WORDS OF AFFIRMATION,
OUR LOVE LANGUAGE.
WE KNOW ITS A BIG INVESTMENT.
WE KNOW YOU MIGHT NOT SEE THE VALUE IN A PLANNER UNTIL AFTER YOUR WEDDING.
WE ALSO KNOW A PROFESSIONAL PLANNER IS WORTH EVERY PENNY.
BUT DON'T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT...READ WHAT OUR PAST COUPLES HAVE TO SAY.
IF YOURE STILL NOT CONVINCED, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR GOOGLE REVIEWS OR WE WILL HAPPILY PUT YOU IN TOUCH WITH PAST CLIENT S.
TAYLOR AND DYLAN
BLOCKHOUSE
Ahh, where do we begin!! We started working with Keen Events PDX over a year before our wedding date. We spoke to several different Wedding Planners in the Portland area and something about Elise's specific approach really stood out to us. She has the ability to see a couple's vision and bring it to life so thoughtfully.
Not only did we work with EVERY SINGLE VENDOR she recommended (after giving us several options that she knew would fit with our personalities and style), but we truly couldn't be happier with everyone we encountered - and each one was thanks to our incredible Wedding Planner, Elise. She took the stress out of being over-stimulated by the wedding vendor market and matched us with our dream team.
After eight years of dating and two years of being engaged, my fiance and I knew we wanted to make this day not only about us, but everyone who carried us along the way. We chose an intimate venue that would give us enough space to thoroughly celebrate, but also felt unique with our love story. With us getting married in November of 2022 and starting the process in the summer of 2021, we were fearful of the pandemic and what was to come. Elise worked with us along the way to make sure every single detail counted and that there were backup plans in place. We did end up making last-minute pivots but didn't have to worry because of her team.
We are so lucky to have worked with Keen Events PDX and recommend them to anyone who is in the wedding planning process! We wouldn't have had our special day without all the hard work, effort, and love that was continuously put into our wedding.
With everything that we spent on the wedding, hiring Elise, Keen events was by far the best purchase we made. We had been through the Covid postponement process for so long, when things got real we decided that a wedding planner was a good idea, and we didn't realize how important that was until after our first call. Elise made everything seem easier and she was always there to keep us updated and helped find some of the BEST vendors ever. She was able to understand our vision and really made sure that our day was Exactly what we wanted, and so much more. Not only is she the most genuine of humans, but her attention to detail and workability are unmatched. As someone that is usually the one making the events happen to the expectation of the host, I wasn't sure about letting someone else take control, but she was spectacular and made my wedding day stress free and Beautiful. Thank you so much Elise, you are Wonderful!!
AMY AND ERIC
WEST END BALLROOM
Your wedding will be one of the most memorable, exciting, and likely complex events of your entire life. When we started planning ours, there was no question that a proper wedding planner was a requirement. After we found Keen Events (thanks to some glowing recommendations), there was no question that Elise was going to be a pivotal part of our wedding (and all the days leading up to it).
From the start, Elise was a true example of professionalism, extremely organized down to the smallest detail, and a lovely human to have included in our wedding planning. She kept us on track for deadlines, important vendor bookings, and was always willing to share her expert perspective on the event as a whole. Thanks to Elise, we spent far more time excited instead of stressing about the planning — we knew she had everything handled beautifully.
It's nearly impossible to list all of the reasons to recommend Elise and Keen Events; there are many. But in short, booking Elise as your wedding planner will be the best decision you'll make surrounding your wedding day... aside from choosing an amazing partner, of course.
If you're reading this review, stop anything else you're doing today and immediately lock down Keen Events. 🥂
MICHAEL AND ABBY
COOPERS HALL
This review may have taken a year to post, but my gratitude towards Elise’s hard work and fond memories of our wedding have only grown. From the first time we spoke on the phone we KNEW Elise would be the only planner for us. Her mentality, energy, and vision were a direct reflection of us. From the absolutely glowing reviews we found about her service, to the efforts she takes to support good causes and make a positive impact in the community Elise is a wedding planner extraordinaire! She was one of the biggest cheerleaders throughout this process, and was unbelievably patient in keeping us on track. When life pulls us in different directions, Elise never hesitated to offer to step in or help us to refocus. We knew without a doubt leading up to the day that our wedding was going to be amazing because we were 100% confident in Elise's capable hands. This day would not have been possible without her amazing hard work, and we couldn't possibly thank her enough for everything that she does.
If you are shopping around for a planner, and trying to see who you’ll hire I strongly recommend taking a few minutes to look at Keen Events. Her pricing is more than fair for the quality of service she provides, she has AMAZING vendor recommendations (she connected us with our wonderful photographer/videographer team, dj, and beauty team), and she will be your biggest advocate/resource for every step of the day. I had considered a few other vendors, but from the first phone call I knew she was the perfect fit and no one else would make our day match our vision or run as smoothly as we hoped.
