Kelly McWilliams Celebrations, Weddings & Parties Reviews
Reviews
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![Jordana]()
Jordana Sent on 02/04/2023She'll plan the party that you never want to see end!
Kelly McWilliams and her team are elite. I am still in absolute awe at the wedding weekend they created! Every one my dreams and my partners' needs came to life, and I never wanted the weekend (or the party) to end.
First and foremost, Kelly made me feel like more than just a client from the very moment we got on the phone. She made me comfortable like you'd feel just speaking with a good friend, and I knew she was truly listening to everything I was looking for in our planner and wedding. We had come into the process with her after already obtaining a venue and a few vendors, having realized we were in over our heads trying to plan this, especially with being at a distance early on. She took over as a full-service planner immediately.
Kelly and Catie helped us connect with top vendors in the area and arrange contracts swiftly, and with her mark of approval and good working history, we were able to be confident in our selections. We were getting the best team together! Calls with Kelly were extremely organized, and the "homework" she had me do allowed us to come into each of those conversations with all the information we needed to make important decisions with ease and no regrets or waffling. She was always able to answer questions, and helped us when our original venue pushed us around or wouldn't respond.
When Hurricane Ian hit, the Fort Myers/Sanibel/Captiva area was devastated. We watched from afar, awaiting anxiously, as we realized our original venue in Captiva was no longer in any condition to host our January wedding. Despite having no electricity or water and with a practically non-existent cell signal, Kelly wasted no time in reaching out to reassure us that she was ON A MISSION to make sure our wedding would still happen, despite the tragedy. Within days, she had found us a new venue that was PERFECT in the Sanibel Harbour Marriott, and she was able to arrange the contracts and notify all our vendors about the new location while we still maintained our original date! In that moment, there was no question, Kelly was invaluable. She was worth her weight in platinum, and then some.
She attended a second venue tour and menu tasting with us, now that we had to redo a lot of decision-making. She reassured me that all the new changes to the carefully crafted wedding plan would come together beautifully. At this point, she had also hired Nicholas, whose involvement in our wedding planning was just an incredible addition. The pair ensured every detail was managed, and his logistical execution paired with Kelly's design allowed for a gorgeous wedding landscape. They handled every little snag that came up along the way, and were always a text or call away no matter what. They organized everything down to the minute, and no stone was left unturned.
When wedding weekend came, they were on site at almost all times. They executed a gorgeous rehearsal dinner (with a surprise theme just to excite us) and a beautiful welcome reception that our guests adored. Kelly and Nicholas ensured I could focus on enjoying the party and my guests, and any time I needed anything, they were there to take care of it, while still taking care of starting to prepare the ballroom for the reception the next night.
On wedding day, things were stunning and seamless. The vendors were all on time and everything was set up without me having to be involved. The team she recommended executed beautifully. The design Kelly had shown me came to life in a more stunning manner than I could have ever imagined. The ceremony went perfectly, with every detail covered. Our guests loved every minute of it. Dinner and the reception were unbelievable - if only that night could last forever! We loved it, and our guests are probably now ruined for all other weddings. We didn't have to lift a finger the whole weekend, and my husband and I are so blessed to have work with Kelly and her team. We are going to absolutely miss working with them!
There's no question about it, hire Kelly to plan, design, and coordinate your wedding. You will never regret it. -
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![Claʀa]()
Claʀa Sent on 02/15/2022Incredible, patient and flexible wedding planner
Kelly has been through the ups and downs of planning a wedding pre and post-covid and despite multiple date changes and location change, she was there through it all! She helped us plan our DREAM wedding in the Carribean without knowing the venue or the island, and used her expertise to make everything we had planned perfect. She's patient, flexible and understood really well what we wanted. -
![Brenna]()
Brenna Sent on 05/23/2021Couldn't Have Done it Without Kelly!
