Pearls Events

Pearls Events made my event memorable. The vision and hope I had for my event was grasped by Pearls Events and surpassed my expectations.

Aletha was wonderful to work with for our wedding day. It was great to have her advice, suggestions and extra help on the day of. Several of our guests remarked about how she happily helped them out with things during our big day. I felt confident that everything would be taken care of and it was! Plus, what a fabulous blog she and her team has! Thanks Pearls Events!

I did not complete the full planning cycle with Pearls Events and Aletha VanderMaas. Our contract was severed 3 months prior to the wedding.I have struggled with how to describe our experience with Aletha in a way that is constructive to future brides. I have read all the glowing reviews of Aletha, and honestly just cannot believe them. The only review that rings true to me is the other bride who gave her zero stars. I have contacted that bride (after the fact) and found our experiences to be very similar. Unfortunately, when I read her review prior to hiring Aletha, I assumed she was just one of those people who could not be pleased or that her expectations were out of line with reality. I now know that is absolutely not the case based on our discussions and also on her experiences with her other vendors, which were all extremely positive, as were mine. I challenge wedding wire to verify the other positive reviews of Aletha, as many of these brides ONLY reviewed Aletha, no other vendors… isn’t that unusual? How many brides can afford a wedding planner but don’t use any other vendors? And with Wedding Wire’s gift for reviewing 5 vendors, it just seems very suspicious to me about whether those reviews are real. Maybe I am unnecessarily suspicious, but after my experience I just cannot understand how she could have made this many people happy. As I prepared my review of Aletha, it grew to 3 pages single typed. So I will summarize here in the most constructive way I can. If you are interested in more information from me, please email me and I will send you the full detail. What went wrong:1) Aletha was not clear during our initial interview that she was referring to her full planning services when she answered my questions about what she would do for me. She has since (probably due to this experience, maybe others too) more clearly defined the differences in her packages on her website, hopefully this helps people.2) I desired an efficient use of wedding budget money – expected her to help do some décor and setup to avoid paying a lot of costs for vendors to travel to northern Michigan for setup. 3) I expected more constructive design input from her that was within my budget. She seemed more inclined to agree with what I was saying than offer creative options I hadn’t already considered. A lot of brides need this reassurance. I was looking for more than that. 4) When she was pressed (by my Mom) to make a design proposal, I priced it out and it was DOUBLE my stated design budget to her which we reviewed at our first meeting. If our budget was that out-of-line (low), the first meeting would have been the right time to give me that feedback. In the end, my wedding was gorgeous, exactly what I had envisioned, AND within budget – thanks to my Mom and her amazing friends, not Aletha.5) She was not familiar with vendors local to my venue, and therefore recommended vendors who would charge a large fee for travel. She used wedding wire to look for local vendors – I could do that without paying her. She called my photographer for recommendations – creative, but again, something I could do (and did do) without paying her. 6) She did not understand my style. Her website now describes her as the planner for the “modern bride”, I think that is appropriate. You can look at my pictures to see what you think my style is. She struggled with this, and the deposit I lost because of her recommendation for invitation vendor proves it. 7) It is possible, (although it is impossible for me to know for sure), that Aletha’s approach to her business has changed since she made the decision to start her family. This is the only thing that might explain all the positive reviews from a previous time period. Her personal blog used to be full of excitement about her work as a planner; it is now 100% about the baby. 8) It is also possible that she just didn’t like me and could not separate that from her professional behavior.I think Aletha MIGHT be able to satisfy you if the following apply – note, this is based on my assessment of why things went wrong for me, and the (maybe bogus) positive reviews from other brides:1) Your wedding is in Grand Rapids.2) You use a traditional wedding venue – a hall, banquet center, hotel/resort.3) You plan to hire everything out – linens, chairs, décor – or the venue takes care of it.4) You have a relatively large budget due to all this hiring of vendors – and her fees.5) Your style is modern using a trendy color palette.I highly recommend against hiring Aletha if any of the following apply to you:1) Your wedding is outside of Grand Rapids.2) Your wedding is in a non-traditional location (mine was in a barn on a golf course).3) You plan to incorporate a lot of hand-made decoration or special details to save money.4) You have a classic, elegant style, not wanting your wedding to look dated. I will leave you with one choice quote that speaks to Aletha’s attitude about work. This is from an e-mail she sent to me after Eames was born: “Aah, if I had it my way, I wouldn't have to work at all! Unfortunately, I didn't marry Greg for money, so instead of working some LAME office job, I run a business I love. I'm not really ready to work, I'd rather just stare at Eames all day. Too bad that doesn't pay the bills - hahaha!” I didn’t find this very funny, as I read it after coming home from working 14 hours at my “LAME office job”. Best of luck with your choice and especially with your wedding and planning!

