Jennifer Matteo Event Planning - Sarasota, Florida

Julie Smith

Jen is AMAZING, one of a kind! I hired JMEP to help me with the overwhelming task of planning a Celebration of Life for my recently deceased husband. Jen was super easy to work with and has incredible ideas and taste. She is assertive, but so likeable and caring. I could not have done this without her and will be using her and her team for my kids’ future weddings!

I had already chosen the venue, a menu & music, but Jen and her team jumped in to help me with everything else. She created a partial custom party package which included creating & sending a save the date and then later the official evite, customized a floorplan, coordinated furniture, linens, flowers, drapes, lighting, a videographer, attended walk-throughs of the event space, meetings with the DJ, and procured beautiful custom memory photo walls. She and Megan were on-site on the night of my event to make sure everything ran smoothly. I have not stopped receiving compliments about how elegant and respectful the space turned out and how wonderful the evening was to honor my husband. It was even better than I had hoped for.

Elizabeth Faragher

Jen and her team were fantastic! I know almost nothing about getting married or being a bride- and lucky for me, I found Jen! Jen and her team were hands on with everything. They even helped us find some amazing vendors! We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding. Everything turned out truly amazing, every detail was carefully thought out and things I would have never even considered, she made sure were perfect. I would absolutely recommend Jen and her team.

Daniel G. Weiss

Working with Jennifer and her wildly talented and professional team was pitch perfect. As a photographer, we rely on a planners expertise and calm manor to help stay organized so that we can be as creative as we want. We have worked with countless planners through the years and can say with 100% conviction that Jen and her team is amongst the best - Danny Weiss Studio

akinder92

JMEP is the wedding planning service that every bride NEEDS in their wedding planning process. Not only is Jenn a true lady boss, she has a fine eye for details, as does everyone on her team. I truly felt like I had another group of friends planning my wedding with me. I hired Jenn over a year before my wedding and no matter how far out our date was, she always responded to emails quickly and helped with whatever I needed. She was a buffer between me and my mother at times (everyone needs that at some point), she put me in touch with the best vendors, and she made my wedding vision become a reality. She made sure everything went according to schedule the day of, and even our guests said that she made the day better! I would 100% recommend AT LEAST her partial planning package, but full planning is really the ticket, as is her Bridal Concierge program. I would book Jenn for every event I have for the rest of my life and would recommend her 10 times over! Best planner and person EVER! Go and book her now- do it!!!!

Lyle Smith

Jennifer is a superstar wedding planner! She is thoughtful and accommodating throughout the entire planning process. She did an incredible job taking our day one vision to life. We put our full trust in her and she delivered beyond our expectations. Every detail was accounted for and she made the planning process easy and stress free. Jennifer works with a stable of equally as amazing vendors (food, flowers, rentals, band etc) - Everyone Jennifer introduced us to was first class. She and her team delivered in every way for our 3 day wedding weekend.

colleen banman

As a wedding vendor in the Sarasota area that works with many planners, I love the JMP vibe. They are relaxed and fun and they get the job done beautifully without being uptight. I don’t think the average person realizes how much goes into planning a wedding and then day of execution of a wedding. It’s massive. I love how the JMP team stays calm even when the inevitable surprises come up.

If you want a creative force, on trend and never boring, and a team on site that will be cool and collected, this is a great fit.

Tabitha Williams

My wedding was a dream. From beginning to end, it was exactly what I envisioned. Getting to marry my best friend in a dream ceremony and watching our family and friends dance and laugh together was a true reflection of our love. The best day of my life. It took me a while to be prepared to write this. Working with Jennifer and her team was very underwhelming. I think what I thought it would be like to work with her based on meeting her initially and how things transpired over time was very disappointing. For context, my husband and I are entrepreneurs in pretty demanding fields. We both manage people and events in a high energy capacity. For myself, my focus is always process, procedure, and planning. Which was why I was initially so drawn to Jen. Her aura gave me a sense that she would be very organized, sharp, and would help us execute our wedding flawlessly. Instead, we spent most of our time together repeating the same information, having very unprepared calls, and most times it felt like we were bothering her. I feel that Jen checked out once it was clear we weren't going to use any of her vendors. Prior to that, I can't say it was much better. But the lack of enthusiasm and sometimes forced laugh she would have on our calls was really off putting and felt very fake. I always felt like I had to restate anything that was previously discussed or decided. To the point that I took it in my own hands to steer things and create more organization. Good to note, we did have partial planning. I thought that meant that I would make decisions and Jen would take them and manage them through wedding day. What happened instead was having to constantly follow up to make sure that she followed up. There wasn't one vendor I had outside of catering ( whom she had a previous relationship with) that said their experience with her was great, top tier or anything you would hope your vendors would say about your wedding planner. I gave a lot of chances hoping for better and mostly got excuses. I've worked with clients for over 10 years and some of the things that were said and done, I'd never do and never say to my clients. I cried through my rehearsal because of the frustration. So many missed balls. So many failed attempts at execution. But the product in the end did come out fantastic. Thankfully I was prepared. And my venue was prepared. And everyone who stood by my side came through for me. All in all, I think my advice would be to work with her in full capacity and use her vendors, that may result in better quality. Most of the reviews that I didn't see until after I contracted with her, speak to that being a good point. I don't think she is a good partial planner. But maybe the added motivation of full planning which equals $$$ is what it takes to pull out her best work. Read the reviews. Once I read them, it helped me manage my relationship with her in a better way. It helped me to know where there would be problems and how to keep things on track. My wedding was a night I will never forget, and I cannot say that it had anything to do with JMEP.

Haley Reese

The easiest and best decision we made for our wedding was hiring Jennifer Matteo and her team. Not only is Jen and her team incredibly talented, they’re amazing human beings and so much fun to work with. JMEP made the whole process of planning our wedding fun and stress free. From every vendor they recommended, to the show table(s), to every small detail, everything was so amazing!! I’m sure I wasn’t the easiest client they’ve had - I was the annoying bride that changed everything twice- but they never made me feel short of amazing. I can’t get over of how perfect our wedding day was, all thanks to Jen, Bridgette, and the rest of the team. We love JMEP and will find another reason to hire them again soon. Thank you - we are forever grateful!