Elise, thank you again for all that you did! You are an amazing person and planner, and we hope you continue enjoy this work because it absolutely shines through in the service you provide, and the impact you leave on your clients.
KELLY AND WALTER
MULTNOMAH WHISKEY LIBRARY
Elise came into our wedding journey about 2 months before our wedding when we finally realized we couldn't do it all. I cannot tell you how grateful we are that our research to find a day of coordinator brought us to Elise. She truly went above and beyond to make sure that our wedding day ran smoothly with smart personal touches and suggestions and ensured we didn't see any imperfections. Our videographer was so impressed and said she had never worked with such a talented and smart planner.
Elise made a point to understand who are as a couple and tailor her advice and suggestions to our tastes and our values. Another great thing about Elise is that she is tough when she needs to be and will go to bat for you as a couple. She is seasoned in the industry, which we didn't realize how big of plus that is until we needed to have some tough conversations with a vendor and Elise handled it swiftly, effectively, and with utmost professionalism.
If you want a planner who truly has open communication, who genuinely wants you to have the best day, and who knows how to make your journey seamless, hire her now.
The only regret we have for Elise is that we didn't bring her on sooner!
P.S. - She has a great sense of humor and is a genuinely nice person to work and speak with. We're going to miss chatting as often now that our wedding is over!
MOLLY AND CASSIDY
IRVING STREET STUDIO
Without Elise and her team we would not have had the experience of being fully present, enjoying all the intimate moments as well as the big ceremonious moments of our wedding. Planning your wedding can feel seemingly endless, there are a lot of details and aspects of the day you have to consider when you’re inviting a hundred people from all over the globe to celebrate with you for 7 hours. And yet, after our first call with Elise more than a year before the wedding, what was so clear in our minds was that we knew we’d found an expert. One who would walk us through the ins and outs of planning and advocate for us as we put our vendor team together. One who would be our cheerleader, pepping us up when we found ourselves stacked with life stuff and needed to meet deadlines so our big day would go smoothly. Most importantly, one with whom we’d have a good time pulling this off. We had plenty of laughs along the way :) She kept us in tip top shape with excellent project management software ensuring we checked off all the mundane stuff early so we could spend most of our time with the fun stuff. She even negotiated services and responses on our behalf. And then, when it came to the actual day, Jon and I had a quiet, intimate morning enjoying time with our wedding party, grooming and getting ready for the day, while Elise and her team worked tirelessly with all of our vendors and the venue to create the most beautiful wedding we had ever been to. The endless planning was over. We got to stroll into our day with absolute peace and trust that everything would be as we’d envisioned, and if it wasn’t she’d already found a solution that was even better. The special thing about Elise is that she was there to ensure we had moments to step away from the party and be present with each other, to share a hug, a prayer, a funny story and then jump back into the mix. As we danced the night away she would appear with cocktails, dessert, late night snacks and water in hand to ensure we were getting to enjoy time with our people uninterrupted. I’m emotional just thinking about all it took for our wedding to happen so beautifully and Elise was the nucleus, the glue that held it all together. We are so grateful to have been in such great hands for such a momentous occasion. The best day our lives and we owe much of it to Elise.
JONATHAN AND JOSUE
STOLLER FAMILY ESTATE
Without Elise and her team we would not have had the experience of being fully present, enjoying all the intimate moments as well as the big ceremonious moments of our wedding. Planning your wedding can feel seemingly endless, there are a lot of details and aspects of the day you have to consider when you’re inviting a hundred people from all over the globe to celebrate with you for 7 hours. And yet, after our first call with Elise more than a year before the wedding, what was so clear in our minds was that we knew we’d found an expert. One who would walk us through the ins and outs of planning and advocate for us as we put our vendor team together. One who would be our cheerleader, pepping us up when we found ourselves stacked with life stuff and needed to meet deadlines so our big day would go smoothly. Most importantly, one with whom we’d have a good time pulling this off. We had plenty of laughs along the way :) She kept us in tip top shape with excellent project management software ensuring we checked off all the mundane stuff early so we could spend most of our time with the fun stuff. She even negotiated services and responses on our behalf. And then, when it came to the actual day, Jon and I had a quiet, intimate morning enjoying time with our wedding party, grooming and getting ready for the day, while Elise and her team worked tirelessly with all of our vendors and the venue to create the most beautiful wedding we had ever been to. The endless planning was over. We got to stroll into our day with absolute peace and trust that everything would be as we’d envisioned, and if it wasn’t she’d already found a solution that was even better. The special thing about Elise is that she was there to ensure we had moments to step away from the party and be present with each other, to share a hug, a prayer, a funny story and then jump back into the mix. As we danced the night away she would appear with cocktails, dessert, late night snacks and water in hand to ensure we were getting to enjoy time with our people uninterrupted. I’m emotional just thinking about all it took for our wedding to happen so beautifully and Elise was the nucleus, the glue that held it all together. We are so grateful to have been in such great hands for such a momentous occasion. The best day our lives and we owe much of it to Elise.
