Greater Good Events

Fantastic experience: There are not enough great things that I can say about the GGE team. From start to finish they were the perfect partner. The GGE team leveraged extensive experience in the industry to think through logistics of every minute detail, and had multiple recommendations across vendors. When we encountered hurdles, there was never a moment where the GGE team didn’t have a solution. They even stayed on to support us with some strange / unfortunate unrelated circumstances after our event was over, which was not part of their scope. It’s just a genuine testament to how they operate with integrity and intention. GGE genuinely cared about crafting an amazing event that we as the hosts loved and that guests loved attending. Extra love to Maryam and Mackenzie for being the experts for our planning process — could not possibly recommend this team more!!!

Fantastic experience: Cannot recommend Greater Good Events highly enough! They were absolutely incredible as our wedding coordinators. From the very beginning, they handled every logistical detail with professionalism and care – turning an otherwise hectic process into something organized and manageable. In the final few weeks leading up to our wedding – when things can so easily spiral – they went above and beyond to keep us on track. They were deeply understanding of our needs, created a safe and supportive space for us to share our concerns, and tracked every open item with meticulous attention to detail. On the wedding day itself, they executed everything seamlessly so we could truly relax and enjoy – even when a torrential thunderstorm rolled through during family photos, they handled it with calm and grace and kept everything on schedule. Even after the event, they continued to advocate for us and resolve an issue with one of our vendors – far beyond the scope of what we expected. We felt incredibly supported throughout the entire process and genuinely cared for. If you’re looking for a wedding coordinator who will go above and beyond, keep everything organized, and make you feel supported every step of the way – Greater Good Events is the team to trust.

Negative experience: An inexperienced wedding transportation planner. They don't know how much time to allow on a rainy day to ensure large vehicles arrive on time even if they are delayed due to bad weather. They didn't book a second transportation company as a backup or check the weather before the wedding date, and they overscheduled the arrival of the guest shuttle so that a 30-minute delay ruined the wedding. Why should I work with a wedding planner who doesn't understand that if transportation is critical, there needs to be a backup method, especially in bad weather and in a city with the most congested roads? Here's what experienced wedding planners do: 1. Provide backup vehicles from multiple companies so that if something goes wrong, the wedding won't be ruined. 2. Plan enough time so that if there's a delay, there's still a buffer and no one is late. Here's what Greater Good Events did: They provided only one company with no backup, didn't check the weather, and relied on large vehicles to use the same roads as regular cars. Their timing planners didn't take into account the perfectly acceptable and possible delays in bad weather conditions in a city with the busiest roads. It seems like no one at Greater Good Events has any experience planning large weddings. I highly DO NOT recommend it.

Fantastic experience: There aren’t enough kind words in the English language to say about the incredible team at Greater Good Events! I am a photographer and have been lucky enough to work with them on weddings, charity events, and corporate activations and I never feel more confident and comfortable than when I know their team is planning an event. Maryam, Justine and MacKenzie are some of the most creative, empathetic, and brilliant people walking this earth - you’ll be so incredibly lucky if they are available on your event date. I’ve seen them pull off everything from micro weddings on rooftops to sprawling destination wedding on multiple estates to swanky yet thoughtful conferences. There’s nothing they cannot do! Just hire them already - you won’t regret it.

Fantastic experience: Our company has worked with Greater Good Events on several occasions, and with each event they support they set a new bar for excellence (that they then somehow manage to exceed with the next event!) They are absolute pros at executing an ambitious vision with grace, attention to detail, and the additional touches that ensure a seamless and successful event. We cannot recommend them highly enough!

Fantastic experience: I highly recommend working with the GGE team. They are great people with a GSD attitude (detail-oriented, positive attitudes, fantastic project managers, straight shooters).

Fantastic experience: We had such a positive experience working with Maryam and Charlotte on our wedding. They were always supportive, enthusiastic, and thoughtful in their advice, and they managed a unique catering situation for us so that we were able to provide our guests with a very special meal. They are genuinely delightful people, too. 10/10, would recommend!

Fantastic experience: We are so happy and appreciative of all of the amazing work Charlotte, Justine, Maryam and the rest of the GG team did for our wedding reception. Their commitment and communication is top notch. All of our vendors who worked with them also loved and respected the organization and their efforts. Everything turned out great and better than what we hoped for. We're glad to have had them by our side to see this important and special event through.

