Testimonials

- Sarah D.

"The greatest planner in the freaking universe is Lisa Mattera. We had grand ideas for our wedding, with little time to put into planning, Lisa was a GODSEND. She was chipper, hyper-organized and followed up with us when we’d forgotten to do something (like, pick a first dance song), she literally held our wedding together with gorilla glue. She asked questions we hadn’t considered (“how do you see the order of the wedding processional {we didn’t have a wedding party}” - “ummmm idk what should we do?”), she was patient, so chill, our wedding guru. We cannot recommend her more. She is the most amazing, super communicator, answer wizard, most incredible planner we could’ve possibly dreamed up. To say we needed her and you do too is an under statement. She pulled off a STUNNING wedding with 4 locations around the property, and knew how to handle the logistics, like where all the equipment should go, like heaters, chairs, soft seating for non-dancers… and to boot, the weather situation was changing every 30 seconds in the days before. She was calm, fast, and had a plan c to every plan b, this woman has PLANS. They’re literally drawn out and she’s already communicated them to all involved before you finish reading this review. I can’t imagine our day going off as smoothly & beautifully without her. Stop looking for a planner, Lisa’s your gal. If you’re lucky enough to book her before everyone else does, that is! "

-Sonya Y.

"We had a small wedding (55) and debated on whether we needed a coordinator or not. If you’re on the same boat, hire Lisa!! All the little details you never think of, she is thinking about and organizing. She used to do events for attorneys so if that’s any indication of “does she work well under pressure?” - she definitely can. Being a first time bride, our first couple interactions were a bit chaotic. But Lisa reassured me that it’s always chaotic but it will all be bucketed and seamless day of. We had the pleasure of having all our original plans fall through the day of (tables not fitting in the space for dinner, grass was muddy and moving ceremony indoors) but Lisa spent the time to replan everything, give me ideas, and maintained her composure. And then day of, she shows up, I walk her through the final details and she just executed. She executed so well that I barely even saw her! The transitions were seamless and quick. Once we settled down into dinner, she made sure to check in on us and kept our glasses full. I am seriously so happy with how the evening turned out and that I met Lisa! Can’t recommend her enough and would def use her again for any other event that I may host in the future! "

- Serena F.

"I will start off by saying that I usually never write reviews, but I needed to with Lisa. From start to finish, Lisa was spectacular. I originally was only going to have a planner for the day of the wedding but after my fiancé and I met Lisa we decided to have her take the reins and help with the planning of everything. It was the best decision we made. There are so many things that involve putting together a large wedding. We had 150 guests that we needed taken care of. Lisa listened to what we wanted and what our vision for the wedding was and helped to put it together. She helped me pick out the rest of the vendors we needed. The biggest was the catering. I had no idea all the extra things that were involved when having an event catered. Lisa helped with all of it. Her communication though out the entire process was amazing. We communicated through email, phone and in person. She took over communication with all the vendors, which was a huge help. My fiancé and I run our own business and that takes up most of our time. So not having to communicate back and forth was a huge help. We could not have pulled off the wedding of our dreams without her. We were married in September this year and the day of the wedding went off without any problems. If there were any, I never heard of it. It was amazing. Lisa was one of the first people to show up. She helped with the arrival of all the vendors. She made sure everyone, and everything was getting done exactly as we wanted. The best part was that all our vendors were amazing. Everything was done as we had envisioned it. Lisa was also one of the last people to leave. Before she did, she helped pack up all the leftover food, decorations, and flowers that we wanted to keep and take home with us. She placed everything in our tent so it would be ready to pack in our truck the next morning when we left. I never expected that. That is just one of the many small and huge things that she did to make our perfect day even more perfect. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without her. Thank you, Lisa, for everything!"

- Jamie V.

