Do you ever wonder who plans the types of weddings that you continuously find yourself stalking on Instagram? The kind of celebrity affairs held by the likes of Sofia Richie Grainge, Nicola Peltz Beckham, and Joey King or the nuptials featured on the web pages of Over The Moon and Vogue.com? Well, you’re in luck since we’ve compiled a list of some of our very favorite wedding planners who we have tapped for our 2024 OTM Awards.
These talented professionals go above and beyond the call of duty to put together absolutely gorgeous ceremonies and receptions. And as their frequent coverage shows, their efforts tend to pay off. Below, our own master list, of the best wedding planners working throughout the U.S. and internationally today. It’s also worth noting that even if a planner is based in a certain area, their team can often do destination weddings anywhere.
Alison Bryan Destinations
A husband-wife team, these two wedding planners are based in Santa Barbara, California but work globally. They’ve produced weekend and week-long guest experiences in Italian villas, in the medina of Marrakech, along the coast of Big Sur, and amidst the giant rock formations in the desert of southern Utah.In other words, they’re about as versatile, and as artistically-inclined, as you can get. OTM Bride Joanna Rejebian’s weddingin Mexico from is one we often find ourselves looking back to for inspiration.
Anaïs Events
Based in northern California, Anaïs Events is a boutique full-service planning company specializing in luxe southeastern Asian weddings. While based on the West Coast, founderAmrit Dhillon-Bains and her team are available to fulfill any couple’s dream in domestic or international locales. We can’t stop recalling OTM Brides Sanam Sidhu and Roopa Patel’s wedding in Marin.
Augusta Cole
With 15 years of experience in events, Augusta’s namesake planning company started in 2020 and has skyrocketed ever since. Her innate eye for detail, intuitive creative design, and seamless planning process make her one our favorites to work closely with. Cole has helped us with past events, like our Brock Collection dinner in Charleston and our Bumble event in the West Village. We are always in awe of the OTM Weddings from her that we get to cover, such as designer Molly Moorkamp’s wedding in New York City.
Banana Split London
The agency behind Sofia Richie Grainge’s 2023 (is it or isn’t it quiet luxury?) wedding in the South of France has been revolutionizing the world of events since 1976. The company’s experts in production, entertainment, event design, and management—spearheaded by CEO Julian Posner—work fluidly across the globe with offices in London and Côte d’Azur.
Beth Helmstetter
A full service event design and production studio specializing in weddings and celebrations around the world, Beth Helmstetter Events is inspired by each of their couples and creates an environment that perfectly reflects them on one of the most special days of their lives. OTM Bride Payal Patel’s multi-day Indian wedding in California and OTM Bride Laura Weaver’s destination wedding in the U.K. still inspires us to this day.
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Bryan Rafanelli
Bryan Rafanelli was Naomi Biden’s wedding planner—need we say more? Rafanelli Events executed a historic wedding on the South Lawn. And he’s no stranger to The White House. When former First Lady Michelle Obama was in The White House, she trusted Rafanelli time and time again to plan events. If Michelle Obama trusts him, then chances are, you should too when it comes to your big day.
ByChenai Events
With a background in corporate supply chain, founder Chenai Bukutu is a logistics expert. Based in the U.K. but working with clients internationally, Bukutu beautifully produced OTM Bride Bethany Spencer’s English summer weddingand continues to be one of our favorite contributors.
Calder Clark
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Calder Clark is a dominant wedding planner throughout theAmerican South. Butdon’t thinkyou can’t book Clark if your dream wedding is set somewhere else. In fact, the Clark team plans multiple destination weddings a year. OTM Bride Dulcie Smith’s wedding in Montana will surely give us inspiration for years to come.
Claire Bean Events
A boutique event planning and design firm based in the Hamptons, Claire Bean Events has been creating breathtaking weddings of every size for more than 20 years. Most recently, we spotlighted OTM Bride Shannon Foley’s nuptials in Bridgehampton and OTM Bride Emma Tucci’s wedding in Southampton, both planned by the talented firm. If you’re thinking of saying I do Out East, make sure you reach out!
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Colin Cowie
Colin Cowie planned one of pop culture’s most prominent weddings of 2022: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. His past clients also include Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston, and Tom Cruise—and yet he doesn’t exclusively focus on uber-expensive weddings. The Cowie team has produced events with budgets starting from $25,000 to $25 million, so there is no reason to be intimidated!
