Your Event - Paula Smith Designs, Inc. -

Molly Gralla

I cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience with Paula Smith. From my very first call with her to the magical weekend itself, every detail was executed with extraordinary precision, creativity and love.

Gather Greene is a hidden gem in upstate New York, and Paula knew exactly how to maximize its natural beauty. She and her team transformed the already stunning pavilion into an ethereal space that perfectly captured our vision, seamlessly blending our boho, retro, twinkle light vibes.

What truly sets Paula apart is her impeccable organizational skills and attention to detail. Her extensive network of trusted local vendors mixed with ones we brought on ourselves proved an invaluable TEAM.

The timeline flowed perfectly, allowing us and our guests to fully immerse ourselves in every moment without worry. Her ability to blend our personal style with her professional expertise resulted in a celebration that felt truly unique to us.

Most importantly, Paula gave us the priceless gift of being able to fully enjoy our wedding day, knowing every detail was in her unmatched, capable hands.

Paula is way more than somebody who just plans weddings – she and her staff create unforgettable experiences that perfectly capture each couple's unique love story. Our special day exceeded every expectation, and we owe that to Paula and her exceptional talent and dedication. She is forever our family now and we miss her every day. We love you, Paula.

Jules Miller

I had the pleasure of working a wedding with Paula at a venue I manage. She already had glowing reviews from other vendor friends, so I was very excited to work with her and from start to finish, the entire experience with her was delightful. As a venue manager, I work with a lot of planners and not all of them are able to manage both design and logistics while also keeping clients happy and managing any curveballs. Paula did it all and then some and not even some transportation issues on the wedding day were going to phase her. She was positive and professional but also a whole lot of fun to work with. I can’t wait to work with her again!

Elizabeth Kolln

My husband and I found Paula through our caterer - and boy did we get lucky. Immediately we hit it off with Paula, though I will say... that is incredibly easy. She is at once a comfort and a joy to be around, while ensuring she brings rigor and precision to the planning process.

Every step of the way we felt we were in the best hands with Paula. Over the course of a year, she got to know us personally - and as it related to our vision for our wedding weekend - both what we wished for as a couple, and what spoke to us individually.

Paula was always quick to dream up something I could have never thought of myself, while constantly staying smart, savvy and wary of any budget restrictions. Her curiosity, her ability to understand and go deep with her clients and background in design (and all other things wonderful) made our wedding weekend everything that it was and more.

We both work full time jobs, and during the planning process, were juggling a long-distance relationship on top of it all. If we ever came up short on our wedding planning responsibilities, Paula held us to account and kept us honest. I can say with 100% certainty, we would NOT have been able to pull off the weekend without her and we so appreciated a planner who kindly held us accountable for the weekend every step of the way.

Just as important as it is for your planner to be an expert in accountability, she also is the perfect partner in creating windows of time during the planning process to unplug and enjoy the engagement. Paula was quick to remind us that despite the stress of planning the wedding - it should be FUN! And for my partner and I - she made it just that.

Of course all the planning is for something - and as I previewed - Paula knocked it out of the park during our wedding. In the stressful weeks leading up to the weekend, she kept us grounded and was our biggest cheerleader.

As the weekend kicked off, she was a rock. She kept all of our vendors on time and on task, and genuinely was a joy to have there. Both of our Moms and my grandma were thrilled that her calming and reassuring presence was there to guide us through the whole weekend. And after a year of getting to know Paula and planning with her - my partner and I were honored that she was there to witness our big day.

Looking back on photos from the weekend, I'm in awe of all the little details that Paula brought to life. It meant the world to us.

She is a true gem.

Now we just need another excuse to throw a party!

Heather Hope Dell'Amore

It's always the best news when a couple tells us they are working with Paula Smith. As the caterer, what we get when working with Paula is a collaborative planning effort, open and thorough communication, and a flawlessly executed experience. As experts in this industry, what we notice about Paula's events are the beautiful and bespoke design elements, the every-last-rose-petal attention to detail, and the hands-on help she and her team provide on-site, from beginning to end. Paula is precise, professional and enormously talented. We, at The Farmer's Wife, love working events with her and witnessing the perfected end result of all our collaboration!

Megan Crowell

Paula and her team were fantastic to work with. She is supportive, responsive, and very knowledgeable about vendors in the area (Hudson Valley) which was immensely helpful in smoothing out various aspects of the planning process. She puts a great deal of care into her work and made us more proactive as a result. We would jokingly remind each other to do various aspects of the planning in a timely manner because we didn't want to disappoint Paula! She helped us know what was critical to lock in early, and to put things in place so that we didn't have to think about/handle anything on the day of the wedding. I love to host and was inclined were to do a lot myself, but I was so grateful that Paula pushed us to get things off of our plate. It helped us be more present and relaxed on the wedding day. As a DIY person, it was hard to appreciate how valuable and essential this would be until the day came. The month of planning service was a good fit for us with our desire to be hands on, but have support to get over the finish line. She's also just a kind caring and lovely human - our venue and vendors all had a great experience working with her.

Noa Naftali

Hire Paula. Seriously just do it. Even if it means cutting costs elsewhere, trust me, having the best wedding planner should be your priority, and Paula really is the best. My only regret is not having hired her sooner, although she did amazing as our month of coordinator. Paula did so much for us, with her creativity and the utmost attention to detail, care, and support all along the way. On the day of, Paula and her team were invaluable. We had multiple unforeseeable complications with other vendors, but Paula and her team seamlessly saved the day with everything. They went above and beyond, and were so flawless in taking care of everything on the spot that we weren’t even aware of anything until days later. We were so grateful for not having to worry about fixing things on the spot on the day of our wedding. Having a wedding can be overwhelming, especially these days, but Paula and her team make it so much easier to handle, so that you can breath and enjoy the process. Paula is ready for any challenge, while always maintaining a calm, caring and nurturing composure. I don’t know what we would have done without her!

Vaidehi Pancholi

Paula and team worked with our family to execute a flawless event - she focused on contingencies and paid such attention to detail (everything from note card holders to incorporating our daughter’s favorite flower in wedding details). She is calm, professional, meticulous, artistically talented and just a joy to work with. She has become an extension of our family!

As parents, we wanted someone who would both work well with our daughter and son in law but also us - Paula was phenomenal at both bridging preferences and creating opportunities to blend approaches.

Paula also took such care to understand and beautifully orchestrate our Hindu ceremony. She was thoughtful, respectful and engaged.

Wedding planning - at its best - can be a stressful and emotional experience. Paula helped make our experience positive and something we’ll look back on as a most lovely and cherished time for our family

Vaidehi- yogesh

Bea Rue

Don't get married without Paula! Working with her and her team for a wedding she designed and produced was an absolute delight. Not only was she extremely organized and communicative (so important for us vendors!), but she always had a kind word and a big smile, even during the stressful day-of event setup. We’ve worked with many event planners, and Paula is by far the kindest, most creative, and obliging of the bunch. The wedding we witnessed firsthand was absolutely stunning, and the couple couldn’t have been happier. If you have the chance to work with her, please do!! It will be a gift to yourself and everyone involved!