Kind Words
“If I could sum up 6.23.18 into one word: EPIC. And it was because I had one epic wedding planner! This day exceeded my expectations - and my expectations were very high! Let’s just say that when I got a sneak peek at our reception ballroom before the reception was about to commence, I was in tears. Tears of pure happiness. It was everything I had envisioned for my wedding day and more. Ashley is able to listen to your vision and bring it to life in ways that will exceed all your expectations. I can promise you that you will not regret hiring her. ”
In the words of Miranda Priestly, “if you don’t hire her, you’re an idiot”. I was attempting to plan my wedding in Charlotte, my hometown, from my current location of Philadelphia. My mom and I decided that being an out of town bride, it was absolutely necessary to hire a wedding planner - and thank God we did! Choosing Ashley Cash of The Graceful Host as my wedding planner was the best decision I could have made! She is attentive to detail, thoughtful, organized, fabulous and most importantly, she is there is make all your wedding dreams come true. Ashley makes sure she gets to know you as a person and fully understand your vision for your wedding day so that she can help design the most beautiful day catered just for you. It was a seamless and easy planning process - need I say it was a very enjoyable process! Ashley has great relationships with vendors and is highly respected in the wedding industry. You are getting a top notch planner here people! I tend to stress out easily, but having Ashley there every step of the way made my wedding planning experience essentially stress free. She took care of EVERYTHING! On the day of, I did not have a care in the world. All I had to do was focus on marrying the man of my dreams. Ashely took care of the rest and I can say with passion that it was the absolute most magical and breathtaking day of my life. If I could sum up 6.23.18 into one word: EPIC. And it was because I had one epic wedding planner! This day exceeded my expectations - and my expectations were very high! Let’s just say that when I got a sneak peek at our reception ballroom before the reception was about to commence, I was in tears. Tears of pure happiness. It was everything I had envisioned for my wedding day and more. Ashley is able to listen to your vision and bring it to life in ways that will exceed all your expectations. I can promise you that you will not regret hiring her. 11/10 I would recommend you hire Ashley Cash to make your wedding dreams come true!
- Katie W. 6.23.18
“One of my favorite things was the design process where she laid out exactly what our venue would look like with various seating plans and design options. It’s so hard to visualize everything together but, not with Ashley’s help. The day of our wedding (4/28/18) was absolutely incredible. Ashley and her team did such a great job at putting everything together and I can honestly tell you walking into that room for the first time took my breath away. It was like she knew me and my taste better than I know myself.”
Hiring The Graceful Host was the BEST decision I could have made when planning my wedding. Ashley was always so helpful and made the whole process not only seamless but fun! She really got to know me, my husband and our families and incorporated our style into every aspect of our wedding. Her attention to detail is flawless! Planning a wedding can be so overwhelming and I truly don't know if I would have been able to do it without Ashley and her team. She will set up all of your vendor appointments, keep track of the budget and handle all of the things you would never even know to ask about. She has so much industry knowledge and will be able to point you in the right direction for all of your vendors. One of my favorite things was the design process where she laid out exactly what our venue would look like with various seating plans and design options. It's so hard to visualize everything together but, not with Ashley's help.
The day of our wedding (4/28/18) was absolutely incredible. Ashley and her team did such a great job at putting everything together and I can honestly tell you walking into that room for the first time took my breath away. It was like she knew me and my taste better than I know myself. My husband and I had the best time and will forever be thankful to Ashley and her team. My parents and I can't stop raving about Ashley and I can tell you we would hire Ashley again and again and again.
- Sarah W., 4.28.18
“She genuinely took the time to get to know me and my husband. So much so that when I went to show her my “ideal” theme of black and white, she showed me a design template of a room full of color because she knew I would love it. At that moment, I knew I was in great hands. It was EXACTLY what I wanted and I didn’t even know it!!”
BEST DECISION EVER!!! First and foremost - Ashley is the greatest human being I know. I don’t think I can find the words to explain how truly fantastic Ashley is. Ashley and I worked together for 15 months planning my wedding. She genuinely took the time to get to know me and my husband. So much so that when I went to show her my “ideal” theme of black and white, she showed me a design template of a room full of color because she knew I would love it. At that moment, I knew I was in great hands. It was EXACTLY what I wanted and I didn’t even know it!! From there she was a life saver. She thought of everything before I even could. She photoshops chairs into diagrams if you need more of a visual. She handled the budget, vendors, welcome boxes, design elements, etc. Every single detail will be done with The Graceful Host as your planner. The best part of it all - she’s a best friend when you need it. Having The Graceful Host be my planner was easily the best, and easiest, choice of my entire wedding. If you can book Ashley, do it ASAP! You will never regret it.