"Lisa is the absolute best! She is so organized I had all the confidence that the details were being handled. Planning a wedding is stressful, but Lisa made it feel easy. From the beginning, she listened to my vision, brought top-notch vendors for us to choose from, provided timelines and To Do lists, and executed day-of like the pro she is. On our wedding day, I didn't even think about logistics or preparation and just got to enjoy! If you're planning a wedding or big event and want someone fun and experienced, Lisa should be top of your list!"

- Amir A.

"Lisa is an absolute superstar!! We began working with her in March for an August wedding, and this didn't seem to phase her one bit. Communicating with her throughout the process was effortless, she has a masterful organizational style, and she was able to connect us with the exact vendors we wanted for our wedding. She was always available to listen to our ideas and needs. And she stuck with us all the way through wedding day and night! It's so clear that Lisa is passionate about her work. She's a true professional. We're so grateful to have hired her as our wedding planner; it honestly would not have been possible without her and her dedicated team. We couldn't recommend working with her more. Perfect 5 stars. Thank you so much Lisa :)"

-Sonya Y.

-Judith C.

"My partner rarely leaves reviews so the fact that he was eager to write Lisa a positive review speaks volumes! Not only was she extremely detail-oriented, professional, and highly organized, she was warm and such a joy to work with. Her skills and personality make her the perfect match for the event planning industry! While we hired Lisa for her day-of coordination services, we felt that we got more of a third partner to work with in planning our tight-budget wedding. We found her website online and gambled on her, just as she did with us and our DIY-heavy & minimalistic event. She maintained open communication and shared so much of her experience with us, which helped ease many decisions. Closer to the date, I also appreciated that she managed my expectations and stress levels by normalizing last minute changes and jumping quick to offering options for problem-solving. During the day-of, Lisa stayed flexible and attentive; she handled everything that was thrown her way (including by me) with grace and patience. Lastly, don’t be too surprised when she matches your energy and excessive use of dad jokes. She's awesome!"

- Cydney S.

"Lisa was absolutely awesome and essential in the planning of our wedding. She was both professional and fun to work with. She listened to our vision and helped us create it. We couldn't have done it without her!"

- Amanda O.

"I fully recommend Lisa's wedding services. She was thorough and precise. She thought of the littlest details we would never have thought of and she was very responsive. The day went smoothly and I was able to enjoy my wedding knowing she had everything under control. I could not be happier with the service we received."

- S. Wieden

"Lisa did an outstanding job of putting together all the details of our Aunt's Celebration of Life. She definitely knows her stuff and I couldn't have done it without her! When changes had to be made to our schedule, she was right on top of accommodating our needs, did not panic - and enabled us to have a smooth sailing event. Lisa has a wonderful eye for decorations and event venues. We can't recommend her highly enough!"

- Kate G.

"My husband and I were on the fence about whether to hire a wedding planner, and oh my gosh are we glad we hired Lisa! Throughout the whole planning process she was always promptly responsive and had great insight into event planning that we would not have thought of. We wanted a less traditional, though still large (200ish) wedding, and Lisa was amazing at coordinating venders, had creative suggestions, but also did not try to sway us into elements to the day we did not want for ourselves. Day of I had multiple guests comment on how relaxed I seemed and I largely attribute it to Lisa's expert day of planning and coordination behind the scenes. I danced the night away and Lisa ensured the event went off without a hitch!"

- Kate M.

"We cannot recommend Lisa enough. First and foremost, she is a joy to work with and made our wedding planning process way more fun than stressful. Her decades of experience putting on events in Portland helped us select vendors with confidence (as she had personally worked with many), even on a short timeline (4 months). We were hesitant at first with which package to go with, not knowing how much help we really needed, but were so happy we chose the full service/Signature Package. Lisa did all the heavy lifting and we just needed to weigh in and choose from her list of options. Lisa also strikes the perfect ‘sounding board’ balance – offering her valuable perspective while helping us bring our vision to life. Day-of, Lisa ran the show in her cool, calm, and collected manner, allowing us to soak everything in knowing she had everything covered. Lisa brings a warm, fun professionalism to the wedding planning process we so appreciated, our day would not have been the same without her."

