Hi Knotties! I just finished writing Danielle's WeddingWire review and it is loooooong. So I figured I'd post it here as its own thread instead of my overall vendor review, which will probably be 5 pages long. But the reviews on this board helped me so much while planning, I figured I'd be thorough
If you're asking yourself if you need a DOC, I'd say YES! I thought about it for a few months and was hesitant to pull the trigger for a few months because I didn't want to spend "unnecessary" money. In the first week I hired Danielle she saved me her fee and then some in hiring other vendors. Had I hired her when I initially spoke with her I probably would have saved $3k in vendor costs with her suggestions.
First of all, attempting to review Danielle in any kind of reasonably succinct way is pretty hard, I have that many wonderful things to gush about her. I'd been planning our wedding long distance for about 4 months when I started to look into hiring a Day of Coordinator. I didn't think it was necessary at first because our venue "came with a catering director/consultant/whatever the banquet pdf called it." The more I researched though, the more I realized that I wanted someone who I could trust to be an advocate for me, my husband and my parents, NOT for the venue while we were, you know, getting married. After a few email exchanges with Danielle I knew she was The One but it took me a few more months to bite the bullet and "justify the added expense" - and as soon as I hired her I wished I'd done it the moment I found her. I'll try to keep things organized and numbered so I don't ramble too much, but this is why:1. Promptness and professionalism - Danielle answered my emails and set up a phone chat within a few hours of my initial e-mail. She was the only DOC/ planner who did this.2. Price - we weren't on an unlimited budget, no bride I know is, and Danielle understood that completely. Her pricing is extremely competitive and is really, truly, not high enough for her amazing talents and dedication. I was thrilled with what we paid and in retrospect, had I known how amazing she'd be, I'd have gladly paid double.3. Dedication - You get what you pay for, unless you hire Danielle as your planner or coordinator. Then you are getting an amazing person and wedding professional who goes far above/beyond what she's required to do. Danielle coordinated and attended tastings, vendor meetings and walk-throughs with my trips to Florida. Whenever I came into town, Danielle was available to meet with me and/or our other vendors. This is something a full service planner would do, yet our amazing DOC was there every step of the way.4. Her Connections - If you're here, you're probably searching for the best vendors in South Florida. Save yourself time, sanity and money and just hire Danielle. She recommended several vendors that she knows will deliver and has confidence in their abilities. We hired our florist, baker and Photo Booth through Danielle, and I was kicking myself for not hiring her sooner and letting her suggest all of our other vendors. They were fantastic talents who worked with our budget simply because they wanted another chance to work with Danielle. She's that good.5. Her personality - Danielle played peace keeper between my Mom and I, promised me I wasn't crazy when I had random wedding anxiety, and talked me out of paying for rose petal canons for our grand entrance (and thus blowing my budget). She played devil's advocate, stand-in groom, Director/wrangler of our large extended family, tough negotiator with difficult vendors, and endless source of peace of mind. Because of Danielle, our entire wedding ran perfectly (and if it didn't I still have no idea). Because of Danielle I got to spend the entire day relaxing and getting pampered with my bridesmaids & family without a care in the world. Because of Danielle our entire ceremony, cocktail and reception was on time and smooth. Because of Danielle our team of vendors was coordinated and able to do their thing without complications, making a very happy couple, happy parents and happy guests. Because of Danielle we got to eat our AMAZING dinner, our champagne glasses were full all night, and all we had to do was dance the evening away. Because of Danielle we got to enjoy our wedding and soak in every little moment. So when I say I love her, I really really love her, and my sweet hubs who only got to meet her at our rehearsal, adores her for giving both of us the chance to put wedding planning behind us and focus on getting married and celebrating!