Weddings Made Splendid

I don’t think that I need to say that Weddings are A BIG DEAL and way to much work, however, the reason we get married and plan a wedding is because we found that special person that lights up our life and we want it to be a day we will always remember. I have to say that this vision is most times a vision of perfection. From what I have heard from others, weddings never turn out perfect, HOWEVER, Meaghan (now nicknamed Meg by my husband and I) IS the reason our wedding was PERFECT! I am a very artsy person and I had many details I wanted included. MEG was detail oriented from the first day we began working with her; additionally she is a sweetheart. She helped make wedding planning go smoothly and alleviated lots of work and stress for us the month of the wedding and allowed us to have more time together. Anytime we had questions or needed recommendations there she was to help and solve the problem. THE DAY OF THE WEDDING, let me begin by saying that as a detail oriented person it is mostly impossible for me to just let someone else take the rope, however, I completely trusted that Meg would make sure all the details we had planned would be in place and I can truthfully say I did not feel a need to call her all day, the day of our wedding. Surely enough after the ceremony when we arrived at the Reception I was stunned to see that everything had been set up even more gorgeous than I could have ever imagined (I did not need to call her even once that day, she had it all taken care of). She worked wonderfully with every vendor and was right all the way about her comment on our DJ. She knows when a vendor is good or not so I would recommend following her advice to the «T». My Husband said from day one that we made the best decision in hiring Meg to be our wedding planner, we cannot thank you enough MEG! For making our day so special! HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!!

We hired Meaghan and WMS for the month-​of, and my wedding would’ve been nothing without her. We had a big wedding with lots of vendors and details, and Meaghan handled it flawlessly. Always professional, but at the same time, a shoulder to lean on when I needed someone to calm me down, she was such a pleasure to work with. AND all of her vendor referrals were amazing.
If you need a coordinator – Meaghan is worth every penny, if not more. The best investment you can make for a perfect day!!!

We absolutely loved Starr, from «Weddings Made Splendid.» She did a fantastic job at our daughter’s wedding. I have to confess that, in the beginning, I had to be talked into even the concept of having a wedding coordinator — I mean, how hard could it be to plan everything yourself? But let me tell you now, there is a TON of things that require your undivided attention on your wedding day, and it was so great not to have to worry about any of them, thanks to Starr. The wedding was so perfect, and it was so wonderful to be in the moment of the day, and not to have to worry about anything. Coordinating a wedding requires a professional!
We hired her for the month of, and she kept us on track all the way to the wedding day. She was very friendly, and we felt very comfortable with her relaxed, confident personality. But most of all, she was organized. She kept track of all the things that needed to be done and the time line of the wedding. She provided so many great suggestions about all the little details that we never thought of. Starr was so helpful at the rehearsal — lining everyone up in the right order when we weren’t quite sure, and getting them to wait for their cue. She did all the set up of the reception herself, and asked questions about everything if she wasn’t quite sure.
Who knew how to really lace up a corset dress? Starr did — and fast too. Who sewed the button back on a groomsman’s jacket? Starr, of course. She was always in the backround offering lots of help. It was great to put our daughter’s wedding in her hands and just enjoy the day. If there were any problems, we are not aware of any of them. The wedding was magical and perfect, and Starr made all the difference. She was amazing!