-Tara O'Hanlon

"I have known Lisa as an excellent corporate event planner for many years and had no doubt she would pull off my insane wedding planning needs: 300+ guests, corporate event space never used for a wedding before, no plans for food/drinks/music/rehearsal dinner for 60 people/winging a ceremony at a public beach/no dress let alone flowers/décor/etc. When I reached out to Lisa for help, we had finally sent out email invitations for a wedding LESS THAN 30 DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING. Friends and family doubted whether this could physically be pulled off – but I had a secret weapon – Lisa and her team that travelled from Portland to Seattle to make the day seamless, elegant, and the best time. Did I mention Lisa was double-booked hosting another colleagues’ wedding down in Portland on the same day? I am forever grateful that she not only accepted my outrageous request but executed through her organization, creativity, and fun-loving attitude that made it such a joy to work with her despite the pressures I created. I just attended a Holiday party for my work also hosted by Lisa and it too was an amazing event and that is because Lisa excels at this work. Thanks Lisa and see you at the next party!!"

-Joshua Kim

"Hello, my name is Joshua Kim and I had the blessing to be taken care of by Lisa at my recent wedding. Everything written by the reviews below is true; my wife and I read them and were convinced Lisa was the right choice. Lisa emanates professionalism; her ability to take our vision, digest it, and provide thoughtful insight as how to elevate that vision was something I especially appreciated. She truly provides unlimited communication, and she is up most hours of the day given our email history. She provided an environment where messaging her about any questions was easy. Lisa is a hustler, a fighter, and a visionary and she did it all on our behalf and I felt incredibly secure about my wedding day knowing that Lisa had our backs. During the day- she was checking on us to make sure we were fed and hydrated, frankly, the myth that the couples don't get to eat seemed like a myth to me afterwards- I ate, drank, and was able to relax for the entire wedding day. I can't speak to her abilities compared to other wedding coordinators- I've only worked with one wedding coordinator, but based on what my wife and I read about what to look for in a wedding coordinator, Lisa executed perfectly. The only issue with Lisa is that at times, she may make your other vendors seem less dedicated. She brought a backpack with various supplies to support us throughout the day. Whether it was a bar to keep our energy up while we prepared, scissors for decoration adjustments, and plenty of other emergency supplies she listed off that weren't pertinent to us, but could very well save stress and time in a pinch. Her energy was high, positive and motivated while providing a sense of security, peace, and care. I'd also like to add that as an asian couple, we had many difficult to pronounce names. I'm convinced that she phonetically wrote down each of the names during one of our phone calls- so that on the day of our rehearsal, she was able to pronounce and direct with ease and clarity. If I had to entertain the idea of a competition of wedding coordinators and the quality of service they provide, I would put my money down on Lisa Mattera every time. Choosing Lisa to coordinate your special event is like choosing rock when you know your opponent will choose scissors. There is no way you will lose- unless you are in some alternate universe that makes no sense. Thank you Lisa.

- Erica F.

"I'm soooooo grateful my daughter hired Lisa to coordinate her wedding. With Lisa running the show, everything went smoothly, and I was able to focus my energy on enjoying the day with my daughter. Don't hesitate to book Lisa for your event! She has years of event planning experience that you will benefit from in countless, unpredictable ways! From her stellar communication and organization to her kind, loving, patient demeanor, her skills and attributes will all work to ensure you have a wonderful experience. As the mother of the bride, I especially treasured the stress-free, focused time I was able to spend with my daughter on her special day. Rather than worry about timelines and vendors, I was able to be fully present with my daughter and truly enjoy celebrating her and her husband's wedding day. Honestly, Lisa's presence and skills took all the weight off my shoulders. THANK YOU, LISA!!!! I encourage you to give yourself a tremendous gift and hire Lisa to coordinate your wedding or any event. How fortunate we were to learn about her and engage her services."