JONATHAN AND JOSUE
STOLLER FAMILY ESTATE
My partner and I knew from the start that we wanted some help planning our wedding. There are so many moving pieces and we knew it would be hard to figure out where to start, what to prioritize, and how to make a planning timeline for ourselves. We both have busy lives and neither of us wanted to take on a 2nd full time job in planning our wedding. Elise did an incredible job guiding us through the planning process, always open to hopping on the phone at convenient times for us and pointing us in the direction of what we should prioritize next. She was also a helpful sounding board as we made decisions or thought through how the night would go (because like most folks in a post-COVID world, we couldn't quite remember how parties work anymore). Collaborating together & with her on the Aisle Planner platform helped to streamline everything and keep everyone aligned on where things were at.
Day of, Elise did an incredible job making sure all the setup went as planned and using her EXCELLENT judgement to figure out situations where we forgot to pack something or provide direction about setup. She made sure my partner and I were eating and drinking during the day, provided direction to all our guests who also had little jobs (greeting, managing Spotify, officiating, giving toasts, etc.) and if anything went wrong during the wedding, we sure didn't hear about it!
If you're thinking about getting some help planning your wedding, definitely recommend going with Elise!
DEIDRE AND MATTHEW
BLOCKHOUSE
If you are even considering hiring a wedding planner DO IT and without question hire Elise with Keen Events! My now husband and I got engaged in 2019 and had to postpone our wedding until 2022 due to Covid and Elise was there every step of the way over the 3 years and multiple postponements. She would constantly check in to see how we were doing and was such a calming presence during what could have been a very chaotic time. Leading up to the day she was already amazing and then she managed to outdo herself the day of. The entire day was so smooth and a huge reason for that is Elise. I had several people in the bridal party ask how I found her because everyone was blown away by her. We cannot thank her and her team enough for everything they did and would HIGHLY recommend hiring Elise for your wedding!!!
STEF AND MATTHEW
CASTAWAY
Firstly, thank you so much to Elise! She was so amazing, kind, professional, and attentive. All of my emails, calls, changes and concerns were addressed quickly and without any hesitation. I quite literally could not have done it without her. Our wedding was beautiful and stress free because I knew Elise had everything under control so I could just enjoy the once in a lifetime moment! Every single vendor recommendation she had was on point, sometimes even making choosing which one to go with a challenge. I will 100% be using Elise and Keen Events for any future events I host. Again, I can’t say enough how easy it was to work with Elise, how professional she was, and how great our day turned out because of all of her guidance along the way. 10/10
ELYSE AND THOMAS
EVERETT WEST
Elise is just the BEST! We had an incredible day and planning was fun and relatively easy with guidance from Elise. We were able to incorporate all of our favorite things to make our wedding truly, ours. Highly recommend Elise, from florals to DJs, she knows the best vendors. She communicated everything to our vendors and made sure everything went smoothly!
KARA AND NATE
CRYSTAL SPRINGS RHODODENDRON GARDEN // UNION PINE
Having a wedding planner is so vital for your wedding, and Elise is the best!! She helped us find our dream team of venders. We were so truly satisfied with everyone we hired, and Elise was pivotal in finding them all. She helped in making my timeline rock solid and made sure that everything I wanted happened through out the day. When our weather was showing 100% rain during what would have been our outdoor photos, she helped me find the right indoor solution. She also helped make sure my grandma was there on zoom, when she couldn't make it in person last minute. She meets you with drinks and food when you need it and makes sure that you are completely taken care of! We loved our day, and it could not have happened without her!
Elise was an absolute rock star of a wedding planner. My now wife has assisted Elise on some jobs, so we both knew there was no one better for keeping us in line, sane and on schedule on our big day. Elise was great with connecting us to different venues and vendors for our big day, helped us make decisions, and played devils advocate on timeline items as we planned more details. Elise is a tough gal, and doesn't take BS from anyone, that includes us, a crazy family member or drunk friend. Elise is REAL and ultimately wanted our big day to go as smooth as possible, for us to be happy, and all along for us to have realistic expectations. Our big day really could not have gone better, and we are grateful that Elise was there as part of the team.
MEGAN AND JORDAN
COOPERS HALL
Elise is SO good at her job. She has excellent experience navigating the complexities of weddings, couples, vendors, and guests. She provides direct and thoughtful advice that help steer decision making. She is detailed, focused, and organized. The weeks leading up to the event, we were excited and relaxed because she handled everything, which allowed my partner and I to enjoy our very special day. The wedding went off without a hitch and it's largely due to Elise and her extraordinary management. A million thanks, Elise, for all of your hard work and coordination. You are simply the best! For couples who are hesitant or looking elsewhere, stop right here and just hire her. She is worth every penny!
KIM AND NATE
COOPERS HALL