If you find yourself in the market for a wedding coordinator and Meaghan Schmaltz isn’t available on your wedding date, then I strongly advise you to change your wedding date. You can agonize endlessly over florists, photographers, bakeries and venues, but there’s nothing — in my opinion — that ensures the perfect wedding like a first-​rate wedding planner. If you are skeptical, consider this well-​known truth: for every wedding detail you think you’ve got covered, there’s at least ten that you haven’t even thought of. A good wedding planner has these myriad details «in the can,» plus more; and if she’s truly exceptional, you’ll feel as though the entire process of planning your wedding moves effortlessly and seamlessly from the early harrowing stages of picking stationery and a DJ through the culmination of all your decisions on your wedding day. Hiring a wedding planner is like getting insurance for your wedding day and, chosen correctly, it is worth every penny. Looking back at our wedding, my husband and I are most impressed with our decision to engage Meaghan over other wedding planners; she had just a handful of reviews on Unilocal,which would typically be a red flag to veteran Unilocalers like us, but after a 30-​minute interview with her we cancelled our appointments to meet with the other candidates because we truly believed we’d hit the jackpot. We were right.
Meaghan had her work cut out for her from the beginning. My fiancé and I lived in different cities and time zones, neither of which was the location of our wedding venue, vendors or Meaghan, for that matter. We were aiming for a lush, romantic and luxurious-​themed ceremony, but were operating under an inflexible budget. We wanted a non-​military ceremony, but also wanted to include certain military embellishments in honor of my fiancé’s service as a naval aviator. Most significantly, we knew what we didn’t want but were far less clear on what we did. These factors alone would’ve been challenging for any wedding professional to reconcile, but Meaghan took everything in stride as if she’d done it a hundred times before. Communicating almost exclusively by E-​mail could have been terribly inefficient and totally unpleasant if she hadn’t been so responsive and so complete. Whether I asked one question or four, Meaghan answered them all and usually within the space of a couple of hours. She proactively liaised with our vendors, took copious notes, made rigorous checklists and kept records of every piece of correspondence for her files. Pragmatic but a romantic at heart, she encouraged our creativity but was never shy about offering guidance where it was clear we needed some. Best of all, Meaghan was consistently courteous, warm and client-​oriented. If I hadn’t asked, I never would have guessed she was juggling several other weddings while she was planning ours. Remarkably, she always made us feel as though we were her only client. If that doesn’t speak for good service then I don’t know what does!
But the true test of a wedding planner’s mettle is The Catastrophe. Two days before the wedding, a power outage of unprecedented magnitude rendered the entire city of San Diego and vast surrounding areas without electricity. I recall vividly sitting at home in my sweatpants and breathing into a paper bag when I picked up a voicemail from Meaghan, assuring me that everything would be ok. Had the reassurance come from anyone else, I would’ve balked, but Meaghan’s words meant the show would go on.
Our wedding day came and went, and thankfully, not only did we have electricity, but we had every other imaginable good fortune — impeccable weather, exquisite flowers, beautiful music and happy guests. It was absolutely magical. When it came time to thank our parents at the reception, my fiancé and I could not help but mention Meaghan. She was far and away the best investment we made in that event, and our gratitude to her extends to the present day. If you have the opportunity to book her, do so, and you will not be disappointed.

Let me start by saying that I am a long time Unilocal follower, but this is my first time writing a review… but I just HAD to do it! Secondly, I have been planning my wedding since I was 6 years old, so I never thought I would want/​need a wedding coordinator… But hiring Meaghan was the best decision I made when it came to the wedding (besides saying yes to the groom of course!)
I cannot say enough fabulous things about Meaghan and Weddings Made Splendid! I had many wonderful vendors for my wedding, but Meaghan gave me a peace of mind that no money can buy.
Everything others have Unilocaled about her has been correct– she is friendly, professional, organized, responsible, and so detail oriented– characteristics that are imperative when one is spending money for a coordinator. I wanted to do most of the planning myself, so I hired her for the month of to tie together all the loose ends. Being from out of town, it was great to have her there, especially during the last week before the wedding when I was trying to entertain out of town relatives. She had contacted all my vendors well in advance so I only had her contacting me instead of a million separate vendors. When I met with her to do the final walk through, I only explained my «vision» once and when I got to my reception site, everything was exactly as I had envisioned!
Our wedding day was perfect and relaxing! When we returned from the honeymoon, I heard that a few major things had occurred with some of the vendors, but I had no clue as Meaghan had dealt with everything discreetly so as to not ruin our day. Even my father (who is somewhat «cheap» and thought it was ridiculous that I wanted him to pay for a coordinator) actually admitted the day after the wedding that she was well worth the money (a HUGE admission on his part).
This review does not do Meaghan justice– I wish I could emphasize more how wonderful she is and how hiring Weddings Made Splendid will be the best money you spend for your wedding!!!

Enlisting «Weddings Made Splendid» to help coordinate our wedding was one of the best decisions we made in wedding planning! We clicked with Meaghan the moment we met her– she was so friendly and very down to earth. It was clear how much she loves weddings and how passionate she is about her job, and is also so genuine and real about it (a personality that can be a bit hard to find in the wedding industry). She is extremely organized as well– something I noticed and appreciated as a fellow «list maker.» This personality really came through as we watched her deal with both vendors and guests before and during the wedding– she was easy to get along with and got business done at the same time.
It made such a difference in the final pre-​wedding months to be working with someone that is clearly on top of it– you get the feeling there is nothing she can’t handle. Basically from the minute we met with her, we never worried about details at the wedding because we knew that no matter what happened «Meaghan would take care of it.» This certainly proved to be the case! A perfect example of this came the morning of the wedding as the scheduled person for hair and makeup suddenly came down with the stomach flu– luckily Meaghan almost immediately found a new (and amazing) hair/​makeup artist to step in. An impressive feat to do this last minute, and even more so considering it was 7am on New Years Day!
On the day of the wedding, Meaghan helped everything come together perfectly. She and her assistant somehow managed to get the entire area set up before the wedding– as we went to get ready the morning of the wedding, there were a bunch of tables standing around and chairs stacked against the wall– when we came out, the area had been transformed into a beautiful ceremony and reception area. It honestly felt like magic! All ceremony and reception events went just as planned thanks to her direction and coordination, and if there were any issues, we never heard about it. Somehow even with all the other things to coordinate, she always found time to check in on us and get us food or drink as needed. There was not a single thing we had to worry about at our wedding– thanks to Meaghan, we just enjoyed the amazing day!

