Reviews of Shay Brown Events - The Southern Wedding Experience (Event Planner)

Kristin Mannina

Shay Brown Events is awesome!! I had SBE help me with my wedding planning, set-up, and flowers and it was AMAZING!! I did not think I was able to afford a wedding planner and flowers, and to my surprise, they gave me plenty of options and customized my plan just for me. SBE made my wedding into the dream wedding I had always wanted, but never thought I could have. They seriously are incredible, friendly, and 100% care about their job and your big day. I was an out of town bride, so I don't have the ability to recommend them to everyone I know around town ;) but if you need a planner for a wedding or any event in Asheville/surrounding areas, go with SBE!! You will be so thankful on the day of the event, and for the many months that follow--I know I am!

Tori C

My husband and I catered a wedding rehearsal dinner with Shay and her team last weekend. I have worked in corporate events for over 20 years. I can honestly say that her level of organization and execution tops anyone I have ever worked with in event planning. It was really wonderful to see such a relaxed and happy bride, as she had full confidence that there was nothing to worry about with Shay and her team in charge. They also made it very simple for us as caterers having the proper set up for where we would be located in the best way for the guests to get to the the food in that particular venue. I am very much looking forward to future opportunities to work with this incredible team! Thanks Shay! - Catering by Polanco and Chef Ricardo

Libby Ducey

From day one, Shay and her team were incredibly helpful. She was able to create my absolute DREAM wedding day! Not only did Shay design a visually stunning wedding, but her coordination skills lead to an absolutely flawless day. She goes above and beyond to ensure a perfect day. She is incredibly talented! HIGHLY recommend!!!

Emily Clarke-Pearson

Our wedding in Asheville this September was wonderful beyond what we dreamed - we owe this completely to Amy Wood and her team at Shay Brown. We do not live in Asheville, so had to plan the wedding over email, conference calls, and a few very productive visits to Asheville. Amy led us through this process seamlessly, kept us on track, and left no detail uncovered. She somehow managed to coordinate everything and still be positive, pleasant, and fun! She offered expert advice on local vendors, and organized our timeline to run perfectly with each vendor so the day flowed beautifully. We had a "hybrid" Indian wedding, which was a bit unusual/creative, and Amy was able to go with the flow and help us realize our vision. In addition, she was very honest and responsible, and helped us stay within our budget and steered us away from pricey pitfalls. By the time the wedding came around, Amy had really become part of the family. Friends of mine described the wedding as "magical", "the best wedding I've ever been to", "I just got back from Rio [de Janeiro] on vacation and your wedding was more fun than my trip!" It is thanks to Amy and Shay Brown Events that we and our friends and family have these wonderful memories. Thank you!!!

Brandy Dyer

Shay is an amazing and talented event planner. She is organized, stylish and has a calming yet decisive demeanor. I would high recommend her to any client that is looking for a wedding or event that is designed to perfection and executed flawlessly. She is simply wonderful!

stephan pruitt

Shay Brown Events is the epitome of professionalism and expertise in pulling off a broad range of events. I worked with her the first time on a fundraiser at the Asheville Masonic Temple for a fundraiser our group put on after the passing of Tyler Garrison of Regeneration Station, and she was extremely helpful and I would recommend booking her if you truly want an extremely positive experience from someone who clearly has a long resume of specializing in event planning.

Sarah Whitmeyer

I am a wedding photographer and I absolutely love working with Shay and her team. They cover all the details and make an excellent experience for all involved. They are accommodating and stress-free. I would highly recommend them (and I do!) to any of my clients!

Jeff Anderson

Shay is our go-to for event planning and very professional execution. She thinks of everything!

Sarah Worley

I cannot say enough about how AMAZING of a wedding planner AMY WOOD from Shay Brown Events was! She was so organized, and when I think of my wedding at the Masonic Temple, I honestly could not have imagined a more perfect day. I worked with Amy for about a year leading up to the wedding. She helped me locate vendors, would check in usually once a month, until we started getting closer to the big day. Amy kept a running list of everything we had done, and needed to do. She also checked behind us by contacting our vendors to make sure they understood exactly what we wanted. Having never planned a wedding before, Amy helped us think of all the details we didn’t even know we needed. Amy also helped throw some awesome vendors our way. While some were a bit pricy, they all did exceptionally well getting the job completed to perfection. On the actual day of the wedding, Amy and the team with her made sure everything ran smoothly. I had no stress the day of because Amy knew exactly what we wanted, and kept things moving like clockwork. Even tiny details (like me forgetting my shoes under the sweetheart table) were taken care of. If you wanted a fairy tale wedding experience, Amy at Shay Brown is the way to go!

