Kelli, the woman behind Swank Events, may be the hardest working woman in the state. As a wedding planner, you have to be negotiator, project manager, accountant, expert in photography, florals, cakes, etiquette, sometimes a therapist…the list goes on. Kelli manages to do all that for her clients in addition to having a day job. It’s baffling, really!

When I got engaged, I knew I needed a planner. I had a vague idea of how much went into planning a wedding and I simply didn’t have time. With only 9 months to plan my wedding, I found Swank Events on Yelp and contacted them. After glowing references from past clients, Kelli and I met and I hired her on the spot. She really listens to what you want from your wedding day. She never forgot the things I told her in that initial meeting – she had our “theme” in mind with every vendor recommendation.

9 months of working with someone to put together the most important day of your life is very hard to put into a succinct review. It’s difficult to know where to start! Kelli did all the legwork on venues in and around Boston, putting together SUPER helpful portfolios for each with pros and cons, costs, etc. She came with us on all the tours and asked the questions I had no idea were important to have answers to. When we fell in love with the beautiful rooftop room at the Taj in downtown Boston, Kelli somehow worked her magic to make it affordable for us (seriously, I still don’t know how she did it.)

Kelli knows lots of local vendors and can find and recommend ones that fit your style and sensibility. She’s pretty opinionated when it comes to certain vendors, but also respectful of your choices (I had my heart set on a photographer that was slightly out of our budget range but Kelli knew it was important to me and made it work.) She’s also excited to find new vendors – when we didn’t want a cake, she went out and found us a great place for mini whoopee pies!

Kelli is super responsive – I have over 500 emails/texts/calls from her from the past year. She’s also passionate about her work and it shows in everything she does. On top of all that, she’s just a good person! Our “meetings” often took place in my apartment- which was so convenient with my schedule- over a glass of wine. I don’t think there is anything Kelli wouldn’t do to make her clients happy on their big day. I would recommend Swank Events to every bride; whether you need full service planning (like myself) or something more a la carte. She has options to work with every budget and her assistance, guidance and inspiration were worth 10 times her fees.

Simply put, my husband and I have Kelli to thank for a beautiful, stress-free wedding day. And isn’t that what it’s all about?