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Testimonials |
| From Helen of Marina del Rey, CA - May 2010 - 80th Birthday Party |
| Last night I had a hilarious nightmare. I dreamt that my brother was getting married at our family’s home in upstate NY. There was a huge crowd of guests, all famous celebrities dressed to the nines. Everything went wrong. The timing was off – the bartender was pouring huge drinks and the crowd got plastered. The food was late and by the time it arrived everyone had passed out. Bodies were everywhere. Furniture and priceless antiques were scattered and smashed where people had collapsed. Finally when the food arrived it was a gelatin of smoked salmon and it kept sliding off the plates. I couldn’t serve it to anyone before it fell to the floor! Everything was total havoc and a complete disaster. Since my brother works in the ‘Media’ I knew the story would get out and he’d be ruined. Thank goodness I woke up…in reality, it wasn’t a wedding that we hosted but the 80th birthday party for my father. Because of Joan the event was seamless and flawless. Not only did we all have a wonderful time, we could be ‘guests’ at our own function completely free of worry or concern. I can’t recommend working with Joan and her team enough! |
| From N'deye and John, Slate Hill, NY - June 2010 - Wedding |
| At the time when my wife to be, N'deye, had proposed the idea of hiring a wedding planner I was skeptical if it would be worth it. I intially thought it was too costly for our budget for things I thought we could easily do ourselves. My intial concerns and opinion had been drasitically off mark. We had began planning the wedding ourselves shortly after I had proposed. Planning the budget and deciding what kind of compromises we might have to make between what we wanted and what we could afford quickly became a source of stress. The tasks of trying to find the things you want in the wedding for a price that works for you can be both stressfull and frustrating. After we hired Joan it was like pressing an auto-pilot button. The frustrating expieriences expressed previously were lifted away. With Joan's expierence and expertise finding the things you wanted at prices you could afford became easy and enjoyable. The savings Joan had negotiated for us had easily paid for her services. We had many great people involved in making the wedding a great expierence but Joan is number one when it came to performance and value. If your worried about the cost of a wedding planner then worry no more with Joan you will end up saving money, time, and un-needed frustrations. She will be there for you the whole way thru and never leave you hanging. Thank you Joan for your time, patience and excellent service. |
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| From Sasha and Adin, Tivoli, NY - July 2010 - Wedding |
| Both Adin and I want to thank you again for all of your hard work helping us plan our wedding. It was a fantastic day - definitely everything we wanted it to be!! We were thrilled with the food, the music, the photography, the rentals - everything! And I've heard nothing but rave reviews from our family and friends. Without your detailed knowledge of local vendors, organizational skills and endless patience, we absolutely could not have pulled it off. Thank you! |
| From Cheryl and John - June 2010 - Wedding |
| "Joan and First Impressions did a great job of organizing all the details of our multiple wedding events to keep us on track for our planning. Joan went above and beyond in making our event truly special! We would highly recommend Joan and First Impressions." |
| From Lindsey of Atlanta, Georgia - May 2009 - Wedding |
| Joan, What a uheld hlife saver you were for our wedding weekend. Being one who excels at planning and organizing, I thought I woave t weekend well under control but after having you there to take most of the burden, I really don't know what I would have done without you! I’m so grateful that you have the experience to predict needs before they happen — handling the last minute shift in the transportation made such a difference to me (and David!) If you hadn’t been there we would have been scrambling around trying to get things figured out instead of focusing on our guests and mentally preparing for the big day. The best thing about having you around was that you jumped in to handle things even before I asked you to. You were front and center the entire weekend and I had full confidence that you would handle any situation with ease and grace, shielding me from the hassle of it all. I thought I had considered every detail but there were things you saw and addressed that I never thought of! An amazing feat when you think about how much time I put into the planning! Joan, having you as a part of our wedding weekend made it possible for me to enjoy being the bride and be focused on the things that really mattered about that experience. Thank you for your efforts and focus on the details. If you ever need a reference, don’t hesitate to send your customers my way for a glowing review! |
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| From Betsy & Rich, Parents of Bride - November 2008 - Wedding |
| First Impressions made my daughter's wedding, held in Baltimore 6 hours away from home in the Hudson Valley, run perfectly and more enjoyable for all of us. As parents of the bride, we were a little concerned with all the details that were involved in having such a momentous event away from familiar territory. First Impressions and wedding planner Joan Howe made it possible for the bride and groom and their parents to enjoy the day and not worry about the details. Just to mention a few of the many tasks Joan made sure were done on time and right were: researching a bus company to provide transportation for our guests and a limousine for the bride and groom and checking with them right up to the day of the event to make sure everything was in place and also even helped with the hospitality bags for our out of town guests. She also was very involved and on the spot for both the rehearsal and the wedding taking the pressure for last minute decisions off the bride and groom. Joan did a fantastic job organizing the rehearsal, helping everyone know their parts. When members of the wedding party missed the rehearsal the day before the big event due to traveling delays, she took the time to work with them the day of the wedding and insure all went smoothly on Jess and Rob's big day. I can't thank you and First Impressions enough for the professional and warm way everything was handled. |
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| From Jennifer and Ryan - September 2008 - Wedding |
| Joan and Diane, Where do we start to thank you for making the weekend of our wedding go so smoothly? First, let us start with the rehearsal dinner. Everything was perfect. The decor was exactly what we wanted, the caterer you introduced us to was spectacular and you succeeded in having my mother-in-law relax with over 100 people in her home. Everything was so wonderful, all your preparation and hard work paid off. Now let's talk about the wedding day! Even though the day was a little behind because of a previous wedding, you made the tent and the ceremony location look spectacular. I did not have one moment the whole day when I was nervous, because I knew you girls were there. Thank you, Joan and Diane, for a wedding we will always remember. Love, Jennifer and Ryan, Accord, NY |
