We intereviewed a total of 8 wedding planners and Ilana was immediately the stand-out by a long shot. Her poise, confidence, and competence was so apparent, along with her vivacious energy. We knew she could execute our vision for our wedding, and not only did she do just that, but she exceeded all expectations and elevated it in ways that we didn't know were possible. Her guidance along the way was incredibly helpful, as it's clear that her expertise is abundant and trustworthy. She knows the industry in and out, and her relationships with many vendors was a tremendous value-add. On the wedding day, she was an incredible show runnner and helped mitigate various issues, manage family groups, and provide endless support. The best part is that she does this all with a huge smile and a warm and loving attitude; she never makes you feel like you are a burden.

I have worked on the venue side of events as a Catering Manager for over a decade and can say without a doubt that working with Ilana Rubin and her events team has been one of the most enjoyable processes of my career. It is not often that both the Catering and Operations side of a venue can agree, but in this case it was unanimous: working with Ilana Rubin Events was a fantastic, seamless process. From the moment Ilana came into the picture as an Event Planner for one of our recent weddings, things fell into place with an ease that speaks of immense professionalism, experience, and just natural instinct that cannot be taught. Ilana is very clearly doing what she was made for: executing a couples' vision to a tee while working within the logistical framework necessary for a venue to be successful. (A line that not many vendors are able to walk and balance.) I cannot describe enough how rare it is to find a Planner and Coordination team that makes everything EASIER for all involved parties. This is a unicorn sighting and if you had any reservations about moving forward with utilizing her services, please hesitate no longer. You've found the one! And isn't that the whole point of a wedding, anyhow?

Disclaimer: I’ve been planning and dreaming of my perfect wedding since age 5 and had very high expectations for myself and for my wedding planner. I know I may sound like a bridezilla, but I think I was nice along the way, haha. Let me just say that my wedding EXCEEDED ALL my expectations and would not have been possible without Ilana at Perfect the Event. Long post ahead, but the moral of the story is that hiring Ilana and her team at PTE will be the best decision you can make for your wedding planning.

If you are hesitant about getting a wedding planner, I HIGHLY recommend doing so and hiring Perfect the Event. Todd and I got engaged back in October 2019 and were originally planning a 120-person wedding in Orange County for Spring 2021. She took us to many venues, always with a smile on her face, and asked all the right questions. After over 15 venue visits, Covid hit and we changed our plans to a 9-person wedding in November, and then finally landed on a 40-person wedding in La Jolla in April 2021 (abiding by all guidelines). As our plans kept changing, Ilana was there every step of the way and very communicative and positive. She was so considerate of pricing and worked with us to downsize, then upsize, and alter our wedding vision several times. She spent so much time with us, and we always felt like a priority, even when we were planning the 9-person wedding.

As if this wasn’t enough, the day of took Ilana’s expertise and services to another level. As the bride, I woke up on my wedding day and everything was taken care of. I mean EVERYTHING!! For example, I was looking for my robe and Ilana’s assistant Gabi, saw me looking, read my mind, and handed me my robe in the next minute. Another time, I told a bridesmaid I wished we had more champagne, and Gabi immediately showed up with champagne and lip gloss for a post-sip reapplication. I didn’t even know she heard me. My last example involves my pup Buttercup (a timid but loud little terrier). Buttercup was on-call for a few photos and before I could remind the photographer, Gabi came down the stairs with a happy Buttercup in tow and poop bags tied to her satchel. A true angel.

All while I was being treated like a queen, Ilana was working with the vendors and transforming our venue into our dream wedding space. Since Ilana had been in touch with all the vendors, she knew exactly where everything should go and when. She gave a very detailed timeline, and everybody was always on the same page. As with any event, I’m assuming there were may have been a small hiccup during the set-up, but I was aware of NOTHING and had the most relaxing, pleasant, beautiful wedding morning as Ilana and Gabi took care of everything. Their experience and teamwork are so impressive and obvious as they both think ahead and were ready for ANY situation. Also, I may be biased, but our wedding was absolutely stunning and breathtaking.

After our wedding, I came back to my hotel room to find everything I left abandoned in the bridal suite neatly folded, packed away, and labeled. Ilana even left our phones out on the table and let us know not to worry about anything being lost. She is SO ORGANIZED and I honestly feel like my wedding would have been a dramatic nightmare without her. I have so many more reasons why you should go through Ilana and Perfect the Event, but I’ll wrap it up here. She is simply PERFECT.