KYLIE + KYLE

Parker | Palm Springs, Ca

It was a true honor and supreme pleasure to work with Tory Smith and Lauren Silavin of Smith + James Events to bring our wedding to life- so much so that we are already scheming how we might be able to work with them again in the not-too-distant future. When reflecting upon what made our experience with Smith + James so outstanding, and what perhaps separates their services from the rest, the following comes to mind:

- Tory and Lauren are creative geniuses, cutting edge tastemakers, scrupulous organizers, brilliant problem-solvers, and social butterflies all at once. It’s an exceedingly rare and positively winning combination when it comes to planning a smashing event and having a ball along the way.

- Again, I cannot overstate their brilliant problem-solving capabilities. We chose to get married in Palm Springs in part because we didn’t want to worry about weather disrupting a mostly-outdoors affair. We of course had flukish monsoon rains on our wedding day and Tory and Lauren moved mountains to ensure that our vision wasn’t too compromised, stress was kept to a minimum, and guests remained dry. From tracking down all available umbrellas in the area so that we could keep our ceremony outdoors to moving the dinner indoors at the last possible minute and ensuring that everyone was fed in a timely fashion despite the kitchen losing its power (which nobody ever found out about), Tory and Lauren did it all. And, they did it with grace, calm, and humor. We really could not imagine being in better hands.

- Smith + James have nurtured an incredible ecosystem of relationships with photographers, florists, stylists, designers, and other vendors who are truly masters of their craft, constantly pushing the bounds of what’s possible, and are also really kind and fun to be around. As a result, Smith + James connected us with a team of seasoned, incredible folks from the jump that we likely never would have found on our own. And, since many of our vendors already had extensive experience working with Tory and Lauren and many had even worked with one another, it felt seamless. Our entire vendor team was a joy to work with and, during our wedding weekend, we were in awe of the artistry surrounding us.

- Tory and Lauren innately understand how to throw a really fun party. Our primary concern was that people have a good time, and Smith + James delivered in spades. Despite our very soggy wedding day, our guests had a blast and the energy was electric.

- Wedding planning can be stressful but Tory and Lauren made it feel about as effortless as possible. They immediately understood our vision and got to work bringing it to life, so we had most of our vendor team locked in within weeks of our first strategy session. They did an excellent job of insulating us from too many problems and small decisions, while still giving us creative freedom to bring our dream wedding to life.

We could go on, but suffice to say, Tory and Lauren are magic. They are immensely talented, hardworking, and kind. We have so much love and gratitude for who they are as humans and all they did to pull together such a special moment in our lives. Hire them!

THE PARENTS OF THE BRIDE

CARSON + JUSTIN

OJAI VALLEY INN | OJAI, CA

We cannot recommend Smith + James more highly. Tory is not only tasteful, capable, diplomatic, witty, organized, and creative, but is, most importantly, completely unflappable. She planned our daughter’s wedding with skill, grace, originality, positivity and flair. She was respectful of our time, our opinions, our diverse personalities and our budget, and remained that way from our first phone call through to the post wedding brunch. And when, two weeks from the event, Omicron suddenly threatened to overturn even our best-laid plans, Tory turned on a dime with poise and found solutions.

Adding Lauren Silavin into the mix gives you a double-dose of experience, ability, knowledge and resourcefulness. Tory and Lauren are a skilled and powerful team. They’re the girls you want to hang out and laugh with (and there will be laughs)- and working with them, you know you’re in expert hands.

They will captain the ship. They won’t let the schedule slide or forget a detail, they’ll prop you up when you’re agonizing over whatever it is that is troubling you, they’ll know who to recommend for every facet of your event (listen to them!) and they won’t miss a meeting. They don’t judge, they don’t stress, they don’t let you feel the pressure. They are pros.

We feel lucky to have met them, like geniuses to have hired them, and tons of FOMO now that we don’t get to be in their orbit.

Katie + Rob

Montage | Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina

Neither of us had ever dreamed of our wedding. So when we started the process of planning, we were looking for a personality and aesthetic match and that was what we found with Tory and Lauren at Smith + James. 

From our very first call we could tell our priorities were aligned, that our experience would be grounded in trust, candor, ease, and an artful and tactful vision. We said from the beginning we wanted our guests to be the priority and the way Smith + James focused first on overall feel with us, the mood we hoped to imbibe throughout, made for an extraordinary, breathtaking event. Tory and Lauren went out of their way throughout the process to recommend the best vendors, to assist in decision making, to keep the planning pace, to manage family relationships, to be our consults in fashion, flow, themes, and ultimately confidants in all things. They are now our friends and family. 