— Jessie P., 3.24.18
My experience with The Graceful Host was amazing. She is the most organized person I know! Not only did my wedding turn out beautifully, but it was also so relaxing and calm. I didn't have a single worry the entire day. I would HIGHLY suggest scheduling your meeting with The Graceful Host today! I am a small business owner, so I am always pressed for time and have a million things on my to do list. I love to be hands on and involved but often spread myself too thin and can't finish. That is why my experience with Ashley was amazing. I had the opportunity to give my input and make decisions but she did all of the hard work and follow through!
— Lauren W., 10.28.17
“I had the opportunity to give my input and make decisions but she did all of the hard work and follow through!”
“Our wedding was absolutely perfect! Without a doubt, far exceeded anything we could have ever attempted! ”
The Graceful Host provided a much more comprehensive set of services compared to other vendors and made the planning process extremely easy. Really loved the timeline to know what decisions were upcoming (i.e. at four months out, we will talk about the ceremony musicians) and also due dates for payments to vendors. Our wedding was absolutely perfect! Without a doubt, far exceeded anything we could have ever attempted! Ashley with The Graceful Host is the absolute best - would recommend The Graceful Host to anyone!
— Maggie O., 9.2.17
“My husband was never fond of expanding the wedding budget to accommodate a wedding designer/planner, but after the wedding, he even said, ‘she was worth double for all that she did for us’.”
I don’t know where to begin to describe how incredible Ashley was when planning our wedding. I started off as many brides do, asking the question, “where do I start?”. My advice to anyone recently engaged is, don’t wait until last minute to realize that you need a wedding planner! I interviewed over 6 wedding planners that stated I needed “partial wedding planning” and that made me nervous because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. The wedding industry is way too big for an amateur (like myself) to try to tackle. When Ashley said she only does full service planning, I was sold! Ashley, from the first email, was so attentive to our every need and wish! For two years, I was in constant communication with Ashley, whether it was a quick email, a phone call, or a text, she was always there to answer my questions and point us in the right direction. As the wedding came closer and the details were coming together, I had last minute ideas that Ashley made happen within 3-4 days of the wedding! We had an outdoor mountain wedding and the on the day of our wedding, the temperature dropped 20 degrees. Within 6 hours of our ceremony, Ashley had sides for our tent (that we didn’t get prior) delivered to the mountains and attached to the tent to help keep our guest warm. She was a lifesaver for us and our guests! Our wedding day went so smoothly for my husband and I because we didn’t have to worry about the details! We were able to enjoy every single moment with our families because Ashley and her team were working out all the details around us! My husband was never fond of expanding the wedding budget to accommodate a wedding designer/planner, but after the wedding, he even said “she was worth double for all that she did for us”. From design to executing the perfect wedding day, Ashley, The Graceful Host, is the best in the business and more importantly, she is such a beautiful and giving person at heart. You’ll want to plan weddings with her over and over again!
— Jessica B., 10.22.16
“I had the best time of my life, and felt like a queen. No stress, no surprises, just the most special, most beautiful day I could’ve ever imagined.”
I wanted the perfect wedding, I NEEDED the perfect wedding... you know what I mean? I didn't (and still don't) know the first thing about flowers, invitations, wedding etiquette, cake, fabric types, where/how/when to get all those things... how you make your wedding look like an Instagram photo, or a Pinterest page, but The Graceful Host knew. She knew all of those things, and the things you'd never think of. I didn't think it'd be "that hard" without a wedding planner, but as a consultant, traveling 80-100% of the time, combined with my blissful ignorance to the entire wedding industry, I needed a professional. Ashley was my wedding fairy and angel. Long story short I literally found a picture on Pinterest and I said, "this is what I want, Ashley and here is my budget" and the rest is history. I put full trust in her to do her job. Let the people you hire do their job right? I didn't know the fancy names of the flowers I liked or even where/who to get them from, and I didn't know the term for the pretty gold chairs I so badly wanted, or how to get them, and for the best price, but she did. She knew every little thing throughout the entire journey. She visualized my dream - and brought it to life. I didn't lift a finger on my wedding day. I didn't know when the food arrived, what time the cake came, or if anything went the slightest bit haywire. At SEVEN months pregnant she made it flawless. I had the best time of my life, and felt like a queen. No stress, no surprises, just the most special, most beautiful day I could've ever imagined. lso, she's good with numbers—and keeping everyone happy. With grace and a universal personality, I couldn't have made a better decision to have The Graceful Host plan and execute my wedding. I'm forever thankful.
