Little Black Book Events

Service levels: Full-service planning

About Little Black Book Events

Little Black Book Events

Creating Unforgettable Events.

There are no do-overs in this business. We take what we do very seriously because we want our clients to have the best memories. You invest time and money into your day to make it perfect and we are your insurance plan to protect your investment and execute your plan. Planning events is our passion. The details matter and we love bringing clients’ visions to life, allowing them to create the best-shared experiences. Chief Planner, Vanessa Young founded Little Black Book in Washington, D.C. to provide clients with exclusive access to vendors and services starting with event planning that exceeds expectations.

Little Black Book, founded by Vanessa, connects clients to exclusive vendors and services—starting with event planning that exceeds expectations. Our team—Jacqueline, Shaleena, Chelsea, and Alycia—brings 20+ years of planning, design, and catering experience. We start by understanding your communication style, vision, and needs. Then we build a plan around it, drawing on our experience and vast vendor network. We handle every detail behind the scenes so you can be fully present for every moment of your day. Let us connect you to the right people, places, and services—and make your event unforgettable.

In three words: Calm, Collaborative, Creative

Services by planning level

Service included in starting price
Service available for an extra cost
Full-service planningPartial planningDay-of coordination / wedding management
Description

You're engaged! Now comes the daunting task of planning your wedding. Between work, school, family, and life, juggling 100+ hours of wedding planning can feel overwhelming. Where do you even start? Hiring a full-service wedding planner is a must-have investment for the busy professional. Just like you'd hire an architect to build a home, hire a professional to design and coordinate this incredible celebration. Let's grab coffee and chat!

This is the one day when you want everything to be perfect. The expectations for your event can be immensely stressful. Whether you are planning an intimate celebration with 40 guests or an elegant affair for 200, Partial Event Planning can be the key factor in helping you organize and manage the hundreds of details involved in planning a wedding or event.

Whether you are planning a grand fête downtown with 300 of your closest friends or you are looking forward to an intimate, mountain-top wedding with 25 guests, we take all of your hard work and make it come to life on the day of the event so you can relax and enjoy the celebration. You’ve handled the planning, now let us handle the management and coordination so you can truly enjoy your day!

Planning begins9 Months out3 Months out
Event Styling & Design
Budget Planning
Venue Recommendations
Vendor Selection
Vendor Management
Contract Review
Rentals & Linens
Wedding Website
Accommodation Coordination
Transportation Coordination
Venue Visits
Final Venue Walkthrough
Timeline Creation & Management
Onsite Event Management
Invites & Stationery
RSVP Tracking
Wedding Favors & Accessories
PricingStarts at $20,000Starts at $7,000Starts at $3,500

Reviews

Write a review
Rating: 5.0

5.0 out of 5

9 reviews

  • ME

    Maggie and E.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Oct 19

    A strong and steady leader!

    Vanessa ALWAYS knew what to do, and we took her opinions and her advice as gospel. She ruled the wedding with an iron fist without ever stressing us out. (I mean, we were stressed planning the wedding, but never because of her!) Vanessa always knew when to say no, and when to go with the flow, and she felt like a total friend of ours by end of it all!

  • KR

    Kimberly R.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Oct 6, 2026

    Hire Vanessa!

    I hired Vanessa to help manage day-of logistics for my wedding and could not have asked for better service. Vanessa was responsive, professional, and well-prepared, and brought structure and calmness that ensured everything ran smoothly! She also went above and beyond at so many points, including by steaming my dress and cleaning it when my wedding day brought some unfortunate rain. I will always be grateful for her help and for making the day so perfect!

  • L

    Lanita

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Jun 23, 2026

    Hire This Team to Make your Wedding Perfect

    Working with Vanessa at Little Black Book Event Services was a game-changer for our wedding. She understood from day one that we wanted a simple, laid-back celebration focused on dancing and time with our guests, and she made that vision happen without any stress on our end. The spreadsheets and planning tools she provided were easy to navigate, so we could check in on progress whenever we needed to. On our actual wedding day, we didn't have to think about a single thing because Vanessa's calmness and organization meant everything was handled. She anticipated every detail and solved problems before they even became problems. If you want a planner who listens to what you actually want and delivers with grace, Vanessa is your person.

