We have been pouring over lists of donors and guests and those we didn’t get to see and all the many people who made the evening a wonderful success.
So forgive the brief delay in putting you at the head of that list. Your years of experience and talent, combined with passion for our mission, were available in abundance throughout the process of creating the 2022 gala.
There was no detail overlooked, whether it was table cloths that reversed, complimentary blue velvet accents, the perfect lighting, the elegant (and economical!) florals, your grace with the endless room rearrangements, the table placements, the heaters, the stage, dancefloor, the wonderful food, plenty of cocktails, the massaging of the timeline, the preparation by all vendors who flowed efficiently and unobtrusively, the flow of traffic, the coat check, the music and timing, I really could go on and on. And I know as the week unfolds others will chime in- but I didn’t want any more time to pass before detailing just some of the highlights that wowed our guests- and us as well. You skippered the ship and always kept us on point, focused and organized
A silk purse out of a sow’s ear- an incredibly magical evening in what was, and is again, a parking lot…. Well that is beyond amazing. Your vision buoyed us along and beautifully set the stage for the overwhelming response to our efforts.
You are extraordinary. On behalf of the board of directors, all the staff and all the guests ( and all the critters…)
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
With great admiration,
Deb
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Hi Lydia,
Lydia,
We loved our (micro) wedding. You’re a force and a damn impressive planner. Thank you for everything. You are a treasured star.
Brian & Becca
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From the early stages of planning our outdoor Hudson Valley fall wedding, we knew we needed someone to help us tie it all together. Enter: Lydia. We didn’t have to interview many prospects to know that Lydia’s depth of knowledge and experience with the uniqueness of outdoor weddings was going to be so important to help us pull together a full weekend of festivities. We cannot stress enough the value of her experience and relationships with the best vendors in the Hudson Valley (listen to her recommendations!) Lydia’s ability to navigate our changing preferences and changing conditions (including a venue change) with the highest level of professionalism and clear-headedness was impressive! From vendor selection, to contract execution, to budget management, to final weekend logistics and vendor management, Lydia handled it all. It was the greatest gift to be able to just settle in to the joy of being together with our friends and family for the weekend and not worry about the details anymore, because we knew Lydia had it covered. Lydia’s behind-the-scenes team of dedicated hospitality experts and event masters , including the more front-end vendors (photographers, florist, caterers, etc.) worked together seamlessly to create a wedding weekend beyond our wildest dreams. We are still getting feedback from our guests about the “electricity” they felt from every detail and how taken care of they felt throughout the weekend. Thank you seems too small of a sentiment to express our gratitude for Lydia and her team! We wish Charmed Places many years ahead of successful weddings and events
Haley & Spencer
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We worked with Lydia for over a year to create our children’s wedding at our mountain home which was a challenging venue to work with. We found Lydia to be caring, responsive, thorough and very professional. She worked hard to make our children’s visions for the wedding become reality through careful listening and did it with caring and connection. We recommend Lydia for any event large or small.
Joanna & Jeff
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Lydia was recommended to us by friends of our family. From the moment we got in touch, she was proactively thinking and researching on our behalf. Her expertise, professionalism, eye for design, detail orientation, and sense of humor made our wedding more special, beautiful, and meaningful than we had even hoped for. Thank you so much, Lydia, for all that you did to make our wedding the most exceptional celebration of our lives. It was a complicated affair of several hundred people over four days with multiple venues with an outdoor ceremony and additional constraints, planned during high season (from engagement to wedding in 5 months), in a state we don’t live in… and with lots of input from well-meaning relatives 🙂 Our wedding weekend was magnificent, and could not have happened without Lydia and her team. We were unsure what we wanted at first… a backyard versus a venue, city versus country, etc. and Lydia crucially helped us to clarify what was most important to us, in addition to navigating us through the planning process, directing us on where to focus and when, and cultivating our best decision-making on each cascading step, week by week, month by month. Lydia is honest, straightforward, flexible, and has excellent judgement, which resulted in a robust planning processes (timelines, agendas for 90 minute calls, and detailed emails) that made efficient use of our limited time outside of work, and thoughtful input on the pros and cons of a variety of topics large and small where we were clueless (merits of various venues, vendors, furniture, menu-picking, run of show, and 1 million more things etc.). She also anticipates the unexpected. For people like us, who really wanted an outdoor wedding but were terrified of bad weather, she was ready with plans and contingencies we never could have thought of that ensured a fantastic outcome. Even with non-weather factors beyond her control (i.e., hurricane displaced a vendor, a key shipment was lost, etc.), Lydia handled each in stride, tackling them quickly to find and focus on the best solution and oftentimes we didn’t know until the problem had been resolves, saving us a ton of stress and anxiety in the process. Like Lydia, her team is hard-working, accommodating, and works well with the other vendors. During the weekend itself, with so much going on, they were always available to answer questions, assist with tasks, help our family or guests, and make the entire thing seamless and magical from our perspective
Jannine & Daniel
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I had the good fortune to meet Lydia just as I was transforming my residence into a wedding venue. Call it fate, but I can say unequivocally that her wisdom, experience, grace under pressure, resourcefulness, tireless work ethic, and unbelievable attention to detail transformed what was a little-known location with some potential into one of the most sought-after wedding venues in the Catskills. What sets Lydia apart, at least in my experience, is the selflessness with which she approaches each and every project, regardless of budget; she truly puts her clients first, and prizes their success and satisfaction above all else. I am so grateful for all that she brought to the table, and would consider anyone employing her services to be in the most competent of hands.
