John Gandy Events

Negative experience: I want to start by saying this is not personal towards John or his team. I chose JGE because I was told that with their team, all you have to do is “show up” to your wedding. That could not have been further from my experience. Our wedding day itself was beautiful, magical, and everything that I dreamed of but the planning process was stressful and that stress was consistently dismissed. My husband and I ended up orchestrating much of the day due to a lack of planning and initiative from JGE. What met expectations that JGE set: -Access to their warehouse inventory was great and offered a lot of decor/furniture options. -Farzi is an angel on earth and helped steam all the dresses the morning of and even helped one of my bridesmaids with a dress malfunction. -Emily was amazing during the day and was not my assigned planner, but I genuinely wish she had been. I do not think I would’ve had even close to the same experience. I met both Farzi and Emily the day of the wedding. Where expectations fell short: -The morning of the wedding my bouquet was brought to the getting ready room and was not at all what I described to the florist. I asked my wedding coordinator to handle it because the morning was overwhelming and we were busy. I told her I did not want to speak directly with the florist. Shortly after, the opposite of what I asked happened and the florist came into our cottage and was rude and passive aggressive towards me. I genuinely have no idea why or how this happened. In the JGE contract, it states that the bride should not even be made aware of things that go wrong so for them to send the florist to our room and allow her to speak that way to me is just beyond me. -There was no creative guidance provided. I’m unsure where the creative concepts featured on social media originate from, because I was never presented with any unique ideas or suggestions. I did receive help selecting warehouse items that paired well together, but there was no input or help on personalized and additional items such as cups, napkins, koozies, matches, tambourines, etc. -Smaller details were also missed, like place cards sent to me that had my first name wrong and my future maiden name - so incorrect first and last name. The seating chart also had couples paired incorrectly. When we raised this, we were asked to resend information that was already provided through their software that they referred to multiple times throughout the planning process. This pattern repeated itself in many other examples, requiring us to oversee and own much more than expected. There was also little to no ownership when mistakes happened. -Communication was another huge challenge. I initiated most meetings and what felt like every coordination/item needed to plan the wedding. Whenever I raised any concerns, I was just told I was “in a great place.” Two months before the wedding, I spoke to John directly about my worries and nothing changed. I asked to be cc’d on vendor communication and either that didn’t happen or there just was no vendor communication. We had to step in and coordinate directly with most vendors in the final weeks including the DJ, audio logistics, saxophonist, violinist, photo/video, and more due to lack of effort. There’s truly so many more things I could share about our experience. Our wedding was stunning, but it took many hours of daily involvement from me for months to get there. I felt like our wedding was at the bottom of their priority list and when you are paying as much as you are for what is supposed to be a full service planner, it is just really disappointing.

Fantastic experience: Highly, highly, highly recommend John Gandy Events! If you're getting married, do yourself a favor and work with them. They made wedding planning an absolute breeze, connecting me with the best vendors and bringing all of my visions to life effortlessly. It was truly amazing working with their team, especially Allyson, our coordinator. She completely nailed my vision and somehow always knew exactly what I was thinking—even when I was deep in bridal brain fog! Another huge perk was having access to their incredible warehouse, where we could use anything we needed to make our day perfect. The entire experience was seamless and stress-free, and I couldn’t be more grateful. If you're looking for a wedding planning team that will make your dream wedding happen, John Gandy Events is it!

Fantastic experience: Super nice guys, great selection.

Fantastic experience: John Gandy Events provided most of the rentals for my wedding at Pebble Hill Plantation, and they were absolutely beautiful. They took the time to meet with my mom and I and took us through their warehouse to pick out the pieces that we wanted. They have so many beautiful pieces that it was hard to pick! Mom and I talked for weeks about how we would love to have this piece for a Gatsby party, that piece for the wedding, or the two other pieces for a fun 70s party. You name the theme and the event, and they will have the perfect accessories and furniture for it. They really understood our vision and set up two beautiful lounge areas as well as providing gorgeous velvet linens, among other items. They were very professional and communicated with myself and my planner throughout the process. Everything was stunning at our event and I would whole-heartedly recommend John Gandy Events for any and all wedding rentals!

Fantastic experience: I've never worked with a more competent and professional planning team. Sky is the limit for these talented people. They treat each and every client like royalty. I trust every single one of my clients in their hands. John, himself, is just one of the most creative people I've ever come across. I can't say enough positive things about the whole crew!

Fantastic experience: Wonderful experience start to finish!