— Katie W., 1.30.16
“Ashley is more than a wedding planner, she is truly a designer who creates stunningly beautiful and memorable events. I am SO HAPPY that I got to work with her.”
Easily the best decision of my wedding. Ashley truly has it all: she is organized, thoughtful, efficient, and made every detail of her services so personal. She always made me feel like I was the only bride on her schedule and showed as much excitement about the event as I did! People talk about the stress of planning a wedding and I can honestly say I did not experience that at all. Even the hard parts like seating chart were seamless because she has developed documents and tools to help you! My favorite part was talking about my vision for the event and brainstorming all the pretty details. She takes a week or two to compile everything you've discussed and then presents it all in one fabulous mock-up of every detail including a floor plan! This serves as the jumping off point to look for decor, linens, lighting, etc. and I found it SO helpful to refer to throughout the process. I would never have been able to have such a successful wedding without her. Ashley is more than a wedding planner, she is truly a designer who creates stunningly beautiful and memorable events. I am SO HAPPY that I got to work with her.
— Angela A., 4.23.16
“Walking into our ceremony space and our reception space for the first time gave me goosebumps. That is where I am convinced this woman has a magic wand. It was truly like she knew my vision better than I did.”
If I could give more than 5 stars...I would! Where to begin with this sweet sweet soul. Ashley is amazing. Detail-Oriented, Loving, Sweet, but knows how to run the show! She is just as invested as you are in making your special day more perfect than you could ever imagine. My husband and I couldn't be more happy with the memories we have our our wedding day. If anything at all went wrong, we didn't know a thing about it..because Ashley and her team were on it before it even happened!
DID I MENTION THIS MAMA was 42 weeks pregnant doing our wedding?! I mean really...she is superwoman. That did not hold her back from being every bit as present and involved in our process. I never had a worried bone in my body thinking that Ashley may not have been able to be with us on our day, as she had a detailed plan in place for her team to step up if needed. But, there she was 42 weeks pregnant and looking stunning...running the show as normal, making sure everyone around us knew what to do to make the night go off without a hitch.
She is real-life Pinterest! Any picture you show her and her team about a vision for your wedding day...she makes it happen. She worked with my husband and I asking very thought-out questions to have us explain our exact vision for our day so she could feel what we were feeling. Walking into our ceremony space and our reception space for the first time gave me goosebumps. Weddings are funny, you spend all of this time planning out how you want everything to look, and where you want everything to be, but you don't know until that day how everything is going to come together. That is where I am convinced this woman has a magic wand. Everything about the decor—every detail, every flower, every tablecloth, I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful set-up to marry the love of my life. It was truly like she knew my vision better than I did.
Every step of your wedding process you would be doing yourself a huge disservice not to use The Graceful Host. All of my friends around me planning weddings were complaining about the stress/not feeling like they have everything quite right. I didn't feel any of that. I knew I could call Ashley with any question, or read an email she had sent the night before, answering a question I hadn't thought of until the morning! She is a pro. She loves what she does and loves each and every couple that she works with. We love this girl and this company, and we highly recommend The Graceful Host to make your special day more special than even you imagined!
— Lauren P., 4.2.16
“ I honestly had the best bridal experience with basically zero stress because Ashley took care of everything, and I mean everything! Down to transportation from the venue, to all of our decor signs (she does stunning calligraphy work!), to all of the little things you might forget about it. ”
To everyone looking for help planning their big day and bringing their dream wedding to life, Ashley Cash of The Graceful Host is your girl! I was super hesitant about hiring a wedding planner when I first got engaged and thought I could plan everything all on my own, seeing as I am fairly organized and time conscious. About 4 months in to being engaged, I realized I needed help and reached out to Ashley. I had heard great things about her and seen her work in many wedding magazines/websites and was thoroughly impressed.