Tom Givone
Floating Farmhouse
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We really thought wedding planning would be a breeze but little did we know, there are so many details and decisions to be made throughout the many months of planning. We are extremely particular and at times can be difficult to please but Lydia did not let us down. She was very open to our collaboration and more importantly helped us focus our thoughts and ideas and presented us with many incredible options. Her excellent relationships with vendors proved to be extremely beneficial in helping us secure our first choices with everything. In turn each of the vendors were extremely complimentary about Lydia’s professionalism, organization and very pleasant and caring manner. Our daughter’s June wedding was beyond perfect and we could never have wished for a more incredible day/weekend. There is no way we could have achieved any of this without Lydia’s help and we are extremely grateful to have had the pleasure to meet and work with such a lovely person. We highly recommend Lydia. She’s the BEST!!!! Liz/Richard 2018
Liz & Richard
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Working with Lydia throughout a year and a half of wedding planning did nothing but elevate our entire experience. Having not just a planner, but having Lydia in particular, will be the best investment you make during the process. She handled everything from A to Z behind the scenes and consulted with us on each important matter. Lydia always attended to any questions we had with action and follow through, which eliminated stress considerably. As someone who enjoys planning (Lydia you can attest to this! ha) I had considered coordinating the wedding on my own. All I can say about that is, Thank goodness I did not attempt it and found Lydia instead (My husband and I said this to each other countless times over the course of planning). It is hard to imagine the amount of work that goes into creating a weekend as seamless as ours, and I give all the credit for this to Lydia. I could go on all day about Lydia’s attention to detail, communication skills, benefits of vendor relationships, and organization, but what stands out most to us after getting to know Lydia is her kind heart. Lydia made us feel so special during the process and most especially throughout the whole wedding week. Simply put, she is the best out there and it is an honor to work with her.
Katey & James
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Given that we reside out of New York State, we knew we would need a very skilled planner to coordinate the many elements involved with wedding event planning. Enter Lydia. Lydia has a keen eye for detail and beautiful taste, and she is a ferocious advocate for the people for whom she works. She gives honest and informed opinions as she helps you craft your event(s) into something magnificent. She has experience in the industry, so she is able filter out unsuitable vendors and offer her clients reputable and talented floral, photography, and music suggestions (to name a few). Our flowers were designed by someone she recommended, and everyone who came to our wedding is still talking about them three months later! Our wedding was far from a simple affair. There were a lot of elements to juggle and the timing had to be impeccable. Lydia ensured that we had the experience we wanted to have and for our wedding and related events to flow smoothly and in keeping with our many requests. She managed everything down the the minute. It was impressive how she kept everything on schedule with such precision! Hiring a wedding planner takes all of the grunt work away from you, allowing you to conceptualize and plan your event without being bogged down or distracted by the nagging little stressors that can come up. Lydia was able to filter out all of the noise for us, acting as a point person with vendors to ensure we got the quality and service we deserved while not troubling us with those interactions. What we initially did not foresee in hiring Lydia is that she has an artist’s eye. She is polished, classy, and refined. She was able to offer suggestions and feedback to help us stay on-theme and in keeping with the look and feel she knew we were trying to achieve. Both my husband and I can recommend Lydia as a wedding planner with pleasure and without reservation!