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Diwan by Design
A Fashion Institute of Technology alum, Sneh Diwan began her career in fashion before evolving into the event industry and founding a boutique creative agency offering destination wedding planning, day-of coordination, and styling services. Keep an eye out for more of Diwan by Design’s work coming on Over The Moon soon!
Easton Events
This award-winning luxury destination design and planning company founded in 1998 by Lynn Easton has a global focus, while being based in Charleston, and executes no more than 10 events worldwide each year. While they are recognized for their keen residential design eye, Easton’s logistics and systems are as good as gets, whether producing multi-day celebrations as far afield as Thailand or handling complex builds on private properties. OTM Bride Cate Elcan’s multi-day celebration in Tennessee and OTM Bride and Easton Events Senior Producer Dawson Mitchell’s wedding continue to be some of our favorites because of the energized and personalized design and luxe touches.
Elyse Jennings Weddings
Based in New Orleans and started in founder Elyse Jennings’s sorority house in college, her namesake wedding planning company loves creating lasting memories for its clients. We particularly love OTM Bride Abby Kamensky’s confetti-filled Second Linefrom her nuptials atthe Old Ursuline Convent Museum.
Fait Accompli is a London-based event planning organization that was first founded in 1987. Today, the veteran company is known for its exquisite international events, as well as its loyal clientele. But who exactly are the firm’s two most famous previous clients? None other than Prince William and Kate Middleton, who selected Fait Accompli to plan their 2011 wedding.
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Fallon Carter
Based in New York and Los Angeles, Fallon Carter also specializes in putting together gorgeous destination events. We love Carter because of the quality of her events and her adaptability. During the pandemic, she set up The We Do! Collective to help couples navigate micro-weddings.
Fête NY
Jung Lee runs Fête, a New York City event planning firm. Indisputably one of the best wedding planners working today, Lee has a knack for orchestrating stunningly beautiful and unique affairs anywhere in the world, like OTM Bride Elizabeth Paladeau’s destination wedding on the Amalfi Coastand OTM Bride Ruthie Friedlander’s nuptials at The Frick Collection.
Gregory Blake Sams
GBS is a full-service boutique event planning firm that delivers one-of-a-kind experiences. Founder G. Blake Sams splits his time between New York City and Charleston and his company travels worldwide for events. Sams’s unique interpretation of timeless traditions, combined with his attention to detail, proven understanding of event logistics, and strong focus of residential design has made him the top wedding planner that he is. We especially love OTM Bride Madeline Derse’s autumn wedding in Charleston.
HauteFêtes
Based in San Diego, California, HauteFêtes is abespoke full-service wedding planning and event design studio that can make your dreams come true whether that be a hometown wedding or a destination multi-day celebration. Founder Dani Blasena was born and raised in London and can easily bring her elegant European aesthetic to any event. We’re still gushing overOTM Bride Paulina Anne Szczsponik’s Bridgerton-inspired nuptials in Del Mar.
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Hessney & Co.
Chris Hessney launched his event production and design agency in 2015 and has since created beautiful events for Gwyneth Paltrow, Martha Stewart, Carolina Herrera, Monique Lhuillier, and more. He masterfully planned Chloë Sevigny’s Connecticut wedding celebration. And the summer after we launched our shop, he graciously created a series of breathtaking summer tablescapes for us that is still top of mind. As Chris is one of the top florists in the game too, you know your event will be designed to perfection.
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Houses & Parties
Rebecca Gardner of Houses & Parties may be an experienced wedding planner, but she hasn’t spent her entire career helping happy couples walk down the aisle. For years Gardner served as Savannah College of Art and Design’s director of creative initiatives. In other words, she’s long-since known her way aroundlarge-scale events, and has an eye for style.
Jennifer Zabinski
Jennifer Zabinski of JZ Events was the woman behind Serena Williams’s wedding extravaganza in New Orleans. From the choreographed first dance set toBeauty and the Beast’s “Tale As Old As Time” to the performance by New Edition to the desserts that descended from the ceiling at the epic after-party, the entire event was a perfectly executed—and Zabinski was the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. With a guest list that included Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian, I think we can all agree that’s no easy feat!