From my first contact with Ashley, I knew I had made the right decision to reach out to her. Not only is she always timely with her responses whether it be via email or phone and super professional; she is super friendly, bubbly, and PASSIONATE about you and your fiance and your wedding. She takes the time to get to know you on a personal level in order to get a feel for you and your individual personalities and needs. Ashley put my worries aside about a timeline and went to work on finding the absolute best vendors, and making appointments for me to meet with them (very flexible). You can 100% trust Ashley's judgement on anything from which color linens will coordinate best with your reception decor, to invitation etiquette, to what you should bring with you on the day of the wedding (most of which she will offer to bring herself, because she's that good!).
However, Ashley knows it's your and your soon to be spouses wedding, and wants to make sure every decision is yours. She wanted our wedding to reflect our own personal style and create what we had been dreaming about for years! Her advice and guidance was extremely helpful when things were a little cloudy from the stresses that come with being a bride, and she helped steer me in the right direction—I was so grateful for that. I honestly had the best bridal experience with basically zero stress because Ashley took care of everything, and I mean everything! Down to transportation from the venue, to all of our decor signs (she does stunning calligraphy work!), to all of the little things you might forget about it. She even designed and created our wedding invitation suite and it was exactly how I dreamed it would be. Ashley truly loves her brides and it was absolutely evident to me throughout our time together. She made me feel extremely special with packages in the mail that included personalized gifts and goodies, and the absolutely necessary champagne! Ashley's work is above and beyond anything you could even pin on your wedding Pinterest Board. The moment that Tyler and I saw our reception space for the first time, our jaws dropped and I was in tears. Ashley went above and beyond in creating our dream wedding space, there were so many special touches. That is a memory from the day I will truly never forget. The wedding flowed perfectly. There was not one hiccup thanks to Ashley's careful coordination and timing. My family, my husbands family, and of course my Husband and I, got to enjoy the day without worrying about anything. We were able to just soak it all in and party the night away with all of our loved ones and friends. You seriously can't put a price tag on Ashley and the work that she does. Hiring her was the best decision my Husband and I made in the entire wedding process. We are so grateful we found her! If you are considering hiring a planner for your special day, Ashley is the best in the industry, hands down.
—Megan Y., 8.14.15
“I truly had not a care in the world on wedding day, she and her team took care of everything so my daughter and I could relax and enjoy the greatest day ever! ”
I have nothing but praise for The Graceful Host! Her attention to detail and her accessibility were more than I could have hoped for. My daughter lived out of town and the wedding was in Charlotte so there were so many details to discuss and manage here and I felt overwhelmed. My daughter contacted Ashley and they just clicked and she knew exactly what my daughters vision was and found the best vendors who were all amazing! From invitations to flowers, hair and makeup to transportation, and finally to day of wedding details Ashley was great to work with! She responded quickly to texts and emails, made appointments with vendors and on the day of the wedding she was just invaluable! I truly had not a care in the world on the wedding day, she and her team took care of everything so my daughter and I could relax and enjoy the greatest day ever! Ashley thanks a million! From one happy Mother of the Bride!
— Michelle G. (mother of the bride), 7.11.15
“If anything happened that went wrong, I, as the bride, didn’t know about it and it was handled.”
TGH was amazing for me, my fiance, and both of our families! She executed our vision on our wedding day perfectly. ALL of her vendors are simply amazing and made the entire wedding process a complete breeze. The only thing that I would say was stressful about planning a wedding was the guest list, & that has NOTHING to do w/ Ashley and the Graceful Host. On the day of the wedding,everyone was super relaxed and ready to go because Ashley handled everything! If anything happened that went wrong, I, as the bride, didn't know about it and it was handled. Ashley you are amazing at what you do and I couldn't have asked for a better wedding day/planning experience.
— Shelby B., 6.11.15
“I never heard the word “no”, or “not possible”, and she made the impossible happen every time I threw a curveball at her; and all with a smile and an enthusiastic “YES!” There is no doubt you get MORE than your money’s worth when it comes to booking her services.”