Molly & Ben
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Lydia is a wonderful wedding planner whom I would recommend unreservedly. She took our ideas, concepts, comments, and wishes and assembled them all into a wedding that was simply perfect. She listened intently to our input and gave us options so we could tailor every element of the ceremony and reception. Excellent organization, planning, execution. I highly recommend her services and have nothing but praise for her as a person and a professional.
Nathaniel & Marco
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Words cannot really express how great Lydia is. We did not want a cookie-cutter wedding, and as two city boys with plenty of opinions about our country wedding, we were not going to settle for a cookie-cutter planner. Lydia knows the pros and cons of each venue, will source specialty goods and services for you herself (she found incredible granola for welcome bags and milk crates for a table number display), and will keep you and your vendors on task. She is incredibly organized and insists on everything running through her (which – trust me – saves both your inbox and wallet). Her mission is to execute your vision, but she is not shy to course correct where needed. Any vendor she recommended was excellent. I cannot recommend her more highly. By the time our perfect wedding weekend was over, she truly felt like family. Whether you want to be hyper-involved in the process or let her run with your budget, if you are planning a wedding in the Hudson Valley (or NY/New England area more generally) – especially if it’s an outdoor wedding – you cannot go wrong with Lydia
Elliot & Jarret
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In working with Lydia you are not choosing a wedding planner, you are choosing a partner who is by your side every step of the way. She isn’t just planning a wedding, she is making sure the first day of your life together is everything you could have hoped for. She is kind, patient and understanding during the most difficult decisions and high stress. She has phenomenal taste and her relationships with vendors and venues is unmatched. She walks you through the process not as a business but as a friend. And she fights for you when you need it most, often going the extra mile because it’s who she is. She responds to the personal touches and your vision making them happen. She listens to you and responds in kind. She is also a calming voice when the unexpected happens. Vendors respect her and work hard for her which all benefits you. When the grounds person mowed over all of our electric lines the day before our wedding, the lighting vendor, who was on his way back an hour south, turned right around for Lydia and made it right. Our flowers, food, and music were all that much better because of her recommendations and the team she helped assemble. And her execution on the weekend was flawless, from an incredible rehearsal dinner to the day of. We didn’t notice a single thing wrong, though I am sure there was—but Lydia fixed it never letting on. We were beyond lucky to have met her, now consider her a friend, and anyone who works with her we know will feel the same.
Mary & Ben
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Wow. Simply wow. Lydia was a consummate expert, professional, liaison and counsel on top of being a top-notch planner, producer and coordinator. She accepted and executed a huge challenge: a very large cultural/kosher wedding in an outdoor venue that required a lot of production, all on a six month timeline with two families involved. She balanced the needs from every direction and yet kept the focus and decisions with the bride and groom. We truly, deeply enjoyed our day/weekend from beginning to end because we trusted her implicitly to execute our vision and support us to the nth degree. She directed us to trusted vendors, artisans and heard our needs/concerns at every step of the way. She creates space for the bride and groom to be creative visionaries while, with a graceful touch, giving practical suggestions and guidance. She supported us and she was invaluable. Her care for the couple and her consideration for the gravity of the day spoke volumes – while shouldering responsibility for the logistics and production of our wedding, every step had personal touch/consideration. Lydia was more than an events professional to us during our engagement and we couldn’t have – and wouldn’t have – done this without her. Our gratitude for her is truly ineffable. She put an exorbitant amount of time and energy into our wedding – she was thorough with vendors and demonstrated keen and creative business and planning acumen. If you are lucky enough to work with Lydia, do not take it for granted. She is simply amongst the best in the country.
Caila & Eric
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Lydia was the wedding COO we didn’t know we needed until we found her. Patient, thoughtful and unerringly keeping us on the right path to a wedding that was a true and honest celebration of the important things in life – love, family and friends – she was the compass showing us north during a time of ample distraction. Her attention to detail, willingness to go far, far above and beyond the call of duty and open mind and heart makes her a resource that is often in far too short of supply. We are deeply grateful to Lydia for listening to us so carefully when we gave (scant) detail on what we wanted and for transforming what was in our minds and hearts into magical reality.