Jove Meyer
If you want a ray of positivity throughout wedding planning, contact Jove Meyer and his team now! The recently engaged designer and celebration expert crafts vivid and colorful worlds inspired by his clients. We’ve proudly featured three of his weddings on Over The Moon—most recently, the nuptials of OTM Bride and AGMES Jewelry Founder Morgan Lang at Troutbeck. Stay tuned for more from Jove on OTM very soon!
Laurie Arons
Laurie Arons famously planned OTM Bride Bridget Bahl’s viral wedding in NYC and has been in business since 1994—did you see the rehearsal dinner on the streets of SoHo? Iconic. The Northern California-based planner also counts Christy Turlington and Sofia Coppola as past clients. Wondering what her style looks like? Hint: it doesn’t involve naked cakes or twinkle lights. See OTM Bride Jessica Jones’s wedding in California for another excellent example of what she can accomplish—the neon sign at the after-party will definitely go down in history as one of the coolest design elements we’ve seen.
Le Petite Privé
The event design house Le Petite Privé is based in New York City but can accommodate an event anywhere on the globe. We’re still in awe of OTM Bride Louise Piyarat Lai’s weddingwith its reception at three-Michelin star restaurant Eleven Madison Park. FounderXin Huanghelped plan the proposal, so it was special that she was with the couple from the beginning.
Lisa Vorce
Lisa Vorce is a full service event planner, who specializes in destinationweddings—fromthe highlands of Vietnam, a remote Caribbean island, a hacienda in Mexico, and a charming villa along the Amalfi Coast, she’s done it all! We especially love the OTM Wedding she planned for Kristin Tice Studeman in Napa Valley.
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Liz Linkleter Events
Founder Liz Linkleter brings her experience from working in PR at Alexander McQueen into every event she and her team plans across Europe—most recently Celine Yousefzadeh’s stunning multi-day wedding in Italy. And back in 2018, we featured the full-service event planning and design agency’s work on OTM Bride Gabriella Nassif’s three-part wedding.
Lynden Lane Co.
Event and interior designers from Lynden Lane Co. will plan a stunning wedding whether it be in California, somewhere else domestic, or a destination affair. The team beautifully planned OTM Paige Gordon’s recent wedding in California and OTM Bride Audrey Le Stat’s nuptials in Italy.
Marcy Blum
Marcy Blum—who tied the knot herself late last year!—has been in the wedding planning business for more than 30 years and has put on spectacular events in some of the most romantic corners of the globe, but that doesn’t mean you could easily recognize a typical Blum event. On the contrary, Blum prides herself on her chameleon-like ability to tailor each wedding to a different bride and groom’s needs. She spectacularly produced Kate Bock and Kevin Love’s NYC nuptials and OTM Bride Riley Denihan’s South Carolina wedding. And we know first-hand that she’s such a delight to work with and will have you splitting your sides with laughter every step of the way.
Masi Events
Founded by husband-and-wife team Jessica and Michael Masi in 2008, Masi Events weddings have been featured on Over The Moon countless times, and they are one of our favorite Miami planning firms. Most recently, we highlighted their work on OTM Bride Danielle Rothfeldt’s nuptials at the Indian Creek Country Club. With Masi Events, they’ll accommodate your busy schedules, respond quickly, and consistently stay ten steps ahead.
Matthew Robbins& Luis Otoya
New York-based event planners and couple Matthew Robbins and Luis Otoya create beautiful weddings that feel effortless, and which feature a strong emphasis on design. Robbins has his own event company and later founded a sister company, Robbins Otoya, with Otoya. Together they help plan destination weddings around the world, in places like Mexico and Europe. See OTM Bride Carolina Pino’smulti-day extravaganza in Cartagena for an example of the type of magic they can create.
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Michelle Norwood
Understated elegance with a New Orleans personality is what event planner Michelle Norwood is known for. Unique, one-of-a-kind weddings and celebrations that feel personal are her speciality. And The White Lotus fans rejoice, she planned Alexandra Daddario’s elegant and moody nuptials. Whether you’re looking to lead your guests to your black-tie reception in NOLA style at the front of a festive second line parade, after a rustic chic farmhouse vibe, or hoping for something in between, look no further…Michelle Norwood is your planner!
