and even our guests remarked about how warm, personable and talented she was in her craft. Megan provided excellent advice in guiding the choice of vendors, helping the bride and groom to realize their vision and providing support throughout the whole process. I recommend her without reservation and she will forever be a part of our "family".

Blair Hartney

Words can't truly capture how fabulous Gina Annab and the Southern Soiree team were in making my wedding day absolutely perfect. When I first began looking for wedding planners I simply wanted a weekend of coordinator to take some of the pressure off my mom. However, after meeting with Gina and the Southern Soiree team we decided that maybe a full service coordinator was the way to go, and it is a decision I would make 100 times over. From the smallest of details to the major events Gina was by my side to make sure my day was everything I wanted and more. I never once was concerned that something was going to go wrong because Gina was one step ahead of everyone the whole night! I would absolutely use Southern Soiree again, and whole-heartedly recommend them to any brides in the Triangle area, you won't be disappointed.

Spell Wedding

Gina with A Southern Soiree was the best decision we made for our wedding day. Words can't even begin to describe how amazing she was. She took care of every thing, big or small. We didn't have to lift a finger on our wedding day. The biggest thing we had to worry about was having fun. Even though we had a wedding planner, we still got to enjoy the planning process. Gina was always there to help us with the tough decisions and make sure we didn't forget about anything. On the day of the wedding, Gina treated us like royalty, giving us the opportunity to truly enjoy our special day. Everything started on time and Gina never missed a beat. We are so incredibly grateful to Gina and her attention to detail. She truly made our wedding day PERFECT!

Morgan Thomas

Hiring Kelley Ann with A Southern Soirée was the 2nd best decision I made for my wedding (the first was picking my husband!). She made everything so easy on me, my mom and my hubby, and being that my mom and I are type A must-be-in-control, list-making kind of people, the fact that she was too and was so organized put me at ease after our very first meeting and she never failed us. Anyone can be a wedding planner, but it takes someone like Kelley Ann to really pull off the perfect wedding, someone who makes you and your hubby feel truly important throughout every step, who will kindly tell you their true opinion even if it's different than what you thought you wanted (and she was always right), and someone who will go out of their way to make every detail of the day go perfectly. We decided to hire A Southern Soirée for the whole wedding package not just the "month of", and it was totally worth every penny, I highly recommend it. After all, your wedding only happens once in a lifetime and trust me, the preperation leading up to it are just as important and memorable as the day of.

Jessica O'Keefe

Spark Notes Version - I HIGHLY recommend working with A Southern Soiree! They will make your wedding day magical. Extended Version: I was married at The Carolina Inn in May and I had the absolute privilege of working with Gina from A Southern Soiree. When you book a ceremony at The Carolina Inn, they include day-of coordination with one of the area wedding planning companies as a part of the package (amazing deal - everyone should get married at The Carolina Inn). Having seen A Southern Soiree in TONS of blogs and websites, I asked right away if I could work with them for my wedding. I ended up working with Gina, and based on my contract with the venue, assumed that we would just meet a couple of times to cover the basics and that Gina would primarily just be there to support the actual wedding day. I could not have been more wrong, in all the right ways! Gina was an absolute dream to work with and well exceeded my expectations throughout the wedding planning vision. She helped so much throughout the planning process. She was also professional, quick to respond to emails, had great ideas for my wedding day, and has such a great personality - I had so much fun at all of our meetings! When the day of the rehearsal dinner came, I had everything packed in my car and drove over to the venue, starting to feel overwhelmed with pre-wedding stress. As soon as I parked my car at the valet, Gina and her assistant were there coordinating getting my car unloaded. I gave Gina a rundown on what I had in all the boxes and where it needed to go, and she took over from there. There was no stressing out about setting out favors, making sure programs made it to the ceremony, etc. because Gina had it 100% taken care of. At the rehearsal dinner I was feeling overwhelmed, and Gina's assistant stood there with a glass of water for me the whole time just in case I needed it. They wanted to do whatever they could to make sure they day was stress free and that everything was wonderful. Gina and her assistant were like magical wedding planning fairies the day of the wedding making sure that everything was executed flawlessly. Before the wedding, people told me to mentally prepare myself for "something" going wrong, but when the wedding day came...nothing went wrong. Literally, everything was perfect, and I'm sure it was because I was so fortunate to have A Southern Soiree there to cover all the details. Even my father-in-law the day after the wedding could NOT stop talking about how amazing Gina and her assistant were. He was still in a state of disbelief over how they were able to pull everything off so perfectly. You can't go wrong choosing them as your event planning company and I would definitely recommend them to all of my friends and family.

Raja Davidarulappan

Our daughter and only child just got married. We are so thankful to have Megan and Gina as our planners. It was truly a pleasant experience from the start. First of all, they were very gracious in working with us and the vendors. When the original event organizer at the hotel, the venue for our reception, left the hotel, Megan made sure to iron out any issues/gaps and ensured that we got everything we initially asked for. Megan and Gina were very prompt in responding to our requests which was very critical in planning the event. The tasks progressed based on the initial timeline that we agreed. Megan always gave lot of choices and options in selecting vendors and the venue for the reception, which was very helpful. She even found vendors that they do not regularly work with. That was truly appreciated. Megan and Gina were very flexible in meeting with us as both our daughter and (now) son-in-law were working in a place that's far off from our home. This is a delicate process and personality does matter. Thankfully, we had Megan, who was aligned with us 100%. Thank you, Megan and Gina.

Jen Salzburg Nix

We got married this past weekend (11/2/13) and I can honestly say that Gina from A Southern Soiree was indispensable from the beginning of the planning all the way through to saying goodnight after the wedding festivities were done. Gina was assigned to the wedding by the venue where we booked the event, but it felt like she was hand-picked to help us through everything. She was always available via email (or a phone call, if necessary) and had answers when we needed them. From the beginning, she understood what kind of an event we were shooting for and remained flexible while we worked through the details... whether they wound up sticking with us until the end or not! She made sure that there was a schedule set-up for the entire day of the wedding, despite the ceremony not being until 5:30PM, and had a copy of the schedule ready for each person participating in our rehearsal the evening before. The day of the wedding, there were little issues that needed handling and Gina took care of all of them, allowing us to continue to get ready for our wedding and enjoy the wedding itself. She checked in with us periodically throughout the reception to make sure things were moving along the way we wanted them to, as well as communicating with the venue staff and any vendors, as necessary. She saw us through until the very end of everything, making sure we had all of our things before saying farewell for the night. I cannot express how important Gina was to making our wedding a success and anyone planning a wedding would be lucky to have her.

Jessica Wetherill

Where do I even begin?? My husband and I ended our wedding night saying none of this could or would have been possible without Megan and this was not the first time we made comments like this to one another. Throughout the whole process, which was actually fun and enjoyable thanks to A Southern Soiree, we would say we don't know how anyone does this without Megan. We had the pleasure of working with Megan and, as well as, Gina for an entire year. Megan understood my vision better than I did and was able to recommend/assemble a team, of what we believe, were the best vendors in the area. Megan made you feel as if she did not have any other weddings to plan-- just yours! We were living in Tampa during our wedding planning process and whenever we made it back to Raleigh, Megan always dedicated her time to our meetings on the days we were in town. She would respond to every email/text within hours of sending her a message. We knew we weren't, but we felt as if we were the only clients she was taking care of. Not only were the months leading up to the big day stress free, but so was the day of, I felt completely relaxed knowing it was in their hands. They had a detailed timeline of when all the vendors were scheduled to arrive and managed the whole set up process leaving us with nothing to worry about. Megan saw my dream and vision of the wedding from day one and made it come alive in a way I never thought was possible. Its only been a little over a week since our wedding and I miss working/talking to both Megan and Gina. They become a part of your life and it is because of them I had the absolute wedding of my dreams. We had multiple guests either the night of the wedding or in the days that followed tell us it was the best wedding they had ever been to. To anyone considering a wedding planner, I would highly recommend, if not insist they choose A Southern Soiree.