Caroline & Walshe
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Lydia is an AMAZING wedding planner! We had our wedding upstate near our country place and wanted someone familiar with the area. Lydia knew many vendors, usually suggesting 3-4 possibilities based on what we were after; if we’d heard of someone specific, she always knew of the vendor and usually knew the answers to our questions. (If she didn’t, she found out and reliably got back to us.) She has excellent taste and thoughtful suggestions. She was so thorough, kind, down to earth–a pleasure to work with. And going into the home stretch and the wedding, we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves (“be guests at our own wedding”) knowing she had everything in hand. It was a beautiful event–thank you Lydia!
Don & Mark
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A perfect plan for my favorite day ever! From the day that we started working with Lydia until after the last guest had left the morning after brunch, we were in great hands. A wedding is such a major event that we didn’t know where to start. Lydia walked us through every step of the process. We never felt rushed into a decision. Lydia gently set boundaries and her impeccable timeline gave us the time to think about all of our decisions. Not to say that the choices were easy. Whenever it was time to pick a new vendor, Lydia set us up with choices that were so incredible and amazing that we wanted them all. Lydia’s choices met her standard of excellence. That standard was in every detail of our wedding. Thanks to Lydia, we were able to go the most beautiful, flawlessly planned and executed wedding that either of had ever seen. And it was our own.
Cate & Aidan
Diligent, Caring, Fantastic
My husband Jesse and I worked with Lydia throughout most of 2015. We married on my parent’s farm, and while we thought this would make things easier on us, we were mistaken. There were a million things we didn’t think of, but Lydia did. There were a million things we would have forgotten, but Lydia didn’t. We became a little family for 9 months. Talking, emailing, texting. Lydia was thorough, helpful and kind. She helped to steer us in the right direction throughout the planning process. The end result: Incredible. The best and most beautiful weekend of our lives and we have Lydia to thank for it. We recommend her 1000%. You will thank us after the wedding
Jesse & Nate
Couldn’t have done it without her!
We hired Lydia because we were planning our wedding by our weekend house and wanted to work with someone who knew the area and potential vendors better than we did. That certainly worked out to be extremely careful, but Lydia simply thought of everything that goes into managing a big event with many moving parts – catering, venues, rehearsal dinner, after party, morning after brunch, guest accommodations, transportation, flowers, design, music, photography… everything. We started planning a year in advance and quickly realized that we would have been lost without her guidance. At times she suggested things that seemed less important or necessary, but in the end every single thought she had turned out to me far more important than had imagined, and the whole weekend was absolutely wonderful. Lydia is professional, friendly, and she honestly thinks of everything. She has fantastic connections to every kind of vendor you could possibly imagine, and she organized the entire process over the course of a year in a way that kept our stress level amazingly low. Looking back, I can’t imagine how we could have pulled it off without her. Many thanks to Lydia for everything. We had a spectacular wedding weekend, and we were able to focus on the joyful parts. We knew we were in the best of hands
Chris & Daryl
Lydia was absolutely fantastic to work with. My wedding day was the best day of my life, and I could not have enjoyed the day without the help of Lydia and her team. Lydia thought of every detail and I had absolutely nothing to worry about the day of my wedding. I really hope towork with Lydia again in the future. She truly was amazing and planned and executed the best wedding I could have ever dreamed of.
Rebekah & Carson
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Dear Lydia,
We have no words to describe our wedding day other then perfectly executed flawless magic! I am sure people always hear “thanks, what a wedding,” and “this is the best wedding I’ve ever been to, thank you.” However, do people still hear that four months later?
How do you thank someone for making your dreams come true and for knowing what that might be from a few photos and stream of consciousness ramblings?
When we decided to get married on a raw property that belongs to my husband’s family, I contacted Lydia right away. I could only imagine the problems that might arise. I was also the type of bride that really had no clear idea of her wedding day and my husband is a beautiful perfectionist. We had a perfect storm. Wedding day on in-laws property, no idea what we wanted, and a perfectionist.
We started working with Lydia about thirteen months in advance of the wedding date, the only thing we did know. The process was so simple because I had complete faith in her outstanding abilities. So simple in fact, that i would forget about planning the wedding and just enjoyed my time as a bride to be.