Michelle Rago Destinations
Michelle Rago famously and masterfully executed Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding in Palm Beach with no more than five weeks notice. While we don’t recommend reaching out that close to your date, it just proves that she gets the job done under almost any circ*mstance. Based in New York City, Rago and her team have also produced and designed events as far-flung as New Delhi and the Cote d’Azur, so you’re surely not limited by location. More recently, we loved featuring OTM Bride Madison Edens’s destination nuptials in Mallorca.
Mindy Weiss
With celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss, you know that you will be in good hands. For starters, she knows exactly what’s on, and off, trend—be it greenery, metallics, or desserts. If you keep up with a certain Kalifornia-based family (hint, hint), you’ll know Weiss knows how to throw a great party. She’s the planner behindParis Hilton’s grand wedding, and we featured OTM Brides Lola and Jessica’s wedding as our June 2022 digital cover.
Mwai Yeboah
Exalt Africa’s Lead Wedding Specialist and Designer Mwai Yeboah was born in Zambia and has two decades of experience in the wedding industry. While she loves producing events on her home continent, Yeboah is available to produce events anywhere in the world as well. We still cannot get over OTM Bride Alice Usanase-Lalui’s multi-day wedding in Zambia with Rwandese, African, and Middle Eastern traditions.
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Paulina Yeh
Paulina Yeh Events, founded by Paulina Yeh, is a luxury wedding & event planning firm that specializes in destination weddings in Lake Como and throughout Italy. The first generation Taiwanese-American Yeh began her career in private banking before transitioning to nuptials full-time. She’s based in New York and Italy and wants to give couples the bespoke high-touch experience that she couldn’t find when putting together her own Italy wedding.
Posh Parties
Heather Lowenthal got her start in the stationery business in 2003; it was such a success that it paved the way for her launch of Posh Parties in 2006. The South Florida-based planner knows how to produce a one-of-a-kind event, and most recently put together OTM Bride Stephanie Hill’s elegant, intimate ceremony and OTM Bride Lindsay Hanau’s Vero Beach nuptials.
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Preston Bailey
If you want a grand, theatrical, over the top experience, Preston Bailey is your man. Bailey has been globally-celebrated for his unique ability to transform ordinary spaces into lush, mind-blowing environments, and he’s designed events for royal families and celebrities alike. Since his start in 1980, Bailey has penned seven books on entertaining and has hosted a number of workshops for event education—he’s a true master of his craft.
Rosemary Events
What is it about California? Maybe it’s the fact that some parts feels like a little slice of Tuscany, located within the U.S. Maybe it’s that gorgeous The Parent Trap home, immortalized by Nancy Meyers. Regardless, it’s difficult to argue that it doesn’t make for an ideal wedding setting. And luckily, Rosemary Events Founder Rosemary Hattenbach focuses on weddings in the Golden State, like OTM Bride Cynthia Andrea’s elegant celebration at San Ysidro Ranch.
SAMKOMA
The international creative concierge behind Taylor and Taylor Lautner’s romantic nuptials and OTM Bride Jessica De La Cruz’s Lake Como wedding was founded by couple team Josiah Carr and Justin McGregor. Meaning “come together” in Icelandic, SAMKOMA is the product of the founders’ combined creative energies, their mutual passion for travel, and the human experience.
Sara Fay Egan Events
Taking only a select number of weddings (local and destination) each year, Texas-based Sara Fay Egan Events prioritizes their availability to clients to create a truly unique event for each one. With a background not only in events but also in florals, design is always at the forefront of Egan’s events. We especially can’t get OTM Bride Lauren Maguire’s wedding in Crested Butte out of our minds with its whimsical color palette and disco cowboy after-party.
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Sarah Haywood
The luxury wedding planner behind Kitty Spencer’s lavish nuptials in Italy in 2021 and Karen Gillan’s I dos in Scotland, U.K.-based Sarah Haywood is one of most internationally sought-after planners with more than 20 years of experience. She’s even penned two books on the subject of weddings. From intimate gatherings to multi-day luxury events, each wedding is a magical happening.