I hired Meaghan approximately three weeks before my wedding. At first, I had no intentions of hiring a DOC, but after much discussion with other brides and my family, it soon became clear I needed a DOC. I initially called another woman whom I had met at a bridal show and that woman was busy so she recommended Meaghan. Man I sure am glad she did!!!
Meaghan was very detail oriented and organized — 2 traits I find to be of utmost importance, especially in this line of work. From the very start, Meaghan jumped in and took over where I had left off. I had already chosen most of my vendors, but she made contact with every single one. She read every contract and ensured I was getting what I wanted at every turn. We discussed every detail at great lengths and she even suggested things I never even thought of. She became as involved with my wedding as I was and she amazed me at how she handled every aspect with such proficiency and dedication to what I wanted for my big day. She even acted as a liaison between me and the man who was my contact at my venue — a task that proved Meaghan is a patient yet get it done kind of girl. I do not know what I would have done without her.
On the big day, Meaghan was there bright and early making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing. She checked on me often and she even put out a few fires along the way. Meaghan was all over the place. She had only one assistant; I will never know how the two of them pulled it off without a hitch! The ceremony was organized and beautiful. Meaghan made sure every detail was perfect!
The reception was filled with many bumps due to poor planning at my venue. Meaghan was all over it! Without her, the reception would have been a disaster. I am so grateful that she took care of every detail and allowed me to just enjoy the whole event. I had not a care in the world because I knew whatever came up, Meaghan could and would handle it!
I could go on and on about the amazing job Meaghan did on my wedding — but this review would be soooo long. Meaghan went above and beyond my expectations and I could not have been happier! I will use Meaghan for every event — big or small — that I have in the future and I highly recommend you do the same! Thank you so much Meaghan! You know you are my hero for making my wedding PERFECT!

My husband and I planned most of the major and minor details for our wedding, and we were looking for someone who would take the reigns on the day of so that we would do nothing but sit back, relax, and enjoy GETTING MARRIED!!! Meaghan was referred by a colleague who was already booked on the day of our wedding (June 26, 2010). Although we hired Meaghan for «Day-​of» services, she was pretty much our go-​to person immediately. Within the last month before the wedding, Meaghan was in touch and coordinated with all our vendors. As promised, Meaghan was the first and last person to show up on the day of our wedding.
At our initial in-​person consultation, Meaghan brought lunch for my husband and me, including a vegetarian option in case one of us didn’t eat meat. Learning how detail-​oriented, considerate, and kind Meaghan was just sealed the deal for us. She spent a good 1 – 1.5 hours with us, going over the various coordinating options and assessing our needs and wants for the big day. She was extremely organized and well-​prepared. All of her forms had our names and wedding information already printed on them, and she presented them to us in a lovely folder. To top it off, she even gave us a wedding planning magazine for our reference.
Meaghan was never pushy. She was attentive, responsive, and most importantly, she demonstrated some pretty sophisticated people skills: she was assertive with vendors when necessary, patient with family and other guests during the rehearsal and wedding itself, and she was just simply nice and pleasant. We had several hour+ conversations via phone and email (since we were planning from the SF bay area), during which time she paid attention to and executed all of my requests.
Small details were handled as well. I wanted to have a pair of flip flops to change into after the ceremony, and Meaghan cleverly left it underneath my sweetheart table along with my make-​up touch-​up bag. I could go on for pages and pages listing all of the details Meaghan and her team managed flawlessly on the days leading up to and day of the wedding. I seriously did not have a single stressful moment on the day of my wedding. Even when minor issues came up, I did not worry because I was confident that Meaghan and her team would take care of it. Meaghan was truly the best money we spent on our wedding, and I would recommend her services to anyone!