Hear from previous clients…

Kelly has been amazing to work with while planning our wedding! Initially, I didn’t think I needed a wedding coordinator but caved about 5 months into planning things. Kelly helped relieve some of the stress, especially with the little details! My only mistake was not having her from the beginning of this process! Although our wedding plans got shifted a little bit with the whole pandemic, Kelly has been there helping us rearrange some of our plans for next year. Kelly is a genuine person and a great planner! I’m excited to be able to work with her longer to plan our one year anniversary reception

~ Jaime W.

Kelly made my day so perfect! With COVID, we had to replan our wedding with very short time and she helped keep everything on track! I could not imagine not having Kelly as my planner. I highly recommend having her plan your special day! The day ran so smoothly. Even the photographers mentioned that it was the most organized wedding they have shot. That’s huge! I want to replay my day over and over because it went perfectly!

~ Lacey B.

Wow! Where should I begin? I’m not sure the allowable character count will be enough room to share all the good things I have to say about Kelly Nelson Events. Planning a wedding can be challenging in normal circumstances, but try doing it in 2020 with the goal post constantly moving. There is absolutely no way we could have done it without Kelly’s help and we are so very thankful to have had her on our team. After planning for almost two years, we had to change everything in a short amount of time, but Kelly kept us focused and on track to create the perfect day for our daughter and new son-in-law. She is not only organized, flexible and extremely friendly to work with, she is creative, well-versed in wedding etiquette and truly understood our daughter’s vision for her perfect day. Kelly partnered with us, made us feel like we were all in it together and that it would be ok. That meant a lot to ease the anxiousness of a nervous bride and her mother. On the day of the wedding, everything we worked so hard towards came true. Kelly took charge and made sure everything was perfectly in it’s place and that everyone knew what they were doing. And as exhausted as she must have been that day, she didn’t show it at all and actually stayed to see it through to the end. I finally had to tell her that she accomplished an amazing feat and it was time to relax as the day came to a close. When developing a budget for your big day, make sure you start with Kelly Nelson Events. She is by far the best investment when planning a wedding. If you think you can do it alone – and come out on the other side unscathed – think again. Thank you, again, Kelly! We couldn’t have done it without you.

~Wendy B.

As father of the bride, I wanted to give my daughter everything she wanted on her special day, but like most parents, was working with a very tight budget. When the idea of hiring a wedding planner came up, I shrugged it off like most men would probably do because I didn’t think it was necessary. However, I can admit when I’m wrong. Although I didn’t participate in a lot of the detailed pre-planning of the wedding, I did witness how Kelly worked so well with my wife and daughters to plan the perfect day. I also watched my wife’s stress level minimize and was happy that she could just relax and really enjoy the day with family and friends. Without Kelly Nelson Events, the brunt of it would have fallen on her for sure. Dads, let me speak from experience when I say that the relatively small portion of the overall wedding budget that you set aside to hire Kelly Nelson will be so worth it in the end. Thank you, again, Kelly!

~ Craig

We loved working with Kelly, and I have been receiving so many wonderful compliments from guests about how smoothly the wedding went (and this was definitely Kelly, because I was mentally checked out and have no idea what even happened that day, and apparently a bunch of things almost went wrong but then didn’t because Kelly was there). If you are looking for a knowledgeable and guiding presence to help you plan your wedding, Kelly is definitely the expert to help. Plus, her fantastic knowledge of the Champaign-Urbana area resulted in a lot of great ideas we had never thought of and helped us save a lot of money on catering. Her warmth, kindness, organizational skills, and general calming presence were absolutely critical to getting us through the whole wedding process. We are so grateful our photographer suggested we reach out to Kelly!

~Halie R.

Kelly is a joy to work with! Her attention to details and her organizational skills are outstanding! I highly recommend Kelly for any special event or wedding!

~Karen P

KELLY IS INCREDIBLE! At the start of planning for our wedding, I was certain we didn’t need an event coordinator of any kind. Now I just wish I had worked with Kelly sooner! She was absolutely amazing and went above and beyond in every single situation. She took initiative, was well organized, and made the entire process of planning a large wedding way less intimidating. I could not get over how smooth the entire wedding day was and that is all due to Kelly’s hard work. It was a day that our families could enjoy without a single stressful moment. She kept every person involved well informed and was sure that the entire day went perfectly. I honestly can’t recommend Kelly enough! If you need someone to help coordinate an event, she is the one to go to. Kelly made our wedding a day that we could celebrate, rather than stress over and I can’t thank her enough!

~Jamie R.

