Apr 20
10 Celebrity Wedding Planners You Need to Know
By Wedding Spot
Celebrity wedding planners are responsible for some of the most beautiful and magazine-worthy events we’ve ever seen. And their services aren’t usually limited to “only” celebrities, so if you’d like to hire one for your big day, we can assure you that you won’t be disappointed. But, depending on your budget, there are lots of ways to pick a talented planner with similar styles or specialties as well. The trick is to identify what you like best about a planner’s work (besides the fact that it’s so fabulous) and find someone whose portfolio matches your wishlist.
To help you get a better understanding of “who’s who” when it comes to celebrity wedding planners, we put together this detailed list of professionals for you to enjoy. Some of these planners have famous clientele and some of them are famous in their own right, but either way, they offer plenty of drool-worthy gems you have to see to believe.
Keep reading to discover who they are, some of the celebrities that they’ve worked with, what makes them stand out, and more.
Discover 10 of top celebrity wedding planners in the world:
1. Colin Cowie
Colin Cowie has designed incredible events for Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, and plenty of other non-Jennifer A-listers (Lil Wayne, Kim Kardashian, and Oprah Winfrey, to name a few). With 30 years of experience, Cowie and his team provide the full suite of event planning services, including, but not limited to, destination events, floral and decor, and a package that offers “the ultimate in privacy and opulence as well as unpublished locations and venues not readily available in the market.”
What to look for: Planners who are willing to travel and bring plenty of knowledge with them. Cowie and his team bring an exciting mixture of experience, versatility, and flexibility to everything they do.
2. Jennifer Zabinski
Jennifer Zabinski of JZ Events has a client list that includes Serena Williams and Meghan Markle. Need we say more? Her services include full-scale wedding planning, budget management, destination programming, transportation, and welcome gift design, to name a few. Zabinski and her team are unique in that they offer full-scale planning for both large and small events.
What to look for: Someone who can take care of every little detail. Not every full-scale event planning agency can offer their skills for intimate gatherings, too, so if you plan to have a small wedding and want to work with Zabinski or someone like her, you’ll need to check on this detail when you first reach out.
3. Marcy Blum
Marcy Blum is said to have helped everyone from LeBron James to the Rockefeller family make their wedding and event dreams come true. Her own claim to fame, besides her star-studded clientele, is producing “parties that guests will talk about for years to come.” Blum’s unique blend of experience as a graduate of Culinary Institute of America, plus her flair for the theatrical and ability to perfect an atmosphere all while keeping her ideas practical, make her one of the world’s most sought-after celebrity wedding planners.
What to look for: In Blum’s own words, “our events innovate, rather than follow trends.” Look for wedding planners like Blum who have artistic backgrounds or have worked in related fields and who are just as concerned about the vibe of the event as they are about how you can reasonably put it all together.
4. David Tutera
David Tutera is a wedding planner, mentor, and international event expert with over 30 years of experience. Honored by Life & Style Magazine as “best celebrity wedding planner,” he has been involved in weddings or events for clients like Elton John, Matthew McConaughey, Zendaya, Star Jones, and more. His clients have enjoyed his high level of creativity coupled with his unique ability to both plan and produce the events he works on.
What to look for: Event planners like Tutera are great at balancing big-picture ideas with intricate details all while communicating with vendors, orchestrating event staff, and working with the venue. Seek out professionals who have, and can contribute, event production experience to your wedding.
5. Ali Barone
Ali Barone is a former television producer and set design grad turned wedding planner who has helped major brands such as VH1, TLC, and Comedy Central. If you’re a fan TLC’s “While You Were Out,” you might recognize her as a former cast member. Her experiences and talents have helped her build a thriving event company in the New York metropolitan area. Her gorgeous portfolio includes many classy, themed weddings and glamorous New York styles. Plus, she now offers planning and design for micro weddings!
What to look for: Event planners like Barone who paid their dues in the entertainment industry are great at working within tight budgets under a lot of pressure while producing A+ results. Finding someone with experience in this field is a huge win.
6. Colleen Kennedy Cohen
TV power couple Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk enlisted Colleen Kennedy Cohen for their Hamptons celebration. Cohen has a unique and interesting background as a high fashion brand event planner. Her past experience includes working with Vogue, Yves Saint Laurent, and Cartier, to name a few. When you see her portfolio filled with 100+ lightbulb chandeliers, roasted root vegetables, and custom neon signs, it’s obvious how stylish yet fun all of her events are.