I hired Kelly one month before my wedding to coordinate day-of and my only regret is not hiring her sooner. WOW! Kelly seriously has her stuff together (my husband affectionately calls her kick-a** Kelly). I consider myself an organized person, but Kelly’s attention to detail is next-level. She came with me to a final venue walk-through and whenever I wasn’t sure about a decision, I knew I could look to her for advice. She lets her brides exercise their creativity, but is there to guide you in the right direction. The day of our wedding, I hardly had to think about any planning or execution, because Kelly and her assistant were making sure it was done before I even asked. They anticipated everyone’s needs and took care of things I never would have thought of. Apparently it rained briefly right before I walked down the aisle. I was blissfully unaware inside while Kelly moved my guests under an overhang, wiped down the chairs, and started the ceremony on time. She’s an angel you need overseeing your wedding. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a coordinator, but would really urge you to not make the same mistake I did and hire her early on to plan and design everything, too! -
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Emily Sent on 11/17/2020
Just hire Kelly
Words cannot describe how happy I am that we hired Kelly as a wedding coordinator for our wedding. Even though we hired her as a coordinator I had Kelly’s support and expertise throughout our year and a half of planning.
I never had to question if my wedding would go smoothly because I always knew Kelly would make it happen. Hiring Kelly was the single most important decision we made in our wedding planning. No small detail was missed and nothing went wrong because of her expertise. She is also one of the sweetest people I have ever met. You will not regret hiring Kelly for your big day. -
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Fallon Sent on 05/05/2020
Everything a Wedding Planner Should Be!
I have absolutely loved working with Kelly! She is incredibly creative, super attentive, and authentically puts her heart in to every event she touches. She's never afraid to try new things, and has the experience to conquer any obstacle that might come up. Her personality is so fun and calming to be around - you'll love having her lead your wedding team! -
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![Stella]()
Stella Sent on 05/05/2020Wedding Dreams come true with Kelly McWilliams.
I cannot say enough about what a wonderful and professional job Kelly and her entire staff do. Her creativity and attention to detail are spot on. If you are looking for someone to make your wedding dreams come true, look no further. -
Jessi Sent on 04/29/2020
Indispensable! Highly recommend!
Kelly came highly recommended from a friend of my mother’s. We only had 7 months to plan everything (with me in Cleveland and my mom in Captiva), and luckily Kelly was available on the date we had chosen. She set up an initial consult call that quickly focused us on all of the decisions we would need to make. (On a side note, Kelly is impossibly chic in person—as soon as I met her, I knew she had taste and great style).
Kelly was so valuable during the planning process because she has contacts not only in Southwest Florida, but nationally. She was able to recommend florists, hair & makeup, photographers, music and anything else we needed. Originally we were going to have our wedding on the beach, but the red tide forced us to reconsider. Kelly helped us figure out how to move it to our house and designed a schematic for where everyone would sit. The resulting ceremony far exceeded my expectations for a beach wedding—and I never would have thought it was possible (“Kelly, this is going to sound a little crazy... what if we did it at the house?”), but Kelly was quickly able to envision a beautiful, intimate, personal ceremony.
I had a very specific idea about the atmosphere I wanted to create with the flower arrangements, but no idea how it could be executed. Kelly was able to take those ideas to the florist and turned them into reality for the ceremony and the reception. When guests walked into the reception, the immediate reaction was incredible.
When our invitation designer fell behind and didn't have everything completed until the week of the wedding, Kelly quickly mobilized and got everything printed for us locally in less than 48 hours.
There were so many little things my mom and I never would have thought of, but Kelly is a consummate pro. Every part of the wedding had Kelly's touch: welcome bags, bringing parasols for guests to use at the ceremony, designing and printing the parking signs, getting a videographer for free, bringing over a cot for overflow guests at our house, reusing the setup for our reception and countless other things we probably weren’t even aware of. She kept everyone on schedule and made sure the wedding party knew their roles. She especially put my dad at ease as the officiant. (My dad was under the impression that because he was officiating the ceremony, it wouldn’t be right for him to walk me down the aisle! Kelly quickly disabused him of this fanciful notion, thank god).
From my and my husband’s perspective, there was truly nothing that went wrong the day of (that we were aware of). Our wedding day was surprisingly stress-free, and we honestly couldn’t have been happier. We went from debating whether we just wanted to go to the courthouse to ultimately having a ceremony and reception that were really suited to our personalities and we are so glad we did it. Kelly was instrumental in this successful outcome. I truly can’t imagine anyone else would have been able to do what she did. I highly recommend Kelly and if you hire her for your day you will be so glad you did! -
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Cheryl Sent on 04/28/2020
Hiring Kelly was the best planning decision we made!
