I am not a Type A Bride.

I am a Type A centered and hand calligraphed in fuchsia ink (that isn’t too purple) on chartreuse (that isn’t too yellow) cardstock (110lb) Bride.


And I was floored by Paula.


We selected Paula after an interview process with several top-tier planners (the first test was their reaction when I sent them a 10 page vision & expectations keynote presentation – Paula was excited by it). After debating between two planners we went back to the reviews. They were all so insanely glowing for Paula and now we have fully experienced why (and yes, they’re all accurate). We have a family inside joke that people would give their firstborn to Paula after working with her – and I’m so sorry to have to part with our son but we know he’ll have a good home with her. ;)


My loving husband waxes poetry on the way Paula brought our very specific creative visions to life (See “A Groom’s Perspective”) but I will deliver a crisp bullet pointed list for those of you who are scouring 800 reviews like I did.


• Paula is a mind reader. We were so in sync on our wedding day that I would turn to ask her for something (not yet speaking a word) and she would hand it to me. It’s a little spooky.

• I was actually so calm during my wedding weekend with Paula at my side. Even my husband was surprised at my chillness. This was the best gift as I enjoyed so many more moments with loved ones.

• Every single vendor said she was the most outstanding planner they’ve ever worked with – not just from an organizational perspective but also kindness. Because people love her, they will move mountains for her.

• Paula has a magic rolodex of the best vendors. Every person/vendor she brought in went ABOVE AND BEYOND in their craft, but also was wildly kind. When you hire Paula, you’re getting this wedding industry best -- this insight is SO DIFFICULT to determine as an outsider.

• She will be your assassin if need be. She will defend you like a mama bear. She is fierce on your behalf.

• She is thoughtful and sweet. Little touches from Paula made the entire journey special.

• She is the most responsive person I have ever met – emails would be answered in minutes.

• She protects your mental health, giving you little doses of need-to-know info but she’s great about including you on the things you ask to be included on (if you want to be super hands-on like me)

• Her real superpower is coordination. She has a calm, cool, collectedness that permeates the months leading up to your wedding and while that remained during our wedding weekend, the GET SH*T DONE (but of course, sweetly!) attitude was awe-inspiring. I'd never seen so many plates spinning at once, and I did not doubt her capability. Being a company founder and Type A person, it can be hard for me to let go. My bridal weekend was actually relaxing. I trusted Paula 300%.

• She puts the couple first. When she arrived for set-up at our home I offered her coffee and she responded with “This week is about you. Do not even think about me.” She brought her cooler of snacks and was off to orchestrate the many moving pieces. It killed the hostess in me a little bit, but that reminder to focus on myself and my partner was a blessing.

• She took my details to the next level – even seemingly silly things like the way she displayed the parasols, and rolling our pool towels for the pool party for a streamlined look, or the glass card box leveled up by putting a vintage postcard and some moss from our cake table inside. She is simply a master.

• She thinks of everything. Every. Possible. Scenario. Every. Possible. Detail. She advised ordering clear umbrellas two weeks before the wedding as a “just in case” but also acknowledged that we’d still be in the return window if we didn’t use them. Small, but thoughtful!!!

• Paula has done this so many times over so many years she knows what works. She knows what you need, more than you know what you need. The only thing which could have been improved from our wedding (and it was tiny and insignificant in the big picture, just one cranky bartender!) was a time I didn’t listen to Paula. NEVER AGAIN PAULA, NEVER AGAIN!!

• She has two adorable pet donkeys (clearly a bonus that cannot be ignored)

• Her husband is an aviator and has access to the BEST weather forecasting software (a surprise bonus)

• As my new husband describes in his review, our wedding weekend ended in literal applause and a standing ovation from our guests for Paula. So many people came up to me to talk about the magical experiences they had with her - everyone, much to my delight, now has a Paula story.


For all events from this day forward, Paula will be my coordinator. I will shout her praises from the rooftop.


Do not let Paula’s calm and zen exterior fool you - she is a mastermind thinking about the thousands of details underneath. She just knows the exact right moments to act. I feel that I have learned and grown as a leader in my own professional sphere after seeing Paula work her magic. I know this list simply cannot do her justice, so please, trust all of these reviews together and book her.

This was the second wedding Paula planned for our family, the first being my sister’s, and from the moment we reached out about working with her again, she treated us like family. Paula supported us every step of the way, helping bring our vision to life while giving us the freedom to incorporate our own creative ideas. When decision fatigue inevitably set in, she stepped in with thoughtful guidance and expertise, making the process feel seamless.