As we look back on the planning process we also recognize two very important things. It is unique and extraordinary to find planners who are both so creatively inclined and also sharp, reactive, on-site executors when the big-day comes. And likewise, for such well-connected planners to be so thoughtful and their care so attune that the wedding felt almost like one of their own. 

We would go back and do it all again, and we wouldn't change a thing. That is the ultimate testament to Smith + James, their faultless guidance leaves little room for anything except the best of memories. All our love xx

BROOKE + MIKE

HOLMAN RANCH | CARMEL VALLEY, CA

Tory and Lauren are dream wedding planners. Over the 1.5 year process of planning our wedding, not only did they keep us on track, recommend the most incredible vendors (who we wouldn't have found without them) and execute our vision in the most unique and fabulous ways, but they kept us smiling and laughing the ENTIRE time.

It felt like we were planning the party of a lifetime with close friends. They are the perfect combination of insanely creative and incredibly organized. I had extremely high expectations and they were always exceeded above and beyond, through the planning phase and on the wedding day. My husband and I truly got to be guests at our wedding and enjoy it without a care in the world because of the Smith + James team. We will be grateful to them for the rest of our lives!

Now that the wedding is over we may not get to talk to them every day anymore (I miss it) but we gained friends for life in the process. Thank you, Tory and Lauren, for making it all happen with savvy and grace. You guys rock.

Leila + Hendrik

THE INVISIBLE HOUSE | JOSHUA TREE, CA

Tory brought to life a dream wedding, in less than two months! We truly can’t say enough about her.

I am a surgeon and my husband runs a company, which means we have no time, and unrealistically high expectations. Our guests flew in from around the world and left having attended what they unanimously described as “the best wedding of their lives.”

We wanted a black tie event that was stylish, elegant, and filled with live entertainment. But we also wanted to share unique parts of our life that included electronic music, art cars and dancing in the desert. We spoke to numerous wedding planners. The ones we thought we wanted said it couldn’t be done in our time frame. Others we felt fell short either in ability to pull of an elevated and polished event, or on the unique fun and creative end. My husband got Tory’s name from industry leaders and as soon as we chatted we knew that she could make it all happen-- and indeed she did.

Tory quickly started to work on a three-day wedding weekend that included a rooftop welcome reception, a magical Mediterranean dinner event, and ultimately our wedding at a remote location that had never hosted a wedding to date. Again in less than 2 months! On our wedding day, guests were shuttled in to a surprise location. Tory’s background in the music industry made it possible to organize no less than 22 musicians. The live performances started at our reception that included a live quartet, a surprise choir, and heart felt live chanting; leaving most guests in tears. It continued to include a live performance of our first dance and no less than 6 different DJs that were able to entertain our diverse guests that included our conservative families, our younger friends that loved to party, our work colleagues and our personal cultural backgrounds: Persian, Dutch and Mexican.

Tory also pulled together talented industry contacts to create an elevated aesthetic that opened the doors to great publications. She designed a perfect vision board that created an elegant and breath taking outdoor desert ceremony, a reception tent (literally built to include the natural occurring Joshua Trees), and late-night party spaces that continued the elegant aesthetic but amazingly included moving art cars, laser light shows, and even a giant moon. Guests could not stop taking photos and many of our guests even used these beautiful spaces as their new profile photos on social media! Tory is a dream, she created our dream wedding and I have no doubt will continue to excel for years to come.

ELIZABETH + Scott

Private Estate | Newport Beach, CA

My husband and I owe our entire wedding to Tory and her team.

The weekend of our wedding was also the weekend the devastating Woolsey Fires destroyed Malibu. We were originally planning what was sure to be a breathtaking wedding at Saddlerock Ranch, but due to mandatory evacuations from Malibu and the actual fires sadly swallowing our venue - we were forced to re-think, re-plan, re-locate our entire wedding in less than 12 hours. This is why I say we truly owe our ENTIRE wedding to Tory. 

Tory is masterful. She was calm, collected, supportive, kind and caring. Once we were able to confirm our wedding could be held a family friend’s private home, Tory swooped in and literally re-planned our entire wedding - which we had been working on for about a year! - in less than a day. Tory’s amazing connections in the industry were one of the main reasons we are lucky to have worked with her, but also a huge part of why what could have been a sad, stressful day was ultimately such a success. She coordinated with everyone effortlessly. She transformed our friends’ home into a picture perfect, stunning wedding venue. She always checked in with us and made sure we were just OK. Without her, our wedding would have been lost. 