Through Lydia we worked with the best of the best event vendors. We loved every minute, not a stone was left unturned. The Big Day only felt big because it was so special. I slept like a stone the night before with out a worry in the world. Our wedding day went off with out a hitch or at least I was completely unaware of any, if there was one.
Let me put it like this, if you are getting married and are thinking about hiring a planner, don’t think twice. You have already found the best in the business. Listen to her advice, its really good stuff and even if you can’t see it she can and you will on your Wedding Day right through the tears of joy and happiness.
Thank you So much form the bottom of our hearts,
John and Carla Doherty (2014)
Thank you so much for giving us the wedding of our dreams – in fact a wedding that exceeded our dreams. The whole event was so flawlessly planned and executed, down to every detail, that as we joked to you that day, the only thing we were at risk of running out of was superlatives to describe it all. Even months later, barely a day goes by that we don’t hear from one or another of our friends and family how much they also enjoyed the wedding, though it’s hard to imagine anyone enjoying it as much as we did. (We’ve already had more than one request that we renew our vows as a reason to do it all again!)
We remember telling you early on in the process that by far the most important thing for us was that the event be special for our guests, something so completely inclusive and memorable that they’d gladly have travelled from across the country (or across an ocean) to the Hudson Valley to attend it even without the social obligation that came with it being our wedding. You absolutely managed that, and more. It’s really hard to imagine a more perfect combination of carefully considered precision, yet seeming effortlessness, resulting in an occasion that was both elegant and comfortable, and reflected deep meaning and fun.
And to think that at the beginning we had no idea how to even start the process! We had talked throughout our 8-year engagement about a wedding without ever taking any concrete steps, and then we took the first and by far the most important one (e-mailing you). Within a year, our wedding day went from the barest of rough concepts to utter perfection. So again: Thank You!
Chris and Jordan (2014)
From the Bride: Hiring Lydia was the best choice we made for our wedding. She saved me tons of hours of research by recommending the best vendors in fifteen different categories, who were all a pleasure to work with. As wonderful as the team was, having Lydia there to chase down answers, provide deadlines, synthesize the information coming our way into organized emails, and do the same with our comments back was invaluable for minimizing stress and keeping on track. Lydia was also incredibly supportive of my type-A need to have information on all available options, (to a really extreme extent!) and consistently good-humored about letting me make every minute decision myself, though she could have put together a perfect weekend without any input at all. We essentially had four separate events over three days in three locations, and three additional meals for 30 on top of that, and Lydia was tireless in dedicating the time needed to make one each unique and flawless.
After spending months on the nitty-gritty, we went into our wedding weekend with every confidence in Lydia to coordinate everything and everyone so we could enjoy ourselves. That peace of mind was probably the single most valuable service of the weekend. And of course, our confidence was borne out: I didn’t face a single problem or question in three days, and I can’t think of one single thing that didn’t go exactly as we wanted. Not. one. thing. Amazing.
From the Groom: Lydia was exceptionally professional and well-organized. In particular, it was very reassuring to watch as she coordinated all of our vendors: she was always proactive and thorough about making sure each knew precisely what they were responsible for and what time and space constraints they needed to work with. As a result, they all worked together (and everything came together) beautifully.
I would also add that her “day-of” staff was great. Polite, patient and practiced. It was great that as little things came up throughout the event, Lydia was able to turn to trusted staff to take care of them.
L&J
Lydia,
Where do we even begin? While our two families didn’t understand why a couple living in NYC wanted a barn wedding, you understood our vision and turned it into a reality. We both were unsure if having a planner was necessary, but after our initial phone consultation, we knew right away that the wedding of our dreams would be impossible if we didn’t have your help in both the planning and execution. While planning a wedding in a raw space (no lighting! no bathrooms! no air conditioning!) can be quite challenging, you welcomed the challenge and made the process manageable for two people with demanding careers in NYC. You were accessible, reliable, creative and an absolute joy to work with. Months later, guests continue to tell us it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to, and we owe it all to you.
Love,
Kari and Tim
Lydia,
I just want to say thank you for EVERYTHING you have done for us over the past year. You proved to be not only an amazing planner but a genuine and thoughtful person and friend.
I truly enjoyed all the time we spent together and all of our action packed phone calls! Your advice and service was invaluable and I will be forever grateful!