Aletha - Thank you! This was a tough bill to fill - considering that I was not only a Bride (we can be needy) But - A Wedding Planner myself! ...and a tough one to impress at that! I loved your confidence and personality - on our first phone call - and the decision to hire Pearls Events for Wedding Day Coordination - was an easy one ..after speaking with 2 other local planners ...YOU were the one for me! Having been in the business for years and done more than 300 weddings myself - it was a bit of an adjustment for me to turn over the reigns ...my colleagues joked that I would be walking up the aisle with my 'wedding file' in my hands rather than a bouqet ... SO ...when it came right down to it - in the Wedding Week - I had 100% confidence in you and your team - and happily handed all the control over ... so that I could do exactly what every bride should ... RELAX and ENJOY every moment of her wedding day!! Everything was taken care of ...all the re-confirming ...the time line...the set up ... all came together perfectly! ..and Thank you for vaccuming under the tables at the reception hall :) ... gold star for attention to details and jumping in where needed!! its True we never know what we will end up doing on wedding day ...'as wedding planners' the answer to that is WHATEVER IS NEEDED!! And your team certainly did just that! During the planning process - your calls and e-mails were always professional and timely - and you kept in great communication even when you were out for Maternity leave! Impressive!! ....though I must admit that I did find myself getting a bit frustrated - when asking for vendor reccomendations ... I'm sure this is because resources in Michigan are quite different - in comparison to what i'm accustomed to in Key West - but I also honestly felt that though I Certainly valued your opinion of the Vendors I was considering for my services ... I did find them all on my own - or via refferals from the Vendors I had contracted already. When I look back on my Wedding Day - I know that I Smilled ALL DAY ... it was just perfect for us - thanks to you and your team - I enjoyed every moment - and didn't Think about a single thing other than my Groom and my Guests!! Knowing first hand what it takes to run a wedding - Please know that you were APPRECIATED 100% by this 'Bride' !!! - Thank you!! xoxo

Aletha was my "day-of coordinator"I planned my own wedding FROM SCRATCH (venue, rentals, stationary, EVERYTHING)I worked so hard at planning for the 22 months of our engagement and she executed my plan on my wedding day for me... it was the most worthwhile vendor relationship.There was nothing like feeling that everything was going smoothly on the day that I worked so hard on.She was so personable and at the end of her service I felt like I was losing a friend instead of a wedding coordinator.I would HIGHLY recommend her services to anyone who is planning their own wedding.

Aletha was the wedding planner for my sister's wedding and did a fabulous job, so when I began planning my wedding, we knew we had to hire her again! Aletha was a joy to work with and had wonderful ideas all while keeping the day organized and beautiful. We had so much fun at our wedding and thought everything looked perfect! Thanks again!

We really liked working with Aletha and her team!! We would defiantly recommend her to other people in the future.

Pearls Events did such an incredible job for our wedding. Aletha, Mary and Megan were all very enjoyable to work with. Aletha really impressed us with the level of thoroughness throughout our wedding planning process and especially on the day of our wedding. She quickly responded to all the questions we had leading up to our wedding and asked us about things we hadn’t considered. Most important of all, Pearls Events gave us peace of mind on the day of our wedding. We would HIGHLY recommend Pearls Events to anyone who wants to make sure their wedding goes smoothly. Thanks again!

We hired Pearls Events for event coordination and were planning our Michigan wedding while living in California. With vendor suggestions from Aletha, I was able to confidently select my vendors before even meeting them. She has amazing taste and a great reputation in the wedding community. The day of the rehearsal, Aletha was there to keep everyone focused and organized; and once everything was dropped off to be set-up for the ceremony and rehearsal, I knew I didn't have to worry about anything. I was totally able to enjoy every minute of my wedding as Aletha handled all of the logistics. When she did have to approach me regarding any issues - which was only two or three times - she would state the problem as well as a possible solution, and ask if I agreed with the solution. My bridesmaids even commented on how calm and soothing her voice was! Throughout the night, and now following the wedding, my guests and family still compliment Aletha and her abilities. She is absolutely amazing; passionate about planning/coordinating weddings and great at it!