With her, we were given a wedding our guests thought could have been our first plan all along, not a last-minute plan B. She was a dream to work with throughout the entire planning process, taking all the characteristics of our personalities and our style and coordinating them into a beautiful expression of our relationship and our tastes.

We are so beyond lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Tory. It even sounds funny to say “work with” because Tory is so much more than a planner. She is a friend, a confidante, a trusted ally. Tory, we will cherish you for our lifetime. You are our dream come true! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

RAE + DAVID

Private Estate | AUSTIN, TX

Let’s just start this off by stating the obvious: COVID-19. Planning a wedding during a global pandemic is the pits. Postponements are the pits, but multiple postponements are really the pits. However, Tory is remarkable. An actual saint and miracle-worker. Patient, kind, honest, energetic, graceful, and resourceful… but most importantly, she’s really funny. (We needed that.) During the course of our never-ending wedding planning experience, Tory became our therapist, our referee, our designer, our organizer, our cheerleader, and most importantly, our friend.

She reminded us to laugh.

…And I think we can all agree that the smith + james girls have the best taste! Goes without saying. You can really trust them for all things aesthetic.

We originally found Tory because we went to another wedding she had planned and it was the best party we had ever been to. Every detail was perfection. It was high-energy and just so much fun. When we left, we said “WHO IS THAT WEDDING PLANNER” and promised each other that when we got married, we absolutely had to hire her. After we got engaged, Tory was the first call we made.

I can’t put into words how much we leaned on Tory through one of the most stressful experiences of our lives.

We love you, Tory. Thank you for turning a complete nightmare into something intentional, so lovely, and full of joy. We’ve gotten the most rave reviews on our wedding day and it all came from you. And not to be cocky, but it was NOT a super-spreader. Cheers to you!

ALLI + MIKE

PRIVATE ESTATE | MONTECITO, CA

We are so honored to write a testimonial for Tory and the team at smith + james. They gave us the best wedding weekend that we could ever have imagined! Our first phone call with Tory felt like we were talking to an old friend and we were so glad we went with our gut in hiring her. From start to finish, smith + james was highly-organized, extremely supportive, wildly creative, warm, detailed, proficient, and genuine. They have the best roster of vendor relationships… This allowed us priority status with getting available wedding dates at the best venues and also gave us first access to top photographers, florists, and bands’ booking calendars. They are the real deal.

Thinking back to the planning process makes us emotional because we miss getting to chat with Tory and Lauren all the time. They are so much fun, you feel like you are just hanging out with friends. They make it so fun. They dream up the most fun ideas and event the smallest details, they think outside the box, they navigate you through the hard parts with ease, and always are at-bat for their clients. When the day came, we felt zero stress. We knew the smith + james team was more than capable and everything was so well thought-out.

We consider Tory and Lauren close friends now and couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you guys so much. You made it cooler, better, more fun, and the more special than we could have ever asked for. Love you so much!

Jenna + Ben

La Venta Inn | Palos Verdes, CA

I am not one of those girls who has dreamed of all the exact details of her wedding since she was a little girl. I wanted to wait until I found my other half and ensure the ceremony and the day were a representation of the two of us together. That said, when we got engaged, I still hadn’t given any thought to what the day could be.

Enter miracle-worker Tory! Through meeting with us in person, having us pull together inspiration ideas, and asking helpful questions to get to the root of what we were hoping for, she was able to craft the perfect wedding for us: an elegant, intimate-feeling event for our friends and family to share the love that Ben and I feel for each other.

While the selected venue was in my hometown, we wanted the day to feel equally both of us and Tory pulled in special touches throughout to accomplish that. Her attention to detail is immaculate, her vendor recommendations on point, and her attitude and enthusiasm through it all melts the stress away. She also helped us navigate difficult conversations with family members around the guest list. Flowers were a particularly important element to my mom (my parents were the benefactors of our wedding) and so Tory helped us work with the budget to reallocate and move things around to make sure immaculate floral arrangements were achieved.

My husband had the seemingly impossible idea of including exotic animals in our wedding. We thought this was so far fetched that there was no way it would actually happen, but Tory worked her magic and found a way to make the impossible possible!

Not only is Tory great on all of the planning and up- front pieces, but she cannot be beat when the day finally comes. I have had a lot of girlfriends talk about how stressed they were on their wedding day and all of the things they were concerned about. On our wedding day, I never once worried “will everything be set up correctly and go smoothly?”. Tory had my full trust and I got to spend the day the way you are supposed to - I had absolutely zero stress and truly got to enjoy the day and soak it all in.