Love,
Jourdan + Josh
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Lydia,
How do we properly thank you? Thank you for putting up with us. Thank you for securing our dream venue. Thank you for making sure our marriage license form got properly completed. Thank you for putting up with our moms. Thank you for caring so much. Thank you for 8-17-13, we owe it all to you. We miss you!
Lots of Love,
DJ & J
Dear Lydia,
Gil and I so appreciated your hard work and expert organization of the wedding. It was beautiful and seemed flawless in every way. I was especially impressed with your grace and composure amidst so much anxiety! Our guests loved it and many of them said it was the best wedding they’d ever been to! What a wonderful party.
Thank you again!
With much gratitude and love,
Betty Ann
Lydia,
I think the most moving thing for me about the wedding was learning about Noah and Krace
from their vows, their friends speeches and their “dance.” I hope you got to see that!
The wedding journey is quite a trip. I do think we all did well together, and I think you and I in particular did well managing the long-distance challenges of this wedding reality.
What a journey you must take with each family. I know you took the journey with us,
from my first phone call to the end of the event you were there.
We had a phrase “thank god for Lydia” we shortened it to TGFL.
The “look” of the wedding was wonderful, just glorious, you were right about
so many of the elements that worked so well together.
I don’t know when you will hear from Noah and Krace, but I do know
from speaking with them they share my feelings of appreciation and gratitude.
I would love to sing your praises, if the need should arise.
Best Wishes,
Suzanne
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Dear Lydia,
| Thursday Welcome Reception | $XXX |
| Friday Rehearsal Dinner | $XXX |
| Wedding/Reception | $XXX |
| Sunday Brunch | $XXX |
| Four Flawless Events – 250 happy guests | Priceless!!! |
WOW!! What a weekend!! Thank you!! It was great!!
As people left Sunday morning they could not say enough about what a great weekend they had. They felt welcomed, comfortable, and enjoyed every minute.
When we decided to hold Annie and Brian’s wedding in New York City, I was nervous. We are Midwesterners; many of our guests had never been to New York City. It was intimidating to say the least. And, when I pulled up in front of The London for the first time in August I said to myself: “This will never work – disaster in the making. How will we ever move 250 people to all of the events in the city?” You assured me all would work. That brought me from a 15 to an 11 on the 1 to 10 nervous scale. But, it all worked flawlessly!! Great job!! The events were amazing!’ The venues were perfect and they were transformed into wonderful, intimate gathering spaces that left everyone breathless! The food and wine could not have been better. You thought of every detail, even taking care of my cell phone while I walked Annie down the aisle.
I do not know how to say thank you! You took all the stress out of the weekend and allowed us to relax and enjoy one of the most important and memorable weekends of our lives! Thank you!!
Very truly yours,
Raymond L. Barton
Lydia,
Wow! I don’t even know how to begin to say thank you! All of the painstaking details, all of my painful requests – it all paid off and was flawless. I know there’s so much effort that went on behind the scenes that I don’t even know about – thank you so much for everything! It was truly a magical weekend – more than I could ever have hoped for. Most importantly, our guests felt so special and taken care of – that’s all i ever wanted. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Lots of love and gratitude
Annie & Brian
Hi Lydia!
We had a wonderful time at the wedding! I can’t believe how well everything turned out – from the food to the flowers to even the weather, everything was perfect! Though we hadn’t begun the process with an “ideal wedding” in mind, it ended up being exactly what we wanted.Word on the street is that it was the “best wedding ever”. The only problem, really, was that it was over too quickly!
It was so nice not to have to worry about anything! I had a number of people tell me how relaxed and happy I was all day. You made it possible to actually enjoy our entire wedding weekend (and for me to finish law school without a wedding-related nervous breakdown). I enjoyed having input on the overall design without worrying about the details of actually getting things done – and again, the final product was very much “us” and so beautiful!
I can’t wait to see the pictures! We enjoyed working with you!
Celia & Chris
Our relationship with Lydia began via a phone call to introduce ourselves, learn more about her and to share the seeds of ideas we had for our 9-month off wedding. Upon hanging up the phone, Christy and I knew we wanted Lydia to helm our wedding event, no matter where it may be.
Since we had not yet decided upon a venue, we set up a one-day locations tour with Lydia. She arranged appointments at a slew of locations. We met Lydia at the first venue bright and early…she walked through the space with us and showed us images of previous weddings she had worked on there. It was exciting to see how she had been able to transform a barn into a beautiful, rustic and elegant escape. From there, we spent the rest of the day hopping from one location to the next. It was a very pleasant experience.