Shannon Leahy Events
With offices in California and Maryland, Shannon Leahy Rosenbaum of Shannon Leahy Events plans and designs stunning weddings all over the world. We are such fans of her work, especially the South Asian weddings of OTM Bride Manali Yavatkar and in Italy and OTM Bride Sophie Ela Schulman in California.
Sinclair & Moore
Founded more than 20 years ago by then-college student Steve Moore, Sinclair & Moore is presently a full service event planning and design firm that creates bespoke celebrations throughout the world with offices in Dallas, Seattle, and SanFrancisco. While the firm may be known for its classic style, timeless aesthetic, and the iconic celebrations, we love that nothing they assemble seems too sweet—it’s very real and livable—like OTM Bride Mackenzie Altig’s wedding in Seattle and OTM Bride Jenna Scilacci Killian’s Ojai nuptials.
Smith + James
The wedding planning and design studio based in Los Angeles and founded by Tory Smith specializes in highly curated celebrations worldwide. Tory, who began her career in the music industry and became the head curator for the GRAMMY Museum at LA Live, is a breath of fresh air with her wit, charm, and grit. She and studio manager Lauren Sullivan are the team you want in your corner. OTM Bride Jess Jacobs’s destination wedding in Sicily is all the proof you need of what Smith + James can do.
Stefanie Cove
With more than 15 years of experience, Cove and her team produces full-service events around the globe, but they are based in Los Angeles. She specializes in small and large-scale events and also has a background in the 5-star hospitality industries, so your night is sure to go off without a hitch! Cove has planned some of our favorite weddings like those of Hayley Bloomingdale, Karlie Kloss, and OTM Bride KatherineBleich.
Sugokuii Events
Known for creating bespoke events all around Italy and often featured on Vogue.com, Sugokuii Events founder Diana Sorenson was raised between New York, Rome, and Copenhagen. After a career working for well-known fashion and jewelry brands and in luxury events, Sorenson decided to bring her 12 years of experience into her own company and create events in some of the most magical locations she had been longing to return to from her childhood.
Tara Guérard
Another Southern-based gem, Guerard operates out of Charleston, but has a second office located in New York. However, if you want to get a sense of Guerard’s style before you commit, take a look at one of her wedding planning books, as she’s published more than one. And make sure to sneak a peek at OTM Bride Lindsay Abrams’s nuptials at Troutbeck.
The Lake Como Wedding Planner
As its name states, The Lake Como Wedding Planner operates and is based in the chic Italian locale; however they’ve recently started moving out of the region as well. They planned OTM Bride Elaina fa*gan’s multi-day celebration at Villa d’Este, which remains one of our all-time favorites. The team is multi-lingual and knows the ins and outs of planning an stress-free, romantic wedding that oozes La Dolce Vita charm.
Valley & Company Events
Founded in 2003 by Aleah & Nick, Valley & Co. now handles event planning, design, and floral, so you truly get almost everything you need from this team. Their attention to detail is outstanding, and everything they do really takes into account how a guest will feel in a particular moment—showcased in OTM Bride Jane Emma Kelly’s waterfront wedding in Seattle and this OTM Wedding in Seattle with a Kentucky Derby–themed rehearsal dinner.
Van Wyck & Van Wyck
The first wedding that Bronson van Wyck ever planned was the Maine nupitals of Marina Rust in 1999. The rest, they say, is wedding planner history. Since then, he’s expanded to create event design and production firm Van Wyck & Van Wyck, which is available to travel for destination weddings—like OTM Bride Elizabeth Steel’s nuptials in St. Barths. Celebrated for a style of entertaining that combines wit and sophistication with the gracious warmth of the team’s Southern roots, every event produced embraces the age-old notions of hospitality and generosity.
Wild Heart Events
Santa Barbara-based destination wedding planning and design firm Wild Heart Events was founded by Jaime Kostechko and today specializes in in high-end, unique events for modern, bold clients like OTM Bride Caroline Renezeder and OTM Bride Gabrielle Martin.
Yifat Oren
Yifat Oren is the founder of Oren Co., a luxury event firm based out of New York and Los Angeles. And while Oren has been known to plan weddings for the stars, she’s just as enthusiastic, if not more so, when it comes to planning ceremonies and receptionsforother people. One of our favorite weddings that she and her team planned was a Johanna Ortiz-inspired fête in Florida.
