Em Devaud Events

There are not enough words to describe how invaluable Em Devaud is, not only as a wedding planner, but as a support system, cheerleader, therapist, person, and best friend. I will detail my reasons for all of this below as it relates to my experience with her, but if you read no further this is the main take-home message: hiring Em Devaud will be the single best decision you will make (besides saying "I Do!") for your wedding day.


My husband and I made two promises to each other when we sat down to plan our wedding: 1. We would enjoy the planning process and 2. We and our parents would be guests at our own wedding. Though my husband is a native of the Newport, RI area, we quickly realized when we began the process that we would need some extra support in making this a reality. Enter Em Devaud.



Immediately, Em was different. I had hired some vendors prior to working with Em and, I kid you not, every. single. one. of. them. was ECSTATIC at the idea that Em may be a part of this wedding and sung her praises, recommending her 10/10 times. When we reached out to her, she provided a very clear price structure including line items of what responsibilities, jobs, and wedding weekend events were included with her fees. There were never gray areas or moments of "Can we ask her to do this?" or "Who's job is it to do that?" which was EXCEEDINGLY helpful after navigating a sea of different pricing structures with unclear benefits, roles/responsibilities from other planning vendors. She expected to be a part of the process from start to finish, checking in regularly, even 11+ months out from wedding day, and having a TON of resources, google sheets, recommendations, and calendar invites available to you.



Then you talk to Em, and you realize why she prides herself on being your "hired best friend." Fun, up-beat, positive, can-do. If Elle Woods and Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner were combined, you'd have Em. I'd also add, though, that she is also your "hired 'in' for Newport, RI." As I said above, vendors in Newport love and respect Em. It's evident in their interactions with her that I was witness to and its evident in her ability to get things done with them. Her track record is strong, and she is a respected professional in the community.



Em joined us for every vendor meeting, either in-person or virtual, including a meeting that took place only FIVE days after she gave birth to her youngest. She took detailed notes and followed up on all of my questions and concerns. She navigated difficult conversations that I felt too uncomfortable handling, maintaining a professional relationship with both myself and vendors. She gave straightforward advice when needed or asked for and she was willing to make whatever decisions my husband and I decided on work, even if that meant more behind the scenes action on her end.



So, can Em handle challenges and curve balls? We certainly threw her some, and she hit grand slam after grand slam. About a month out from our wedding, our room block and brunch hotel site had a fire that effectively wiped it out from use. The fire began in the 8 o'clock PM hour and Em was calling and emailing solutions and back up contracts starting at 10 o'clock PM that night. We had CHOICES for room blocks and brunch locations (during the summer months in Newport, RI) within 24 hours of realizing we would have to completely switch gears without having done a thing; it had been completely facilitated by Em. We didn't have time to panic, as any problems were solved by Em before we truly realized we had them. On our wedding day, a massive thunderstorm and torrential downpour threatened our outdoor ceremony, and Em had Plans A, B, C, D, E ready to go, though at all cost she was going to make our dreams a reality and make outdoors work. When it was still pouring 30 minutes before our ceremony was due to start, Em put my husband and I in a quiet room (strategically away from people and windows through which you could see weather) with champagne, left us to go back to the venue to subsequently coordinate an entire crew and staff to dry everything for us so that when the rain stopped 15 minutes before my walk down the aisle, we could and did have our perfect, outdoor ceremony.



Our parents, our bridal party, our vendors, and our GUESTS were amazed with Em. So many people came up to my husband and I to sing the praises of "our wedding planner, Em" or to tell us, and I quote, "Is it weird that I just told your wedding planner that I love her?" Some members of my bridal party had hired and worked with some of the most well-known planners on the Eastern seaboard and wished they had known about Em because they would have booked her in a heartbeat instead. She went so above and beyond what is industry standard.



If you are still reading, thank you! Em is everything. In our toast at our wedding I said that the only sad part of the day was that it meant I was not going to be regularly communicating with Em anymore, and I meant that. She will ensure you have the absolute best day, the day you have dreamed of, and importantly, the day you deserve.

