Hiring Samantha Joy Events was the easiest and best decision we made after getting engaged. We knew we wanted a wedding planner to minimize stress leading up to our big day (no one likes a bridezilla!), but what we didn’t know is that a planner does SO much more than that. We had a wedding that was perfectly us in every way possible, all thanks to Samantha and her team.

From the beginning, Samantha took the time to truly get to know us. Not once did she ask us to share dream wedding inspiration or show her elements of other weddings we enjoyed. Instead, she asked about our interests, hobbies, and how we wanted our wedding to feel. She asked how we decorate our home, places we like to travel, and colors that bring us joy. By the end she knew our style better than we did. She took my love of sprinkles (I’m obsessed!) and turned it into an elevated theme woven throughout our day. The executed design was stunningly beautiful and uniquely us.

Not only did she design the perfect day, but her industry knowledge is unmatched. At one point our venue told us they would not be able to setup 3 large farmhouse tables for our head table because of a logistical issue. Without the SJE team my husband and I wouldn’t have pushed back on the venue because in our minds, “it couldn’t be done.” Samantha offered 3 solutions on the spot, advocated for what we wanted, and ultimately found a way to make the tables a reality.

The morning of the wedding Sam was there early to make sure hair and makeup were running smoothly. She checked in with my husband and I multiple times throughout the day – to check our nerves, to make sure we ate, to tell us where we needed to be next. She seamlessly managed our room flip and coordinated all vendor drops offs and setup. She bustled my dress and allowed us a moment alone to soak in the newlywed feeling. Honestly Samantha was everywhere you didn’t know you needed her. Her attention to detail, eye for design, and get it done mentality combine to make the perfect planner.

Oh, and her planning platform is incredible! There is a task-by-task checklist, interactive seating chart, budget planner and SO much more included. It helped us stay on task each month to make sure all deadlines were met.

The first person you should call as you start planning is Samantha Joy Events, no questions asked. I HIGHLY recommend her!

We hired Samantha Joy Events to help us plan my daughter's December wedding at the University Club of Chicago. I am a detail oriented perfectionist and it was such a relief to turn over the management of the big day to Samantha and her staff, and they did a MAGNIFICENT job! Samantha coordinated and communicated with vendors, provided a detailed timeline for the day, and spent the entire day with us to see that everything ran smoothly. When my daughter ripped her dress shortly before the ceremony, Samantha swooped in with her tool box and saved the day by repairing the dress. Having Samantha and her team with us enabled all of us to thoroughly enjoy the day and let go of any stress. I highly recommend Samantha Joy Events.

We worked with Samantha Joy Events for our wedding this past July. Being that we're both University of Dayton alumni, our ceremony was at the UD Chapel and we had our reception at The Steam Plant. To add to all of this, we live in Des Moines, IA. In comes Samantha Joy Events to save the day! We hired SJE a year before our event for the partial planning and design package so that we could get the inside scoop on all the best vendors in the Greater Dayton Area.

Before we started working with SJE, we spent so much time trying to figure out which vendors amongst hundreds would best fit our needs. Luckily, getting the design package allowed SJE to get a better idea of what style we wanted and then they would provide us with 2-3 vendors for that part of the event. We cannot tell you how many headaches this saved us. Not to mention that neither of us are really good at putting the whole picture together, and SJE's design board helped us get a visual for what we wanted our wedding day to look like. 

In addition, working with SJE took so much stress of our shoulders in the months and days leading up to our wedding. SJE's production and event timeline document was super extensive and allowed us to not worry about when this vendor or that vendor is arriving on our wedding day. This was something that we could share with our wedding party to quickly let everyone know where they should be and when.

The day of the event was just another reminder of how wonderful SJE is with event planning. The way we felt and how little stress we felt more than met our expectations. We were totally engrossed in every moment of our day and didn't have a worry in the world besides enjoying each other's company on our special day. 

We loved working with the SJE team. Throughout the entire process, Samantha was the absolute perfect balance of friendly and professional. She guided us with every aspect of the wedding and we felt a great connection and friendship growing alongside. All of the services provided were priceless and we'd do the partial planning and design  again (or more) in a heartbeat!

In the beginning I had no desire to hire a wedding planner, but boy was I SO glad that I did! I honestly don’t know how brides get through all of the wedding planning and especially the month-of/day-of coordination without their own Samantha! Choosing the partial-planning package option allowed for me to take the reigns and still be present during the planning process, while Samantha helped to get all of the logistics squared away and stepped in when my indecisiveness got the best of me to ensure that my romantic, dusty blue dream wedding came to life! From providing decor suggestions to creating the timeline of the ceremony, reception events, and rehearsal, etc. Samantha’s attention to detail and her talent for design and styling is just impeccable!
Samantha was with me every step of the way through the wedding planning process: From narrowing down design elements including linen and stationary selections (she even customized reception menus for each place setting!) and floor plans to the dreaded seating charts and table assignments, she also helped to handle issues that popped up with my venue just one month before my big day. Trust me ladies, you’ll want Samantha in your corner to get things done the right way, the first time!
Having her at the venue the day of the wedding allowed me to just relax while getting ready and enjoy the day with my bridesmaids, while she took care of literally EVERYTHING: Decor setup, minor hiccups (which there weren’t any besides one that I was made aware of, all thanks to Samantha’s premeditations), vendor coordination, etc. This girl also literally sat on the floor at my feet to hide behind the head table just to sew my broken bustle (which I had no idea whatsoever) back in place following the first dance and while salads were served at the reception! 😂 Seriously, what would I have done without her?!
My wedding day was seriously PERFECT and it was with great thanks to Samantha’s amazing work and day-of execution!
And don’t let Samantha’s “get it done” attitude and skilled determination scare you! Samantha isn’t just another one of those strictly business vendors that consider you as just a client; Samantha’s bubbly and personable demeanor makes you feel more like you’re just planning your dream wedding with one of your life-long girlfriends!
BRIDES! Would you rather be running around and stressing to the max to finish up last minute details the day of your wedding or sipping on mimosas, relaxing with your bridesmaids while being pampered in preparation to marry the love of your life? Do yourself a favor and hire Samantha Joy Events to help put your mind at ease so you can enjoy your wedding planning process every step of the way! Let SJE handle all of the “dirty work” while you create memories that will last a lifetime! ❤️