Negative experience: The audacity of the email they just sent to their entire list, completely alienating their Jewish clients. Not once did you send an email when this all began on Oct 7th and now feel like you can speak on a conflict that you clearly do not know not much about. Stick to wedding planning, and spend a day in a Muslim country promoting your current values (as stated in the email), then get back to me on your thoughts!

Fantastic experience: Was a real pleasure working alongside Sam and the rest of the team. I felt at ease knowing that we were all on the same page throughout the whole process for Olivia & Drew's wedding day. We even finished each other's thoughts while going over the timeline which is always a good sign. It's always great when I don't have to worry about anything but what I am there to do, which is providing sound, music & good energy throughout the night. Thanks again for being so detail oriented and making sure that everything went as smooth as it turned out. Looking forward to working with you in the future! Much much love!

Fantastic experience: As a fellow wedding vendor, Bespoke Beauty & Bridal (Hair & Makeup) had a great experience working with Sam at Greater Good/Together Events. We were in communication regarding the beauty prep schedule and I was accommodated when I made a request regarding timing that made my part with my team (Adia) easier, Looking forward to working with them on future weddings.

Fantastic experience: An outstanding team with heart and brilliance. We created impactful event that forged new relationships for our nonprofit. Highly recommended!

Fantastic experience: Greater Good Events was an critical part of our team to help manage a complex hybrid conference for us in NYC. They brought a can-do attitude, great innovative ideas and a focus on the details that made for a great partner experience. Thank you GGE!

Fantastic experience: I've worked with Greater Good Events on multiple weddings & non-profit events. Their clear communication, careful planning, and day-of spreadsheets make my job SO much easier. Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Sam and Margaret changed our lives every step of the way! I don’t know how people have weddings without a coordinator. The details and attention to timelines and discussions of everything with vendors and set up is absolutely incredible. Sam held our hands every step of the way, even coming with me to a dress fitting to help advocate for me with my seamstress (like literally what kind of amazing person does this). They were both very aware of our personalities and family dynamics and took this into account when planning as well as the vision we had for our wedding and wanting to add personal touches to the whole event. Truly would book with them 50000 times over again. It takes some strong people to help organize a 330 person event. Thank you Sam & Margaret and the whole GGE team! Special shout out to Jameelah and Sharan who helped execute our event perfectly. Everything went so smoothly and we are forever indebted to this wonderful crew of people.

Fantastic experience: Cannot recommend Greater Good/Together Event enough. We had a last minute change of plans to our wedding day and they accommodated our change of location, date, full-service venue to tented event at home, etc. We worked with Justine prior to the change of plans and she was so helpful at giving us guidance leading up to our original date. When plans changed, Sam was assigned as our month-of-coordinator and the day just could not have come together as it did without hers and Sharan's help! They are conscious, kind and so professional!

Fantastic experience: Maryam, Justine, and Margaret did an absolutely phenomenal job planning and coordinating our wedding. We cannot recommend them enough. They anticipated every minuscule detail, managed all of our vendors, and synchronized the entire day flawlessly (including bringing us both glasses of water throughout the night). They were calm, confident, and organized, which allowed us to truly enjoy the momentous day. I was skeptical of working with professional planners when we started planning our wedding (I consider myself pretty good at planning events, and I'm also somewhat frugal), but I can safely say that working with GGE was the best wedding decision we made. Maryam enthusiastically embraced all of our (sometimes strange) wedding ideas, while simultaneously keeping us grounded and sane. She kept us on track in the months leading up to the wedding, and provided us with invaluable guidance and perspective along each phase of the process. These are wonderful humans.

Fantastic experience: Working with GGE was beyond amazing. We had Sam (and Katie!) as our coordinator, and I feel embarrassed by how much I felt like they were just amazingly competent friends. Their extreme professionalism mixed with their general kindness and sense of humor made the day completely stress free. We're at a bit of loss for words to describe the thanks we have for them on literally the most perfect day. All I can say is, if you're thinking of hiring someone, do it! Having GGE allowed us to be wholly present in our event, and now I couldn't picture it any other way. (It helps Sam likes cats as much as we do )

Fantastic experience: If you're looking for a down-to-earth team of wedding planners who will keep you sane, chill, and organized as you deal with the ups and downs of planning a giant event, the GGE team is 100% the best choice. We *loved* working with Maryam and her team throughout every step of the process, and she made sure we had nothing to worry about on our big day even when sudden hurdles arose the day before. Every single one of them are rockstars, and they made our wedding a truly magical 24 hours. Can't recommend them enough.