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| From Shelley and Michael - June 2008 - Bar Mitzvah |
| Dear Joan and Diane - Here it is Monday and the raves from Jacob's Bar Mitzvah service and celebration on Saturday continue to pour in. We can't thank you enough for your efforts in making our party so glorious and memorable. Your tasks went beyond what one normally thinks of for event planners. You supervised the entire process of changing the landscape to fit the tent - working to find the best location on our property, screening the excavators and landscapers to be sure we had the best ones, communicating to us the various questions and concerns that arose during that process, supervising the work and ultimately ensuring that we had the most beautiful lawn on the day of the party. We so appreciated your help in identifying the numerous vendors and communicating with them on our behalf as well as finding additional staff - lifeguards, parking attendants, chaperones for the children, etc. to make the day go as smoothly as possible. You did a wonderful job assembling the game centerpieces and suggesting and producing the wonderful party favors (so clever AND useful) - everything you did was done with the highest degree of care and professionalism. People asked us repeatedly how we were going to get everything done when we lived in NYC and the party was in Dutchess. Our answer time and time again was that Joan and Diane were handling it for us and we knew it would get done and done well. We appreciated how available you were to us - phone, email, etc. day and night (which is NOT a given with many vendors), delivered on your promises and worked with us to find solutions to the thorny problems. We loved that you LISTENED to us and what we wanted and offered us excellent advice and reassurance as we made our way to the big day. We are absolutely thrilled with how the day went and will remember it forever. We'll be calling soon to start work for the next one on June 4, 2011! With gratitude and affection, Shelley and Michael |
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| From Elizabeth - May 2008 - Pre-Wedding Dinner |
| Trying to organize a Pre-wedding dinner from out of state was no easy task. Joan Howe of First Impressions Event Planners was recommended to us, and she made it seem so easy. There was nothing that she could not take care of for us. She listened and understood exactly what we wanted. She made all the local contacts and each vendor was perfect for the situation. She anticipated situations and was prepared to take care of them as they arose. By the end of the event, she was a real friend. |
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| From Rick and Diane - December 28, 2007 - Wedding |
| Energetic, dependable, accommodating, friendly, professional, detail orientated, creative..........this describes Joan and Diane. We were so very pleased with these ladies' planning and organizing of our wedding day. They will do as much or as little as requested. Working with Joan and Diane was such a pleasure. By the time our special day arrived, they became part of our family. Thanks to Joan and Diane, our wedding was a WOW! Rick and Diane, Hyde Park |
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| From Stephanie C. - November 2007 - Surprise Birthday Party |
| First Impressions is great! They helped me to plan a a fantastic surprise 65th birthday party for my mother. I live in Colorado while the party was in NY. Joan helped me with everything from selecting the venue, theme, decorations, flower, entertainment and all the set up. Even doing this from a distance I was completely comfortable with the decision making process. The party was a great success, our guests were absolutely thrilled. Joan even helped us to pull off the surprise! I would highly recommend First Impressions. |
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| From Joy - October 2007 - Wedding |
| On the day of our wedding I was so relaxed and confident that all was going to be taken care of, that I really, truly enjoyed my wedding. And it was in no small part to Joan and Diane! I can't say enough about them. So to anyone who is planning any event and you want some expert help to make it perfect, call Joan. |
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| From Elena and Erick - September 2007 - Wedding: |
| Thank you, Joan and Diane, for all you did to make our day special. Everyone was delighted with the affair. I was thrilled with the way the Lodge looked. A feeling of shock came over me when I entered the ceremony, something I will never forget! Sincerely, Elena and Erick |
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| From Vivian of The ARTS Center of the Greater Hudson Valley - April 2007 |
| Joan & Diane, Thank you so much for all your hard work! We could not have done it without you! Everyone had a great time and it's all because of your dedication to excellence. Thank you again. Vivian |
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| From BH of Red Hook - February 2007 - Party |
| First Impressions Event Planners planned a Mardis Gras party for my wife and I. They chose the invitations, decorated the venue and ordered a King's Cake from New Orleans. They also planned the menu, the table settings, food presentation and music for all of our guests to enjoy. I will highly recommend First Impressions to all of our family and friends. The details were amazing!! Thank you Joan. |
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| From A of Red Hook - December 2006 |
| First Impressions should truly consider changing their name to Amazing Impressions.....Every aspect of the planning was made quick and simple for me yet their attention to what we were looking for and the extraordinary details that First Impressions provided amazed my family and my guests. From decorating to wine to menu selection - no detail was too big or small for them to handle and nothing was overlooked. The best part of it for me was that they took care of it all. My event was spectacular! Thank you so much Joan for a wonderful and carefree evening. Regards and Happy Holidays! |
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| From Karen of Red Hook - September 2006 - Baby Shower |
| Joan and Diane, Thank you so very much for making Erin's baby shower such a special event! It was beautifully organized with many compliments expressed! Thanks again. Fondly, Karen |
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| From Dennis of Red Hook, -June 2006 |
| First Impressions was very helpful in assisting our guests, fighting fires as necessary, and keeping the entire production on schedule while we spent time with family and friends. My wife and I would highly recommend your firm to anyone in need of party planning and management. Best Wishes, Dennis |