Denise Lillie Engagements

I wanted to take a moment to share how grateful I am for Denise and everything she did to make our wedding unforgettable. It truly was the wedding of our dreams—beyond anything we could have imagined. Denise took on the challenge of organizing a multi-day, multi-venue celebration and delivered. On top of that, it was a multicultural wedding, which required an incredible amount of thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and attention to detail. She handled it all beautifully, and every single vendor she brought on board was not only professional but made us feel like family. Our guests were absolutely blown away, saying it was the best wedding they’ve ever attended—and likely ever will. And trust me, they have high standards! Denise’s impeccable taste really shone through as well. She went above and beyond to add so many special touches that made the celebration uniquely ours. One of the things we were was most worried about going into the wedding was not being able to fully enjoy the day, as we'd heard so many couples say that happens. But thanks to Denise, we were able to be fully present and savor every moment. It was such a gift.

I had the unfortunate experience of hiring Denise for my wedding, and I regret it deeply. From the start, the entire process was marred by disorganization, poor communication, disrespect and a complete lack of professionalism. Denise's priority is making sure and forcing you to hire all of her vendors that she has connections with for her own benefit. Instead of prioritizing my wedding vision and building my own team, her focus was making sure she was making her referral money and being “comfortable” instead of prioritizing me as the bride and my comfort and vision. While I expected a wedding planner to alleviate the stress of the big day and ensure that everything ran smoothly, what I got instead was someone who was disorganized, frazzled and completely incompetent. Denise consistently made the planning process difficult by failing to keep track of details, missing deadlines, and not following up on critical tasks. I was left to handle issues that should have been addressed by her and her team, often at the last minute. Her communication with the vendors was extremely disorganized causing vendors to show up at the wrong place and time for each wedding event. On the wedding weekend itself, things only worsened. Rather than providing support and guidance, Denise was rude and disrespectful to everyone – from my family and guests to the vendors working the event. Several of our vendors, who have been in the industry for years, commented on how unpleasant and unprofessional her behavior was. My guests relayed to me both during and after the event that they were yelled at by Denise, they were told to get up while they were still eating, and they were yelled at and clapped at to move faster during the buffet line at the wedding. Several of my guests had the same experience with Denise during all three days of my wedding and were extremely disturbed by her behavior towards them. This was extremely frustrating and embarrassing to hear from my guests. In a wedding planner, one expects reliability, professionalism, and a focus on making the day as smooth and enjoyable as possible. Unfortunately, Denise fell far short of these expectations. Working with Denise for an entire year planning my wedding was the most stressful and difficult time for me. Every moment was a battle and it was incredibly unpleasant trying to fight for what I wanted for my wedding. I would strongly advise anyone considering hiring her to look elsewhere for a planner who will prioritize the couple and treat both the event and the people involved with the respect and care they deserve.

Denise, thank you SO much for all of your guidance, support, and thoughtful planning to make our wedding such a huuuge success!!! We all seriously had such an amazing time and still feel so very full and overjoyed from the weekend. The memories will truly last a lifetime. <3 All of our events went so smoothly and we got so many compliments from our guests about you and your team's organization, kindness, and professionalism throughout the weekend. Everyone was so impressed with how everything was so on time! We especially appreciated how much you advocated for us to have quiet moments throughout the weekend to truly take it all in and live in the moment--it was just what we needed, thank you. We initially felt intimidated by the planning process and feel so lucky to have found you. From the beginning of us working together, it was clear how thoughtful and intentional you were in hearing and listening to us, our story, and our vision for the wedding. You were so helpful and supportive throughout the entire planning process as we weighed several options every step along the way. We will never forget how you took our vision of wanting something different to heart and led with that part of our vision every step of the way. We were floored by the decor at our reception - it was all sooo beautiful and perfect!! We also really appreciated your Ascension Planning framework to get and stay organized throughout the process--thank you for the sweet gift bags! And at the core of it all, it was such a joy and pleasure to work with you. Your energy is infectious––you are always so enthusiastic and optimistic and your calm energy throughout inevitable bumps along the way was just what we needed. Thank you for being you!

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Denise was an absolute pleasure to work with!! She was incredibly thoughtful and organized and made sure our wedding went off without a hitch. Every one of our guests was impressed with how smoothly the events flowed, and it was all thanks to Denise. She helped us bring our vision to life! Denise has all the connections with Bay Area vendors! Denise assisted us with selecting all of our vendors, managed the communication with them and ensured they made it to the venue on time. Denise also has incredible time management skills - our timeline was planned down to the last minute. She of course had multiple back up plans in case it rained! We’re so grateful to have been able to work with Denise. I would 10000% recommend hiring her as your wedding planner.

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Had a delightful experience! The staff and service were very calm and friendly. Will definitely recommend it to others.

Denise is the best!! We had the perfect wedding day thanks to her and her team. We interviewed a few planners before deciding to go with Denise, and this was hands down the best decision. I think the planner is the most important wedding vendor, the one who makes it all come together and guides you through the whole process. We had great chemistry with Denise which made the whole planning process so much fun even with all the stress that can come with it. Denise perfectly understood our vision, taste and preferences, and made us great recommendations, even for other vendors. She also designed the decor at our venue so beautifully, it was beyond anything we imagined! Detailed planning, flawless execution and our schedule running exactly on time if not slightly early - all characteristics of a 10/10 planner. Above everything, from the first time we spoke to Denise, we knew that we could put all our trust in her, which she proved right countless times throughout the planning process. She holds herself to a much higher standard than we as clients do, and that is clearly visible in her work. Thank you so much for everything Denise, we love you!

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