Sarah Massey

We had the pleasure of working with Megan and Gina while planning our May wedding at Rose Hill Plantation. I had never used a professional planner before, but can't imagine having a better experience with anyone else. Those ladies know what they are doing and were so much fun to work with. I'm very detail-oriented, some might say OCD,but Megan and Gina were always happy to answer any questions and calm my concerns with a friendly smile! They understood my vision right from the start and helped me create the wedding of my dreams. The best part was being able to enjoy those priceless moments with my bridal party on my wedding day without be stressed or worrying about vendors, floral arrangements, unity sand, etc. I knew Megan and Gina had everything under control and that feeling is worth every penny! I know many people who have worked with A Southern Soiree for both weddings and corporate events and have never heard a negative comment or review. I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for an amazing experience with quality customer service!

Lindsey Powell

A Southern Soiree was the best and easiest decision we made when planning our January wedding in Raleigh. Gina is AMAZING! I was planning from out of town, and Gina took a huge weight off my shoulders. She made everything so easy from picking venues and vendors to rehearsal to the actual day. I can't more highly recommend the team at A Southern Soiree for any event planning needs!

Haley Rawitz

Hands down the best wedding planning team out there!! We had the absolute pleasure of working with Elizabeth for our wedding on 08/31/19! We are so incredibly thankful for her help in planning our dream wedding and making it a completely stress free day for us!! Elizabeth was so professional, organized, kind, and an absolute joy to work with! Our wedding day went seamlessly and we didn't worry about a single thing! We were able to enjoy every moment of our wedding day knowing that Elizabeth had everything covered. We would highly recommend A Southern Soiree to any couple planning a wedding. They are just wonderful!!

Elizabeth Betts

New to North Carolina my husband and I knew that we wanted a wedding coordinator to help us navigate the intimidating waters of wedding planning. After researching online, we set up a meeting with Megan. It took about fifteen minutes for us to know that A Southern Soiree was the perfect fit for us. Megan exuded confidence and experience and her demeanor was approachable and caring. We spent a year planning our wedding with Megan and Gina. They kept us organized and managed the details and timeline. Unlike the experience of so many bride-grooms we know, we can honestly say that we enjoyed the wedding planning journey (and are sad that it’s over!). We looked forward to our meetings with Megan and Gina and with our vendors. We always knew we were in the very capable hands of our planners and we trusted their advice. The week of the wedding Megan and Gina were nothing short of incredible. They expertly managed ALL of our vendors and wedding details and were sensitive to the stress many bride-grooms and families experience as their very important event approaches. After the rehearsal (the evening before our wedding), Megan said if I needed anything that I could call her at any hour. Saying that Megan and Gina went above and beyond on the day of our wedding doesn’t adequately describe their involvement/contribution. They managed the set up and break down of multiple sites with ease, juggling vendor drop-offs/pick-ups and independently making last minute adjustments. They catered to the needs of our family and guests and directed our wedding party. They carefully managed every bride/groom hand-off. We didn’t worry about a thing on the day of our wedding – unbelievable and priceless. We were happy and relaxed and could focus on enjoying the day and all of the small moments. We would emphatically and without reservation recommend Megan and Gina, and A Southern Soiree, to anyone beginning their wedding planning journey.

Channing Carter

My husband and I had the honor of working with Megan, as well as, Gina during our wedding planning process. We had already booked our venue when we meet with A Southern Soiree but from the initial meeting on we knew they were the perfect fit for us, and therefore we booked them for the rest of the planning. Both Megan and Gina are very sweet, thoughtful and personable. They definitely made us feel extremely comfortable. It was a huge burden taken off of me when Megan began helping. I no longer had to be the one dealing with contacting, researching and scheduling vendors as Megan was the one to now act on those tasks. It was great having feedback on different vendors and having the girls join in on the vendor meetings to help me make my final decisions and give suggestions. Throughout the year of our wedding planning A Southern Soiree was fantastic. When it came down to the day of the wedding, that is when I could truly appreciate the help of Megan and Gina both. Megan was pregnant with her second child and actually due near my wedding date. Never once did she let that slow her down or cause me any stress as she ensured she had the other girls set in place to jump in with everything. The day of the wedding, I can honestly say, went off without a hitch. It was the most beautiful and magical day - more than I could have initially imagined. I know that myself, as well as, my mother were able to truly enjoy the day to it's full extent due to the fact that A Southern Soiree had everything under control (and even if they perhaps didn't I couldn't tell ya because they sure didn't let me know haha). I would recommend A Southern Soiree to anyone who asks me if they are considering a wedding planner. It was truly a wonderful experience having these ladies take care of such an important day for us. Not only did things go extremely well but I can say we walked away from this expedition with new friends as an extension of our family. :)

Nina McCaskey

Honestly, one of the most amazing teams I have ever met! The whole crew is incredible and so detailed with every wedding they produce. 10/10 would recommend to all my brides!

Kate Murray

Gina from A Southern Soiree went above and beyond to help us create the wedding we had dreamed of. Since ours was a mix of DIY and full-service, we needed someone flexible, understanding, and who knew how to help us decide when to go DIY and when to go full-service. Gina was all of the above. It was such a gift to have her available on the wedding day and to know she was taking care of all the details. I can't recommend Gina and A Southern Soiree enough.

Katie Kidder

My mother heard about A Southern Soiree at a wedding expo and hired Gina just for the day of my wedding. I didn't know if it would be worth the money for just one day of service, but since I was living in Boston and planning a wedding in NC we needed some extra help. Gina started working well before the wedding by holding conference calls with both me and my mother. She collected all the contact information for each of our vendors and created specific timelines for the day of the wedding, so there would be no question about where anyone needed to be (the band, the cake, the servers, the florist, the videographer, the photographer....) Gina took detailed notes at our meetings and the walk-through, asking questions when clarification was needed but otherwise laying low- which was nice. She offered suggestions and advice when we needed it, and always seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. On the day of the wedding Gina sprung into action and seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once! She approached us throughout the evening and courteously told us where we needed to be (ie: when we should eat dinner, when to cut the cake/make toasts/thank guests, when to throw the bouquet...) without being obtrusive or rude. She was magnificent!! Our day went by so quickly and without Gina our wedding would not have gone nearly as smoothly or been nearly as wonderful as it was. She definitely went above and beyond, and we are very happy to recommend her to future brides!!

Sharyn Shapiro

Oh what a night! Megan joined our planning process just about three months before our event and got right to it helping us plan a fun and beautiful Bat Mitzvah. Even though time was short we never felt hurried in the process. Megan and team helped us find the best vendors to create the "fun" atmosphere for our event. They not only met with us at each vendor, A Southern Soiree also reviewed all the contracts before we signed. We received so many compliments on all aspects of the evening from the linens, flowers, and cake to the music and additional entertainment. The kids and adults loved the strolling musician and the caricature artists. The lasers and video wall were also a big hit with the kids. The party had something for everyone! A Southern Soiree was there every step of the way. They took care of all the little details including place cards, table numbers in addition to labeling the t-shirts we gave to the kids as favors. Our gift bags were even delivered to our venue! The evening was so much more enjoyable knowing that someone was there to take care of everything the night of the event. We felt as though we were guests at our own event, making us free to fully enjoy the evening. We can not thank everyone at Southern Soiree enough for a wonderful event!

Anne Mushow

Working with A Southern Soiree, and specifically Gina, was the best decision I made during my wedding planning process. They were recommended to us by close friends who had a wonderful planning experience as well. Technically, we only contracted with them for Day of Coordination and Decorative input, but Gina was there for us every step of the way. She took the lead on coordinating and scheduling with all of our vendors and was there for all of the meetings and detail questions, very quick with responses, and even helped handle those sticky situations that arise when 2 families plan a huge event. She also worked wonderfully with the staff at Duke Chapel, which is a daunting venue with lots of rules and regulations. Our day was everything we could have dreamed of and I know that I never would have been able to enjoy it without knowing I had someone taking care of everything behind the scenes. These girls are invaluable, and I can’t say enough about the great work they do. It has been less than a month since our event and I miss talking to her every week already.