Em was so great to work with during our wedding planning and on the day of our wedding. She was very communicative and always had great advice! Leading up to the wedding, we had meetings with her monthly where we discussed the planning and she always kept us on track. This was so helpful and I really don't think we could have done it without her. The week of the wedding was also so easy for us. Em took care of so much and everyone was in awe of how great she was. I really can't imagine doing it all without her. Thank you Em!!!

We made no better decision for our wedding than hiring Em. She was the most wonderful, caring, attentive, and meticulous planner, and the level of care and time spent on making our wedding perfect was on full display at our wedding. From the small details, to the large ones, and from dealing with so many requests from us, she came through with shining colors, every single time. Hire her and you will get not only a partner, but a great friend, and she will ensure that you feel like she is your only client.

Where do I even start? My husband and I are thankful beyond words to have worked with Em. She was there every. step. of. the way.- easing my nerves, making introductions to vendors, providing invaluable recommendations and playing such a vital role in making this the wedding weekend of our dreams. She truly has a gift and her genuine passion for both her clients and her work are beyond evident. She was the support system I never knew I needed but couldn't have done it without and looking back, we truly couldn't have imagined our wedding and the year leading up to our wedding without her being a part of it! She has this unmatched ability as a wedding planner to act with poise and grace and is the peace of mind in human form that EVERY bride needs. If you're on the fence about hiring Em, this is my message to you to not think for one more second and make that connection with Em that you will never regret or forget. I will say that the one thing you're not going to be able to prepare for is having to part ways with Em when your wedding weekend is all said and done. I can't tell you how upset I was that I wouldn't have the excuse to catch up with Em on our biweekly calls BUT she reminded me that this wasn't the end and that we'd stay in touch (and we have because that's how much she cares about her clients). It's been a little over 3 months since our December wedding and our family and friends are still raving about Em and the fact that our wedding wouldn't have been the amazing weekend it was without her. She will forever hold a special place in our heart. I truly cannot express how incredible she is. Thank you for everything Em!

Like everyone's experience with Em, we just cannot properly articulate how invaluable she is as a wedding planner. My wife and I got married in Bora Bora and knew we needed a wedding planner since getting friends and family half way around the world while setting everything up properly can be a logistical nightmare. Em made this entire experience an absolute dream. Everything was planned more than a year out and during COVID restrictions. Em took the lead on communicating with the venue, all the local vendors, wedding website, you name it. There are so many meticulous little details we never even thought of in the planning phase that Em made us aware of and proceeded to ease any worries or cares.

For over a year Em met with us virtually (we started planning in the US and then moved abroad) and seemed more like a best friend than a wedding planner. When it came time for the wedding Em flew in before us to get everything prepared to our specifications, took care of transportation for us and all our guests, and kept everything on the rails for the next few days that everyone was on the island. Our guests loved her as much as we did and Em was very responsive when communicating with everyone as they moved around since not everyone was staying at the same resort. Guests had to take boat and land taxis but Em wanted to shield us from the logistics of it and let us enjoy the stay. Everyone was always where they needed to be and when they needed to be there.

When Em flew in she had to lug all of those small venue items (like flowers or centerpieces) with her. Em hired a most helpful employee to assist with this and to help her at the venue and it was no problem at all for Em to make this accommodation. Em is extremely attentive, knowledgeable, and absolutely relentless when it comes to getting something done that needs to be done. It does not matter where your wedding is, if you want a phenomenal planner who is also an absolutely gracious human being, contact Em. You will not regret it.