The week of our wedding, Paula truly went above and beyond. With constantly changing weather forecasts threatening to impact our entirely outdoor event, she thoughtfully planned for every scenario. She worked closely with vendors to arrange last-minute rentals, always respecting our wishes while offering invaluable advice based on her experience. Thanks to her dedication and careful planning, we ended up with a beautiful day filled with blue skies and plenty of outdoor heaters to keep our guests comfortable when the evening chill arrived.

We are forever grateful for everything Paula did to make our wedding day so special. We could not have imagined a better planner or partner throughout the process.

Hiring Paula was one of the best (if not the best) decisions we made while planning our wedding. She is an expert in everything (logistics, design, communication, working with other vendors, you name it!) and we felt so well taken care of thanks to her warmth and generosity throughout the entire planning process. Paula was in the weeds with us when we wanted her to be, but also let us take the reigns to create a weekend that felt unique to us. She calmed our nerves when it stormed just a couple of hours before our outdoor ceremony (and made the brave -- and correct -- call to move forward with it anyway!), expertly navigated bumps in the road with other vendors, and had the perfect (and very timely!) answer to all of our questions that came up along the way thanks to her decades of experience with event planning. Our logistically-complicated wedding weekend went out off without a hitch, and we had the most relaxing and FUN time thanks to Paula and her amazing team!! We wish we could do it all over again!

Couldn’t recommend Paula and her team more highly! As two incredibly busy people, we knew that we’d need all the help we could get to plan our wedding. Paula immediately put us at ease the first time we met her, laying out what we needed to know for the planning process and what the timeline would look like. She communicated seamlessly with our vendor team and was incredibly responsive anytime that we had questions. Her team was amazing during our entire wedding weekend, anticipated our every need, and allowed us to be present and have an unforgettable time.

Paula is an absolute star. She and her team were incredible throughout the entire planning process—organized, calm, and always one step ahead. She handled every detail with such professionalism and genuine care, and truly went above and beyond to make sure our day was as perfect as possible. We felt so supported every step of the way.

From our very first meeting, I felt confident Paula understood and would help us achieve exactly the wedding my daughter envisioned. My confidence only increased during the process and my expectations were exceeded in every possible way on the weekend of the event. Somehow -- as if by magic, Paula made everything happen so smoothly and so beautifully that I remain in awe of her. There is much to praise about working with Paula, but what stood out immediately for me were her friendliness and good humor, her excellent taste, a depth of experience that enabled her to immediately identify and mitigate potential issues, and her wonderful relationships with the vendors. The vendors clearly had the highest regard for Paula and appreciated her friendliness, good humor, organization and attention to detail just as much as we did. It was a joy working with Paula, and we are forever grateful to her!

Paula Smith pulled together my celebration in two weeks time. It was outdoors and complicated at a horse farm. It was also in late October so weather and temperature were challenging. Paula pulled together her excellent vendors in a short period of time and did not miss a detail. The flowers, food, and decorations were tasteful and blended in beautifully with the natural environment. She accommodated older guests to provide for their transportation and comfort. No detail was forgotten. In addition, she is a pleasure to work with and is calm and never gets excited. I cannot wait to do another event with Paula!

Paula Smith executed a flawless and stress free event! Her attention to detail , precision and valuable guidance created a beautiful transformation of a blank canvas to an exquisite event for 200.

I have been in this industry for over 10 years and I have never met someone as absolutely incredible as Paula. From the first email when she introduced herself, I knew she was someone special. She begins the conversation with love, a passion for happiness, and with care. She cares so deeply for every moment to be thought out in beautiful detail. She not only cares deeply for her clients, she makes sure every vendor will have a smooth and easy day from start to finish. I wish every event could be as wonderful as Paula's! Even our sound engineer said he wish he could work with her for every event. You are making the BEST choice by having Paula help make your vision come to life! I look forward to working with her and truly hope I get to work with her so many more times during our careers!

Working with Paula was smooth sailing! We had no familiarity with upstate venues and her knowledge of vendors was extensive and on point. She connected us with vendors who all worked seamlessly to make the wedding weekend true perfection. Countless guest told us this was “the best wedding” they’d ever been to! She was responsive to all our requests and respected our budget. During the event weekend it seemed Paula was everywhere at once and her team was top-notch. Everything went smoothly and gloriously! Could not have had a better experience!