There are so many decisions one makes when planning a wedding, and one of the BEST decisions I ever made was hiring Ashley Cash as my wedding planner. I don't know how she did it, but she somehow got inside my head and literally created my dream vision for my wedding day. All within my budget, which is just one of the many truly exceptional gifts she is blessed with as an event planner. From start to finish, she was responsive (which I just LOVED about her, as prompt communication to me is probably the #1 most important thing to me when planning anything), organized, and absolutely lovely to work with. I never heard the word "no", or "not possible", and she made the impossible happen every time I threw a curveball at her; and all with a smile and an enthusiastic "YES!" There is no doubt you get MORE than your money's worth when it comes to booking her services. The only advice I have for any bride fortunate enough to meet her for an interview is to book her immediately, right there in person if you can (she's popular and unfortunately there's only one of her to go around!)! After that, it is just amazing to sit back and watch your dreams come to life in Ashley's capable and talented hands. Trust me: what she suggests is pure gold and genius; she is truly an EXPERT at what she does! She has given my family, friends, husband, and I memories for a lifetime, and my husband and I will be forever grateful to her and her company for the outstanding services they offered from day one to our wedding night. She will go above and beyond to make sure every single moment and every single selection is perfect for you. Ashley: words cannot express the depths of our gratitude, but we wanted to at least try to put into words our sincere appreciation and love for you. Thank you again for everything.
— Melinda H., 5.30.15
“ All of her recommendations were excellent. We liked her ideas so much that my wife and I found ourselves saying, “Let’s just go with whatever Ashley thinks” on most decisions. The contentment and sense of ease which came from the level of trust Ashley gained from us was priceless!”
Ashley was the best decision we made. The Graceful Host gave us the wedding day we always dreamed of, and a peace of mind that is invaluable on the big day. My wife and I could not have been happier with everything Ashley planned and managed in our wedding and reception. We have so many good things to say about Ashley - her talent for envisioning, her expertise, her resources, and how much she cares about pleasing her clients. For all the major decisions such as venue, music, food, photographer, and theme Ashley would first ask us for our ideas, and then would come back with 2-3 recommendations to choose from. All of her recommendations were excellent. We liked her ideas so much that my wife and I found ourselves saying, “Let’s just go with whatever Ashley thinks” on most decisions. The contentment and sense of ease which came from the level of trust Ashley gained from us was priceless!
We gave Ashley the colors we wanted for the wedding and reception, a few ideas about the general theme, and let her run with it. She designed the entire reception concept, the wedding décor, the table arrangement, and even the flowers. And when the big day finally rolled around, we were stress-free about all the moving parts that make up a wedding day because Ashley had it all covered. We got to the venue hours before everything started, and she was out there with her “dream team” of associates and business partners making our perfect wedding come to reality. Everything went off without a hitch, if we did have any “hiccups”, we certainly didn’t know about it! We were in great hands! When it was all over and we were on our honeymoon, my wife and I both said were experiencing “Ashley withdrawals” because we had grown so accustomed her being a part of our lives and it was so sad not talking to her anymore. Some words I would use to describe Ashley: professional, experienced, trustworthy, expertise, good listener, great personality, budget-conscientious, full of ideas, timely, responsive, decisive, and willing to go the extra mile to blow you away! Thank you Ashley, from the bottom of our hearts.
— Ben L. (groom), 10.17.14
“As a bride, she made me feel special and that my wedding was just as important to her. She would always listen to my ideas and wants and then create an even better product.”
I am an organized but disorganized business owner. I am decisive but indecisive. I want to know the facts but I didn't want to do the extra work. Ashley was recommended to me and I can not begin to say how thankful I am. She was absolutely perfect. As a bride, she made me feel special and that my wedding was just as important to her. She would always listen to my ideas and wants and then create an even better product. She was the perfect match for me and we became such wonderful friends in the process. I will tell any and everyone to choose her to help create the wedding of their dreams!
— Emily Breeze R., 10.11.14
“She also goes above and beyond in showing support for the bride the weekend of the wedding. Anything I needed, she was there for me. When I was getting overwhelmed at the rehearsal, she was there for support.”