Elizabeth Lindsey

Shay was fabulous!! Our wedding was prettier than we ever expected. We even had a rain scare and she had a tent and everything taken care of. The reception was so beautiful! The flowers were unbelievable! (Which Shay did herself!) Everything seemed to flow perfectly! I have been told that our wedding was the most fun wedding they have ever been to. I would have to thank Shay and her crew for that! Thank you for everything Shay!!

Merle Clark

SBE helped us plan a wedding in NC from out of state. They gave us great advice about vendors and gave attention to every detail. All events (rehearsal and welcome dinner the night before, wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, celebration) went flawlessly and beautifully. The wedding party, family, and friends--all had a fabulous time. SBE: great people to work with. Just reading the review from Elizabeth.....our guests said the same: "most fun wedding they had ever attended."

Fiasco Pictures

Shay's like a ninja boss with a cellphone in one hand and pruning shears in the other... she fearlessly and effortlessly juggles dozens of vendors and services while making your venue look more spectacular than most people can imagine... She's also incredibly kind, sweet and patient. She can take your rough ideas and shape them into something amazing while gently guiding you through your event, incorporating and expanding on your concepts, involving you without harassing you. She's amazing.

Casey Corbin

Shay can make just about anything happen, she has tons of connections, great taste, and a genuine spirit for event planning. This is your place if you want a knockout event!

Marie Hulgan

SBE did a wonderful job throughout my wedding planning and actual day. We are from out of state and Amy, who helped with planning, was very flexible with our meetings (both on phone and in person) and unbelievably organized. She had great recommendations for vendors and set up all our meet-and-greets, tastings, etc. Shay did our flowers, as well as design, and everything was BEAUTIFUL. The day of the wedding went PERFECTLY (I feel like that is never said for a wedding but it actually happened) even with a dog in the ceremony, a few young kids in the bridal party, and a surprise vehicle. My mother (who can be very judgy, especially when it comes to weddings) was so impressed with how smoothly everything went. The service that SBE provides is fabulous—they are a well-oiled machine! We are very fortunate to have had SBE’s help the entire way!

Jessica J. Szucs

Long story short - Don't hesitate on booking Shay and her team for your event!! We came from a bad experience working with a different event planner and Shay really helped us finish our planning and execute the wedding of our DREAMS! Our vendors were amazed with how easy she made everything. There was no detail left untouched. We had a destination wedding in North Carolina and having that assurance and confidence in everything while being across the country was worth every penny. I considered myself a pretty easy going bride but I know I had some family members and bridesmaids that got a little bossy and overwhelming. Shay handled everything with grace. She allowed us to live truly in the moment for our whole wedding weekend. We barely noticed her or any of the vendors. Everyone that attended RAVED about how everything was perfect and went off without a hitch. We are SO thankful we found Shay Brown Events for our wedding!!

Lucy Murphy

Looking to create your dream wedding? On the search for someone to provide you with stunning floral, breathtaking decor and flawless timing? The Shay Brown Events team has you covered!

Nidhi Patel

Hi Amy and Shay, Just wanted to send over a thank you from our entire family! You all were unbelievably so sweet, detailed, and organized throughout the event that we could not have had a better weekend than this! All of our guests had the best time and raved about how much they loved you guys! Amy, cannot believe the amount of back and forth you had to go through with Sheraton, thank you so much for everything! I have not idea what I would’ve done without you. Also with all the other vendors, you were absolutely so amazing in making sure everything was well thought of, as well as making sure all the finer details were to my liking and comfortability. I hope that you’ve had some time to sleep and rest up after the long weekend! My family could not stop talking about you and how dedicated and prompt you were with every single detail and timeline. You seriously prevented me from worrying about anything at all! Having you was such a blessing! Shay, omg you worked magic on all of the decor and background details! Thank you so much for making everything look so much like a fairytale—even with working on low budget. Your experience and guidance really helped us in making everything a success! You have this warm presence about you that makes me realize why people love and adore you so much. Seriously, I could not have picked any better people to help plan and carry out the most important weekend in my life! I am so grateful for all that you all have done and the amount of understanding and flexibility you all had with my crazy families! We definitely hope that we’ll be able to work together again in the future! Thank you so very much! With all the love, Mr. and Mrs. Jay and Nidhi Patel (:

Maggie Martin

We interviewed a couple of wedding planners located in and around the Asheville area and chose Shay Brown Events because everything Shay said in our first consultation was exactly on point with how we wanted our wedding to go. They are definitely a premier events planning group in this region, so the cost is higher than we originally had thought we wanted, but every single thing they did to go above and beyond made the price 100% worth it and even more so. The value was in the totality of their services - we had a coordinator (the AMAZING Amy Wood), Shay Brown created or managed all of our design work (florals, linens, rentals, etc., and they helped us choose and managed for us all our other vendors as well as our budget! Amy was completely accessible for any questions or needs that we had at any time during our 18 months of wedding planning. Everyone we worked with at Shay Brown Events was so professional, knowledgable, and so friendly. The best thing though was the final product - how the day itself turned out. Nothing went wrong! And the decor was absolutely how I'd imagined it and better. Coming from a perfectionist bride - it had been hard for me to release even just a little control to Amy and Shay, but it was truly my Dream Wedding. Shay worked magic with both my wedding space (church) and our venue ("On Broadway" in downtown Asheville). Everything was unique and something I hadn't seen before (including hanging handmade paper flower pomanders from the choir loft beam above where my groom and I stood in the ceremony space). They listened to everything we wanted so well but then took our ideas and made them better in the most perfect way. Our guests adored every detail of our wedding, and we will always look back on it with fantastic memories, many of which were made possible because of Amy and Shay. There is no way our wedding would have been anywhere close to the fantastic event that it was without them!

Erin Stefanacci

Shay and team are experts in creating the event of your dreams. Shay Brown Events takes care of everything, leaving you with complete peace of mind. Highly recommended!

Colleen Young

I've known Shay Brown since I was a kid, so the decision to have her do the floral for our wedding was a no-brainer. Every little touch was perfect. We couldn't be happier with her work! Professionally, I work with Shay and her team frequently and they are continually striving to make each couple's big day the most magical it can be. I count myself lucky to have had her on my team!

Audrey Goforth

Shay Is so experienced and attention to details! I love work with her!

Brandi Hillman

You will not meet a nicer person that pays attention to every little detail. Shay Brown Events should be your first choice for any special event with friends and family. Her staff will ensure a special day!!

Margaret Bernstein

Shay Brown was a pleasure to work with in the planning and execution of the welcome party for our son's wedding last weekend . The wedding was in Asheville (and we're not), so after the initial visit, the rest was done long distance. She coordinated with the caterer and the venue and every detail was addressed. Shay is very pleasant and professional, full of information and suggestions, and kept us updated throughout the process. The dinner went off without a hitch, with the help of her staff who were there from set up to cleanup. I highly recommend the services of Shay Brown Events.

Allison Pepper

I used Shay Brown Events for wedding coordination/event management and floral and it was absolutely the right decision! Amy, Shay, and Hayley worked so hard for us and made the planning process SO easy. Day off, they made sure the day ran smoothly and the floral was just beautiful. I cannot say enough good things about this team, definitely recommend them!!

Julia Chapin

We worked with Shay Brown Events for our floral design and for day-of wedding coordination. I worked closely with both Shay and Amy, and they were both stunningly professional. There are a million details to coordinate for a wedding, and the two of them kept me totally sane, with helping us think through the logistics and the flow of the evening. They met with me multiple times before the wedding day to check-in and go through details, and we also had many phone consultations as well since we were planning our wedding from out-of-town. Amy and Shay also provided amazing vendor recommendations, and helped us arrange visits with other vendors in SBE's cute office space. The flowers on the day-of were a dream! It was flawless execution on our wedding vision. Overall, everything on our wedding day went off without a hitch, and it's because of Shay Brown Events! They are total pros, and I could not recommend working with SBE more highly.

Nicole Bentley

Shay Brown events is awesome to work with from start to finish! The staff is super professional, creative and great to work with. They should be your go to for all of your special events!