If you're looking to hire a wedding planner, look no further. Em is your person!!! I cannot say enough amazing things about her. She is kind, organized, diligent, understanding, caring, SUCH a hard worker and overall a radiant person who brings a breath of fresh air and positivity to planning a wedding. Em and I originally met at my sisters wedding 5+ years ago and once my venue/date was set, she was my first call. The value of her services are unmatched - I truly do not know what we would have done without her. If you're getting married in the Newport/Boston area (especially Rosecliff Mansion), Em knows EVERYONE which is incredibly valuable - this is something I didn't think about until we were deep in the planning process but was invaluable and helped take so much off our plate. I cannot list the number of times we mentioned a vendor we were exploring or that I was thinking of reaching out to, only to realize Em already had a personal relationship with them, could make a direct intro, and get us a quick response on their availability. A few specific examples that may be helpful of where Em really stepped up for us: monthly check in calls/google docs with organized to do lists for you, direct vendor intros, any and all coordination with vendors, creating bus schedules and routes, hopping on vendor calls the weeks and months leading up to the wedding for additional guidance, she took photos of our wedding tasting so we could reflect on what food we loved the most, creating/editing/tweaking our wedding day timeline countless times, working to perfect the hair and makeup schedule, helping us negate a emergency situation when our welcome drink location closed due to inclement weather the day of the rehearsal dinner (as the bride I actually had no idea this happened until the problem was already resolved), organizing and dropping off welcome bags, coordinating guest lists directly with hotels that don't allow room blocks, printing menus last minute for the reception, helping our officiant find a misplaced tux two hours before the ceremony, handing out tips to all vendors so we could just enjoy the night, sewing a wedding guests dress when the strap broke...I could go on and on. Lastly and most importantly, Em is a wonderful person inside and out. Hiring Em will be the best decision you ever make for you wedding!

To put it simply, hiring Em was the best choice that we made throughout the whole wedding planning process. Em worked with us for over a year to make sure that every detail of our wedding was insanely perfect (even the details I didn’t know I needed to care about). She let us make our own choices but would step in and guide us when we needed it. She helped us find the best vendors that fit our taste and would provide the best services. On top of all of that I just loved talking to Em because she’s the best!!
On the wedding weekend Em made sure that everything ran smoothly and hid all issues (major and minor) from us. She knew all the vendors so when something wasn’t right she worked directly with them to make sure we got the best service.
I cannot fully articulate how amazing Em is but I can tell you that she had the whole wedding party chanting her name after the ceremony! Thanks for everything Em!!

Em is honestly the best decision we made for our wedding; she was a fantastic partner, had everything 1000000% under control and properly listened and partnered with me. I had a hard time making decisions and she was the best sounding board, able to deal with some of the family politics that always exist and honestly just making the whole day a joy. I am SO happy that we decided to work with her and if anything, if I had to redo it, I would have given her more control over the whole event (we did day of). Do not hesitate to book her, she is fantastic and literally is a shining spot in the day, really enabling you to enjoy it. I had some family members who were VERY skeptical about the need in general for a planner, and literally every single one of them has come away from the event raving that Em is "worth her weight in gold." Don't read any more reviews, just hire her-- it will be the best decision you make for the day!

Hiring Em was the best decision we made! She was exactly what we were looking for when we started to plan our wedding. I cannot say enough good things about her and her team. All of her recommended vendors were exactly what we dreamt of. She knew our tastes and preferences instantly which became so helpful when making all of the decisions. Em was attentive to our family's needs, easy to work with, and very professional. Even all of our guests complimented us on our amazing planner, Em!

Em is an amazing wedding planner and just a wonderful human being. We were so lucky to work with her for our July 2021 (originally October 2020) wedding after connecting with her through mutual friends, and can’t say enough good things about our experience!

Em went above and beyond many times to help us find vendors, make sure we had all the little things ready (she printed our welcome bag itineraries and signature drink cards!), and keep things running smoothly. It would take me many paragraphs to share all of the little things she did in the 2 years we were working with her, and all that she and her team did on our wedding weekend, to ensure we and our guests had a wonderful event (making sure all our rehearsal dinner flowers were reset beautifully for brunch, find a new rehearsal spot last minute when our other spot was suddenly used to film a movie, etc.!). Our family and wedding parties loved working with her, as did all our guests, and she and her team really made our wedding weekend a success. She brings a wonderful positive energy in the face of what can be an overwhelming planning process, especially with COVID thrown into the mix.

Em is a gem and great at what she does - work with her if you can!