- Valerie T.

"We hired Lisa to coordinate our December 2021 wedding ceremony and our fall 2022 wedding reception. We couldn’t be happier with this decision! Even during our introductory phone call, it was clear that Lisa had fallen in love with our vision for our wedding just as much as we had. She suggested vendors, reviewed all our contracts before we signed them, communicated with vendors and researched, purchased, and designed decorations within our budget. She is our biggest advocate and hype woman! Every part of our wedding day was beautiful and ran so smoothly, thanks to Lisa. She brought so much peace of mind to our wedding-planning process, and we felt like we were truly able to relax and focus on being present on our wedding day. We can’t wait to plan our upcoming reception with Lisa!"

- Lisa Peterson

"Less than three months before the wedding, Lisa came to our rescue and provided more assistance than we even realized we needed. She stepped in and took over, coordinating details with all of our vendors and organizing every aspect of how the day was to run. Lisa made sure all of our plans for the reception were carried out smoothly and professionally.

From the cocktail area to the dinner and dancing area, all were set up as we hoped, and she orchestrated the entire evening so beautifully. We applaud Lisa for her ability to manage things that might not have gone as planned.

We had a bit of a wind issue on the big day and Lisa was able to think quickly on her feet and adjust the décor and table arrangements, as needed. I am immensely thankful to Lisa that I was able to enjoy my daughter's wedding and not worry about a thing. We highly recommend her services to anyone in need of a great event coordinator."

- Riona & Logan

"Lisa did an amazing job helping us plan our special day! She guided us through the wedding planning process and assisted in various ways throughout, including setting up our wedding website, encouraging us regarding our wedding planning timeline she developed for us, helping us coordinate vendors and find a venue, recommending tips and tricks for success, connecting us with other wedding industry professionals such as our photographer, and helping us on the big day itself with all the little details.

I would recommend Lisa to anyone who is planning their wedding, because she was efficient and fun to work with and knew just what was needed at each step of the process."

- Jason Fellman-J-Fell Presents

"I've had the pleasure of working on many events with Lisa Mattera over the years, and I always look forward to how well organized she is, and how smoothly everything happens when she is running the show. I highly recommend Lisa for anyone looking to ensure their special event is a low-stress success!"

- David Efaw Productions

"Over the past 20 years, we have had the pleasure of working in the event world with Lisa Mattera. Over this time with countless events, we have found Lisa to be organized, a great communicator, friendly, flexible, on time, and always a team player with the clients' needs in mind. Weddings and corporate events can be very stressful at times, but Lisa never lets that affect the day. She has always been one of our favorite people to work with in the industry⁠—a true professional. If you bring Lisa on to run your event, you can rest assured everything will be taken care of, and the event will be a total success!"

- Lexi B.

"We cannot recommend Lisa enough! She was the best decision my husband and I made for our wedding (other than marrying each other), and I genuinely mean that with 100% honesty. So many of our guests said our wedding was the best they had ever attended, and I'm confident Lisa had a lot to do with that. She is incredibly communicative, responsive, professional, attentive, and also hilarious, which all made our wedding planning process much less stressful. I promise you that as prepared for your wedding or other event as you think you are, there are a million vital details you haven't thought of that Lisa thankfully will. She is very organized and clearly outlines tasks that need to be done after phone calls, and was very thorough in following up with us and our vendors. She really went above and beyond and I was constantly impressed with how many tasks she handled for us, and when we weren't sure about what to do, she had plenty of previous examples to help guide us through the process. Her years of experience with events is very clear and she literally thinks of EVERYTHING so that we don't have to. The big day went perfectly and we didn't have to worry about a thing because Lisa was on top of it. If you do only one thing for your wedding or other event, it should be to hire Lisa. The rest will fall into place with her expertise. Lisa, we cannot thank you enough for making our big day absolutely perfect!"