Jean Delos Reyes

All I can say is Shay really has an eye for design! I had an idea of what I wanted my wedding to look, and she just ran with it! When the big day came, and I finally got to see our ceremony and reception venues, I was blown away with how absolutely beautiful everything was. She put so much detail into the design, and I couldn't have been happier to put my trust in her! She more than delivered - she exceeded my expectations!

Erin Giles

Shay and team create AMAZING events! From start to finish Shay covers every little detail, nothing is forgotten. I have been to several events that Shay has planned and they have all been so fun and memorable. I highly recommend Shay Brown Events! A++

Kimberly Jackson Ulrich

Hiring Amy Wood of Shay Brown Events was one of the best decisions we could have made about our wedding. Amy was incredibly responsive and professional, and right from the beginning had stellar recommendations for vendors (everything from catering to venue to hair and makeup to little details like where to get my nails done). It was clear that SBE's relationship with area vendors was great - not only did Amy have get immediate responses from whoever we asked her to get in touch with for us, but the people she referred delivered 100%. Amy was also active and involved in our planning process but never overbearing or pushy - our vision was our own and she helped steer us when we didn't know who to contact, how a layout might look, or if certain elements of our wedding would work in practice. A lot of our wedding was DIY or make by friends, and Amy encouraged us in every endeavor but also (correctly) pointed out when some idea might not be worth our time and effort. The weekend of the wedding, and particularly the day of, was perfect, in large part due to Amy and her team from SBE. Our guests commented over and over how smooth everything was, how beautiful the entire event was, and -- perhaps most tellingly -- that my husband and I seemed relaxed the entire time. That was important to us from the beginning - despite everyone telling us that we would be stressed and frantic in the days leading up to the wedding, we never felt that way because we had lots of friends around and Amy leading all the behind the scenes orchestration. We can't say enough about Amy and SBE!

Ashley Oliver

Shay Brown Events and team are amazing to work with. Their planning and design skills are concise, creative and bring your vision to reality. The attention to detail is flawless and they treat your special day as if it were their special day.

MPA Productions

Everyone at Shay Brown Events was so wonderful to work with through the whole process and on the day of the wedding they were the absolute best decision I made! I did not have to worry about anything, they did all the work for me. I just got to sit back and enjoy my wedding day, which is so important because it flies by. I'm a wedding photographer myself and I knew if there was one thing I couldn't skimp on, it was having a real planner with lots of experience and great taste. The reception site was stunning and I planned it all in advance, so on the day of the wedding I did not have to do anything. Actually, all weekend I did not have to do anything but relax. They were by my side the whole time and I can never thank them enough!! Don't think any longer... hire Shay Brown as your wedding planner! You won't regret it!

Donna Hughes

I hired Shay Brown, and Shay Brown Events, to be the wedding planner of my daughter’s May wedding to be held at Deerpark, on the Biltmore Estate. I personally found her expertise in handling the wedding planning process to be quite detailed and informative! I found her to be very helpful in communicating with the vendors (such as Biltmore Company), and her previous experience with such vendors proved to be extremely beneficial. Not only did she have wonderful recommendations for vendors, such as makeup artists, stylists, musicians, etc., but her expertise in communicating with them through the planning process proved to be invaluable. The weekend of the wedding I found her team to be very organized, friendly, creative and responsive. Everyone was extremely helpful and ultimately had one goal in mind, and that was to give my daughter the wedding of her dreams! Many kuddos to Shay and her team!

Laura Lentz

For a bride like myself that was completing graduate school and beginning a residency program in the middle of planning a wedding, Shay Brown Events couldn't have had any more of a absolutely necessary role. Shay Brown Events provided a wonderful relationship that allowed myself to be the involved bride with every decision but took care of all the behind the scene details. The team was able to take in all my wants and dreams and make them a reality. It was truly a dream come true and wouldn't have been possible without their involvement!

Gourmet Invitations

Shay Brown Events is one of my favorite wedding planners to work with. Shay is so nice, dedicated, organized and creative. Whether she works with me as a vendor, or her clients work directly with me, Shay is always involved through the entire design process. I love working a planner who is focused on every aspect of the wedding. With Shay and her team, you know you'll be in the best of hands the day of the wedding.

Jane Dearwester

Shay planned my wedding back in 2007 and she's also done corporate events for me. She is so adept at planning and organizing events. She has contacts with great vendors and conducts herself professionally at all times. She has classy and creative vision. I would highly recommend her and her team for your venue management, wedding, or special event.