Though we became VERY tempted to pull the trigger on one particular place she took us, in the days that followed, we became aware of a historic venue near Christy’s hometown in Rhode Island. Christy and I took a trip up there and fell in love with the space. It had the perfect blend of old and new as well as a very private, pristine setting on the water. Lydia offered to meet us there so she could see the lay of the land! Upon meeting the staff there and walking the grounds with us, she was on board! At this point, things really felt like they were coming together.
From there, Lydia furnished us with an uber-clear, customized checklist of things that had to happen between then and our big day. Each item on the seemingly endless (ha ha) list of things to do was handled.
Everything from the resident catering service and the taco truck inspired rehearsal dinner to sourcing the reception decor we wanted and handling ALL billing deposits for the numerous vendors and services, Lydia proved herself to be so much more than a ‘planner’. She is a true professional…and she became our friend. She also did an incredible job of protecting Christy and I from as much (inevitable) drama as possible.
In all honesty, our wedding would not have been what it was without Lydia. She was a godsend. We will be forever thankful to her and her undying willingness to go above and beyond for us.
Thank you Lydia!!!
Most sincerely,
Scott & Christy Matz
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Dear Charmed Places,
When we first got engaged, we were confident that we could pull off our vision on our own. There was no telling us we needed a planner! At a certain point in the process, we hit a brick wall and didn’t know what to do after we thought we had secured the venue and signed all the vendors. We had no idea how to use these vendors to orchestrate the wedding we envisioned, and we hadn’t even gotten to the rentals and coordinating that with the venue and the caterer. Enter Lydia, who took our vision from spreadsheet to spectacular reality. She didn’t just answer the questions, she showed us what questions needed to be asked. She was tireless, responsive, and exceedingly patient despite the tremendous amount of work involved. She also did a great job coping with the unexpected: every guest thought the entire weekend had gone exactly according to plan. Looking back, I’m sure we couldn’t have pulled off the kind of seamless, stunning event that we had if it were not for Lydia’s experience and attention to detail. Her service was money well spent — possibly the best value of the weekend — and the result was just magical.
Shelli & Ben
I have to be honest – when we first started on this whole wedding journey I didn’t fully understand what it was that a wedding planner was responsible for. I was simply naive to all of the logistics that come with event planning. Now that this is but a wonderful and amazing memory, I’ve come away from the entire experience with two bits of advice to any bride: wear flats on your wedding day and hire Lydia.
Through this process you were patient, on point, amazingly organized, and became a friend. Jeff said yesterday “I feel like we just need to email Lydia about something… anything. It feels weird not to!”
Like I noted on Sunday… you made our weekend flawless. And we know this was certainly not a flawless event from your end. But we know you went above and beyond to ensure that we remained stress-free and just had the most magical of weekends – which it was and we did.
You’ll forever be an enormous part of the memory from our wedding weekend
Jaime & Jeff
Lydia – you were simply amazing. We knew you were right for us when you helped secure the venue of our dreams…a place that didn’t even host events! Past that, Matt & I didn’t realize the scope of our wedding until you helped put the pieces together. Because our venue required that everything be brought in from soup to nuts, you were absolutely essential to the planning process. Neither of us had the time nor the knowledge to anticipate all of the factors that needed to be addressed, coordinate multiple vendors, and orchestrate a truly unique and memorable wedding. Because you’re based in and know the Hudson Valley, you were able to source local vendors and to be on-site when it was needed….something we just couldn’t do from the city. You were totally on top of your game and always looking out for our best interest….were polite but firm with the vendors, got decisions & actions from them (and us!) when needed, anticipated our questions & were prepared with answers, always maintained professionalism even in the most heated situations, were reassuring & calming when I wanted to freak out, and most importantly….you genuinely cared, not only about the day, but also about us. Our wedding turned out to be absolutely beautiful & exactly what you worked so hard in helping us create….very us. We couldn’t have been more fortunate to find you…thank you so much for it all.