What to look for: Planners who have worked in fashion or branding understand how to make an event pop with personal details that are completely unique without being too over the top. If you want to work with Cohen or someone like her, make sure you put whimsy at the top of your list.
7. Bryan Rafanelli
Bryan Rafanelli is perhaps best known for his work on Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky’s wedding, but Rafanelli Events has produced more than 2,000 events, ranging from 15-15,000 attendees, across 50 cities and nine countries. His planning philosophy revolves around creating a customized approach and paying careful attention to every detail to ensure each event is unforgettable.
“My team listens to what you’re imagining and then comes back with an idea you never expected,” he says. “We hone in on every last detail so we can always deliver clients the highest level of service.”
The Rafanelli team’s wide array of services include everything from arrival gifts to videography and everything you can think of in between.
What to look for: Like the Rafanelli Events website says, your wedding is your wedding, not a Rafenelli wedding. Meaning it should look and feel like you and not an event planner’s signature. Any wedding planner who offers this much customization for both design and services is a great catch in our book.
8. Ed Libby
Ed Libby is an event professional who began his career in floral design and brought his sense of color, scale, and beauty to the greater event planning world throughout his career. Perhaps the most amazing service he and his team offer is in-house designing. They’re able to fabricate furniture and even offer printing services, to name just a few of the options they have available. Past clients include Kelsey Grammer and Carmelo Anthony.
What to look for: You know an Ed Libby event when you see one, as it often has a grand, larger-than-life focal point and is dripping with both florals and style. If you’re in love with this style, search for wedding planners with designs that feature plenty of natural elements, play with levels visually throughout the space, and look like a scene from a movie.
9. Joy Proctor
Joy Proctor has designed upscale weddings for celebrities like Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas. On her website, Proctor mentions her services are “for couples with impeccable taste and socially conscious brands.” Her style focuses on creating intimacy for any sized event. Proctor and her team design around the location itself, both in terms of venue and geography, to create a truly one-of-a-kind experience. Overall, the Proctor design aesthetic is understated yet feminine, and immersed in culture.
What to look for: Experts like Proctor are considered trendsetters because they have a signature method that works within a set of parameters (in this case her taste for romantic elements and designs rooted in history) to create works of art out of each and every wedding. Look for a portfolio filled with soft details, natural touches, and designs that accentuate your chosen venue.
10. Kevin Lee
Kevin Lee is a luxury and celebrity wedding and event planner with clients like Drew Barrymore, Wolfgang Puck, Liz Taylor, and Tom Cruise. If you’re a fan of Real Housewives, you might already be familiar with his work. Lee’s primary services are development, management, and logistics; production and design; and consultation and integration. When you think of Kevin Lee, you think of elegance and innovation.
What to look for: Planners who offer comprehensive services in each major event category. If you need help with a couple of major areas but not all of them, going with a wedding planner like Kevin Lee is a great strategy for saving money on a full-scale agency.
Frequently asked questions about celebrity wedding planners:
How much do celebrity wedding planners cost?
It varies based on the planner, location, services offered, budget, and a handful of other factors. However, celebrity wedding planners tend to make more than “traditional” wedding planners due to the simple fact that celebrities typically have a large wedding budget. For example, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s wedding cost somewhere between $584,000 and $800,000, according to Insider, and wedding planners typically make around 15% of a wedding’s overall budget.
Can anyone hire a celebrity wedding planner?
Typically, yes! The majority of celebrity wedding planners offer their services to non-A-listers as well.
Now you know all about some of the world’s top celebrity wedding planners!
Celebrity weddings and celebrity wedding planners represent the best there is in upscale events, which is why they’re such a great source of inspiration. Now that you have a good idea of who’s who among celebrity wedding planners, make sure you take a peek at our favorite celebrity wedding venues, too. And don’t forget to add some of these celebrity wedding dresses to your Pinterest board!
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The Wedding Spot blog is designed to help couples navigate every step of the wedding planning journey. From before the engagement to after you say “I do,” our goal is to give you the tips, ideas, and inspiration to prepare for your big day — and all that comes with it.