We are very happy with our choice to work with Samantha as our wedding coordinator. Our wedding was held at Canyon Run Ranch in Pleasant Hill, Ohio, however we were living in Chicago. Luckily, Samantha travels to Chicago often so we were able to have in person meetings which are so much better than just phone calls!

Samantha is extremely organized (hooray for one email thread) and made sure to ask questions and bring things to our attention that we had never considered. Planning a wedding can be tiring and you can get "decision fatigue." Samantha made sure to keep our timeline on track when we would have preferred to procrastinate. On the actual day we received multiple comments from the wedding party and guests at how helpful she is and how hard she was working to make sure our day went smoothly.

There was one miscommunication with the caterers. We were under the impression that they would be staying to clean up, but they ended up leaving earlier than expected. Samantha jumped in and made sure those unexpected loose ends were tied up before we left. Aside from being organized and timely, she also helped pull together our vague design idea for the wedding. From a calligraphy welcome sign to a beautiful escort card display to our modified guest book, she really pulled the whole thing together wonderfully. We would definitely recommend anyone to work with Samantha and we will miss working with her ourselves!

I hired Sam for Partial Planning to help with my Boho/Industrial wedding at The Steam Plant in Dayton, Ohio. From the start, her expertise showed itself through the many vendors and contacts she has. A month before my wedding, I had a change of heart on the decor and she handled everything! We met, talked about what I wanted and she made the changes stress-free. She created a new budget, called vendors and made my dream wedding happen all in such a short time period. She goes the extra mile every step of the way even down to making sure you have a glass of your favorite wine waiting for you after the ceremony. She carves out time so you have special moments alone with your new spouse that you wouldn’t think to do for yourself. From styling & decor to organization & details, Sam does it all beautifully. Without hesitation, I recommend Samantha Joy Events to anyone.

Samantha made my wedding day a truly beautiful event!
While my mom and I really enjoyed selecting our vendors, 5 months out from the wedding we felt stuck of how it was all going to come together. A friend referred me to Samantha and we did the Month of Coordination package. From our first meeting we were impressed with her poise and experience. Having her organize the day was amazing, and the day of the wedding we couldn’t have pulled it off without her!
Our wedding was late October at Canyon Run Ranch. The ideal plan was to get married outside in the forest chapel. Samantha planned a solid plan b in case of rain. We were lucky for no rain, but wedding day got less than 40 degrees. Samantha made our outside ceremony happen! From getting outdoor heaters set up for the musicians to literally giving me her coat after the ceremony while I waited for pictures, the day was able to happen because of her! All of her month of organizing was so helpful, but her presence the day of the wedding was priceless. She handled logistics at the venue the morning of so my mom, sisters and I were able to enjoy a peaceful morning at home with hair and makeup knowing that Samantha had everything under control. She was on top of every moment from managing the overall flow of events-to the little details like giving the train of my dress a final “fluff” before I walked down the aisle! Wow! Our wedding day was able to be enjoyed as a truly emotional experience. Thank you, Samantha!

Samantha was a great asset in the wedding planning process. I hired Samantha as a day of coordinator due to my concerns with the owner of the wedding venue. Samantha was a great liaison between us (when I was frustrated with the owner!) and always very professional. You can tell her experience is extensive and she often had creative ideas on things that I was concerned about. Also on the day of the wedding she was PERFECT. She has enough back bone to tell you exactly what you need to be doing and her attitude and positivity is very helpful.

No activity was beneath her on the day of the wedding. She did items that the other vendors forgot (filling wedding table glasses, helping serve) and even helped to pin up my bridesmaids dresses that had torn! She even got appetizers brought in to the bridal suite so the groom and I could enjoy a quiet moment alone without starving! Everyone that worked with her thought she was extremely helpful and worth the money! I had multiple comments from aunts and uncles about how accommodating and helpful she was. With the stress a wedding day can bring - it is always worth having at least a day of coordinator so on that day you can RELAX and have fun (you deserve it!).

I loved working with Samantha - she was a huge part of making my big day the best day ever. I thought she was helpful BEFORE the event, but on the day of, she was my go-to person for making sure every detail was perfect. The little things: helping me with my shoes, making sure my dress was laying/fitting the best it possibly could (many layers of fabric), putting all of our stuff back into the hotel room across the street night of and helping me out of my dress at the end of the night all made me so happy with the choice I made to hire Sam. She is a rockstar and I am grateful I had her on my wedding day.

It is hard to capture in words how grateful we are for Sam. She was extremely professional, responsive, and helpful in every sense of the word. We felt so confident that our day was going to be perfect with Samantha as the point person and she delivered. She was involved with all of the details and kept our requests and needs at the forefront of everything she did. Samantha helped us coordinate the rehearsal and then ensured that the day of went off without a single issue. We seated about 260 people and had a unique venue - multiple vendors working together: Florist, Caterer, Venue staff, Band, Photographers. Samantha handled challenges without issue and executed flawlessly. Our day would not have been nearly as successful as it was without Samantha and we would recommend her to everyone.