Shelly at Honeybee as a DOC?

Re: Shelly at Honeybee as a DOC?

• mariannebride

  

  August 2009 edited December 2011

  Hi! I didn't use her but I do have a coordinator and I'd love to share my thoughts and referral! Email me!! mariannebride at yahoo dot com Talk to you soon

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• vikram1

  

  August 2011 edited December 2011

  Shelly and Honey Bee Weddings are horrible!  DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! 
  
  Honeybee Weddings was a nightmare to work with.  If your wedding has 50 people and hotel staff handles all the work, she is probably fine.  Our wedding was huge and had a ton of moving parts, which is why we found Honeybee and paid nearly TWICE the usual rate.  However, the experience was far from acceptable.  We made a long list of all the things that she did wrong or didn't do at all.  However, it was the fact that so many vendors called us (bride AND groom) to express that either Shelly hadn't been in touch with them or that she was rude to them.  Even my family...my mom, two cousins, and little sister asked us why we chose her because she didn't know what she was doing and also was rude to them.  If I had the time and energy, I would write a 5 page review of how bad this company was for us, but alas...I do not.  
  
  Shelly seems to approach day-of coordination as someone who holds a task list and then checks things off one at a time, IF nothing gets in the way.  As most should know, weddings are never that simple.  A coordinator needs to think on her/his feet and think about how to handle moving parts.  Shelly wasn't able to do this and also seemed very frustrated with her own inability to handle things.  Perhaps this is why I received so many complaints about her being rude and maybe that is why several vendors called us to say that they were confused about what was going on.  
  
  Shelly had difficulty coordinating simple things like lining up guests and forgot so many things that we had to make a list to capture them all.  At no point did Honey Bee apologize to us or even acknowledge any mistakes.  That was just as frustrating as the actual poor job they did.  We can never get our wedding day back and so we will forever remember that some of our most important guests were insulted by her and that things fell apart because the coordinator was not competent.
  
  That said, this company is awful and I would never recommend them to anyone.  Considering that there are so many other people out there who do strong coordination and are polite to your family and friends, I regret going with them.

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• alisonwest

  

  September 2011 edited December 2011

  See my review on YELP for a full detail, but fully recommend Honeybee Weddings as DOC. I can honestly say it was the best thing we could have ever have done for ourselves.
  
  First of all, Missie and Sam adapt to each bride's style. In our case, we just wanted a Day of Coordinator but, due to the exemplary service, we felt our wedding was the only one happening and was a priority at all times. As an "A-Personality" bride, Sam let me feel "in-control" and organized all while reducing my stress by listening to our needs, our timeline and continuously summarizing our plan to make sure we knew she was going to make it all happen. Sam was available for questions throughout the planning process and always made us feel comfortable with her warm responses. What I enjoyed the most was Sam's kind yet direct personality, making sure we had every detail planned without overwhelming us or challenging our responses.  She was willing to meet at the location and do a walk-through with the location coordinator to ensure we were all on the same page for the final execution and allowed me the moment of shared trust knowing she was as into the event as we were.
  
  I (as the bride) cannot express my gratitude of Sam's coordination efforts the week of the wedding. Sam followed up with each vendor, confirming the timeline and their duties. Due to her hard work, I was able to focus on being a bride and welcoming all my out-of-town guests. Anyone who knew I was getting married kept commenting on how calm I was and my response was always, "it's because of Sam (and of course my husband who knows what is best for us)".  Sam managed the Rehearsal, making sure each attendant knew his/her place and thought of things for us to practice that I would never have known about. It kept everyone calm and prepared for all scenarios (we had an outdoor wedding). The day of was very organized but, as all brides know, time flew and I got more and more stressed the closer the clock got to the ceremony time. Sam was the rock throughout the day, providing not only comfort but also gently reminding us of what we needed to be doing or where we needed to be. During the actual event, Sam again knew every detail that was planned and allowed me, my husband and our guests a stress-free environment where we could actually enjoy the event. A few things came up that were unexpected or unplanned and, knowing my personality and what was important to me, Sam would either confirm with me what needed to be done (without interrupting my moment or fun or causing stress) or knew to handle it on her own. The next day, at brunch, many of our guests commented on how Sam was everywhere at all times but yet invisible at the same time (handling every single need without being pushy or controlling the event). She was honestly a godsend.
  
  From one bride to another, or even to someone just in the research stage, do yourself a kindness and work with Honeybee, even if just for a DOC. Of course, I "could have" done it all by myself. We were even on a budget and I wasn't sure early on if the cost would justify what I could do myself. However, I can honestly tell you that I would NOT have been able to ENJOY my day with my lovely husband, family and friends had I been tied to a timeline or managing every detail on my own, or leaving it up to a location coordinator or caterer - no offense, but they just don't have the same personal investment that a bride & groom do. Honeybee had that personal investment and treated our wedding like one of their own. And, at the end of the day, the pictures prove it all...it was the best day of my life - because I was stress-free and could enjoy the moment...all due to Sam and Honeybee Weddings. 

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