Matt & Maria Leonard
Dear Lydia,
I have been meaning to write you and two weeks have flown by! I (we) can’t thank you enough for all of the terrific work you did in pulling together our rehearsal dinner for Tom and Elizabeth. It was picture perfect and we have received so many compliments and appreciation for a wonderful evening – it could not have happened without your expertise, calm guidance and assurance and attention to detail. Honestly, I trusted you all along the way and it gave me peace of mind and the ability to go into the weekend without a worry. I hope you enjoyed being a part of it despite all of the work you had to do that evening. The wedding and brunch the next morning were lovely – and our evening was right in sync!
Sally & Van
Hi Lydia!
Boy, I bet you didn’t think that you’d have to hear from us for a while… but here we are! Congratulations for making our wedding SO MEMORABLE! We love you. When we get back from our honeymoon, please tell us how we can add a testimonial, etc. for you that future brides and grooms can read, as we plan to recommend you to everyone we know who is getting married! Mike even said yesterday that he felt like he almost married you because he was gushing so hard about you on Sunday night 🙂
Kelly & Mike
Hi Lydia
Now is a good time for me to thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your hard work. I really don’t think enough thank yous could suffice! I searched my emails and dug up our initial correspondance, which was just 3.5 months before the big day. Can you believe that at that point we only had a date and venue?! I am so proud of what we were able to pull together in such a short timeframe; a ceremony that truly reflected both Rob and I as individuals and a celebration in keeping with such a joyous occasion.
I don’t know that we could have done much better with the kind of leadtime that people usually have! There is no doubt that we could not have done it without you! Your advice was usually spot on, your referrals were always aligned with our needs, and you really made an effort to incorporate our special wishes into the day. Plus, now that I see how chaotic the actual day is, I can appreciate how unflappable you are. You are born to do this, and you helped make our very stressful planning process infinitely easier.
Johanna & Rob
2010
Lydia!
The weekend now seems like a dream. You were a godsend through out it all. You were the steady presence who was so relaxed and who had all the answers. We were so incredibly lucky to have you. The whole wedding was really magical, the setting, the church and the reception. Everything about it was so very special and it would have not been the same without you.
Holly & Marc
Lydia was a dream come true for our wedding. As a very particular bride who spent months and months planning, organizing and crafting a very specific vision for her wedding, I was truly lucky to find Lydia and her ability to execute everything I had hoped for. She understood exactly what I envisioned for the look and feel of our wedding and was able to bring it to life. But even before her beautiful execution of our wedding day, she was an incredible friend and resource in the weeks leading up to the big day. She helped me navigate difficult conversations with vendors and made sure no large or small detail was left to chance. She has an incredible knowledge of all the nitty-gritty that goes into planning a perfect event. She had the ability to keep me grounded while still letting me dream up the craziest of ideas. I was able to enjoy every minute of my wedding day for the moment I woke up. There was little I had to stress about, Lydia took care of everything. The day appeared seamless to me, there may have been issues, but if there were I didn’t know about them at all. I honestly wasn’t expecting to have as much fun on my wedding day as I did, I figured there would be some let downs or problems, but there just weren’t, and I know, in large part, that is thanks to Lydia and her team at Charmed Places.
Amanda & Luke
Dear Lydia,
After taking a one week break from everything “wedding”, you are obviously the first person i am writing to thank for making the weekend such a magical time for Sarah and Eric. You are a fabulous event planner, and your skills melded all the elements of the entire weekend together beautifully! Your attention to every detail was clearly evident and appreciated by everyone. In hiring someone to help with wedding plans, what Bill and i did not necessarily count on was finding such a special person to be working with these past few months. Your quiet, easy way with people made everyone happy to have you on board and we were more than comfortable having you a part of the decision making process and trusting all would be perfectly executed, as it was.
Our friends said they had one word to sum up the event: exquisite. Thank you for making it that.
Kate & Bill McLaughlin
I didn’t know I needed my fiancee or how much better he would make my life untill I met him. And I didn’t know how much I needed a wedding planner or how much easier my life would be until I found Charmed Places. Lydia repeatedly anticipated wants and needs we didn’t even know we had to make sure we had the best options to choose from in items large and small. Having a wedding planner enabled me to keep working at what I do best, so she could could do what she does best…. making sure we had the wedding we dreamed of and the time and perspective to enjoy it!
Lorrie & John
Thanks for working so hard on our behalf. I feel nothing short of lucky to have you helping us through this experience. I really mean this – I only wish I could keep you to help me manage everything else I do in life!!
Natasha & Bob