Testimonials
"Symone (and her team) is INCREDIBLE, 15/10 would recommend, absolutely hire her to plan your wedding!
We live in Philadelphia, but for various reasons threw our wedding party in Birmingham. I knew I would need someone full time on the ground who was familiar with Bham vendors, and I couldn't have chosen a better person.
I also knew I was going to throw a bit of a curve ball; we wanted nothing that was traditionally "bridal." I was wearing a gold gown, and wanted lots of sparkle and glam, dark and fully saturated florals, more of a celebratory gala vibe than a wedding reception. I knew the vibe I wanted but didn't have a super detailed vision, but after a few phone calls Symone sent over a design proposal, and when I say she nailed it, y'all she NAILED it. Things I hadn't even thought of, but were so perfect (like 13 disco balls suspended from a black-draped ceiling with spotlights — can you even?!).
Execution was flawless. Symone was incredibly communicative, and handled my million-and-one questions (mainly due to throwing a party while Omicron was raging) and last minute requests with aplomb. Flustered is not a word in her vocabulary, for sure. Her team, though we didn't meet them until day-of, were ON IT, and kept the day flowing with ease as far as we could tell. Everything really was perfect.
In addition to her impeccable planning and execution skills, Symone is one of the most warm, welcoming, friendly, like-able people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. In her you'll find an incredible planner, yes, but also a friend, cheerleader, hype-woman — I can honestly say I'm sad our party is over mainly because now we don't have anything to work on together!"
~ Maria M.
"Symone and her team planned my March 12, 2022 wedding. To say they did great is an understatement! From day one they went above and beyond to make our day special and ease our worries.
I’m an ICU nurse, so automatically I’m a Type - A micromanager. I thought surely Symone was going to get frustrated with me overlooking and planning every single detail. However, Symone showed me up with her detailed timelines and checklists! These eased my mind with my personality, but would also be extremely helpful to someone with the complete opposite personality. Symone’s patience and attention to detail was so appreciated.
Wedding planning was so much better with her help. Most emails, appointments, and vendors were communicated with to the point where really all I had to do was sign contracts and show up. Symone was always available to answer my questions and have chats to ease my mind when I felt overwhelmed.
The day of the wedding was amazing! Everything was taken care of down to the little details. Every vendor Symone recommended was also perfect! The occasions team was on top of everything and made me feel like a princess because anything I needed was there within minutes. Also, LaLa will be your ultimate hype girl! There is literally nothing that I could complain about for our wedding day, which I know is rare! I think this is all because of the amazing Occasions team working so hard to make everything perfect."
~ Bailee H.
"Symone and her team planned my wedding (April 30, 2022) and did an amazing job! Symone thinks of EVERYTHING and does a great job covering all the bases. She makes it look effortless, she remains calm and professional, but she also provides support and understanding. I asked the same questions over and over and I was sometimes slow moving and she remained patient and understanding (as did her staff). She was warm and professional...which is exactly what you need as a bride stressing about wedding details! Everything went off smoothly and easily. The women on her team are also a true pleasure to work with. So nice to have calm, competent, and friendly people around you on your big day. She also works so well with vendors, designers, and family members. It takes a certain type of person to be so organized and thorough AND have the people skills to plan a wedding....Symone is that person. I felt completely at ease letting her handle all the details and I would recommend Occasions to anyone and everyone!"
~ Hansell H.
"Our Wedding Day was a dream thanks to the amazing Symone Shaw and her team at Occasions with Symone Shaw! She is incredible and a master of her craft. Symone worked her magic in transforming all my ideas and thoughts into a reality. I remember the day I received the design she created - it was PERFECT! She incorporated every.bit.of.my vision and MORE! I got teary - eyed when I saw the set up on the day of the wedding. She executed that plan to a T.
Symone is a creative genius and one of the kindest, most positive, real and calm people you will ever work with. We had a few changes along the way and Symone was patient, understanding and most of all, handled them all. In addition, she has your best interest at heart in every vendor selection, design detail, and of your budget (something that was very important to me). Further, she has an incredible team that not only takes care of every detail during the day of the wedding, but they are so sweet and supportive.
Working w/ Occasions with Symone Saw, I didn’t just get a wedding planner, I gained a friend. If you are on the fence or even entertaining the idea of a wedding planner, please please contact Symone! You will be blown away!"
~ Anisa S.
"Our wedding day was absolutely perfect and beyond beautiful! Occasions with Symone Shaw planned our 10/22/22 wedding. The full service package was a no brainer for us!
I fully trusted Symone and she helped pull together a vision I didn’t even know I had. She connected us with the best vendors and handled all the behind the scenes communications with them!
The day of was so smooth. Her and her team were spread out to make sure all timelines were met. We had someone with us at all times to make sure we knew what was next. The Occasions team was positive, helpful and professional all day long!
Never would I ever think planning a wedding in 10 months would come so easy! They took all the stress away from start to finish. Don’t think twice about working with Symone and her team! You won’t regret it!"
~ Melanie M.
"Symone and her whole crew made our wedding day PERFECT!! I didn’t have to worry about one single thing that day, and she exceeded the vision I had for our venues. In the words of my mom, “I’m not sure how other wedding planners would’ve been, but there’s no way anyone could have been better than Occasions!” I cannot say enough good things about everything they did, and being able to actually enjoy our wedding was SO worth it."
~ Abbi S.