Fantastic experience: GGE was one of the best decisions I could’ve made! Every team member I worked with was supportive, flexible, understanding and willing to work with me on whatever I was requesting. I hired the team for month of coordination after planning my entire wedding, and it was so helpful and relieving to have a team I could trust to execute on my plan! I started speaking with them regularly about 2 months out, and they created an extremely extensive timeline that was shared with all of my vendors to ensure everything went smoothly. And it did! I even had a day of (literally 30 minutes before) last minute switch of my ceremony and cocktail hour to allow my ceremony more time to be outside given all day rain and it worked out!! This was in large part due to the flexibility of GGE and close coordination with the venue to make this happen!

Fantastic experience: We had a great experience from concept to execution of our virtual wedding. As recent transplants to the area we did not know any vendors but were quickly supplied with quality options based on our needs. It was easy to communicate and align our expectations with our wedding planner. In the end our family and friends enjoyed every moment and complimented that while our wedding was virtual it was as if they were in the room with us.

Fantastic experience: We could not recommend Greater Good Events more. Both Ellen and Rachael were easy and wonderful to work with. From the moment with met Ellen we knew she would be perfect to assist us with our month of coordinator. We could not have imagined our day without them

Fantastic experience: We met Ellen after we booked the Barrow Mansion for our wedding in Jersey City last summer (the 21st of September, just like the song!). She was warm, knowledgeable and easy to work with throughout the planning process. We were referred to local vendors and she provided us guidance at every step. All of this was put to the test day of - and it was executed flawlessly. Ellen's team was amazing - from setup to breakdown and all of the champagne glasses, dinner plates and cake slices in between, they made sure my wife and I (and, of course, our guests!) were taken care of. We highly recommend Ellen and the Greater Good Events team for your wedding and other special events!

Fantastic experience: Ellen and her team were fantastic to work with. As a photographer, it was great getting to see Ellen handle all the details and scheduling throughout the entire day to make sure that everything flowed seamlessly. Throughout the entire process- Ellen was very responsive, friendly, and handled every situation so professionally. I highly recommend Ellen and her team- they did a wonderful job!

Fantastic experience: Ellen and her team did a phenomenal job helping to make our wedding run smoothly, but more importantly, made sure we enjoyed our day. I truly think that without Great Good Events, we would have been far more stressed on our actual wedding day. Ellen helped us find solid vendors, negotiate as needed, worked with our venue directly, and helped keep us calm cool and collected throughout the process. I would HIGHLY recommend Greater Good Events for any upcoming event coordination you may require.

Fantastic experience: It was great pleasure to work both with Ellen and Racheal on one of the events. They were professional, helpful and kind. I hope to work with the greater-good events in a near future and will not hesitate to pass a good word about their work.

Fantastic experience: We recently did floral for a wedding that The Greater Good were planners for and they were absolutely wonderful. Being in the industry -- we encounter a wide variety of vendors and Ellen, Rachel and their team certainly stand out. They were professional, efficient, friendly and organized -- exactly what every bride should want and expect for their wedding!

Fantastic experience: Ellen at Greater Goods was simply amazing. Not only was she amazing, so was her team. Ellen was there for us at all times and went above and beyond to bring all our wedding ideas to life. She worked along with members of our family that were involved in the process, and came to our rescue when vendors were not as smooth to work with as we would have wished. She is kind, understanding and sweet and will do anything in her power for your day to run smoothly. My husband and I can't be more grateful! Thank you Ellen! The Armenian and the Irish :)