Nancy Killian

When my daughter and her fiance' began planning their wedding, they first chose the venue . . . Bald Head Island, an island accessible only by ferry and where the only transportation is golfcarts. They then had to find a wedding planner who could meet the challenges presented by this venue. When my daughter met Megan at A Southern Soiree, she emailed that she had found the perfect planner and she was right! The bride had specific expectations for the wedding and was working with a somewhat limited budget. In addition, the mother of the bride lives in another state. Megan was able to work with the bride and her mother to meet these expectations and limitations. Megan helped find vendors who provided excellent services in a destination venue and she did an excellent job of coordinating their services. She was flexible in making appointments and responsive to questions and concerns. She anticipated and handled possible problems with seeming ease. She worked with the bride and her mother in designing and creating the unique ceremony decoration and the tablescapes and other decorations used at the reception. She helped order, store, ship, transport, and assemble the decorations. Megan, Gina, and the staff at A Southern Soiree transformed the Shoals Club into the perfect setting envisioned by the bride and groom. Megan's detailed timeline, coordination with the person in charge of the wedding and reception venue and the vendors who provided flowers, wedding cake, music and entertainment, and photography and videography services, and collaboration with the ceremony officiant assured us that the rehearsal, ceremony, and reception would meet the expectations of the bride and groom. Even the weather cooperated (Not sure Megan controlled this, but we knew she would if she could!). Megan and her staff at A Southern Soiree were able to make my daughter's dream wedding a reality. The Killian-Farrell wedding weekend was wonderful and you and your A Southern Soiree team helped to make it so. What can I say but the obvious . . . we couldn't have done it without your excellent help and support. We recommend A Southern Soiree to any bride who wants to have her dream wedding fulfilled.

Lydia R. Byrd

Absolutely couldn't have had the wedding of my dreams without Gina and A Southern Soiree!! She helped me plan an NC mountain destination wedding in under 6 months. From helping us budget, to coordinating vendors, to handling every detail the day of, Gina was outstanding!! Our wedding weekend was so stress-free and we honestly felt like all we had to do was show up and enjoy ourselves! I would absolutely recommend this company to anyone! SO happy they were recommended to me!!

Kendra Scott

As soon as I got engaged in October of 2013 I knew I wanted to hire a wedding planner. I started off working with Kailey who left in September. I then started working with Kelley Ann Ward. I was a little skeptical about working with someone new but I can honestly say Kelley Ann turned out to be the best wedding planner EVER!!! Kelley Ann was on top of everything. She coordinated with all my vendors, gave great idea, and gave me an overall sense of trust. During the planning process all of my family and friends couldn't believe how stress free I was. I felt as though I was in good hands. The day of my wedding I did not have one worry in the world. She handled everything. During the rehearsal she told everyone that if they had a question the day of the wedding to please call her instead of calling me or my parents. She took every bit of stress off of me. I have never known a bride to be able to say that every aspect of her wedding went perfect. I can say that. Nothing went wrong and if it did Kelley Ann made sure she handled it without letting me know. No bride wants to be stressed on their special day. I recommend Kelley Ann. I guarantee she will help make the planning process a breeze and your wedding day perfect. Thank you Kelley Ann for all your hard work. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding planner. I could not have done it without you!!!!

Robin Green

We got to A Southern Soiree through working with The Umstead Hotel and Spa for our daughter's wedding. A modified package with them came with the hotel package. All I can say is that they were outstanding. Both Megan and Alyssa were organized, answered all of our questions promptly and thoroughly, and made our day go as smoothly as we could have asked for. They attended our important meetings, including the food tasting, the final hotel meeting and the rehearsal, and also attended the night of the wedding. Alyssa handled all of our detailed timelines and interacted with our vendors, saving us untold time and aggravation. Alyssa also stayed at our party until the bitter end to make sure no stone went unturned. I would highly recommend A Southern Soiree.

Kelly Prettyman

There are no words to express my level of gratitude for having Kelley Ann by my side while planning my wedding. My year would not have been the same without her. I had little to zero stress throughout the planning process. The true measure being that my mom and I got along (for the most part) the entire time!! Every vendor KA recommended I accepted without question and I could not have been more pleased with all of her suggestions. Everyone she surrounded me with the day of could not have been more professional, accommodating, and pleasurable to work with. She was able to take my vague vision of how I wanted to make my day to look and create something truly beautiful. The attention to detail was apparent the day of and many of our guests took notice and complimented. Kelley Ann's personality is incredible and she truly made the planning process enjoyable. Everyone that interacted with KA walked away saying "I am so impressed. She knows her stuff." Every dollar spent on having Kelley Ann as my wedding planner was worth it and I cannot recommend her enough.

rebecca sherman

I cannot say enough good things about A Southern Soiree. We worked with Megan mainly with help from Gina and both of them were truly such a joy and made the whole process of planning a wedding easy, fun, and stress free. I came in with a lot of ideas about what I didn't want my wedding to be but very few clear thoughts on what I wanted the event to actually look like. Megan coached us through everything, asking questions about what we've liked about other weddings and getting a feel for who we were and what we wanted the day to be about, and she gave us the guidance we needed to make informed decisions based on those initial conversations. She also gave great advice and delicately let us know when something we suggested might not fit with what we were actually going for, which we absolutely needed and are so grateful for. She kept us on track and excited for the big day, keeping things in perspective for us throughout. She even threw in napkins with fun facts about us as a couple as a surprise, which was so thoughtful! A Southern Soiree is a unique business that really does focus on the individual client and what will make them happy with their event, as opposed to pushing them in the direction that is the trendiest or most common. Megan and Gina took the time to get to know me and my family so that they could make sure that they gave the advice and guidance that would make our wedding truly ours. TLDR - You can't go wrong with A Southern Soiree - they are amazing, worth every penny, and provide a personalized, fun experience to their clients.

Genevieve Berry

Kelley Ann was a spectacular and visionary wedding planner. I have heard from many guests that my daughter's wedding was one of the very top-notch events they have ever attended. Many of my friends have asked for A Southern Soiree's (and Kelley Ann's) contact information, as they want a similarly beautiful wedding for their children. My daughter and I were able to truly enjoy her wedding and not worry about the details. I felt like a very-important guest, rather than a hectic MOB, thanks to Kelley Ann.

Robin Andrews

I worked with Megan and Whitney for our annual spring Gala for our nonprofit organization. They were amazing! We brought them in a little late in the game, but they came right up to speed and helped in every single aspect! They worked with vendors we had selected and also made introductions to bring in new vendors and partners for the event. Whitney worked with us for the day before and day of event prep -she was a dream! She helped in anyway she could and made our night a thousand times less stressful knowing she was there to take care of things! I would definitely recommend bringing them in to help your event run as smoothly as possible!

Jackie Ferguson

I had been "stalking" A Southern Soiree for about a year before I got engaged and I knew they would be my first call when I got the ring. When I first met Gina, I knew she was the right planner for me. What I never told her was that I planned weddings many years ago and I have executed many events myself. I've also used other planners over the years for other events. If you think you can do what A Southern Soiree does, you're wrong! Not only do they recommend vendors that are perfect for you as a bride/couple based on style, preferences, and budget but they help you develop a unique and cohesive style for your day and then execute against it flawlessly. Gina was with me every step of the way to bring my vision to life. She was my personal fairy godmother. I am a type A, high-strung personality so an event like this could have put me into cardiac arrest! But I knew that Gina had everything well in hand, even when things didn't go exactly right (bridesmaids snuck away from pictures to taste the hors d'oeuvres, singer showed up to rehearsal an hour late), she kept me calm and handled it. Gina will give you real advice. When I was considering saving in a place where I should spend, she told me. When I considered spending in a place that wasn't impactful, she told me. Ultimately, I ended up with a mouth-dropping event. (If I do say so myself!) If I had to plan my wedding again, my first call would be to Gina. Believe me that is money WELL spent. Could I have done it without her? ...... No. Next question? :)

Camille & Bryan 2Adopt

We began planning our wedding in Sept 2016. When we finally chose the venue location, The Umstead Hotel provided A Southern Soiree by as a vendor to work with. After a brief intro call, Gina and I began mapping out the details of what my husband and I wanted for our big day. Luckily we had a pretty clear vision, but regardless of vision, being able to pull it all off can be a completely different story. From day one, Gina was on it. She would provide recommendations, give feedback, ask the important questions, and really help us nail down the ins and outs of our wedding. Every experience I had with recommended vendors was a good one. She was responsive to my communications and vendor communications. All in all, it was truly a pleasure working with Gina. She is a great listener, intuitive, thoughtful, organized, professional, and has a great personality. I found working with her to be enjoyable, fun and seamless. She never once dropped the ball on a single item being thrown her way. On our wedding day, she was on the ball and things went smoother than I could have ever imagined. It felt like we had a lot of moving parts but when the day came, everything fell perfectly into place and went off without a single glitch, not that I expected there to be one. I highly recommend using A Southern Soiree!

