“Our planners Tory and Lauren of Smith + James Events were invaluable in bringing this vision to life, ensuring every detail was just as imagined.”
“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.”
“Tory Smith and Lauren are seriously the most thoughtful, creative and calm team ever. Did we mention insanely stylish? Oh, and hilarious. We laughed a lot.”
TESTIMONIALS
EMILY + THOMAS
BELMOND GRAND TIMEO | TAORMINA, ITALY
We wanted a wedding that looked and felt as fun and unique as we are, with an emphasis on our three favorites - Fashion, Food and Fun. Tory and Lauren more than delivered that.
When we first stumbled upon some of Tory's work, we immediately had to know who was behind it - we didn't know weddings could look so cool. From the first call, We knew Tory was the one for us with her focus on making a wedding fun, experiential and effortlessly cool, which felt like the perfect modern take on a wedding that we were looking for in a sea of cookie-cutter events.
Working with Tory and Lauren was everything we wanted and everything we didn't even know we needed in the wedding planning process. They made us realize throwing a wedding is just as much about the journey as it is the final destination - we had so much fun on our calls. It was something we always looked forward to, and along the way they became our friends. We were always impressed with Tory and Lauren’s ability to stay calm under pressure and communicate effectively. They were always there to hold our hands in the process along the way. Anytime we felt stressed about something, a call with Tory and Lauren would always put our mind back at ease. As two people who really like to go through the details and get in the weeds, Tory and Lauren were always available to us, by email and phone when we needed them. Their network was simply unparalleled, they truly were able to construct a dream team of vendors, we felt so grateful to be able to work with - but that is the power of Smith + James.
Maybe even more impressive was watching them execute 4 days of complex events, from renting out a town square to an epic beach party. Everything was well organized, seamless and on-time. We even had guests commenting to us on how well executed the weekend was.
My wedding weekend as an S+J bride can only be likened to living like royalty. We were so well taken care of, we didn't have to think about anything except getting glammed up, having fun, and having someone deliver an aperol spritz on a platter. The S+J team seemed to have a sixth sense for anytime we were in need of something and would be three steps ahead of us. Something particularly important to us was making sure all of our nearest and dearest were well looked after, and it meant so much to us that the team treated our VIPs with care as well. They truly leveled-up all situations with good vibes.
Our wedding weekend was so much more than we could have imagined and it was so special watching everyone come together and have a blast for three days straight. We owe it to Tory and Lauren for the incredible planning and execution. We will hold the memories dearly!
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.