We can help you from the very beginning to make sure your big day is free of stress and as beautiful as you could have imagined. We also offer day-of services to manage all of the details that you shouldn’t have to worry about when you’re surrounded by all of your favorite people. But don’t take our word for it — check out the reviews from our clients!
Laura Epstein & Evan Korshavn (Bride & Groom)
Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion, Chevy Chase, MD
Betsy was a phenomenal day-of-coordinator! We hired her fairly early on in our planning process, and she did much more than just day-of services; she was helpful in recommending vendors and any other questions we had from when we first started working with her. Throughout the process, she was very organized and helped us to feel at ease. She knew when we needed different pieces in place by, and was always there to help us if we were behind on anything. She always focused on what she could do to support our vision for our wedding; she had lots of very helpful ideas, but it never felt like she was pushing us to do one thing or another. The day of the wedding, everything went perfectly! Neither us nor our parents had to worry about any details, we just enjoyed the day. We are so grateful for Betsy for all the work she did to make our wedding perfect and to make sure we weren't stressing out about anything.
Erick Urbina & Glen Parker (Grooms)
Dumbarton House, Washington, DC
Betsy was a real pleasure to work with while we were planning our wedding. We started the wedding planning process a little later than usual, but she had a full stable of recommended vendors that came through for us. Even as the wedding date drew close, Betsy remained unflappable and kept smiling -- focused on making sure that we had the best time possible on our special day.
Denise Riebman & Bill Fowler (Bride & Groom)
Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD
We don’t know how we could have pulled off a wedding in 10 weeks without Betsy! From the minute we met her, we knew we were in calm, experienced, and caring hands. She immediately understood the fun, low-key, and meaningful wedding we wanted to have and embraced the type of people we are. She is not only incredibly organized but quadruple checks everything – we knew that nothing would be left to chance and her coordination with the vendors would be thorough.
Betsy alleviated so much stress from our lives and handled the normal wedding planning bumps along the way that arose with grace, diplomacy, and warmth. She is incredibly responsive, even when on vacation, in all of her communications. There were a few times when we felt like our wedding vision was getting lost in what others wanted, and each time, Betsy was there to fix things and keep our dreams of our wedding alive.
We can’t even count the number of times that Betsy went above and beyond to ensure that we were happy and calm throughout the entire planning process and wedding day. All of our family and friends loved her, especially our parents who she made sure were well taken care of during the wedding.
We honestly can’t sing her praises enough and any couple would be incredibly lucky to have Betsy Lanning as their wedding coordinator!
Cary Dufresne (Mother of the Bride)
Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion, Chevy Chase, MD
As the mother of only one daughter I had only one shot at getting this wedding right, and it was flawless because of Betsy’s extraordinary hard work. She made everything run on time and seamlessly. Every mother of the bride in the greater Washington area should have her number on speed dial. It was difficult to organize this from such a distance, but Betsy’s working knowledge of all of the vendors and the facility gave me the ability to actually not worry and to be fully present for such a joyous occasion!
Wendy Johnston (Mother of the Bride)
Dumbarton House, Washington, DC
Betsy Lanning acted as a day-of coordinator for my daughter's wedding, but I quickly learned that this meant that she was in contact with all the vendors and arrangements from an early stage of her involvement. No detail was too minor for her to cover and when last-minute panic set in because the photographer fell ill on the day of the wedding, Betsy stepped in and with the phone number of a new photographer supplied by the original photographer, arranged for alternative coverage within the hour. The whole evening flowed smoothly and was hugely enjoyable for all of us thanks to Betsy's support, tact, and attention to detail during the event.
Pat Darsie (Mother of the Bride)
Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD
I cannot say enough about the pleasure of working with Betsy. My extremely competent daughter handled most of the wedding preparations, and I know she relied heavily on Betsy’s support, advise, and expertise in dealing with some difficult situations. As the mother of the bride, I was included in correspondence toward the end, and found her delightful to know and work with. I was most impressed by her on the day of the wedding. She soothed, directed and organized us all (we were not all in the right place at the right time) with a calmness she cannot always have felt, and did everything with great good humor. One of our guests commented on her own experience with an officious wedding coordinator who spent the day ordering everyone around. Betsy was exactly the opposite, always gently herding us into our proper places and making sure we all enjoyed the day. You were wonderful, and I cannot imagine having pulled a wedding off without you. I never worried that it would be anything other than a beautiful wedding day under her direction, and it was.