Charlotte Srithai

I knew, even before getting engaged, that I wanted a wedding planner for our wedding day. Having someone to handle all the details and direction that would allow me to be like a guest at my own wedding sounded amazing! Working with Megan and Gina gave us that and so much more! We met Megan at the Carolina Inn wedding show and knew instantly they fit our personalities perfectly. Megan is so warm, friendly and professional! When I emailed her to discuss our wedding the next week, I got a reply back that day. We never had to wait to have our questions and requests answered, big or small. She helped me to decide that I wanted a weekend planning package with a la carte design help. Prior to this I thought a planner would just get together with me a few weeks before and run the day I had planned. Instead, we were treated to countless phone calls for recommendations on vendors, discounts with those vendors, and meetings with those vendors arranged by Megan. She gave us direction on etiquette and advice for numerous details of our day. Finally, she sat down with us and created a detailed timeline and ran that timeline on the big day. Many of our guests have come to me to say they had never seen a wedding run that smoothly! That's saying a lot since I had a lot of special requests for that day! (I asked her one week before my wedding if Ramses could bring in 200 bo berry biscuits to my groom at our reception. Megan made it happen!) It think the biggest testament, however, was how excited we were to see Gina and Megan the morning of the wedding and share everything we had planned together with them. They felt like a part of our family.

Kristin White

I called A Southern Soiree when I realized that I could not plan a wedding on my own and my only regret is that I didn't call sooner. The minute I spoke with them, I knew that Gina and her team were exactly what I needed. Living in Seattle, it was really hard for me to be available to meet with vendors, go to tastings, etc. Gina was my lifesaver and knew exactly what I was looking for without me even having to say it! Even when I felt like there was so much to do with the wedding, I would speak with Gina and just feel at ease. She is professional, honest, and a joy to be around. I already want to plan another party just to have her help again!

Jamia Harrison

A Southern Soiree was seriously the best! We got married in November and they went above and beyond for us! I can't thank Gina enough for everything she did to make sure our day was perfect! She answered every question and went over every detail with us from beginning to end! It was the best day ever!!

Victoria Burns

Gina at A Southern Soirée - literally, there is nobody better. She's fun and friendly, the type of girl you'd want to be friends with, but she knows her stuff better than anyone else! Even the smallest of details were taken care of, and on the day of my wedding when my head was in the clouds and I couldn't keep track of anything, she was right there behind the scenes, making sure everything went smoothly and keeping her eye on everything. So much was changing even up to the last minute, but she made sure that every single ridiculous request or change was taken care of. She also had great recommendations for vendors in the area as well. The moment when I truly realized how amazing she was occurred a week before the wedding, when the rental place for my cobalt glassware had an issue at one of their events and a bunch of the glasses shattered. She was furiously all over the internet and making calls and emails to find replacement glassware, and I was so grateful!

Ji Won Paek

Reposting my email to Megan and Gina from ASouthernSoiree: "THANK YOU SO MUCH. Words cannot convey how awed, amazed, and grateful both of us were this past weekend. For everything you guys have done to keep us on track, plan every little detail to help us not only bring the beautiful inspiration to life but also to guide us in thinking about what are little things that guests would appreciate and make them feel special as well. John and I had the time of our lives. When the wedding day came, we were so mentally ready to let go and do a mental trust fall onto you guys because we absolutely trusted that you had every little step of the way down and if anything were to happen we knew you guys were there. Throughout the wedding day, I was thinking about how easy everything was and all I had to do was manage my own nerves about the ceremony, and then I had a really good mental image of you two wearing amazing superhero capes and flying around from the Wa Duke to the Chapel to the Bay 7 and back around to make sure every little thing was cared for. We cannot thank you enough for you two pouring everything you have onto our wedding, we could definitely feel your enthusiasm, energy, professionalism and love for everything you were doing for us, and we really appreciate that. Even greater than our appreciation for pulling this wedding off is how you guys had my mom’s back. It was a REALLY tough situation with my mom living abroad, me up in North and you guys being in Raleigh to talk through the inspirations with vendors and have me translate and go back and forth with communication, where things were bound to get lost, especially in foreign languages. And you guys did an AMAZING job making sure mom’s inspiration live and breathe that day. Both my mom and I literally gasped for air when we walked into Bay 7. The first thing I said was “this is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS” and then I said “I really hope my mom loves it”. The next thing I know, I see my mom running to come get my attention to say (in tears) that this is perfect and all the flowers were MAGNIFICENT, the lighting was like stars in the sky, and how the plate setting and the goblets and the rows of candles and flowers were EXACTLY as how she had envisioned it and on and on and on. It was an AMAZING sight to see my parents be so happy and just letting loose! And all of this, you two made it happen. The vendors were AMAZING, but without you two recommending them, running around to meet Cydney and coordinating with all the vendors to make sure the look gets pulled off, I would have never seen my parents be that happy. You guys gave them the best night so far in their lives. Thank you so much. You two are the superheroes with invisible capes, saving couples’ lives everywhere as they take their first steps towards eternity of love together. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything you've done for us, and thank you for everything you've done for my parents. We appreciate you so much!"

Emily Fuquay

I can not say enough wonderful things about Megan! I felt an immediate connection to her when we met, and knew she would understand what me and my husband wanted for our wedding. Letting go of control is a challenge for me, but I completely trusted Megan and her team. The weeks leading up to the wedding and the day of the wedding were so smooth and everything went off without a hitch! We still have wedding guests raving about how amazing our wedding was and how great our wedding planner was. You hear horror stories about wedding planning or something going terribly wrong the day of the wedding, but I can honestly say the day of our wedding we were able to focus on us, getting married, and enjoying our guests, and that is all thanks to Megan!

Alli Soule

I’d like to tell you why Megan Gillikin is the best investment in your wedding you will ever make. I hired Megan to be a more hands-off resource during my planning process, then to swoop in and save me from about six weeks out until the big day. We had a series of meetings where she helped me with elements I had no comprehension of – things like a budget, a month-by-month checklist, reputable vendors – and then sent me on my way. For the next year, I kept those documents so handy, that I rarely closed them on my computer. They were my guidebooks, and when I had a question that wasn’t answered in those docs, Megan was always ready with a quick response. Anything from “What are the rules about an A list and a B list?” to “Is it completely stupid if I make my own place cards?” and everything in between. I’m a fairly organized person, but there’s only so much time you can dedicate to your wedding in order to A. maintain the workload at your full-time job and B. stay sane. Needless to say, I was pushing it. At six weeks out, I began meeting with Megan regularly and each time was like taking an anti-anxiety pill. “Start CC-ing me on all your emails,” she’d say. “Oh, I can take care of that vendor.” Music to my ears. By the time wedding week rolled around, I was actually … calm. Then the days of the rehearsal and the wedding were when Megan really shined. She and her partner, Melissa, were one step ahead of everything. She was pleasant but firm, organized but not rigid, and calm, friendly and poised throughout. It’s important to note that my wedding was also logistically difficult because the church and reception were 45 minutes apart – no problem for this group. Megan traveled with the wedding party and Melissa manned the fort at the reception site. When last-minute questions arose, Megan had already called Melissa back at home base who took care of it all. And as a result, the day was as close to perfection as my husband and I imagined. Megan’s common sense, know-how, attention to detail were more valuable than any other thing we paid for during the wedding weekend. She gets it, and she’ll get your vision, just like she got mine. You don’t have time to do everything and your family and friends can only be stretched so thin. You’re spending a stupid amount of money on this wedding; Megan and A Southern Soiree will make sure you’re getting the best quality for what you’re paying. Hire them. Besides, I’d take her over J.Lo in that wedding planner movie any day.

