Harken Event Company

I absolutely could not write this review fast enough. If you are hiring an event planner, particularly for your wedding, in the Boston area, look no further. Shay (Harken Events) absolutely nailed every segment of our amazing wedding.

We planned for 10 months and at a fairly high-level of spec, including furniture rentals, lighting, and having a three day event at multiple venues. She was calm, cool, and collected the entire time with incredible organizational skills - reminding us of things we didn't think of like event insurance. She had an incredibly detailed spreadsheet of what needed to be done, by who, and when.

On the days approaching our wedding so many people ask if I was stressed out (I am wildly Type A )and I said no -- because Shay's got it under control. We also hired amazing professionals in all of the other vendor areas.

Shay paid so much attention to detail including things like sourcing Turkish baklava For my Turkish husband (Middle Eastern or Greek wouldn't suffice)). She picked up tasting boxes from the bakery in Gloucester. She attended and took notes on all our tasting meals. She received each of the millions of shipments to her house since we live in California. She was on every call with the lighting team and the caterers.

She was absolutely on point every second of the wedding weekend, whether to organize snacks in the bridal suite, time everyone walking down the aisle, reassure me not to worry when I thought we were running late, or to send an assistant to fetch my more comfortable shoes for dancing.

Every moment of the wedding weekend went off without a hitch again (in part due to the professionalism of all of the vendors, but also largely due to Shay. She is the absolute pinnacle of wedding planners in New England. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

I had the pleasure of meeting Shay from Harken Events at a wedding expo and I was drawn in by her calm and welcoming presence. We got to talking about floral and decor for our wedding, she is so organized and knowledgeable, all while being charismatic and kind. I quickly realized I wouldn’t want a wedding without Shay as a part of it.
I started planning my wedding almost two years in advance, and Shay was there through it all. She was in the know about all of my vendor bookings, my progress, and even family intricacies that may arise. Shay asks questions that I wouldn’t ever think to ask, but ones that will show up on the day of our wedding. Shay did research with me and for me, gave suggestions, timelines, resources, support, and reached out to vendors all along and I felt as if I had a good friend helping me in the entire process. I looked forward to the check in calls we would have, because Shay is an amazing resource and also.. she just gets it. It’s tough to plan a wedding and she was there all along.
Our rehearsal and wedding day went off without a hitch because of Shay and her teammate Jillian. They literally did it all. Family showed up late? No prob. Dress got muddy? They’re on it. Forgot a toothbrush? They have one. I never once was worried Shay couldn’t take care of something.
I cannot say enough about Shay and her team. They are professional, extremely knowledgeable, personable, and you can tell they do this out of love. I never once felt I was asking for too much because I knew we were in great hands.
Shay, thank you so much for such a wonderful experience. You truly made stressful wedding planning fun, easy, and I knew you always had my back.

Wedding planning was immediately overwhelming for me, and finding Shay + Harken Event Company was the greatest blessing. A support system was immediately in place that enabled me to keep my sanity + provide me the structure to maintain a healthy progressive timeline throughout the entire planning process.

The day of was an absolute breeze, Shay and her team's experience really showed, and she was prepared for anything! (Which I did test, like spraining my ankle at my reception)

My wedding was beautiful, and it never would have come together like it did without Harken Event Co. Not only did Shay make the day run as smoothly as possible, but she also helped so incredibly much with the details. I procrastinated too much on my signs for the day of, and she took care of it all! Walking around, taking in all of the decor I didn't have to worry about setting up, such a dream. Truly, the best thing I ever did was hire Harken Event Co! 11/10

From the first day we started planning our wedding, we knew we wanted a coordinator to help make the day stress-free — but we couldn't have anticipated just how invaluable Shay, our wedding coordinator from Harken Events, would be in making our dream a reality. Investing $3,000 in her services was hands down one of the best decisions we made for our wedding.

Shay's role extended far beyond what we expected from a so-called "month of" wedding coordinator. Starting from about three months out, Shay became our go-to person for everything wedding related. Her responses to our emails were extremely quick, and our regular Zoom meetings were always productive and reassuring, no matter what challenges or complications we brought to her. Shay's presence at all the final vendor meetings leading up to the wedding also turned out to be critical, as she was able to clarify and correct numerous details that we surely would have missed without her meticulous efforts.