Emma & Joe McClary (Bride & Groom)
Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD
Betsy Lanning was highly recommended to me by the event manager at my wedding venue. From the first phone call I had with her, I knew she was “the one” for me and my vision for my big day! My (now) husband and I learned very quickly that we were in good, loving hands with Betsy. Betsy brought priceless experience to the table, was just as detail-oriented as I when it came down to the little details that probably only, she and I were going to notice, and most importantly, she was always clear that she was all about us. She took so much care in making sure she knew our vision and was so great at coordinating our vendors to ensure we got what we wanted on our wedding day! I knew I could completely trust her, and my husband will say, throughout our entire 11 months of wedding planning, I was the least overwhelmed in those last eight weeks leading up to our wedding because I knew I had my Betsy. There is not one moment that went by that I didn’t recognize how incredibly lucky I was to have her as my day-of coordinator. What is most special about her, is how genuinely invested she is in her work of love. We had such a special connection with her throughout our time working together and after, and I truly do not know what we would have done without her. We thank you, Betsy, for your dedication to us so that we were able to completely enjoy one of the best days of our lives. You are absolutely the best!
Sean O’Rourke Photography (Photographer)
Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD
I work with many wedding planners and day of coordinators as a wedding photographer. Some lack organization, attention to detail, structured and formatted itineraries, and the ability to keep the show going regardless of snafus.
Betsy Lanning is a true professional and does not lack in any of these areas.
One week before the wedding she touched base with me to make sure we knew each other’s expectations for the big day. Betsy also provided a detailed itinerary to every vendor -- with each vendors arrival, time frame queues, and departures. Betsy even treated me like I was her client, asking me throughout the night how I was doing and if I needed anything. I wish I could work with Betsy on every wedding moving forward. I would never have to worry about anything, except shooting the wedding.
Betsy Lanning is a true professional and does not lack in any of these areas.
One week before the wedding she touched base with me to make sure we knew each other’s expectations for the big day. Betsy also provided a detailed itinerary to every vendor -- with each vendors arrival, time frame queues, and departures. Betsy even treated me like I was her client, asking me throughout the night how I was doing and if I needed anything. I wish I could work with Betsy on every wedding moving forward. I would never have to worry about anything, except shooting the wedding.
Debra Thangarajah
Brookside Gardens – Wheaton, MD
Betsy is very open and approachable, both professional and friendly, and I found her extremely easy to work with. Prior to the event, she went above and beyond, offering advice from both her previous professional event coordination and her personal experience with planning her own father’s memorial to help make my Dad’s day special. She held several phone meetings with me to discuss the event, made suggestions for consideration, and reviewed proposed day-of scheduling and plans well in advance of the event. Her familiarity with the Brookside Gardens venue and previous connections with their staff were critical. She did an exceptional job of ensuring that our last-minute changes to the table layout were handled correctly by the staff. She was also unflappable, and helped keep everyone’s stress levels in check. We had a last-minute delay in getting to the venue for setup in the morning, and she arrived there before we did. She got a head start on the setup and pitched in with us on decorating once we arrived, working feverishly to ensure that all of the tables were set up appropriately. Throughout the event, Betsy worked smoothly with our on-site vendors, helped to greet and seat guests, and even took several pictures of the venue setup. I especially treasure these photos, as our photographer ended up missing several key images on our shot list. I recommend Betsy wholeheartedly, not only for day-of coordination but to assist with overall event planning. Her knowledge of what an event requires as well as how to overcome challenges that might arise on the day played an invaluable part of reducing stress on our family and ensuring that my Dad’s memorial was a meaningful tribute to his life for all of our guests.