When I got engaged, I knew I would need a planner to help with the design of the wedding. I reached out to several planners one morning, and Ashley was the first to respond to my request. In fact, I believe she responded within 15 minutes of my initial email while other planners did not respond until after a few days or even a week. Ashley's promptness in her reply was impressive and after our first meeting with her, we chose The Graceful Host for the full service wedding package. Our wedding design was absolutely beautiful and something I could have never envisioned on my own. My favorite colors are red and pink—something I never would have thought suitable for wedding colors—and Ashley developed a romantic and elegant design using these colors. Ashley only works with one floral/decor vendor, New Creations Flower Company, because she's worked with them for some time and they understand her vision and are able to make Ashley's ideas come to life. I have wonderful memories of sitting at dinner at our reception and noticing how beautiful all of the details were—the flowers, candles, all of the decor. The ceremony and reception had also taken place in the same space and Ashley and her team did an amazing job with the transformation of the space during the cocktail hour. Ashley was also a key person to have throughout the wedding weekend. If anything wasn't right, she fixed it. We had our wedding in Founder's Hall and during our rehearsal you couldn't hear the officiant because the fountains were so loud. Ashley took care of the situation and had our DJ bring an extra microphone for the officiant by the next morning. There will be little obstacles during the wedding weekend, and Ashley does a fantastic job in taking care of them and making sure the process goes as smooth as possible. She also goes above and beyond in showing support for the bride the weekend of the wedding. Anything I needed, she was there for me. When I was getting overwhelmed at the rehearsal, she was there for support. The day of the wedding she helped fluff my dress and put my veil on. My wedding would not have been the same without Ashley, and I can't thank her and her team enough!
— Lauren C., 8.16.14
“It was like I didn’t even have to think to ask for something and Ashley and her team were already right next to me with what I needed.”
I'm also not one to review much online but I had to with Ashley because she was perfection. I'm a worrier and through every step of the process Ashley was there to calm me down, tell me what was important, what wasn't and to listen. I cannot tell you how smoothly my wedding day went, DESPITE a fainting uncle, almost rain and three outfit changes! It was like I didn't even have to think to ask for something and Ashley and her team were already right next to me with what I needed. She is so awesome and really genuinely cares. I love her taste, her point of view and her ever present smile! I really couldn't recommend her highly enough. Wedding planners make a wedding and getting Ashley as your wedding planner makes it EPIC.
— Lauren W., 8/9/14
“Throughout the planning process everyone commented on how calm I was and that I didn’t appear to be freaking out about my wedding like many brides. This was 110% because of Ashley. ”
I'm not the type of person that has been planning my wedding since I was a little girl, so after getting engaged and doing some research, I quickly realized I would need help. I reached out to Ashley and she proved her value to brides within the first few moments of our conversation. With her help (and guidance), I was able to plan the wedding of my dreams with as little stress as possible. Throughout the planning process everyone commented on how calm I was and that I didn't appear to be freaking out about my wedding like many brides. This was 110% because of Ashley. I've told everyone that choosing her as a wedding planner was the best decision I made after saying 'yes.' She helped me comb through my ideas early on and put a cohesive plan together that fit within my budget. She gave suggestions, ideas, and reminders along the way so that everything was done and nothing was left out. Her thoughtful and thorough nature make her particularly great to work with. My wedding day came together better than I ever could have imagined. It was exactly what my husband and I wanted, with all of the crazy details that we hoped for, and many more. On my wedding day, Ashley had everything handled so I didn't have to think about anything, including packing our car with late night snacks and our gifts. In addition to exceeding our expectations, our guests were also impressed with how well everything was handled. I will be recommending Ashley to any bride for the best wedding planning experience.
— Martha B., 6.14.14
“What sets Ashley apart is not only does she put her blood, sweat and tears in your wedding; she puts her heart and soul into making sure your wedding day is everything you ever dreamed of!”
I'm not one to write reviews but considering without the reviews on The Knot about "Graceful Host" I would have never found Ashley! First off, you will have a lot of wedding planners in Charlotte that are great. But what you won't find in those are an "Ashley"! From the very first email Ashley was organized, efficient and made it feel like we were old friends! After, the first meeting I knew needed Ashley! I had selected the majority of my vendors by the time I started working with Ashley. She immediately jumped right in and took everything off my hands. Immediately, all those wedding fears and stress was lifted off of me! What sets Ashley apart is not only does she put her blood, sweat and tears in your wedding; she puts her heart and soul into making sure your wedding day is everything you ever dreamed of! She does offer a few levels of service but I would say do nothing under the partial service because she is worth every penny and SO much more!! It was important to me to find someone that would get to know us as a couple and Ashley without beyond her "contract" with that! I am so lucky to call her a friend too from this process! Ashley knows what she is doing and she knows where to put your money to get the biggest bang for your buck! This is where she helped us the most; deciding what should be spent on each vendor according to your budget! Our final meeting before the wedding I was so impressed on how organized she had our timeline and all the details were pulled together! Speaking of details she went above and beyond pulling all those details together! Even went as far as sewing pillow covers herself and surprising us with our signature monogram decal on the mini pizza boxes for late night snacks! The day of our wedding our parents, family and all my bridal party were able to enjoy themselves just like I wanted! Ashley and her team had everything covered! There is not enough "thank yous" and dollar value I could put on how much that meant to us! "TGH" is hands down the best money you will spend on your wedding! Ashley's hard work, knowledge of the industry and creative brain in my opinion makes her the best of the best! You will not regret hiring The Graceful Host!
