Planet Simple

We knew we needed a day-​of-​coordinator for our wedding, because we were planning our big day from London. Right from our first contact with Susanna we suddenly, finally felt that we could breathe more easily about our wedding. Her phone manner is impeccable, and she put us right at ease. Because she was our DOC, not a wedding coordinator (though, frankly, she’d do a great job as one), she made sure that she listened to exactly what we wanted to do. When half the time we came back with, «oh, I hadn’t thought about that/​of that/​considered that and I don’t have a clue» she came back with very helpful suggestions.
Hubs-​to-​be and I are first-​timers at the wedding thing, so her experience was invaluable. Her spreadsheets were amazing. We’d feel so proud when we’d ticked our little boxes off and sent them back to Susanna.
And then the big day. I hardly saw Susanna, but I’d say she checked in with me at least twice an hour, and was there for all the big moments. The day went very smoothly for hubs and I, I heard that Susanna saved the day several times (but not until after the actual wedding). I had a great time on my big day and I know that was so very much due to Susanna. I actually let out a huge sigh of relief first thing on my wedding day, because I knew that I was no longer in charge, Susanna was. I’d been stressed all week, until that morning.
And one quick anecdote to finish: When Susanna had popped by the head table to check on me, my gran turned to her and mentioned that she was out of wine (thinking that Susanna was a server). Well, Susanna said she’d get her more, went straight up, fetched wine herself and brought it back to gran. Susanna didn’t bat an eyelid or roll her eyes, she just did it and with a smile on her face.

When I started looking for a day-​of coordinator, I wasn’t just going for just any wedding coordinator — I wanted someone not «wedding-​y» (if you’ve started planning your wedding, you know what ‘wedding-​y” means). Susanna is the perfect mix of being a consummate professional, responsible, on-​top-​of-​it, detail-​oriented and at the same time being a fantastic and warm human being. Susanna was remarkable from day 1; helping us stay on task with deadlines, making sure we thought of everything (or she did), and very importantly — helping to keep us calm. And, the month before the wedding she did everything we needed; connecting with vendors, sending us reminders (I won’t bore you with the million things that needed to be done). Our vendors absolutely loved her — she is sweet, firm, calm and handles everything with grace and always maintains a great attitude. I can’t recommend her highly enough. Susanna is a g-​dsend.

A coworker was looking for a house sitter. I told him to call Susanna at Planet Simple. He asked if she was good.
Me: «You know how if I watched your house I’d come over and ask you questions about your hot tub and how to get the music to play outside and where the liquor cabinet was and which bottles of wine I could drink?»
Coworker: «Uh, yeah, I know.»
Me: «Yeah, well, Susanna would ask you things about your alarm system and emergency numbers and where the water shutoff and fuse boxes were and how often your plants need to be watered. She’s the kind of person you actually want watching your house, I’m obviously not.»
Coworker: «Yeah, good point.»
I have recommended Susanna to countless people and they have all been thrilled. I found her on Craigslist and have been happy with her services ever since. She’s organized, she’s responsible, and she’s fun and easy to talk to.
I cannot say enough wonderful things about her — need a freelance personal assistant? She’s your girl. Need somebody to get your house organized? Call her. Need somebody to watch your house and/​or pets when you’re away? What are you waiting for? I already told you she’s great. But don’t call her when I need her, ok?

Susanna from Planet Simple SAVED my wedding reception — we were overseas getting married right before, and she kept on top of everything while we were gone. We were able to enjoy the wedding and reception without worrying about the details with the disorganized caterers or beverage folks.
On top of keeping the vendors together, she recommended an excellent florist when we decided not to work with the one provided by our caterer, worked out the details of the evening’s schedule with the band, caterer, florist, and location coordinator, and helped handle some of the last minute wedding details from afar, including booking a seamstress in Glasgow to alter my dress, finalizing plans with my makeup specialist and helping deal with a flaky hairstylist from outside Edinburgh.
Best of all, Susanna ran the event itself, ensuring timing was flawless, the pesky location rep didn’t harass anyone too badly, and quickly dispatching folks from the beverage company to get more supplies when they showed up not having a clue about the agreed-​upon signature drink (without me even knowing about it until after the event!). In between all these tasks, she even managed to lend her professional photographer’s eye (and camera) to taking some extra photos from the night.
Since she bills herself as an organizer rather than focusing on weddings, she doesn’t jack up her prices a zillion percent just because the word wedding has been mentioned. While she charges less, her skills are still primo.
Post wedding, I keep seeking to find other areas of my life to organize — I know she would excel in any area and not just weddings. I wish I had had her help as I started the transition to shutting down my company.