Hiring Kelly for day-of coordination for our destination wedding on Captiva Island, Florida, was the best decision we made. After reading about and talking to several local planners, we chose Kelly because she was the planner who spent more time asking us about our vision than telling us everything she could do for us - from the very beginning she sought to understand what we were looking for and then make it happen. Kelly arrived at our introductory meeting brimming with questions to elicit our vision and seemed as excited about our wedding as we were. Even at our first meeting, when we shared our ideas, such as what we wanted in a venue, she offered options we hadn’t known about or considered - and when we checked them out, we knew she “got” our vision.
Once we hired Kelly, she immediately got to work. She sent comprehensive, clear, and very useful planning and guiding materials. The materials for planning the ceremony stood out to us, in particular because they were inclusive - but in a matter-of-fact way (language examples for mixed and same-sex ceremonies, religious and secular ceremonies, as well as simple and elaborate ceremonies). We deeply appreciated this thoughtful consideration of diversity. Kelly expanded the wedding planning space to include us rather than force us to fit into someone else’s ideas of a lesiban wedding - or any other kind of wedding.
Kelly’s recommendations reflected that she heard what we told her. She planned our wedding for us. She did not make assumptions - nothing felt predetermined, or cookie-cutter. Kelly seems to really enjoy her work and to want her clients to have a great wedding experience. Her energy and love of her work came through time and again. Although we hired Kelly for day-of coordination, she was readily available to answer questions and provide suggestions for other elements of our destination wedding. A couple of times, she talked us through a thorny issue over the phone - after all of these communications, we felt more confident and sure that everything would be great - and it was!
Kelly not only went above and beyond her actual obligations, she also exceeded every possible expectation we could have had. She thought of things we hadn’t considered (sun parasols for our guests to use at the ceremony, complete with wedding party names; chargers to augment our simple table settings; a hand-lettered sign for our signature cocktail at the bar). She helped us with last-minute challenges related to the rehearsal dinner. More than anything else, Kelly inspired our confidence and our trust, made us feel special without feeling different, and she delivered. -
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Hunterryanphoto Sent on 04/28/2020
The secret weapon to your wedding and vendor team - it's Kelly!
We've had the pleasure of working with Kelly and her team for several years and many many weddings. Each and every couple genuinely means the world to her - and we aren't just saying that. It's really true. The care, compassion, professionalism, heart and soul she pours into each couple is so genuine. And Kelly - thinks of EVERYTHING! As a vendor - we can't even begin to explain how much easier this makes our jobs. She has a solid circle of trusted vendors that she assembles for each of her couples - and it flows flawlessly. It's the time she takes for the continuity of planning between all vendors (forms/checklists/etc) all to make sure we have what we each need to serve our clients best. It's the detailed timeline - so we all are on the same page - leaving nothing to chance. It's her carefully curated emergency kits (which literally have every last thing you could ever and didn't think of in it) so that we all can help our couple with anything they might need. It's her level of experience too - that just sets her apart. She is a staple in the Southwest Florida wedding community and has seen IT ALL - nothing phases her planning. We've worked alongside her in crazy hot humidity, torrential downpours, and gale force winds. We've watched her navigate hurricanes, and pandemics - and every outcome is the same. Plan B/C or D - executes like it was plan A all along. She is a bride's secret weapon in wedding planning - because for her it's more than some job - it's who she is. She's equal parts professional/fun/kind - and her work speaks for itself. -
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![Black]()
Black Sent on 04/27/2020Excellent to work with.
Kelly and us had previously worked together on events and weddings as vendors. This working relationship gave us a chance to see how she interacted with her clients from beginning to end. She is great at what she does and she treats you like a family member! Kelly is professional, knowledgeable, intuitive, caring and fun.
If you are looking to that person that will made your dream event come true that is 100% Kelly.
Black Salt Culinary
Catering Services -
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![Karl]()
Karl Sent on 04/27/2020Nothing but amazing
I love working with Kelly and her team. Always organized, professional, and very detailed oriented. As a photographer when I know I'm working with Kelly everything is just a smoother experience. I can't say enough good things about Kelly and her team. -
![Jade]()
Jade Sent on 04/27/2020Detailed oriented, easy to work with!
Kelly McWilliams is very organized and extremely easy to work with! As a vendor, we are constantly working with multiple vendors and Kelly has always been a dream. She sends out emails with every question answered, every detail thought through and extra notes for us so that we can create a beautiful event together.
With everything said above, she is also extremely talented when it comes to design. All of her weddings portray the couples style perfectly. She is known for paying attention to detail and making sure the guests are having the best time ever.