GET A WEDDING PLANNER! I was initially hesitant to do so, so this is an attention getter for brides feeling the same way. I don’t care if you’re organized and punctual and have it all together, you 100% need KELLY to help you because she will help you in ways and with things you didn’t even know you would need help with! My wedding ceremony was at a church in Monticello, IL, and then my reception was at Hudson Farm in Urbana, IL on Sept 14, 2019. Anytime I (the bride) had a question, concern, or some sort of vague suggestion, she always had ideas, solutions, or answers. She created a payment schedule for me to keep track of when to pay the florist, DJ, shuttle service, linen company, venue, photographer, etc, as all of the deadlines are different, and it can become extremely stressful to keep track of if you don’t have some help. There are a million contracts you’re signing with different rules and payment information as well, and she has it all in hard copy and electronic copy for access at any time. Kelly helped me come up with ways to save money that made it worth the expense of a planner, and the peace of mind she gave me the whole time was a bonus on top of that! For example, right off the bat, you’re looking at save the dates. There are so many options and questions you’ll have. Someone who is in wedding mode as a career knows what companies are available and which ones are most affordable (or whatever other characteristic you’re looking for in a company). She completed tasks incredibly quickly, she was always there and on time for meetings, and she helped me stick to a detailed timeline/to-do list. I feel like I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy my engagement if I hadn’t had Kelly that I could always ask, “am I on track?” She always put me at ease. She prioritized tasks, and there was never a question of “where do I begin” or “what’s next?” There are so many details that you won’t think of that she will have you prepared for, such as having a table for vendors at the reception (that had not even crossed my mind, they would have had to sit on the floor if I planned alone). Kelly was extremely punctual, organized, and professional, but she was also fun, relaxed, and just made it seem like working with a friend. She also took care of day-of mishaps, so I could enjoy myself. They are impossible to avoid, there will always be one! And while friends and family may be there to help, they shouldn’t have to stress about that stuff either. You want them to enjoy the day, too. You will not regret having her help you plan your event. Thank you for everything, Kelly!

~Samantha S.

Kelly was recommended to us by my friend Halie (check out her review). I knew Kelly would do a great job for us since I had already seen her work at my friend’s wedding. Hiring Kelly was the best decision my husband and I made. We didn’t know how to plan a wedding at all and felt overwhelmed by all the planning we had to do. Our wedding was a small, backyard wedding and it took place at an Airbnb home in Champaign. Having Kelly as our coordinator made the wedding planning much less overwhelming and it gave us peace of mind. Kelly helped us with everything, contacting vendors, asking for quotes, finding an affordable catering company, sticking to our budget and being a main point of contact. Thanks to Kelly we were able to have a photographer at our wedding that we could afford. Kelly is a wonderful person to work with, she is organized and keeps track of pay dates, and appointments. She pays attention to detail and has good ideas and smart suggestions. Kelly is without a doubt an excellent wedding planner and I could not imagine planning our wedding and having it being a success without her.

~Christina D.

Kelly helped with our daughter’s wedding. She was so easy to work with and very approachable. She would listen to us and would take care of any concerns that we had. I would recommend Kelly to anyone who needs an event planner. The wedding was very special and relaxing. Thank you Kelly for all of your hard work and skills

~Carla S.

My groom and I were determined to get married on a budget, so I decided we didn’t need any help. Our wedding was in October, in August I realized how foolish I was and broke down and called Kelly. I could not believe how much extra stress I caused myself by delaying contacting her. Probably extra money too. Kelly was amazing from our first conversation. She put me at ease, she asked all of the right questions, she helped me organize all of contracts and the day of schedule. We ended up having a beautiful fall wedding at Allerton Park, and Kelly was critical in making our day special (and stress-free). With her there, I wasn’t worried about any of the details and I was free to enjoy the experience. On top of Kelly being great at her job, she’s also a lovely person so working with her was a treat. I cannot stress how important and helpful it was for us to have someone managing our day, and after working with Kelly, I would recommend her to anyone looking for planning help (at any stage in the process).

~Lisa S.

Kelly is amazing at planning parties. She really listens to what her clients want and makes great organizational decisions. From birthday parties to baby showers and weddings, Kelly knows how to do it all!

~Nia S.

Kelly coordinated our daughter and son-in-law’s wedding this past June 2018 at Hudson Farm. She met with us throughout the process to make sure that we were on track and guide us where we needed assistance. Her positive, organized, and easygoing nature made her the perfect person for the job. Kelly quietly took charge on the big day so that the rest of us could relax and enjoy the celebration. It was a perfect, joyful day. We couldn’t have done it without Kelly!

~Lindsey M.

Kelly Nelson was our planner for a wedding that took place at the Castle Theatre in Bloomington, IL on 11/4/2017. Kelly was amazing to work with, extremely quick to reply (regardless of how important the matter was) and always full of ideas to try and help make our special day as stress free as possible. She was there when we needed her but never overbearing. She was receptive to all of our suggestions (our wedding wasn’t exactly “traditional”) and never pushy with any ideas that we didn’t think would work for us personally. She was willing to work with our ideal wedding budget and always seemed to have our best interests in mind and for that we are truly thankful. We aren’t exactly the easiest couple to work with (well, my husband isn’t haha) nor are our families but that never effected her. Kelly was uplifting and positive throughout any difficulties we faced during the day, always reassuring us that things would work out, and everything eventually did (in large part because of her help). We would recommend her for any of your planning needs, she’s a phenomenal person to work with and takes a real interest in you and making your day as special as she can. Thanks for everything Kelly. Oh and my husband chimed in.. “You da real MVP”, so it sounds like he was equally as happy.

~Shannon H.