The documents and plans Shay put together for our wedding were also extremely helpful. She crafted a detailed timeline for our day, organized all the logistical aspects with our vendors seamlessly, and helped us put together our perfect ceremony. Shay was great at incorporating all the unconventional touches and personal preferences we expressed to her, but also offered gentle guidance in areas where we were confused or uncertain.

On the day of our wedding, we were able to immerse ourselves fully in the joy and love of the occasion, knowing that Shay had everything under control. Her execution was perfect, and it allowed us to enjoy our special day without any stress or worry. She was somehow able to be everywhere at once, all while stepping into the background and remaining practically invisible to guests. Her attentions on the day even extended to picking up a lunch order for our wedding party while we were all getting ready, so that no one else has to miss even a minute.

As you can probably tell, Harken Events was a pivotal part of making our wedding a success. Shay's dedication, skill, and passion for her work were evident in every interaction we had with her, and it shone through in making our wedding day feel truly magical. If you're looking for a coordinator, or even if you aren't sure you need one, you should reach out to Shay and Harken Events right now. You will not regret putting your wedding day into their incredibly capable hands!

Shay was absolutely beyond incredible as our month of coordinator for our wedding in June! She was meticulously organized (a girl after my own heart) and was extremely detailed oriented. Shay spent countless hours with me and my husband ironing out all the little details to truly ease all my stress during the wedding planning process. I would in a heart beat hire Shay time and time again for our wedding knowing we were in such good hands!!

I had not had experience with a wedding planner before, but my son and daughter-in-law's were living in Illinois but getting married at the Lyman estate near Boston, so a wedding planner who knew vendors and venues in the area made sense. They narrowed the list down to 3, and chose Shay. I think she was everything they hoped for. She listened to their ideas and concerns, worked within their budget and over 9 months the three of them brought a beautiful wedding to life.
The weekend of the wedding she was the behind-the-scenes major-domo for everything. Present and managing in the background the rehearsal dinner, the Sunday brunch and of course, the wedding. You would expect a great wedding planner to be a good listener, hyper-organized, detail-oriented, knowledgeable and experienced, but Shay was also warm, reassuring, and down to earth. If you can afford it, she's worth every penny.

I unreservedly recommend Shay from Harken Events if you are seeking a wedding planner.

As MOB, I was delighted to see how she lifted the weight from the bride and groom throughout the process and made it as pain-free as possible. Shay is detail-oriented, an excellent, prompt communicator and has contingency plans for every eventuality. She gently nudges without stepping on any toes - and was diplomatic in managing the many family members who had opinions on the event. In short, she is worth her wait in gold. Run, don't walk, for the opportunity to work with her!

Working with Shay was an amazing experience. She immediately stood out as our best option as we were interviewing potential planners. She was always looking to understand what we wanted, provided a clear timeline from the start of planning to the day of the event, and is so detail oriented - we always felt like she was in total control, and we never had to worry about anything falling through the cracks. Aside from being a true professional, Shay is very warm and friendly, and generally brings good vibes to every conversation. We are so grateful we found Shay, and we give her our strongest possible endorsement. She really does a phenomenal job!

There is a long wind-up before a wedding plan is put into play.
Shay from Harken Events coached every player in this game. Our son and his fiance naturally wanted to plan their own ceremony and reception, even though they were each working full-time, living in separate cities, looking for an apartment and a job, and carefully tending their wedding budget.
For us as parents, the tide turned when we all agreed to engage Shay as a wedding planner. She won the confidence of each of us by listening to our worries, laughing at our stories, backing most of our ideas, creating spreadsheets that narrowed hard decisions, guiding us with a detailed wedding weekend timetable, and keeping everyone at the venue on the schedule we made. She has an unusual capacity to translate differing viewpoints into agreement on a common direction that has been strengthened by the exchange. I'd like to have her run every birthday and dinner party we ever have coming up! A consummate professional and upbeat, friendly problem-solver, Shay blessed both our families by delivering a beautiful wedding weekend.

Shay was by far the best experience we had planning this wedding! She was responsive and available within a reasonable amount of time to our needs. She just is so detailed oriented and a perfectionist like me that I finally learned to let go and trust her. I would highly recommend her services! We miss working with her now that the wedding is over.