Wedding weekend May 4, 2023 - May 7, 2023

When my son and future daughter in law set their wedding date and location in St. Petersburg, FL, I knew immediately that we would need help in planning all of the fun parties I had been dreaming about for years. My husband and I had the pleasure of working with Erika O’Brien Events in a unique way. I am the Mother of the Groom and typically the only event planning for the groom’s family is the rehearsal dinner. However, we wanted to do so much more since many family and friends from both “sides” of the bride and groom would be traveling to Florida from throughout the country for this long awaited celebration.

After doing quite a bit of research and reading countless reviews of various “wedding planners”, I narrowed the list to four “possibles” and forwarded the names and information to the bride’s family and to our son and his future bride. We all agreed that Erika was the perfect fit for what we all wanted and needed.

This is where we did something a little unusual. Erika contracted and worked with the bride and groom and the bride’s family on the multitude of to-do’s for the wedding celebration (venue, catering, invitations, photographer, flowers, etc.). My husband and I then contracted with Erika separately to work with us on all of the pre and post wedding day events. Both contracts worked harmoniously but separately. This review addresses the assistance and planning by Erika O’Brien Events as it relates to that arrangement.

Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in St. Pete was reserved as soon as the wedding date was confirmed so we knew that box was quickly checked. We planned to have a rehearsal dinner for immediate family and the wedding party one evening (approximately 30 guests), a full invite of guests to a Welcome Party on the eve of the wedding (80-120 guests), and finishing off with a newlywed brunch (50-60 guests) for all guests who were able to join for one more celebration. The guest counts were tricky as invitations had not even been mailed, so we all sort of made “guesstimates” just for preliminary planning purposes. And, we needed Erika’s expertise as my husband and I live six plus hours away in northwestern Florida, the bride and groom live in Cincinnati, and the bride’s family live just outside of Tampa. Additionally, we preferred to have all the events either within walking distance of the selected hotels or within a very short drive.

Nearly ten months before the wedding, Erika swung into gear helping us find hotel options for guests and doing some preliminary site reviews for the rehearsal dinner, welcome party and newlywed brunch. Shortly thereafter my husband and I met with Erika over the course of several days, really getting to know her and attending all the appointments with her. She had the days planned so efficiently. Communication with all parties was exceptional. We never felt rushed or wondering which options we should pursue. Questions were asked and answered. Her insights were so helpful in our decision making. Before we left St. Pete on that first visit we had the block of rooms at two hotels, and the rehearsal dinner and the pre/post party locations confirmed. We were so pleased with the range of options we looked at and even more excited once we made our selections. Erika was instrumental in all of this! I never had a doubt that we had made the right decision to have Erika help us.

Over the course of the months, Erika and I were in constant communication. Every email and phone call was answered in hours if not minutes. Never did I feel as though I were “waiting” to hear back from Erika about one of my countless questions. I made two additional trips to St. Pete to meet with the hotel and venue coordinators. At every meeting, Erika was by my side, prepared and ready to go. She helped me select menus at the restaurant and select the appropriate foods and decor for the two other parties. We finalized everything with the coordinators and felt confident that each venue was the perfect setting for what our vision was for each event. No detail was left up in the air.

Several weeks before the wedding weekend, my husband unexpectedly asked if Erika could find a photographer to capture the moments at the Welcome Party. Finding an event photographer for a few hours at the last minute is not an easy ask. Erika once again came through with flying colors, giving us options (and pricing) and her suggestions. In the end we chose Erika’s husband who has experience with photo shoots at engagement and other party types. He was the perfect fit since we wanted candid, fun pictures of everyone having a good time! (I received a file with all the photos within three days of the party and they are great!) A big shout out and thank you to Hunter O’Brien!

Erika was with us at each of the three events from the set up to the take down. She even spent one of the mornings shortly after we arrived in St. Petersburg for the wedding to help with putting the welcome jute tote bags together and delivering them to the hotels. Many of our family and friends were anxious to meet my “Wonder Woman” as I had spoken of her numerous times. When they met Erika, they were so impressed with her, as I was every step of the “wedding journey”. Erika has such an easygoing manner; she’s a calming influence at a time when emotions can, and frequently do, run high. Her communication was always excellent and timely- with the coordinators and with me. I cannot recommend her more highly. If you are a mother of the groom (as I was) trying to figure out where you fit into all the wedding planning, or the bride and groom, or the parents of the bride, you will not be disappointed if you choose to work with Erika. I am so pleased that I had the opportunity to work with Erika and even more proud to say that I found a friend in her.

Wedding Weekend Events Planned by Parents of the Groom and Erika O’Brien Events:
HOTELS: Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront Hotel
Hampton Inn St. Petersburg
REHEARSAL DINNER: Sea Salt Restaurant, St. Petersburg (an absolutely fantastic choice!)
CHURCH: Saint Mary Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, St. Petersburg
WELCOME PARTY: The Birchwood, 4th Floor Ballroom (coordinators, service staff and bartenders, food and location unbeatable-everyone raved about the food and views!)
NEWLYWED BRUNCH: The Birchwood, Rooftop Canopy (rented all the cabanas and skywest lounge-food, service staff, and rooftop views were superb!)
FLOWERS: Trader Joe’s (the best for orchids, protea, and hydrangeas! So inexpensive, fresh and beautiful.)

(The Wedding Reception was held at NOVA 535, which is a fantastic and beautiful venue!)

I thought I was organized and on top of things, but then I had Erika coordinate my wedding! I got married in New York City in June 2023 and opted to plan the big parts (venues, menu, specialty things my fiancé and I wanted like musicians and our getaway car), but I couldn't have pulled it off without Erika. She was there to remind me of the little things that often get overlooked like syncing up with vendors prior and during the wedding day, setting up the tables at the reception, and acting as emcee at said reception. She made sure no rock was unturned in terms of anything we may have wanted.

All in all, my wedding - which was a "destination" wedding for around 90% of guests and brings its own unique set of worries - was a smooth sailing success thanks to Erika's coordination and communication skills. She was ultra clear in emails and calls and was thoroughly wonderful to work with start to finish.

PS: Her husband, Hunter, took photos for our reception and did a beautiful job! He knew exactly how to pose us to capture those glowy, in-the-moment shots and shared in our excitement all throughout. I would totally recommend them as a package dynamic duo if you're also looking for a great photographer.

Erika is the best! From the very first meeting to the last minute of the reception she was amazing.
Her website spells out very clearly what you can expect from her and she delivers everything she says she will. She accompanied us to menu tastings, gave us recommendations for vendors based on our budget and sat in on vendor interviews. She reviewed contracts and made suggestions. She scheduled check in meetings along the way to make sure everything was on track. She asked the questions we didn’t think to ask. She was always available to answer questions and always responded in a timely manner. Erika willingly took on any task or request we asked her to. She coordinated with all of our vendors and was able to troubleshoot successfully a few unexpected and last minute changes that had to be made. Her day of scheduling was literally down to the minute and was executed flawlessly. Erika was always there with a smile and a calm, friendly manner. She was such a huge part of an absolutely successful and beautiful wedding weekend! I’m so very glad we had her there every step of the way!