Maya Mitchell

I will say that Kelley went above and beyond to meet with us, given we are from out of town. That was very appreciated. She presented as being enthusiastic and on board with our ideas and vision for our wedding. As we were wedding planner shopping, we wanted to make sure we were asking the right questions and having a full understanding of what each planner could provide for us. After our meeting all of that changed. We were disappointed to find an email two days later informing us that she felt she could not represent us due to our budget (which was not set in stone, and not particularly small), and our "style and vision" which is completely confusing as we are two southern, young professional traditional adults. It became clear that either Kelley or Southern Soiree only caters to particular and specific clients, who apparently were not us. We were offended and insulted quite frankly. The initial price points we were given on the phone were inflated in person by a couple thousand, and the idea of creating a "signature wedding" suddenly became an absent part of what they do. I thought after travelling an hour and a half to meet, and sharing our intimate wedding needs a phone call would have been more appropriate and professional. It's unfortunate that they are not particularly flexible, open or versatile in dealing with clients that may be out of their comfort zone, for whatever reason.

Karen Armstrong

A Southern Soiree is a top notch wedding and planning service. I give them my highest recommendation for planning any event-- a wedding, a party, or a corporate meeting. They helped me plan a very important four day corporate event and dental continuing education meeting from start to finish. Their creative ideas, attention to detail, high level of customer service, knowledge, experience, and vast network of vendors and entertainment venues was very impressive. Every little detail was so well planned that the event was seamless and very enjoyable to all who attended. From the early planning stages until the very end of the weekend they were with us every step of the way, taking care of the needs of the guests, vendors, and speakers. They were even of assistance after the meeting to help with hotel billing questions. This high level of service allowed me to relax and enjoy the meeting along with everyone else. Each year our event is held in a different southeastern state. Our members were so impressed with A Southern Soiree that they are considering hiring them to host our next meeting in Florida!

Terri Watson

Our company, Get Lit Event Lighting, worked with Megan as a consultant for social media. She is so knowledgeable about Instagram etiquette and process. She provided an in-depth critique of our current practices then walked us through specific steps to improve our process. The whole experience was a joy, as well as informative and so useful to our business! We highly recommend!

Monica Prasnal

I had such a wonderful experience working with Gina. From the engagement to the wedding day, everything went smoothly and I had my dream wedding. The process was stress-free since Gina was always organized and kept me on track with the planning process. On the actual day I was able to relax and enjoy my wedding as opposed to stressing over small details. My family and the guests also thought Gina was great and appreciated how she had the entire wedding handled! Everyone was very impressed. She also is a genuine person and it was a joy to work with her. I would HIGHLY recommend A Southern Soiree.

Lisa Crotty

Megan was the absolute BEST. I had a great feeling following our first phone call and immediately knew we wanted to move forward with her. Her broad experience and close relationships with vendors, coupled with her organized, detail-oriented, and warm nature made planning a long distance wedding in 6 months as easy as you can imagine. Given our tight time frame, Megan got the ball rolling right away by getting us short-lists of the best available vendors so we could lock them in swiftly. The bands we wanted were already booked up, but Megan found us another option from a different management company, and they ended up being absolutely AMAZING. In general, I felt like she understood and picked up on our vibe very quickly, which made the planning process so seamless. The best part was that Megan never once forced a decision on us, but whenever I needed her opinion (which was frequently!), she was there to provide it with sound reasoning. I had complete faith in Megan and Gina, which gave us the ability to completely relax and enjoy ourselves on our wedding day. I also could not have been happier with how the room looked that night, from the gorgeous flowers and chairs, to the stage backdrop and lighting, it all came together perfectly. Seeing our vision come to life was a dream come true, all thanks to A Southern Soiree!

Jacqueline Rice

When I reflect on the year I planned my wedding, this is what I will remember: laughing and planning our life together with my husband, rekindling old friendships, spending lots of good times with my bridesmaids and friends, and growing closer to my Mom, who is now my new best friend. All this was possible because of Megan and her fabulous team at A Southern Soiree. All of the things that get brides down off their “wedding planning high,” never happened to me. Megan really got to know me as a person and found the perfect vendors to match my style and personality. Whenever a “crisis” occurred like an error on the invitations or a ceremony change last minute, Megan handled the situation right away while keeping me updated on the progress. She always responded to my emails professionally and courteously. She was always one step ahead of me with her detailed planning schedule. She doesn’t waste time and always gets right to the point. I also loved going to meetings with her because I never wrote anything down. Megan did all of it for me. Whenever I needed honest feedback or suggestions on how to improve the wedding details, Megan was there to give it to me straight. She also has classic and impeccable taste so I would often defer to her on aesthetic choices. You have to be able to trust your planner or the process will go awry. I trusted Megan 100% and she consistently delivered on her promises. Kailey was the lead on the day of the wedding. She was constantly checking in with me to give me updates on the schedule (which was fastidiously created one week before and broken down to the minute). She also always made sure I had a drink in my hand and looked beautiful. Furthermore, she remained calm and patient. At a very inopportune time, before we were going to be introduced for the first time as a couple, I asked Kailey if she had my marriage certificate. She looked at me, hands on the door ready to pull them open to reveal us, and said politely, “Don’t worry I will make sure you have it by the end of the night.” I had the marriage certificate by the end of the night. If you want your day done to perfection, and a year of blissful memories, I highly recommend the best team in NC, A Southern Soiree. I will never forget you all!- Jacqueline and Tom

Emily Gladden

Gina was my wedding planner and was absolutely phenomenal. I HIGHLY recommend her. She was incredibly organized, knowledgeable, communicative, creative, kind, and fun. She made me feel like I had a real partner in the planning process who was as invested in the little details as I was. She understood my vision immediately, which was really important to me, because I wanted an outdoor, natural, low key wedding. She helped me find vendors that would fit with my style and had a great design sense. That helped make the barn where we had our reception look enchanting and magical, just like I had envisioned. She was unendingly patient and on top of all the logistical details, which made everything run smoothly. She's very honest and up front about the pros and cons of various decisions, which is incredibly helpful. Having Gina reduced my stress level enormously and made the entire process so much more relaxing and enjoyable. I strongly recommend her.

Laura Cone

I had the pleasure of working with Megan from A Southern Soiree and her associates while planning my daughter's spring wedding at the Angus Barn. It was a short engagement, time was of the essence, and Megan helped to secure our vendors and venue in a timely and professional manner. We live on the coast and it was important for us to have someone reliable do the leg work. The vendors exceeded our expectations as did A Southern Soiree. On the day of the wedding, Mandy Cole was our go to person from A Southern Soiree and she kept everything running smoothly and we were able to enjoy our daughter's special day with our guests and family. A good time was had by all! I highly recommend A Southern Soiree and their associates.

scot wallington

My thanks to the great people at Southern Soiree for helping to make my daughter’s wedding a complete success. We live in Los Angeles but held the celebration in Chapel Hill. This “destination” wedding required that much extra planning and support. Our wedding planner, Kelly Ann, was a super star and made what could have been a stressful and complicated process simple and manageable. She stepped up several times taking the stress load off of my daughter. The coordination with the vendors all went smoothly, and on the wedding day she was always on the spot to make sure nothing went awry. The most powerful complement that can be made is that during our touching Father/Daughter dance, I told my daughter how beautiful and wonderful everything was. Her first remark was “Well thank Kelly Ann!”. I think that says it all.