It doesn't matter if you've dreamed of your wedding day since you were twelve, or are brand new to the bridal world; Aletha's help is the only thing you'll need besides your dress and your groom. Her knowledge is mind-blowing as well as her network. I hired her per hour (which is an option), and it was the best decision I made for my wedding. My stress was lifted, even for little pieces of advice or where to find hard-to-get items. Hiring Pearls Events was indispensable; the peace of mind was priceless.

There was absolutely no way we could have planned our August wedding without Aletha! Living in California while planning a Michigan wedding was miserable until we found Pearls Events to help us. Aletha always promptly answered all my questions with a detailed response and had great advice for everything. She suggested wonderful, friendly vendors and I absolutely love how everything came together on the wedding day. It was so much better than I could have ever imagined or come up with by myself!!Thank you so much! Tricia & Bryan

It has been almost 20 years since my first marriage so I was a bit rusty at how to plan another wedding. Aletha was great. I only met with her once and corresponded by email a few times but she gave me some great ideas and recommendations. I found a great hair stylist and officiant through her. I would definitely recommend her services as she is professional, thoughtful, and very concerned about helping you have a wonderful wedding.

You were our lifeline Aletha! Without knowing the vendors in GR, Big Rapids, and Stanwood, we were at a loss. With your tremendous assistance all along the way, we were able to enjoy an incredible wedding weekend. It was too awesome for words. If I can ever provide a reference for you to a prospective client, please send them my way. Thank you - Mary Jane Thomson 989.255.7503

The Pearl's Events team was so warm and wonderful to work with! These ladies are so classy and can find the vedors you need to make your special day absolutely perfect!

Aletha was so helpful and professional. As the wedding day got closer, I had different requests and Aletha did them all.

Awesome work! We were so pleased to have Pearl Events do our wedding planning. I would highly recommend using them.

Aletha and her staff were attentive to our needs and did everything within their power to take care of the details.

I can’t thank Aletha VanderMaas enough for all the help and guidance she gave us while planning our daughter’s wedding. I can’t imagine getting thru all the planning, preparation and finally the wedding day without her. Enlisting the use of a wedding planner was like giving ourselves a wedding gift. Preparing for a wedding when the bride-to-be lives out of state makes the role of a wedding coordinator even more valuable. Aletha was wonderful at arranging wedding appointments to accommodate Lauren’s travel schedule. She always made sure that our daughter could take full advantage of wedding planning time while in town. Because of the distance e-mails were an essential part of the planning process and Aletha was flawless at keeping all the communication lines open and our questions and concerns always answered. She also was only a phone call way when stress got the best of the mother of the bride : ) Aletha keep everything organized and moving along smoothly. She is very detailed, well connected in the wedding industry and has the ability to stay calm and always smile and laugh. Working with Aletha was a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend her. She listened to our daughter’s ideas and dreams for the wedding and worked with Lauren to make her wedding day absolutely amazing!

I notice every little detail and Aletha did an amazing job taking care of all of them. The day after the wedding my new husband and I both said that everything was either exactly how we expected it, or better! I had a lot of ideas but no clue about how to carry them out, Aletha was able to point me in the right direction. She was great at recommending the vendors she thought would work best for me, this was so helpful in controlling the confusion and stress of decision making. I can’t imagine how the day would have turned out without her, I know it would have been a million times more stressful and not nearly as beautiful. I was planning my wedding from out of town and contacted Aletha primarily by e-mail. She was great at responding quickly. I loved her honest responses, I could ask her if ideas were good, bad, or tacky and she’d let me know. She was also great at making time available for me when I was in town. Aletha did an amazing job and I’d recommend her to everyone planning a wedding!

Working with Aletha and Kate was a true pleasure. These girls know what they are doing! Our 14 months of planning was so fun! I will miss them. I would recommend anyone wanting guidance to planning their or their daughters wedding to use Pearls Event. The detail they provide is unbelieveable. Now what we have left.... is a perfect memory of our daughters wedding. Thanks to Pearls Events!