- Diana S.

"Lisa is the best!! My husband and I could not have pulled our wedding off without Lisa. She thought of so many details we would have missed if we tried piecing everything together ourselves. She worked so hard the night before our wedding putting the last details together so it would go smoothly the day of. She is very good at encouraging food, drink, and downtime at your wedding so you are able to enjoy every minute of it!! We could not have imagined our wedding day without Lisa. :)"

- Jill R.

"I can't say enough amazing things about Lisa! We hired her as a day-of coordinator, but she truly made us feel like she was with us every single step of the way, even months before the wedding. Her relationship with us, professionalism, and consideration of every little detail was beyond my expectations. Trust me, she will go above and beyond for you. Our wedding day was perfect and felt seamless to us because she was completely ON IT. No wedding ever goes exactly as planned, and Lisa was flexible and calm whenever an obstacle was in our way. For example, 2 days before the big day I was freaking out about a canopy that was in the middle of our venue that couldn't be taken down due to vendor staffing shortages, and she communicated with my florist for me and had it decorated. It looked like the canopy was planned to be there, and it was the most comforting feeling to know that she had my back and could help figure it out. Seriously, hire Lisa. Your wedding day will be perfect with her on your team!"

- McKailey T.

“I don't even have the words yet to describe how amazing Lisa was for us during our entire wedding process. After cancelling our destination wedding out of the country and booking a venue in Oregon (and new date within months) we found Lisa and she made all of our wedding dreams come true in a matter of just a few short months. Her attention to detail, willingness to understand you as a client and as a couple, and her ability to take stress off of your plate is unparalleled. Lisa made our wedding weekend absolutely magical.”

- Kirstin & Avel

"Lisa was involved with our wedding planning from day one! Utilizing her contacts in the industry, she saved us and locked in a new caterer when the original caterer canceled just 3 months before the wedding date. She helped with crafting a beautiful family-style menu that was delicious and summer-appropriate (we had guests with MANY dietary restrictions). She went above and beyond, putting together timelines for all our vendors, and she worked diligently despite our personal time constraints. One highlight to note, we received multiple compliments saying “I’ve never been to a wedding that was on time the whole way through!” It goes without saying, she ensured that every guest and vendor was taken care of.

Another thing to note, the right wedding planner can save you money! Lisa saved us from spending thousands of extra dollars: providing insight on things and services that wouldn’t make sense for us, auditing our catering bill (we didn’t even ask her to do that), and tailoring her advice to suit our vision and budget. We highly recommend Lisa’s services!"

- Christine T.

"I have known Lisa for years, stretching back to when she was an in-house event planner at our company. So, when it came time to hire a planner for our wedding, we knew exactly who to ask. Hiring Lisa was easily the best decision we made. Lisa thought of every single detail, accommodated every request, and made sure the day ran smoothly. Everything was mapped out perfectly beforehand, and we always felt in the loop and like we knew what to expect. And, if anything went wrong on our wedding day, I don't know about it because Lisa handled it. She truly goes above and beyond for her couples. If I could give her 10 stars, I would. She is the best. Choose Lisa for your event planning needs, and I promise you will not be disappointed."

- Claire K.

"Lisa is the best ever! We were so lost in trying to plan our wedding reception and wrapped up in our busy lives. Lisa helped us tie up all the loose ends and made the day of go seamlessly! She has a lot of amazing existing vendor relationships and also built great relationships with the vendors I already picked. You should definitely hire her so you can enjoy the day! I was able to focus on my guests and my husband and just have fun!"

- Marie Nicholson

"Lisa, you are a gem! Your attention to detail and excellent level of elegance is not only perfect, it is the highest level of professionalism.

I will always recommend you to my associates.

- Alyssa Dodge (venue manager)

"I have worked closely on events with Lisa for over a decade as a vendor. Every time I've had the pleasure of working with her, her creativity has blown me away. Not only is she highly skilled in event planning with meticulous attention to detail, she is innovative and creative. She continues to take events to the next level. I noticed her guests would truly enjoy themselves and my team always looked forward to working with her."