Unlike every wedding planner, Kelly makes the vendors feel welcome. We never feel like we can't interrupt her with questions, she is always prepared and willing to help.
Kelly is a big fan of entertainment and is always coming up with new ideas for our team. She recently booked us out for a small dinner show and it was fantastic! The guests felt like they were in a broadway dream - and she was the one to create this idea!
We've worked over 200+ weddings and have seen it all. You will NOT regret hiring Kelly, she is *amazing* at what she does and it truly one of the best in the industry.
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Karen Sent on 04/25/2020
Highly Recommend! Kelly is the BEST!!!
At first we felt we didn’t need a wedding planner; just a simple yet elegant Old Florida style wedding. But the event coordinator at our venue, Tarpon Lodge, suggested we just talk to Kelly. We are so glad we did. She had pricing options that met our needs and she was such a pleasure to work with. She really listened to our thoughts and presented excellent tasteful design options. She was always organized and timely, and she always made us feel as though we were her top priority. We could not have asked for a more professional and helpful wedding planner. Our wedding was so stunning! It was an amazing success and loads of fun due to Kelly's expertise. -
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![Bari]()
Bari Sent on 04/24/2020SO Helpful, Fun, and Perfect- Everything I Wanted!
Kelly is amazing! She 100% knows what she's doing in the industry and has awesome connections. She took all of the stress and pressure out of wedding planning and made it fun and exciting. Kelly asked us a bunch of questions to understand exactly what we wanted and, in addition to giving us exactly what we wanted, she was very mindful of our budget throughout the process which was very very appreciated. -
Sarah Sent on 04/23/2020
Our guests said it was the best wedding ever!
My husband and I enthusiastically recommend Kelly McWilliams and her team.
With having a destination wedding, we needed a planner who could help with every aspect of planning and our day. Kelly delivered that and more.
Maybe the biggest value Kelly provided was her great recommendations for vendors -- everything from an amazing graphic designer at fair price to a videographer, to hair and make-up. She has fantastic relationships with many vendors in the area, and she only works with the best! To help ensure we made the best decisions for our budget and vision, Kelly painstakingly coordinated two separate trips during which we met and interviewed all our vendors. We didn't have to do anything other than show up to the addresses on our thoughtful itinerary and talk about our wedding.
When her recommended videographer was about to be booked for another wedding, she immediately reached out to us and made sure we got the vendor first.
If I reached out to a vendor with a question and they didn't answer in a day or so, Kelly would follow up personally and ensure I received the information requested.
During our wedding weekend, Kelly and her team were always there when we needed them. From setting up our welcome dinner, to mapping out and making sure we stuck to the day of timeline, to staging some amazing flower petal cascade photos, she made our wedding was fun for our guests and ensured My husband and I could just enjoy every minute knowing all the details were taken care of. Kelly even set up little surprises for us to experience day of, including our escort cards and a beautiful bar set up.
We ever decide to renew our vows, we will 100% ask Kelly to do the planning! -
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![Kimberly]()
Kimberly Sent on 04/23/2020Flawless Coordination
From our first phone consultation, I knew I wanted Kelly to be involved in my wedding. She had a wealth of ideas because of her experience not only in general, but at my venue that were invaluable. Kelly's wedding day timeline planning and execution by her team was flawless and had so much more value than even I expected. I also couldn't have imagined tackling the reception layout and seating display by myself during my short engagement, so Kelly's expertise and organization with those tasks took so much stress away! -
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Alyssa Sent on 04/23/2020
Hire kelly mcwilliams now!
Choosing vendors for your day can be such a daunting and stressful task, especially when you're like me and have pretty high expectations of everyone. Let's just say that Kelly's quality of work WAY over-exceeded my expectations. You honestly don't need me to sell you...just take a look at her Instagram (@kellyamcwilliams) to see her spectacular weddings. You'll notice immediately that her weddings are on another level. Those beautiful weddings don't just...happen. Those photos are all proof of the caliber service that she provides her clients.
Kelly and I hit it off right away when we met a year before my wedding. I connect very well with people who are personable, energetic, dynamic, and open to feedback. That is Kelly to a T. She is professional, talented, genuine, and always there to make you laugh when things get super stressful (and trust me..they do...they REALLY do).
