Rebecca is AMAZING! We hired her for our wedding as a coordinator to help us plan our GR wedding from Arizona. I cannot recommend her enough. She made everything run flawlessly. We had a fairly large wedding and I can be a little Type-A personality but she made my wedding a dream come true. It was such a relief to a control freak me to not have to worry about a single detail the day of my wedding. Our families, bridal party and guests all commented about how amazing she was. She was also the only person who could figure out how to bustle my 12-button bustle dress.
(photo credit- Abbey Moore photography)

My goal: enjoy the journey.
My challenge: major indecisiveness ... and a tendency to sweat the small stuff ... and a bit of procrastination to boot.
My solution: hire a wedding planner.
You hear it all the time ... enjoy being engaged before you get to planning. There’s a good reason for that, and it’s because planning a wedding is stressful! Unfortunately, for me, “overwhelmed” kicked in almost immediately. Just googling for a venue yielded a billion results (!!!).
The moment I spoke with Rebecca, I knew Ideal Events & Design was the right fit for us. Her bright personality, methodical approach to planning, and serious connections within the wedding circuit were everything we were looking for and more. The feeling of certainty was such a relief!
There’s no secret; hiring a wedding planner is a financial investment. And if you are reading this, you’re likely considering if it’s worth it or not. I promise you, it is. Rebecca presented us with only the-best-of-the-best options (all within budget!), and she made the point to really get to know us. We trusted in her so much that we put the entire vision of our dream wedding in her hands.
She scheduled a special reception sneak-peek just for us, before guests arrived ... as she greeted us as the elevator - I couldn't help but burst into tears, the space was truly spectacular… She had heard every wish, thought of every detail, and made the entire day such a beautiful moment in time. Honestly, Rebecca met every challenge with a solution, every meltdown with a calming response, every last-minute switch-up with ease, every boozy groomsman with a bit of stern love, and every ridiculous joke my husband told with joyous laughter.
There is a grace to Rebecca, both in how she works and in the relationships she maintains. I can tell you with confidence that brides who work with Rebecca have the feeling that they are her only. Planning with Rebecca was a special experience and one I hope you experience as well.
xo k+m

My husband and I hired Ideal Events & Designs for full planning services for our late September wedding this year. Immediately upon meeting Rebecca, I had the sense that I could trust her with the vision, style, and execution of our special day, and man, was I right! We chose Grand Rapids for a destination wedding, and therefore needed assistance with figuring out basically every detail of our wedding. Rebecca is connected to (and helped to build, it seems) a community of event and design vendors who collaborated effortlessly and coordinated services for our multi-venue wedding. She suggested vendors who we could trust and who knew how to deliver with our style in mind. She helped to keep us on track which is no easy feat, considering my husband and I work in the disaster response industry and are regularly deployed. Because of the devastating hurricane season this year, not only were we deployed until a few days before the wedding, we also hemorrhaged guests who are work colleagues. This made our numbers topsy turvy, but you’d never know that from Rebecca! She exudes an “I’ve got this” attitude that is believable.. and true! In addition to being extraordinarily capable, Rebecca is warm, joyful, and thoughtful. She sent little gifts throughout the planning process like a relaxation kit, and was genuinely interested in us as people. My brother got divorced 7 months into being engaged and Rebecca didn’t even ask about how that might affect the wedding (it did, of course); she asked about how I felt and how they were doing. Knowing that my husband and I have demanding careers, she regularly checked in just to see how we were doing and thank us for our service. She also regularly gave great restaurant recommendations when we’d come into town for planning weekends! Bottom line - If you’re a busy bride not knowing where to start and you’re reading this, hire Ideal Events and Design. Shave your flowers or liquor budgets, and make room for this investment in YOURSELF.