— Keely C., 5.31.14
“Ashley took care of things that I was never even aware needed taking care of. She is in 10 places all at once and yet always present and gives you her full attention.”
When I first got engaged I was so thrilled to be marrying the love of my life; however, I was terrified by the process of planning a wedding and I thought the task before me was going to be impossible. I was in grad school full time, working part time, and my parents lived in another state. To make matters worse, I was not one of those girls that had a vision for my wedding, knew what kind of dress or flowers I wanted, or any of that stuff. I didn't know the difference between a buffet or station style. How to address an envelope, or that postcards require fewer postage than a regular letter. I didn't know how to bustle a dress or what would be the best way to use my budget. And then I called the Graceful Host. From our first discussion, I realized that NOTHING is impossible when you have an Ashley. I have been to a lot of weddings. I have been a bridesmaid, a guest, and a bride. All of the weddings that I have been a part of have had "wedding planners," but none have had an Ashley. Without an Ashley, brides spend the night before their big day approving table settings and making last minute layout changes, transportation vendors don't show up where and when they are supposed to, ceremony music gets messed up, cocktail hour turn into 2, parents race back and forth putting out little fires, brides hire DJs that just can't seem to get themselves together (let alone get a party going), caterers forget to put out food... I could go on and on. At our wedding, my husband and I, our families, and wedding party all were able to really enjoy and cherish each moment of our day. Ashley took care of things that I was never even aware needed taking care of. She is in 10 places all at once and yet always present and gives you her full attention. Don't get me wrong, all of the weddings I have been to have been fine. No runaway brides or major disasters; however at each event there was definitely something, a feeling, a level of preparedness, a flow that was missing. I have come to realize there is only one Graceful Host and only one Ashley and I cannot imagine my wedding (the planning or the day) without her!
— Taylor F., 5.17.14
“From her ability to pull all the ideas together, to her impeccable attention to detail and design, our wedding was more beautiful than I could have imagined and we didn’t worry about a thing the entire weekend.”
I chose Ashley as our planner after interviewing a couple other wedding planners. After our initial consult, I knew she was exactly what we were looking for in a planner. From her ability to pull all the ideas together, to her impeccable attention to detail and design, our wedding was more beautiful than I could have imagined and we didn't worry about a thing the entire weekend. Ashley literally became a lifesaver when a month before the wedding, my work hours went crazy and the weeks leading up to our wedding were 80 hours each. She took everything off my plate and carried it off without a hitch!
Ashley's personal touch on our wedding included her beautiful escort card display of maps, the luggage tag escort cards that she made look like real ones including string, and the table numbers that included airport codes of our favorite places in the world. I don't believe I would have been chosen as the cover for Carolina Bride if it was not for her marrying all the beautiful details together. Our wedding celebration was stress-free because we had complete faith in her and her team, and they absolutely delivered. We will definitely be recommending Ashley Cash at The Graceful Host to any of our friends that will be getting married!
— Veronica G., 4.26.14
“Ashley is super creative, with excellent taste, and created watercolor and calligraphy seating chart and table numbers that I had only casually mentioned in our planning meeting months ago”
Ashley of the Graceful Host was a superb wedding planner! From the very initial phone call, she was enthusiastic and easy to talk with. We live 8 hours away and I could not have planned our wedding in Charlotte without her help. With my now-husband and my difficult work schedules, we were only able to spend one week in Charlotte to meet with the vendors. Ashley not only suggested many excellent vendors but also met with all of them with us, securing all the major pieces of the wedding 6 months ahead (out of an 8 month engagement). Despite the distance, Ashley and I stayed in close communication and I felt absolutely at ease throughout the planning process. The wedding weekend was amazing! We weren't even aware that our guitarist never showed up until after the wedding! That's how smoothly Ashley and her team executed the event. Ashley is super creative, with excellent taste, and created watercolor and calligraphy seating chart and table numbers that I had only casually mentioned in our planning meeting months ago. These are just a few examples of countless hours of work and thought that she put into our wedding. All of our guests and family loved and enjoyed the day! Ashley is so hard working, patient, and organized. I could not say enough wonderful things about her and her company!