Fantastic experience: You couldn't dream up a better team! They not only had everything under control the entire night, but we had a blast working with them. We were able to enjoy every moment of the day because team JGE was there to handle all the logistics. Definitely a MUST HAVE at any wedding.

Fantastic experience: I don't think there are words adequate enough to sum up the incredible experience we had with John Gandy Events. We knew we made a good choice in hiring him from the beginning, but I never imagined it to be as absolutely perfect as it ended up being. My dream Pinterest wedding literally came to life. My now husband and I tried to name one thing that didn't go even slightly according to plan and we couldn't. John and his team were extremely professional and efficient, perfecting every little detail. I am a worrier by nature but was extremely calm on my wedding day because I knew John and his team had everything handled. Whether it was making sure my champagne glass was full or wrangling groomsmen for photos, everything went off without a hitch thanks to them. John and team, THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart for making this brides wedding dreams come true!

Fantastic experience: Great people to work with. Do an awesome job planning and setting up for all types of enents. You will definetly miss a spectacular experience by not going with John Handy Events.

Fantastic experience: I love John Gandy and his team of event professionals! They have organized and designed corporate events for my business, and have blown it out of the water multiple years in a row. I also have countless clients that depend on the JGE team to design their weddings, and each one is just as beautiful as the next. They have the vision and the resources to make anything and everything come to life - regardless of your style. One of the things about JGE that I think is the coolest is that if you hire John to plan your wedding or event, you have access to his entire (massive) warehouse of furniture and details at your disposal. Highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: I have been to many social and fundraising events, and it seemed like those planned by John Gandy Events were always well appointed and lots of fun. So, when it was time for THE social event of my life – my only daughter’s wedding – my first call was to John Gandy. At our first meeting 15 months out, Veronica shared her vision for the wedding -- outdoors, Southern, blush – as well as the budget, and John immediately suggested reliable and appropriate vendors. From that one meeting, we were able to settle on a photographer, printer, officiant and caterer. I trusted his advice, because his company has planned and overseen literally hundreds of weddings of all themes and sizes. In the ensuing months, John was always quick to respond as questions and concerns arose during the planning process. He kept us on task throughout, so there were no unpleasant surprises or missed deadlines. But the real magic happened on the wedding day. Our venue was The Old Willis Dairy, an event space that was essentially a blank slate. Before the wedding, the couple visited Gandy’s massive warehouse, filled with everything you could possibly want for an event, from couches to Chiavari chairs to tablecloths in a rainbow of colors to little votive lights, to select décor items for their wedding. And on the wedding day, the space was transformed by a friendly, efficient Gandy crew. Some set up beautiful table vignettes, others made sure the food was presented well while others were tasked with catering to the needs of the bridal party. The results were amazing. Everything was beautiful, and the staff was able to anticipate our every need – and a few we didn’t even think of. I never thought it possible, but I was able to enjoy every minute of the wedding and reception and collected memories to last a lifetime. If you are planning a wedding or other important social event, I heartily recommend you employ the services of John Gandy Events. The company’s motto is “exceeding expectations” and, in our experience, it was absolutely true.

Fantastic experience: The tagline says it all! "It's all in the details!" They bring your vision to life with the best furniture & detail items. The company, owner & team that work there are simply the best! From the beginning of wedding planning to the end of my wedding day, I never lifted a finger. I simply showed up and had the best time ever because everything was done....down to the last detail. My now husband & family also got to relax all day and enjoy being in the moment because everything was taken care of by John Gandy and his fabulous team. Thank you so much John Gandy and team for creating the best day ever! It's been more than six months now and I still continue to hear from friends and family how fantastic my wedding was!

Fantastic experience: John Gandy Events is beyond amazing. Not only with preparation, communication, but the staff makes sure your event is the best or better than you thought it could be.

Fantastic experience: John Gandy Events truly exceeds expectations just as they promise every time! The JGE team is not only competent and extraordinary, they are delightful to work with. Special events like weddings and large parties can be stressful for both the host and the event planners. In twenty years of working with the John Gandy team on both social and business related events, I have never heard a "No, we can't do that," or a cross word. Yes! is always the answer and they always do it right. The accolades John Gandy is receiving nationally are well deserved. I recommend him to all my friends.

Fantastic experience: I have worked with and along side the team at JohnGandyEvents and they are simply the best. The level of professionalism and their quality of their design is the best. I strongly encourage anyone considering a planning, design or production team for their wedding or event, CALL the team at JohnGandyEvents, it's best money you will ever spend!

Fantastic experience: Love working with this planner. Very through.