- Casey Hansen

"My husband and I absolutely loved working with Lisa. We had no idea where to start in planning our wedding and she took all the stress away. Lisa helped narrow down vendors for us while staying in our budget. She's so organized and kept us on track of our to-do list. She's so lively and so easy to get along with, it really felt like we were being helped by a good friend. Lisa, Thank you for helping us plan our beautiful wedding! "

- Mother of the bride

"Lisa helped plan my daughter's COVID-era wedding that presented many unexpected logistical difficulties. Lisa was easy to work with and responsive and guided us through the decision-making and planning process with good cheer and calm reassurance. She knows event planning backward and forward and has many industry contacts and suggestions that help make things simple and painless. She worked directly with our vendors, mapped out our planning needs and timeline, directed the rehearsal, and was the behind-the-scenes master of ceremony on the big day.

She's good at working with people and making them feel comfortable while at the same time ensuring that things flow orderly and at the right pace. Our daughter's wedding was beautiful and she has many happy memories of the day, and Lisa was a huge part of making that happen. I highly recommend Lisa Mattera for your wedding-planning needs!"

- Julie Engbloom

Our non-profit hosts an annual dinner every year of over 200 lawyers, judges, and other dignitaries. It is a plated dinner with extensive programming (AV, etc.). We would be lost without Lisa handling every bit of the event. She doesn't miss a detail. There is nobody better! Thank you!

- Amir A.

- Sarah D.

"The greatest planner in the freaking universe is Lisa Mattera. We had grand ideas for our wedding, with little time to put into planning, Lisa was a GODSEND. She was chipper, hyper-organized and followed up with us when we’d forgotten to do something (like, pick a first dance song), she literally held our wedding together with gorilla glue. She asked questions we hadn’t considered (“how do you see the order of the wedding processional {we didn’t have a wedding party}” - “ummmm idk what should we do?”), she was patient, so chill, our wedding guru. We cannot recommend her more. She is the most amazing, super communicator, answer wizard, most incredible planner we could’ve possibly dreamed up. To say we needed her and you do too is an under statement. She pulled off a STUNNING wedding with 4 locations around the property, and knew how to handle the logistics, like where all the equipment should go, like heaters, chairs, soft seating for non-dancers… and to boot, the weather situation was changing every 30 seconds in the days before. She was calm, fast, and had a plan c to every plan b, this woman has PLANS. They’re literally drawn out and she’s already communicated them to all involved before you finish reading this review. I can’t imagine our day going off as smoothly and beautifully without her. Stop looking for a planner, Lisa’s your gal. If you’re lucky enough to book her before everyone else does, that is! "

- Jamie V.

- Michelle Baird-Johnson

"I worked with Lisa over several years on many types of corporate events from small, casual affairs to very large events that had many moving parts. Lisa's ability to take charge of all the details that go into making a successful and memorable experience while always remaining calm and approachable is unmatched. One of the things I liked best about the events was just the fact that I got to work with her. And we laughed a lot together!"

- Emily A.

"Lisa is an all star! Thorough, methodical, detail oriented, organized... everything that you want to have in your wedding coordinator. My husband and I were dead set on getting married on NYE but had VERY limited time to put together our perfect day. When I first spoke with Lisa about our 3mo timeline she said she would do everything she could to make it perfect for us - and she exceeded our expectations. She kept us on track, organized meetings with vendors, offered us creative suggestions when we couldn't come up with ideas, helped navigate our different opinions on things to find compromise, and executed the most gorgeous NYE wedding I've ever seen. She served us not only as our wedding coordinator but as our therapist, leader, and friend. My only regret with Lisa is not giving her more time to help us so we could spend more time together. I will recommend her to everyone I know looking for the best!"

- Sonya Y.