— Mia Y., 4.19.14
“Everything about our wedding was exactly as I imagined...She took my vision of Pinterest and emails and helped me put it into a day.”
I don't even know where to begin! Everything about our wedding was exactly as I imagined, and I give Ashley all of the credit. She took my vision of Pinterest and emails and helped me put it into a day. She got me in touch with the best vendors in Charlotte and put my mind at ease. With family living out of town, it meant so much to have someone in Charlotte who knew the ins and outs of the local vendors. I could go on and on, but I think her work speaks for itself. I would recommend her to everyone (and I recommend her to everyone I talk to).
— Katie C., 4.5.14
Ashley is amazing. She and I planned my wedding hundreds of miles apart. She was always attentive, professional and soooo sweet. I was a nervous wreck at times and she constantly assured me that everything would be perfect and it was. Every single one of my vendors, down to my invitations was somebody she referred and they were amazing. My centerpieces were even featured online at Glamour Magazine, and they were created by the florist she referred. My vision was executed perfectly and the day of my wedding the most reassuring thing was Ashley telling me to breathe deeply right before I made my grand entrance. Everyone needs an Ashley when getting married!
— Whitley S., 3.22.14
“My vision was executed perfectly and the day of my wedding the most reassuring thing was Ashley telling me to breathe deeply right before I made my grand entrance. Everyone needs an Ashley when getting married!”
“We were thrilled with the design on paper as well as the details we discussed but seeing everything come together on our wedding day took my breath away. Ashley even managed to include some surprises she knew I would love. ”
I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to work with such an amazing wedding coordinator! I contacted The Graceful Host, needing help with design and day of coordination. I had so many ideas but no clue how to make all those ideas into a cohesive design plan. I met with Ashley twice sharing my thoughts, ideas and concerns. Ashley was able to take those two meetings and come up with a design for my wedding day that perfectly represented my fiancé and I. We were thrilled with the design on paper as well as the details we discussed but seeing everything come together on our wedding day took my breath away. Ashley even managed to include some surprises she knew I would love.
Beyond Ashley's design talents, she was exceptional with coordination as well. I honestly had no stress about how things were coming together or worries about the schedule because Ashley handled everything and seemed so calm and in control the entire time. We received so many compliments from family, friends, and other vendors confirming what we already knew, The Graceful Host was the best wedding decision we made!
— Brandy I., 9.7.13
“When we walked into the reception space we were absolutely floored! The room looked better than we could ever have imagined.”
We decided to get married here in Charlotte, NC—it sounded GREAT, until we realized we had no family close enough to help us with the planning! After doing some research on my own, I decided we needed a wedding planner that was familiar with the area and had insight into what the local vendors had to offer. Choosing The Graceful Host was the best decision we could have made. After inquiring about more information, Ashley contacted me immediately by phone and we had a meeting set up for 2 days later. At our very first meeting she came prepared with 5 different venue options based upon our phone conversation! She answered all of our questions promptly and listened to our concerns; she was by our sides through every step of the wedding planning process. The vendors that she works with are the BEST in Charlotte and everyone was wonderful. When we walked into the reception space we were absolutely floored! The room looked better than we could ever have imagined. Ashley is professional, organized and most importantly so much fun to work with! It really felt like we were working with a close friend. Ashley with TGH really did make our fairytale wedding come to life! Thanks Ashley!
— Stephanie H., 6.8.13
“They were able to take all of my half formed ideas and put them together with their own wonderful ideas and large quantities of talent to make our dream wedding day a reality.”
We loved working with Ashley of The Graceful Host! From helping us with design ideas to completely managing the set up, flow and break down of our wedding day, they were both amazing to work with and exceeding all our expectations. They were able to take all of my half-formed ideas and put them together with their own wonderful ideas and large quantities of talent to make our dream wedding day a reality. We could not have done it without them!
— Katie K., 11.10.12