Fantastic experience: It's safe to say that without Ellen, my wedding would've been a disaster. And that might even be an understatement. My wedding was essentially 2 events in 1 as we had a traditional Korean & Christian Aspect, as well as a themed after-party with what ended up being over 300 guests b/w both venues. Everything was handled with professionalism and a sharp sense of predictability. But to take a step back, contacting Ellen and her team and just having the first sit-down with her sold me & my husband. What started as a chit chat between two strangers became extra cups of coffee and a conversation that left us feeling like we'd known each other for a while. Ellen's warm disposition and commitment to working with and for her clients is a valuable attribute that proved itself key throughout the planning process. I was, for a lack of better words, the laid back bride and my husband was a tad more invested in this. From theme, to decor, vendors and everything in between, Ellen had an arsenal of excellent teams for us to work with. And that's what it felt like: teamwork. Budget is obviously a big concern for wedding planning, but Ellen and her team kept us on track and kept us in check (it can be very easy to get caught up in the matching of linens and clothing). Everyone she recommended was also on point with budget-matching but still providing what ended up being the most breathtaking experience I could've asked for. The florist was a personal recommendation from Ellen and everything turned out GORGEOUS. On a bit more personal note, I want to emphasize Ellen's immense and endless sea of patience. From a bride's perspective, I just wanted it to happen already and ended up trying to please a lot of the people around me. But Ellen made sure to advocate for me and my now husband while finding happy middle for everyone involved. And there ends up being a LOT of opinions. I cannot praise her enough for exceeding our expectations and the resulting friendship that followed suit. Finding a wedding planner is an intimate and sometimes stressful process. But if you find this review, please at the very least call and have a conversation. I promise you won't regret it!

Fantastic experience: Ellen at Greater Good Events was exactly who I needed for my special day. I was recently married at The Barrow Mansion in Jersey City. Ellen helped me through the entire process. She is not only kind and talented, she is extremely professional. Her team was a delight to work with. I recommend her to anyone planning ANY event! Esli, Bride 2018

Fantastic experience: As soon as we met Ellen, we knew she was the wedding planner for us. She immediately understood that we wanted an understated Brooklyn wedding and she had experience with Jewish weddings. Her warm personality was immediately apparent. Early on the in the process, our venue told us that they booked an event that would cut off the available time for our wedding, and after we freaked out on the venue, Ellen swooped in and saved the day, getting the venue to reschedule that event and giving us the time we needed at the venue. Ellen was responsive throughout the planning process, spending countless hours on the phone with us. The greatest testament to Ellen's magical powers is that if there were any problems with coordination of vendors or the service on our wedding day, we had no idea, because everything went so smoothly and we didn't need to worry about a thing. The venue was set up beautifully and we were struck by how transformed the venue looked with the full setup. Ellen made sure we remained on schedule and stayed until the very end to ensure cleanup as well. We appreciate her several treks from Jersey City to Brooklyn to meet us / look at the venue. We highly recommend Ellen for any event.

Fantastic experience: Ellen was AMAZING!! She and her team excecuted our vision for our wedding at the Historic Loew’s Theater in Jersey City perfectly! Ellen is super organized and the day of the wedding she was very attentive to Brian and I. I would recommend Ellen and her team for any event but especially for events at the Loew’s theater! Thank you Ellen, our wedding day was perfect and so memorable!! ❤️❤️

Fantastic experience: Ellen is super easy and great to work with. We hired Greater Good Events as our wedding planner and they were great with managing tasks and handling coordinating. Ellen personally was so fun and has an easy, soothing energy. We had a wedding of about 180 people at the Englewood Field Club! I'm SO happy we hired Greater Good Events, the day was amazing and Ellen & her team were with us the entire way. I highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Ellen and the Greater Good Events Team helped me plan our first every Gala for The Artist Co-op. The night was a huge success! Broadway performers, immersive art, sit down meal and vendors galore! I can't wait for this year's gala!

Fantastic experience: Hiring Ellen was one of the best decisions we made while planning our wedding! We hired her for month-of coordination. She helped us navigate the intricacies involved in creating an event of this magnitude. We came to her with all of our questions/worries/concerns and she was able to answer everything and dispel all of our stress! It was truly invaluable to us. Additionally she was in contact with all of our vendors the month of our wedding (the most stressful time in planning a wedding) which allowed us to focus on finishing up the odds and ends that appear in the final stretch. The day of, Ellen’s assistant, Rachel, was there throughout the event guiding us through. We didn’t have to worry about anything, we could just be in the moment and enjoy our family & friends. I highly recommend hiring Greater Goods for your wedding!

Fantastic experience: Ellen supported our 300+ person annual conference without a hitch. She & her team provided professional event planning & execution, oftentimes solving problems before our team realized they existed. I would recommend Greater Good to anyone interested in cost-effective, competent service.

Fantastic experience: Ellen is an incredible event planner. She is an exceptional professional in the event industry and an amazing person to work with. Her attention to details and great taste definitely set her apart from the crowd.