Kathryn Waters

I couldn't have asked for a better group to help plan my husband and my wedding! Gina was our planner and she is an absolute phenom! I love her so much and she was there for my mom and me the whole time - at any time of the day. She was someone I could turn to with stuff going on and she listened and helped me stay sane. Our day was beautifully perfect and I'm so glad that I had Gina and her crew to help it be that way. I would reccomend them to anyone and everyone! They are flexible with what you would need them for but help you with any questions you might have along the way. Gina was a blessing! Thank you so much A Southern Soiree!

Laurie Starks

Megan and her team at A Southern Soiree are VERY experienced professionals that are constantly FOCUSED on making their clients' dreams come true. They deliver in a SPECTACULAR fashion that also allows for the client to sleep well at night! I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Megan and her team on my daughter's wedding in North Carolina. Although I live in Texas, Megan's outstanding and timely communication process made the geographical distance disappear. When evaluating wedding planners for my daughter's wedding, I was looking for FIVE things. First, I needed to work with someone who was CREATIVE. It takes a unique ability to take the thoughts of a hopeful bride-to-be and deliver on her hope to make her wedding everything she had envisioned. Also, with a large contingent of out-of-town guests, it was important to give them all a SPECIAL memory that was worthy of their sacrifice and investment. Megan's ideas were both original and unique while remaining focused on cost-effectiveness. Second, I was looking for EXPERIENCE...serious experience. With a lot of moving parts, multiple vendors, and very high expectations, it was important to feel comfortable with someone who had done a lot and seen a lot in the field of event planning. Besides her extensive time spent in the field of wedding and event planning, one attribute that definitely made Megan stand out among her peers was her past formal training at one of the world's foremost hospitality companies. As a result, since she worked as an event planner in hotels prior to her leadership of A Southern Soiree, she is extraordinarily ASTUTE at understanding the nuances of various venues as well as what goes on behind the scenes that the public and many other wedding and event planners do not fully understand. She leverages that knowledge to negotiate better pricing from vendors as well. She can "connect the dots," in the right order, better than most. No detail is overlooked in her PLANNING process and that makes it easier for in-course steering corrections that invariably will be needed. As a real-life example of that, Hurricane Mathew tried to crash the wedding, but due to her planning, both the bride and the attendees never felt the effects of the uninvited guest! Third, it was imperative that the EXECUTION of the plan was flawless. Where the rubber meets the road is on the day of the event...does the MAGIC happen the way you wanted it? Megan and her team operate like a well-oiled SWAT team, seemingly everywhere yet stealth in their visibility. I heard all the stories about how the parents of the bride never get to enjoy the wedding because they are always worried about this and that. With Megan, she assumed all of those details, communicated very efficiently throughout the event, navigated around the usual last-minute surprises, and is the sole reason I was able to thoroughly enjoy the most important day in my daughter's life. She EXCEEDED anything I could have imagined a planner to do on the day of the event. It was like having a private concierge that was intimately invested in the outcome of both my daughter's and guests' satisfaction. Fourth, I needed to work with someone who is HONEST. Megan was very open and honest about what ideas she thought would work and why as well as what ideas would not work and why not. Due to her being so TRUSTWORTHY, I felt that an easy forum for collaboration with Megan resulted in a fabulous outcome. Fifth, it was important to work with someone that liked to have FUN. Although the desired result in any wedding or significant event is very important and is not inexpensive, if you focus solely on the stress and anxiety at the expense of not having fun, was it all really worth it? Enjoy the journey and share it with someone who instills confidence that all of your DREAMS will come true.

Kate Connelly

Trusting Megan and Gina with A Southern Soiree with our wedding could not have been a more rewarding decision. The entire day would have been a completely different experience without Megan & Gina there. In general, if there is not someone in charge who I sincerely trust and is talented, I naturally jump to be a leader and fill the void. I take things in to my own hands, do thorough research, and become a mini-expert in whatever the subject area may be. I make my own check list so I can be sure the person in charge has thought of everything down to the little details, because I usually have (I'm a fundraiser for a living!). After a few emails and meetings, it became clear that I was in good hands and that I could turn any decision over to Megan. That she would think of everything--and what's more, that she would do all of it much, much better than I could ever do myself. That I didn't need to run through each step to pinpoint details that may have been forgotten, I didn't even need to know what the details were! Going in to the wedding weekend, I knew I did not have to be a leader--I could just experience it all. And honestly, there is no greater gift that anyone could have given me. Every bride talks about how their wedding day flies by. I already am the type of person that hates when good things come to an end. So I knew I was susceptible to "how is it already over?!" wedding depression. But much to my surprise, the day didn't fly by. I remember every single moment, and I was able to experience each one in an incredibly present way. And all thanks to Megan and Gina. I could not have possibly planned my wedding without Megan and Gina. They nailed every detail. But the end result was truly spectacular, and a day I will never forget. They are talented, professional and were a treat to work with. You really cannot go wrong, and will not be disappointed.

Emma Ellis

I truly do not know where to begin in writing about how wonderful our experience was with Gina at A Southern Soiree, because I truly feel like the words that I could type won't do my experience justice (but I will try to)! The moment we met Gina we knew she was the right planner for us. She genuinely wanted to get to know Matt and I, who we were as individuals and who we were/are as a couple before digging into the planning. We gave her our ideas of what we envisioned, what we liked and what we didn't and she guided us through every single step of the way with us in mind. She helped us pick vendors that she knew our personalities and visions would work well with, which you learn is so incredibly important, not just the vision but the people with whom you entrust to make your visions come to life. One of the most important things Gina did for us was help us navigate the tenting process in order to secure our wedding date at the Chapel (true LIFESAVER)!! Gina never missed one single appointment that we had with a vendor, and she was always so quick to respond whenever I had a question or just needed to simply vent. When it came time for the wedding day, Gina made me feel so incredibly calm and that everything was taken care of (which it was). There are so many little details that go into a wedding, and Gina had every single one of them covered (down to babysitters for little kids). There was not one hiccup, and if there was I will never know about it. After the wedding was over all of our family and friends, said how this was truly the best wedding they had ever been to, promptly followed up with "We love Gina". It is safe to say that our wedding wouldn't have been what it was without Gina, she made our dreams into a reality. Without her, I don't know if I would have been able to enter the alternate universe that was my most perfect day.

Jessica Peterson

I can’t say enough good things about Gina and her team from A Southern Soiree!! Gina ensured that everything was flawless and was so kind and professional throughout the entire process. She was so prompt when answering questions and when meeting with vendors she was incredibly helpful. Gina is truly gifted at what she does!! She made it so my family and I could completely relax and truly enjoy the wedding knowing that everything would be handled. She was so patient with us throughout the entire process! Honestly, my wedding came together perfectly and every little detail was so beautiful and came together exactly how I envisioned. Gina was able to keep things moving throughout the reception (which was about 200 guests, at The Bradford in April 2016) and even some of my guests commented that they had never seen a wedding planner who was so calm and kind. :) Thank you Gina for working so tirelessly on our behalf! Please know how truly grateful we are for all that you did! I would strongly encourage any bride to work with Gina and A Southern Soiree!!

Molly McCord

We had a wonderful experience with Southern Soiree. Lindsay was amazing and made everything so seamless for our wedding. We were a little stressed about weather, but she handled everything so beautifully in enacting the rain back-up plan. During the reception, the venue misplaced a box of fun items for the reception. Lindsay handled it like a champ, said she would find them, and she sure did in almost no time. Would highly recommend!! Thank you Lindsay and Southern Soiree!

caroline ciampa

I worked with Gina Annab at A Southern Soiree and she was absolutely wonderful. She and her team did an amazing job organizing & executing our wedding. We couldn't have been more pleased with her work. She made everything so easy & stress-free the day of the wedding. I've had more people ask me about who we used for our wedding planner because she was that good! Our wedding was everything we wanted & more, and this would not have been possible without Gina.

Sarah Estes

Alyssa was an absolute joy to work with leading up to and on my wedding day. She was a saint and the most patient person, she was perfect! In any situation she made not only me as the bride, but others in our wedding party feel so comforted and taken care of on our wedding day. She handled everything witch such grace and made my wedding day feel incredibly calm, which is a rarity. Thank you!