    Vanessa Young•Jun 30, 2026

    Thank you so much for the kind words! It was a planning whirlwind, but we got it done in record time! I really enjoyed getting to know you both. So glad your vision came together to celebrate your amazing love story. Knowing you could be fully present with your guests on the day is exactly what we aim for. Wishing you both so much happiness, and I hope those dance floors keep calling your names!

  • P

    Pam

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Apr 7, 2026

    Best decision of our wedding

    If we could give Vanessa from Little Black Book 10/5 stars, we would. Truly, hiring her was the best decision we made for the whole wedding, and we credit her with our sanity this year. We had to move our wedding date up due to some family dynamics, and she didn't miss a beat making everything happen on a tighter timeline. She kept us moving through decisions at a steady clip and was great at gauging when we were getting overwhelmed versus when we wanted to dive deeper into the details on something. She was also patient when it took us a while to land on certain decisions (like the venue), and never made us feel rushed or pressured. Whenever I got worried, she was quick to set up a call, always calmed me down, and gave me confidence in a solution. One thing that really stood out was how Vanesa engaged both me and my now-husband throughout the process. She paid attention to what was important to each of us and made sure we both felt heard. We also always felt like we could trust her, and she was never trying to upsell us or push us toward pricier options. Her recommendations always felt like they were genuinely in our best interest, which made a huge difference. Vanessa both listens to your vision and is staggeringly competent at implementing it. She has a great network of vendors, many of whom were clearly excited to be working with her again, which tells you a lot. She led the whole vendor team through the weekend without a hitch and we didn't have to lift a finger. No matter what came up that weekend, she somehow kept a completely cool head, which really set the tone for everyone else to just relax and enjoy. Even my friends commented on how impressed they were with Vanessa, and this is a group of type-A DC girls, so compliments on competence are not given lightly. I'd heard horror stories from friends who had bad planner experiences and I honestly feel incredibly lucky that we found someone so exceptional. If we had to give just one piece of post-wedding advice, it would be to allocate some of your budget to a planner and then hire LBB.

  • SC

    Samantha C.

    Rating: 5
    •Zola
    •Nov 22, 2025

    Jacqueline Made Our Day Stress-Free

    We are so grateful we hired Jacqueline Johnson from Little Black Book Events as our wedding coordinator. From our very first meeting, she impressed us with how thorough, knowledgeable, and personable she was. Jacqueline made the planning process feel manageable and even enjoyable, especially for a couple like us who didn’t walk in knowing every detail we wanted. She answered every question with patience and clarity and offered thoughtful suggestions based on what she’d seen work well for other couples. Communication with Jacqueline was incredibly easy. Whether by phone, email, or text, she was consistently responsive and almost always available. Her reliability alone took an enormous weight off our shoulders. On the day of the wedding, Jacqueline was nothing short of exceptional. We didn’t have to think about a single detail because she handled everything behind the scenes with calm and confidence. She also has a strong understanding of family dynamics and the nuances of coordinating a wedding party. Most of the day is really about guiding people, and she did so effortlessly while keeping the focus on us and what we wanted. Hiring Jacqueline was one of the best decisions we made. She brought expertise, warmth, and professionalism to every step of the process, and our day was infinitely better because of her. We cannot recommend her highly enough. (And thank you, Jacqueline, for driving to Richmond to be at our in-person meeting with our venue before the big day AND to our home to drop off our wedding day decorations two days after our wedding. You truly go above and beyond!)

We offer everything from event day coordination all the way to full planning. We also offer design and decor services.
We offer something similar, Wedding Day Management. Based on our years of experience, it's a comprehensive package designed to meet the needs of couples doing most of the planning themselves.
Depending on the package we can certainly arrange and manage vendor meetings. And we are always happy to refer great vendors no matter which package you have at no additional cost.
Our couples will sign the contracts and pay vendors directly. With full planning we do manage the budget and payment schedule and will send reminders.
We have a minimum of 2 people onsite per event.
Previous couples would describe our planning style as calming, reassuring, supportive. Our job is to take as much stress out of this process as possible. We handle the details so you don't have to!
We focus on the couple...not on what's traditional, or what's in style. But what will truly reflect the couple. We take the time to listen to what’s important (and what's not) and base everything we do on that.
Experience and real-life examples. Also personalization. A website or tool can't work through challenges like handling potential family issues or the best ways to blend multiple cultures while highlighting your love of puzzles!
They would say that we listen and took the time to understand all their needs. We communicate well and check in to make sure we are aligned to them. And lastly, we are passionate about what we do and left them feeling calm and relaxed.

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