The best wedding decision, after the engagement, we made was hiring Tory - not just for the day of, but the whole process - working with her to make our wedding beyond memorable and we gained a friend through the process!

Kathryn + Ian

Klentner Ranch | Carpinteria, CA

From the first phone conversation we had with Tory, we knew she was the right fit for us! My sister attended a wedding planned by Tory a year before our wedding and raved about how wonderful it was. So when it came time to find a wedding planner, smith + james was at the top of our list. It’s easy to see from photos of her work that Tory has impeccable taste and flawless design, but what you don’t see until you speak with her is how warm and genuine she is while also being punctual, organized, and completely knowledgeable about the industry and her craft. Working with Tory was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the wedding. There wasn’t a single idea she came up with that I didn’t love, and she even made our odd wishes (like my husband’s last minute request for a mariachi band for cocktail hour) come true. She made budgeting and deadlines as stress free as possible and was always an email or a phone call away whenever I got overwhelmed. On the wedding weekend, I was just as excited to see her again as I was for our special day. She has such a calm way about her that made everything run smoothly, and seemingly effortless. She helped us manage our time so we could visit each guest at the reception all while making sure we savored each moment of the experience too. She assembled the most amazing team for our day. From our invitations and food to our flowers and photos, everything was more beautiful than I ever dreamed it could be. In our first meeting, Tory asked us what was most important to us and we told her that we wanted our guests to have an enjoyable experience. She delivered! Our friends and family still talk about how beautiful and fun our wedding was and we owe that all to Tory! She is beautiful and fun and was a joy to work with.

Becca + Joey

Klentner Ranch | Carpinteria, Ca

Our relationship with Tory began over a year before our wedding. We had set a date and picked our wedding venue, but had no idea what to do next. Tory was the first wedding planner that we talked to, and was also the last! She instantly wow-ed us with her authenticity, down to earth nature, cheeky sense of humor, and ability to understand our vision right away. We quickly agreed that Tory was the perfect choice to help us plan our wedding in Santa Barbara, and boy were we right!

Over the next few months, Tory proved her mettle as our go-to-gal. She hopped on the phone early and often with us about things like design boards, picking the right band (which was very important to us), and finding the photographer that best fit our *vibe*. She accompanied us to our venues of choice for tastings and to pick out details for the big day. And maybe most importantly, she made our parents feel like we had chosen wisely. She reassured them that she was on top of everything, and it didn't take much convincing, because she WAS on top of everything.

As we got close to the big day, sure there were many things to get done, but it wasn't a mad dash - things were in good shape, and it was all quite smooth sailing! We laughed about details like our napkin designs, struggled to understand what in the heck a "truss" for staging and lighting was (it looked incredible), and debated whether babies counted as people for final guest counts. The transformation was complete. By the date of our wedding, Tory was not merely our wedding planner, she was our friend.

We couldn't be happier with the decision to work with Tory and the team at smith + james - they are total rockstars! Our wedding weekend was absolutely magical, from the romantic rooftop welcome party to the garden farewell brunch. We had countless guests remark that it was the best wedding they’d ever been to, and we owe many of those thanks to Tory.

WE MISS YOU TORY!

KATE + AARON

SADDLEROCK RANCH | MALIBU, CA

We wanted a California Dream wedding but lived in NYC.  So when we got engaged, we needed someone we could trust 3,000 miles away to help create a day our friends & family would never forget. As soon as we spoke with Tory, we knew she was the perfect person to help us make our dream day a reality. Between the challenges of an NYC couple getting married in LA and the family drama that comes with every wedding, Tory helped us navigate every step with patience and grace.

She immediately put us at ease with her calm demeanor and positive attitude.  Her honest assessment of each decision helped us make the right calls throughout the process.  She also made sure to push us in directions that made the wedding weekend reflect us, not anyone else.  Tory knew what we were hoping to accomplish and then took it to the next level with her impeccable taste. Her wealth of knowledge of the California wedding scene and relationships with top vendors allowed her to present us with the best options for our vision, but also our budget. And when it came to cost, she was straightforward about our splurges and saves, which helped us keep our spending in check.

Once the big day arrived, every detail was perfect. Tory and her team created a surreal day that our family and friends still talk about. From the floral details to the personalized watercolor place cards that she worked with the calligrapher to create, Tory and her team put together not just a celebration of us as a couple, but a celebration of our family and friends all being together.