With Kelly's strong vendor relationships and killer negotiation skills, we nailed down an a-list, dream team for my wedding. On the weekend of my wedding, Kelly made me feel comfortable, at ease, and stress free. She seamlessly weaved her way into the chemistry of my family. It was as if she had known my family and friends for years!
Kelly, thank you for giving me the wedding of my dreams. I get chills every time that I think about it. Book Kelly as your wedding planner -- I promise that all of your wedding worries will disappear. -
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![Natalie]()
Natalie Sent on 04/23/2020Our wedding could not have been more perfect, thanks to Kelly and her team!
Kelly took our vision of what we envisioned our dream wedding would be and brought it to life. Not only was she extremely professional and a perfectionist, she because a great friend and mentor. Our wedding was perfect and all thanks to Kelly and her amazing team! -
Sarah Sent on 04/23/2020
Kelly is the best ever!
My wedding wouldn't have been possible without Kelly. She made my vision and my dream wedding come true. She worked with my budget, made the planning process so much less stressful, is a fantastic communicator, and she simply created the most perfect wedding. Kelly's expertise is beyond and she is so knowledgeable about the industry. If you want someone who can make your dream wedding come true, hire Kelly and her team. Vendors love her, your guests will love her, and you will LOVE her. The best decision of my wedding was hiring Kelly McWilliams Celebrations! -
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Amanda Sent on 04/23/2020
Personalized Perfection
Kelly's weddings are absolutely stunning. Her wedding knowledge and eye for detail made her the best choice for our special day. Throughout the planning process, she spent time getting to know us to ensure our day was everything we could hope for. She always had the best and timely advice and the most unique ideas to blow us and our guests out of the water. Her partnership with other vendors was also great because we could trust the quality of people we were working with. Our wedding weekend was stress-free because of her organization. We love Kelly, and we cannot wait to use her again for another party in the future. -
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![Bonnie]()
Bonnie Sent on 01/14/2020Outstanding!!!
Kelly was amazing! I hired Kelly as the day of coordinator. She listened to my vision and brought it to life! She was at my service for the entire day right till the end. From making sure I was able to enjoy my day to setting up the entire wedding space... she did not disappoint! I had forgotten to get a birthday card for my daughter - her bday was the next day - I texted Kelly and she didn't hesitate to run to the store and pick up a card, a cake and some balloons!!! She coordinated the entire ceremony, cocktail hour, reception! All the tiny details were met. I didn't have to worry if my rental items showed up, if the flowers were set up or whether my DJ arrived on time!! She did it all for me while I had the day with my girls! Thank you so much Kelly!! My day was flawless! -
![Eleni]()
Eleni Sent on 10/09/2019Best part of the wedding
We hired Kelly late, like a month to go before the wedding and thank god we did! Her advice and her knowledge made our day perfect. She found ways we were spending money we shouldn’t have, did all the final details that made everything go smoothly. Our family is talking non stop about how well everything went. -
![Chevy]()
Chevy Sent on 06/13/2011Kelly did try to do a good job but seemed to fall through in the end. Many of the vendors complained about her to me. The caterer said they had never heard from her that we were using them (months after the decision was made) and the venue tried to cancel after what they said was her lack of experience and professionalism. We spent tons of money on things like AC units and she didn't even make sure the power source was available so that they were too far away from the tables and a waste of money. She had some cute ideas but all in all I ended up having to do most of the organizing and checking on things myself! -
![Caitlin]()
Caitlin Sent on 09/09/2021$2200 for no services during covid
My husband and I were sadly very effected by the Covid-19 virus. Our wedding had to postponed then eventually canceled due to our PA travel restrictions and the financial investment. We decided we could not go through with it with such uncertainty on what the next few months would bring. I had already planned the entire wedding myself and simply wanted Kelly to coordinate the day of. We had about a 30 min phone call and told her all I had done then paid her $2200 for her services (which again only included day of coordination). 6 months ago we decided to just cancel it and requested a partial refund considering the circumstances. Kelly has yet to give us a dime back. I understand contracts were signed, but I believe in business ethics, and for her to take so much money from my family and have rendered NO SERVICES, except for holding a date for a few months during a pandemic, is absolutely ridiculous. Then to tell me she will no longer communicate with me and send me nasty emails after all my family as been through is just insane. “Heartless” comes to mind. I would highly recommended anyone else if you want to be handled with care on your wedding day.
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