Courtney Kopas

Gina is the absolute best! Without a doubt, working with her was what made the entire wedding planning process run smoothly from start to finish. My husband was deployed during our engagement, and Gina was by my side to support me with all of the decisions leading up to our event that I would have otherwise had to make by myself. She not only is an amazing planner, but she is a genuine person and cares deeply about her clients. She truly made the year leading up to the wedding as stress-free as possible, and I always looked forward to our meetings together with vendors. During the weekend of our wedding, multiple family members who had never even met her previously were quick to tell me how awesome she was—it speaks volumes for her work ethic and personality! Every detail about our special day was executed pefectly, and it was all because of Gina. We loved working with you and the friendship that was ultimately created because of it!

Jeremy Thomas

Gina and Southern Soiree did a great job handling our wedding at the Carolina Inn. Although intially she was only supposed to help us the day before and day of with only email contact, she went above and beyond what she was 'required' to do through their partnership with the Carolina Inn. She was kind helpful and very quick to respond via text call or email. She also did a great job alignining all of our vendors, my smart alec groomsmen, and keeping everyone on time. 5 stars across the board!

Meredith Woods Hubbard

I am not sure what we would have done without Gina from A Southern Soiree helping us with wedding planning! The ceremony and reception went so smoothly and everything was so amazing. Meeting Gina was like meeting a friend I didn't know I had. She is wonderful. She checked in often throughout the planning process and was always available by email, phone, or text. She is an absolute delight to work with. We can't say enough good things about Gina! We got married in May 2015.

pete laurence

Megan with A Southern Soiree was the Wedding Coordinator for a wedding that my company catered down here in Charleston. She was very professional and the event was absolutely beautiful and organized without flaw. Great Job! Pete Islands Catering

awblair

I have had the pleasure of working with Megan on many weddings as I play in a wedding band that has done several events for her company across the state. I always look forward to working with Megan because she runs the most well-managed operation of any event company we've ever worked with. She is always so positive and well organized that the weddings always run smoothly and everyone has a great time. She is incredibly hard working and has assembled a great team of people that know their way around the business and do a great job understanding what their brides, grooms, and families are looking for. I would highly recommend them for anyone looking for assistance with their wedding planning.

Steve Parsons

This may be one of the more unique wedding event planning reviews because it is written by the father of the bride. I can't comment on the details of the conversations between Megan, the bride, and the mother of the bride. I can tell you by the smiles that replaced the bridal stress, and by the bride's total satisfaction in her "big day", this was the best investment in peace of mind I have ever made. When my other daughter is ready to get married, Megan will be the first one called. I was extremely satisfied that the wedding day was perfect and that the family was able to enjoy the experience guided by Megan's attention to detail and event management skills. What put the experience over the top was the feedback from a large number of the guests that said it was the best wedding they had ever attended. That would not have happened without Megan and her staff at A Southern Soiree. My daughter told me many times how thankful she was that Megan was there along the way to help solve the crises both big and small. She was accessible by phone and email. She met with my daughter and wife several times, including at the wedding venue and at the caterer's office. She provided great advice and gently guided my daughter through the process of converting her vision and desires into a plan that was both cost effective and feasible. This was particularly true during the initial visit to the wedding venue where my daughter explained what she wanted and Megan gave very practical advice, based on her experience. My daughter spoke of the experience in glowing terms, satisfied that Megan not only understood her vision, but was able to translate the vision into a plan taking advantage of the unique qualities and charm of the wedding venue. Megan's professional network and reputation were very useful when problems arose with delivery of the wedding dress in time for the wedding and when there were problems getting access and communicating with a couple of the key service providers. I appreciated the way Megan was able to help my daughter decide when and where to save money and when it paid to spend a little extra. This kept the event within budget while providing an exceptional experience for the bride and her guests. The wedding day went perfectly with Megan and her staff taking care of the details and literally doing the heavy lifting and supervision of every aspect of the services delivered, from set-up, flowers, catering, ceremony management, tear-down and checking out of the venue. My daughter's wedding had a lot of moving parts all of which came off just the way the she envisioned. Her mother and I, along with the entire bridal party, were able to enjoy the experience along with our daughter. We didn't miss those special moments that occur in the course of the wedding day because Megan and her assistant freed us to concentrate on our daughter on her big day. I am well beyond satisfied and grateful to Megan and A Southern Soiree and give them my highest recommendation. Dads, do yourself a favor by giving your daughters and wives the gift of the services of this very professional team on a special day when there are no "do overs".

Stephanie Gray

UPDATE: Megan reached out upon reading this and offered to pay us to remove this review. We obviously declined. --- We are nothing short of shocked and disheartened by the treatment we received from A Southern Soiree. We were led to believe that Megan was a good planner and were excited to work with her. But four months into planning, Megan became unresponsive and unprofessional – sometimes even rude. She ultimately quit because we asked her to vet vendors before recommending them – to make sure they were in budget and available for our date and location. She couldn’t or wouldn’t and so she quit, taking half our deposit, and leaving us without help, 1000 miles away. Megan was disorganized and unprofessional. She was unwilling to negotiate on our behalf and unhelpful in securing quality vendors. Here is our story: We hired Megan full service to help us plan our out of town wedding in North Carolina. Megan really seemed to understand our vision and told us she had experience working destinations. At first everything was great – she had some good ideas and provided us with good feedback on venues we had researched online. We visited those venues together and she asked great questions to help us make a decision. She also gave us a budget and generic checklist to work from and helped us find a photographer. Soon though, things began to fall apart. Megan became unresponsive to emails (said she was having a problem with her server) and things were getting forgotten or not heard. I had to set up monthly meetings and create agendas for them in order to keep her on track and streamline communications. When it came time to choose our band, Megan sent us two lists of bands. Many weren’t our style (no big deal), but worse, at least half were either 30 percent over the budget she set or wouldn’t play on Sundays (day of our wedding). We gave her an extra $1000 and asked her to revise the list. What we got back were two addition bands – one we really didn’t like (country) and one that we did. But the one we did, it turns out, doesn’t travel on Sundays. When we confronted Megan about this and asked her to please weed out unavailable options before sending them to us as recommendations, she quit. In her email she said things like, “I am not sure that I am the right fit for you.” But when we followed up by phone she said things like, “I’m not enjoying planning your wedding” and “I’m stressed out.” Well, honestly, wedding planning is her job and jobs are sometimes stressful. I was deeply offended by this but offered to keep her on if she wanted to stay. She said she would let us know in two days. She never called back and when we followed up she got upset that we hadn’t called her, so she quit again. We tried to get our deposit back as her contract did not allow her to keep it, but she would only agree to refund half our money because she had to answer 128 emails (her contract says unlimited emails). She wasn’t even organized enough to protect her from herself. Now we are out an exorbitant amount of money and no better off. She claimed to have helped with our bookings, but we found and booked our own venue and officiant; she found our photographer but never booked him. Nothing else has been done for the wedding. Megan’s unprofessionalism and disorganization is unfortunate for wedding planner. I would NOT recommend working with Megan or her company, A Southern Soiree. I am disappointed that I did not see this coming from the beginning.

Kate King

Megan and her team at A Southern Soiree helped us plan our October 2018 wedding and I honestly can't recommend them highly enough!! Megan was such a huge asset throughout the whole planning process and her knowledge/expertise in the wedding industry is incredible! Megan recommended the most perfect venue for us (where we ended up getting married) after we had been searching for months, she found us the perfect photographer whose style was exactly what we were looking for, and she made sure every single detail of the wedding was thoughtfully planned out to perfection!! Our wedding day was absolutely flawless and there is no doubt in my mind that is entirely the result of having such an amazing wedding planner!!

