When my fiancé and I started planning our microwedding 8 weeks in advance of our wedding, we thought, "we'll reserve a private room or patio at a restaurant, invite our family, hire a photographer, and call it a wedding." Well, you hire a photographer and set a venue, and then you think — wouldn't it be great if we really looked nice in photos and so we did hair and makeup? And then what about an actual ceremony and officiant? And maybe some ceremony music? What about the timeline for doing hair and makeup morning-of? And maybe a florist to make that garden patio into a beautiful secret garden? By the time we had venue, florist, photographer, hair & makeup — I realized that we needed a planner, otherwise I was going to spend the day of my microwedding coordinating vendors.
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At first, I started interviewing day-of and month-of coordinators and planners who specialized in events management and logistics. Looking for day-of and month-of is how I found Sara — and thank GOODNESS I found this amazing, hysterically funny, master-of-her-craft, true industry expert creative genius — because she *knows things about wedding planning I simply do not know.* She asked questions I did not know to ask, that helped extract the vision I had in my head and turn it into first a proposal — that helped me realized she was the right fit for us — and then, over 8 weeks, a reality on April 29, 2022 at Iron Gate in DC.
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What's it like to work with Sara to plan your wedding? The thing about Sara is she seems so cool and low-key, that when you're the bride you legitimately enjoy talking on the phone with her and emailing with her, etc., yet behind the scenes she is working true detail-oriented organization magic so that day-of your wedding is flawless. Sara will also push you to make decisions and also talk you out of bad ideas 24 hours before the wedding that you, in your head at 1:00 a.m., suddenly come up with (rearranging the photo timeline!). Sara is what every bride NEEDS in a wedding planner. She is not a pushover, but she is also not bossy. She is a confidante and advisor who will listen to you and also give advice that comes from her many years of experience in the industry.

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The weeks leading up to the wedding, I realized that Sara knew EVERYONE. All the vendors. All the events managers. The rental people. The chair people. The bra people. The people who can tailor your bra. (I didn't do that, but if you want to, Sara will make it happen for you.) You're doing your walkthrough at the venue and drinks are appearing and thank-you notes and extra food. And then, ALL the vendors LIKE Sara and will hustle for her, bend the rules for her (cough, cough... dog as ring bearer at a restaurant that doesn't allow dogs...) and make sure everything is on time. So that morning of the wedding, you are the bride, getting your hair and makeup done, everything is going to run on time for you. Your flowers are going to get delivered perfectly, your venue will be beautiful, you are going to walk down the aisle and have a magical, unforgettable ceremony and beautiful reception. And that's all because of Sara.

We loved working with Sara to help create a comfortable tented environment for a stunning at-home wedding. So many logistics and vendors to schedule but Sara was calm through it all. And the wedding STARTED at 11am the Saturday after Thanksgiving! Sara communicated with all vendors to make sure the family was able to enjoy their holiday while literally building an event venue in their backyard. THAT is a whole lotta awesome! We look forward to working with Sara on future events!

My husband and I remarked many times in the wedding planning process that having a wedding is kind of like running a corporation. We are here to tell you that you want Sara as your Chief of Staff. She is hands down the best Wedding Planner in DC and executed our very specific vision 100x over and made our wedding more beautiful and special than we could have dreamed. She's well respected among the best vendors in DC which makes everything easier - from the band that gave us the best music, to the loveliest makeup artist on the planet, to outrageously gorgeous flowers, to a warm candlelit dinner party vibe,  to exquisite paper, along with multiple religious elements that were all full of meaning and intentionality, and SO much more, she totally "got" us and what we needed and what we were willing to budget for each aspect of our wedding. Hiring Sara is an investment, but you are investing in every aspect of your wedding being exactly as you want it to be, she'll make it happen. Our families and friends remarked that our wedding is one that they will remember forever as a monumentally special moment in their lives. 

Hiring Sara is without a doubt the best wedding decision we made (except picking each other). Like many others, our 2020 wedding had to be postponed to 2021. Sara helped us navigate the challenging the postponement, helping deal with all our vendors and reviewing new contracts and covid requirements. She is very tuned into the planning community so she could tell us how other vendors were handling things, where the industry was headed, and what is fair/not fair to expect. And when our venue became a mass vaccination site 8 weeks before our wedding, she managed to find us a new venue and re-design all the piece that come with a change like that. We would not have made it through the chaos and stress. Do yourself a favor, hire Sara immediately.

What can I say about Sara (and her amazing team!!!) she is recognized in Washingtonian, Martha Stewart, and many more and has every right to be. Her execution of the day was flawless. She took care of everything and made sure we were on track for everything. We hired her for day of coordination, but she was engaged with us almost 8 weeks before. She literally lifted off any weight from our shoulders. I honestly don't think this wedding could have been executed this well without Sara. Yes-- she is a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. She was my first hire of all my vendors and she is the best decision i ever made. She is very responsive, flexible, and is willing to make sure your vision gets executed. We had a fully Indian wedding (known for running behind...way behind) and she had us almost exactly to our timeline. If I could recommend anyone its Sara. Her service is above par and she is not only a wedding planner but a great shoulder to cry on/vent to/have a freak-out moment, etc. She is also great post-wedding to make sure that everything gets wrapped up!

I hired Anne for 'day of' services before she joined Belle Notte and it was the best money I spent for my wedding! She was extremely organized, accounted for everything in my 'vision' and made recommendations for things I wasn't thinking about/considering. On the day of the wedding she was there as soon as we had access to the facility and ensured everything was set up according to my specifications. She kept the wedding on track (that alone was worth the money) and made sure I didn't worry about a thing. I highly recommend Anne!

Sara has been recognized by the Washingtonian, Grace Ormande, Martha Stewart Weddings and more (http://www.bellanottedc.com/index.php/press/). She has incredible amount of energy, is insanely detail oriented, is just about as fun as it gets, and remembers everything. I could not have pulled off the wedding of my dreams without her. She is expensive, but worth it. She saw my vision and made it happen. She has amazing vendor contacts. She negotiated to get my vision into price points I could manage. She knew the folks at our venue, and they loved her - and let us bend the rules in just a few places. She is a miracle worker. She books up early and often. Reach out early in the process.

One of the best decisions I made was asking Whitney to help with day of planning. There is no way we could have enjoyed our wedding day as much as we did if it wasn't for her. Time and time again she went above and beyond to ensure everything we discussed in advance was perfect. I was so thankful for her advice and recommendations - which were always provided in a timely manner - along the way. I can't say enough good things about Whitney & her team. She truly made my vision come alive!

Sara, you are the best! You were the best money we spent on the entire wedding. As mother of the bride, I enjoyed the wedding so much because you were behind the scenes keeping us on time (even ahead once!) and in order. I had pure fun because of you. I had no idea we had a few small "fires" because you had taken care of them so quickly and easily. You worked with all the other vendors so well and they were also very complimentary to you. I can't say enough great things about you! Thank you so much! (As a day of planner, Sara touched base with all vendors the week of the wedding and knew everything that was happening. She is very cheerful and has great organizational skills.)

We used Sara for our daughters wedding in D.C. All I can say is we could not have pulled off that day without her. Totally organized, kept everything moving, and with a smile, and stellar personality. I would highly recommend!! Thanks, Julie M.O.B