“We had an overall mostly positive experience working with Bailee from Refined Events, though there were a few areas where we felt our wedding day could have gone more smoothly.
Our first meeting went very well. Bailee asked thoughtful questions, provided helpful answers, and had the upbeat personality we wanted in a coordinator. Based on our first impression, her reviews, and pricing, we felt confident moving forward. Around three months out, we began having regular 30-minute calls and consistently finished feeling reassured. Bailee also proactively reached out to our vendors before the wedding without us needing to ask, which we appreciated. She and her assistant, Brenda, arrived on time for both the rehearsal and wedding day.
However, Bailee asked to reschedule nearly every scheduled meeting, sometimes by 30–60 minutes and other times to a different day. Although she always said we could keep the original time if needed, the frequency raised concerns about time management and accountability leading up to the wedding.
Our biggest concern on the wedding day was our experience with Brenda. We didn’t meet her until the rehearsal, which was fine, but she often seemed stressed and unsure of herself. Rather than helping us feel calm, her demeanor sometimes added to the stress. My husband, I, and several bridesmaids independently had similar experiences. She was kind, but we felt confidence and decisiveness are important qualities in this role. Bailee herself was helpful when she stepped in.
There were also several logistical mistakes that, while none ruined our day, were disappointing given our timeline discussions. The umbrellas planned for the reception area weren’t there, so a bridesmaid had to retrieve them between the ceremony and cocktail hour. I recognize I could have communicated this more clearly. Our processional music was also played incorrectly: my husband’s entrance song was skipped, and the DJ played my aisle song twice. This wasn’t solely Bailee’s responsibility, but better coordination may have prevented it. Additionally, our King’s Table was set up incorrectly despite us providing a poster with the exact seating arrangement. We had to make adjustments right before the ceremony, creating unnecessary stress.
Finally, the speech and food service timeline wasn’t followed, despite discussing it multiple times. The plan was for my dad’s speech and the blessing, followed by appetizers, then the Maid of Honor and Best Man speeches, and finally dinner. Instead, all speeches happened consecutively. Guests sat through 25 minutes of speeches without food or access to the bar, which was closed. Even my husband and I didn’t have drinks and ended up toasting with water. This was a specific detail we had discussed and were disappointed to see missed.
Overall, Bailee provided the day-of coordination we hired her for, and we appreciate what went well. Her pricing felt appropriate for the service received, particularly as someone still growing her business. We believe she can learn from these experiences and continue improving. We’d recommend her to couples who are more flexible with details, but very detail-oriented couples may want to confirm important logistics carefully in advance. We’d also recommend discussing the assigned assistant beforehand, as our experience with Brenda was unfortunately not what we had hoped for.
We wish Bailee the best as she continues to grow Refined Events!”