Erin Bosch Fallon

Beyond excellent. If she is available for your day then you are one lucky bride! I worked with Megan and Gina. They not only handle every little detail, vendor, and problem, they are warm and caring and wonderful people. It was very important to me that I not only enjoyed our wedding day but that I also enjoyed the planning and process leading up to it. I have a busy job and my mom passed away before we were married, so I really needed trustworthy and caring planners to help make that possible. We live in NOVA and planned a wedding in Charlottesville VA (~2hrs away). We had a large wedding, 250 guests invited, 148 attended, and the day was perfect. There are many things that don't go as planned - a drunk family member, our officiant's kindle stolen with our entire ceremony in it, rain during the ceremony, plus a thousand other small things that no human being can predict or control for - but I was completely relaxed, calm, and happy the entire day thanks to Megan and Gina. All I had to say was "Ask Megan!" and it was taken care of. I wouldn't change a thing. They were worth every penny and more. Our venue estimate came out high (the bill was $15 -20K more than expected!) and Megan expertly negotiated and brought the cost down to our original price - without sacrificing on the things that were important to us! She had the knowledge and experience to handle these major issues for me - all while allowing me to maintain a cordial relationship with our venue. This one bump alone made it worth having her! I recommend her full planning for this reason and many more! Every vendor she vetted and selected for me to meet with was excellent - and she had never planned a wedding in Charlottesville before! They will always have a warm place in our heart and we will never be able to remember our wedding day without thinking of them - I miss them already!

Stephanie Bogdewic

Working with Southern Soiree, specifically with Gina, was the best wedding planning-related decision we made! I've said this so many times to friends recently engaged, but if you can find room in your wedding budget for a planner, it will be the best money you spend! And better yet, if you're looking for a planner in North Carolina, Southern Soiree is hands down the way to go! After we got engaged, we immediately began looking at venues, and after the number of phone calls, e-mails, and color-coded spreadsheets I made during the venue search, I knew I didn't have the bandwidth to plan a full wedding. We started working with Gina immediately after we selected our venue, and I can honestly say the rest of wedding planning was completely smooth sailing! While we faced a few hiccups along the road, Gina never failed to swoop in and save the day. One example is when my mom was in town for my first wedding dress fitting. Upon arriving for our appointment, it was very clear the place was not a good fit for us and didn't have the skills necessary to alter my dress. We texted Gina, and within minutes she had another appointment scheduled with Just Sew by Renee (highly recommend!), who squeezed us into her busy Saturday and made my dress dreams come true (a few fittings later!). Since we didn't have much time to commit to planning, we relied heavily on Gina for vendor, design,and organization recommendations. I always felt like Gina was giving us honest, practical advice when it came to making vendor or budget decisions. We said it time and time again, but the people who Gina and Southern Soiree work with are absolutely outstanding. So much of wedding planning is building relationships so you can clearly communicate what you want, and Gina made it so easy for us by connecting us to vendors who were also extraordinary people. Planning honestly felt so stress-free with Gina on our team, which meant that we were able to fully enjoy our engagement and wedding day without having to worry about anything. As far as I know, everything on our big day went perfectly, and the day far exceeded any expectations we ever had! Gina and her team had the day so perfectly organized, we were able to be fully present and enjoy the time with our loved ones. It's been a few month since our wedding and I miss Gina so much! She really did become part of our family, and I will always be so grateful to her for making it so much fun to plan a wedding!

Nancy Murray

We were so thankful to have Gina Annab with A Southern Soiree help us with our daughter's wedding earlier this month. Right from the start, Gina was eager to embrace the non-traditional wedding ideas that we suggested. She was so warm and kind to our entire family throughout the process. Because our daughter lived in California, and I worked full-time, having Gina there to help coordinate and communicate was so helpful. I never imagined that we could find someone so professional, skilled and fun to work with all at once. The wedding was perfect and so stress-free! Thank you so much, Gina and A Southern Soiree!!

Jeana Zenick

My husband and I had the most wonderful experience working with Gina at A Southern Soiree! From our initial phone consultation all the way to the day of our wedding and after our honeymoon, Gina has been professional, responsive (very important!) and friendly! Our wedding ceremony and reception was held at The Stockroom at 230 in downtown Raleigh with our cocktail hour held in the same building but on the 1st floor at The Mahler Fine Art Gallery. Given that we had 150 guests in attendance, there were a lot of people Gina had to shuffle around as well as coordinate with vendors the perfect "flip" of the room from a ceremony to sit down dinner reception. Everything went off without a hitch!! We are more than pleased with her services and wish we could do it all over again :) We would highly recommend not only hiring a wedding coordinator but specifically, A Southern Soiree!!

Jordan Humphrey

Amelia Morales

I had the pleasure of working with Gina for my wedding in November. I could not have had a better experience! I loved working with Gina and from day one she put me right at ease. She helped me pick the best venue (I think) - The Umstead - and from there the whole process just flowed. She is talented for sure but also professional, kind and thoughtful. I could not have done this on my own - especially with my ever increasing guest list. I was actually sad when the planning process was over and missed my weekly e-mails from her! I highly recommend hiring A Southern Soiree/Gina for any new bride to be - it will be money well spent. Thank you Gina for the wedding of my dreams!

Jennifer Pike

Our wedding day was extraordinary and filled with the happiest of memories! We held the ceremony and reception at the Umstead in May 2012. We asked Megan to work with us according to the “Weekend of” package. She was wonderful! She met with us three times before the wedding weekend (for the tasting, a meeting with the florist, and a timeline meeting). Megan has a calm, positive presence, which was appreciated at each step along the way. She is very professional and helped us to problem-solve when we met obstacles. When questions popped up, she was available by phone or email. We completely trusted Megan. The day of the wedding, everything went so smoothly. (Even members of our bridal party commented on how impressed they were with the ease of the rehearsal and wedding day!) Our families and my husband and I felt completely free to enjoy the wedding. Thank you to Megan and A Southern Soiree!! ~ Jennifer

Samantha Riccio

Megan and her team at A Southern Soiree are absolutely phenomenal! Megan worked with us for an entire year leading up to our wedding. She guided me and my family through the wedding planning process (which we knew very little about). She helped narrow the list of vendors with her recommendations and set up all of our meetings and interviews , which was an enormous help living out-of-state! Megan made the process much less overwhelming and she also worked to make our wedding unique and personalized for me and my husband. We could not have imagined a more perfect wedding and we absolutely could not have done it without Megan. My parents and my husband and I were all able to truly enjoy the day because we didn't have anything to worry about! Megan was with us the whole time and guests were impressed with her professionalism, organization and friendliness! A Southern Soiree is worth every penny and will make any wedding day a dream come true!!

Lauren Buboltz

I truly do not believe I can adequately express my gratitude and amazement with how wonderful Kailey at Southern Soiree was to work with during the wedding planning process (and day of). I felt like I was the only bride she had on her schedule, which is far from true :) She was not only extremely detailed (she will not leave a stone uncovered!), but also calm, kind, and easy going. Having someone who responds to emails in such a timely fashion and who also exudes an air of confidence is crucial. I also received many comments that I was 'the most calm bride they had seen' --definitely due to Kailey's "We've got this" attitude. And truly, she did have it all under control and was able to execute such an amazingly streamlined wedding without me EVER knowing if there were problems. I would undoubtedly recommend Kailey's services to anyone who is planning a wedding. I thought a long time ago that we didn't need a wedding planner and truly, I don't know what I would have done without her. My husband and I are both so grateful for her and hope that readers like yourself will be blessed in the same way.

Madeleine Ramsey

When Derek and I got engaged last year we made a short list of very important phone calls....family, a few close friends, and Megan. We already knew Megan from her work planning my sister's wedding and she did yet another amazing job helping us to plan our wedding this past March. Megan not only worked with Derek and I as we were planning our Raleigh, NC wedding from Austin, TX, she also worked with my entire family. All of her hard work culminated into the best time of our lives. Megan and her team genuinely care about the clients they work with and we are so grateful for all that they did. By the end of it all, Megan was not just someone who planned and coordinated, she was someone that Derek and I wanted to celebrate with!

Business Hours of A Southern Soiree in North Carolina

SUNDAY
CLOSED
MONDAY
9AM–5PM
TUESDAY
9AM–5PM
WEDNESDAY
9AM–5PM
THURSDAY
9AM–5PM
FRIDAY
9AM–5PM
SATURDAY
CLOSED

PHONE & WEBPAGE

A Southern Soiree en North Carolina
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