Hiring Tory was the best decision we made during our wedding planning process. We will always be grateful for all she did for us!

christine + Austin

triunfo creek vineyards | malibu, ca

Working with Smith + James to plan our wedding was the best decision we could have made. Tory is everything you'd want in a wedding planner. She is efficient, well connected, decisive, creative, resourceful and diplomatic. We knew we wanted something unique, elegant and (most importantly) a memorable experience for our guests. Tory delivered on all fronts! She took the time to get to know us (individually, and as a couple), and embraced our personal styles and preferences. Both my husband and I work full time and travel frequently, so the fact that Tory was so flexible and responsive made the entire process run smoothly. We also implicitly trusted her instincts on style, and her impeccable taste, which allowed for a relaxed - and FUN - planning process! This may sound crazy, but throughout the entire year of wedding planning, I never reached a stressful moment or breaking point, and I owe that entirely to Tory. Additionally, giving Tory autonomy and embracing her skills in design and attention to detail led to such a fun unveiling on wedding day. When we walked into the venue (which was a raw space) and saw all of the incredible little touches she had orchestrated, we were so moved and absolutely in awe. Thank you, Tory, for giving us such a magical day. We can honestly say we miss you already! We are fans for life and would wholeheartedly recommend you to anyone. 

MAGGIE + GIORGIO

CIELO RANCH | MALIBU, CA

We feel so fortunate that we found Tory and hired her to plan our wedding. She was wonderful to work with, and we've already referred her to friends. We came across her instagram profile somewhat randomly, when I tracked down a beautiful photo shoot she'd done and reached out -- after our first call, my then-fiancé and I knew she was the one for us.

Tory not only handled the nuts and bolts aspects of planning (expertly guiding us through the innumerable decisions that we had to make, keeping us on schedule, monitoring budget, helping us prioritize, etc.), she was also an invaluable creative partner. She took the time to get to know us, referred us to amazing vendors whose tastes aligned with ours, and helped connect all the elements of our wedding experience into one, cohesive vision. Though we were in the midst of house-hunting, moving cross-country, and renovating through all this, Tory made the wedding planning process fun and, dare I say, low stress.

Of course, she was an absolute super star on our wedding weekend. She managed last-minute changes with ease and never let us (or our guests!) in on what must have been some low-level chaos behind the scenes. I felt so at ease knowing that whatever came up, she'd handle it with grace, and that if I needed anything, she'd make it happen. Our guests raved about every aspect of the wedding, especially how "taken care of" they felt, and how the evening seemed to unfold as if their needs and desires were magically being anticipated. It was magic, like a dream come true. Thank you, Tory!

Alex + rasheed

PRIVATE ESTATE | SANTA BARBARA, Ca

I’m almost at a loss for words to try to write a testimonial for Smith + James. These girls are so much more than wedding planners. You feel like you have new best friends (and you basically do). They really have your back and they sincerely care about making sure you’re having fun planning your wedding. We never felt stressed out, besides the obvious COVID-related challenges.

Also, these girls are sticklers for “flow.” We made fun of them initially but when the wedding day came, it clicked for us why they made such a big deal of it.

Hire them. They make you appear cooler than you are, more organized than you are, and better hosts than you ever could have dreamed to be. The flow will be perfect, the decor will be perfect, the music will be perfect, the food will be perfect. Oh and ask them about human signage- it’s funny but it’s beyond brilliant. They even helped me find the most incredible dress from a designer in Italy I had never heard of. And my fashion-industry colleagues won’t stop talking about the fashion! the food! the band! the details!

My wedding photos are now the most treasured thing I own (hire anyone they tell you to hire) and I will shout from the rooftops how much I love Tory and Lauren, forever. They are immaculate. They are so much fun. A big heart full of gratitude for you and your team. You are truly divine. Bravo!

SARA + JESSE

PRIVATE ESTATE | Malibu, Ca

I thought I was a "detail person" until I met Tory. Quite simply, we could not have made our wedding happen without her. She is an actual magician -- she showed up and made what could have been the most stressful weekend of our lives into the most seamless. We had two different events over two days, at two very different locations where we had to bring in everything, from the hi-tops to the hand sanitizer (think: 40-plus vendors). She handled it all with preternatural calm, good humor, and ease, which allowed us to truly relax and be in the moment. Event planning is not for the faint of heart; we marveled at her ability to troubleshoot and pivot when needed, even when she'd been at it for hours. What's more, she is a pleasure to be around. I can't recommend her highly enough!