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Kurt Ackerman-Kurt Ackerman Photography
Between light and dark. It is all part of the rich pageantry of life. These things come to mind when I think of Duncan. He is a man of so many talents. Over the years I have partnered with him on many events... all of them magical. His reputation is stellar, not only for the quality of his work, but because he is a wonderful human being. To partner with Duncan is a pleasure, but to call him one of my dearest friends is an honor. In the movie “My Best Friends Wedding”, Julia Roberts emphatically states “Creme Brulee could never be Jello!!!” I do not subscribe to that point of view. I have seen them co-exist peacefully in the heart and soul of Duncan. Kudos to you my friend... you deserve all the success you have gained. Regardless of the size and scope your your wedding, I highly recommend Duncan Reyes as your partner. He will no doubt exceed your expectation as to what great service is. That, and his engaging personality are his trademark.
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Betty Zlatchin-Betty Zlatchin Catering
You made us all blush with your effusiveness of thanks and kudos. So much of what happens at a wedding has to do with the overall ability of the planner and his/her willingness to oversee in a gentle manner the flow of the event. Your ability to let us do our job to the best of our abilities makes it a pleasure to work with you . As we all know, not everything is as perfect as we would have liked, small things happen , some things are overlooked or even on occasion forgotten and the best of us in this business pick up the pieces and make the event seamless for our paying clients. That is our job and you do it to perfection. Thank you for your kind words, for your super planning schema before the event, your support during the event and calm.
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Matthew & Melissa Casciato-Roybal
Where do I begin? All we can say is that we feel truly blessed to have worked with you this past year. Your kindness, character, integrity, sense of humor and professionalism are apparently a natural part of who you are. You have become a friend to us. You are such a wonderful person, and we can’t thank you enough for all of the hard work, time and effort that you have put into our Wedding. We admire you and will continue to tell everyone how wonderful you are. Duncan Reyes is an extraordinary person. He is honest, full of life, magnetic, and caring. That is just a description of who he is as a person. As a wedding planner, he is dedicated, ambitous, detail-oriented, professional, a negotiator, problem-solver, creative, and inventive. Duncan was truly more than what I had expected. I have no idea how he keeps every little detail of every wedding he is working on memorized. He never had to look over notes when talking to me, and knew everything we had planned. He is truly amazing. He makes things fun, and he is extremely creative. He is smart and very organized. My husband tells everyone that it is the best money we spent on the wedding. This is the same husband who was asking me why in the world we needed a wedding planner. My dad also calls him his "adopted son". He made the process so smooth, and his ideas made our wedding unique and unforgettable. He has extensive contacts in the industry, and you can count on him to put his whole heart and soul into planning your special day. He makes you feel as if you are the only bride he is working with even though he has a ton of weddings that he is working on. Everyone loves Duncan. We have heard several guests at our wedding say that our wedding was the best weding they have ever been to. Enough said! Call him today!
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Dr. & Mrs. Garrett & Phuong Bui-Hisatake
Five Stars across the board! There would be no other score for Duncan. Duncan is the man responsible for my PERFECT wedding. Duncan is pure genius and nothing less. I could not have asked for a more beautiful wedding. He was there for me when I had questions. He introduced me to the best (Video, Photography, Cake, Florals, Decor, etc.) vendors that worked with me equally as professional and exceptional as he did. If I had to describe Duncan in one word, it would be AMAZING! And if I could give this man five thousand stars, I would. Duncan Reyes is truly a god send. I found Duncan through Yelp and he was the 2nd wedding planner I called. The first planner I called didn't answer the phone...on a Monday morning! Duncan and I hit it off immediately on the phone and set up a meeting, but I knew from that conversation alone that I wanted Duncan to be my planner. Duncan was attentive to all my questions, was by my side throughout each process and guided me with each decision. I owe the every perfection of my wedding to this man. Duncan is true talent, a friend and a man that knows the profession like the back of his hand. My wedding went off without a hitch. Timely, gorgeous, classy and exactly what I wanted. I was told I was the calmest bride ever and it was all thanks to Duncan. The day was stress free and i was able to enjoy every single minute of it because Duncan had it all under control. I would do it all over again if I could and I wouldn't do it with any other person. You are the best thing that could ever happen to a Bride. I would have never been able to pull anything close to what you have done. Two words – “god send” – that’s what you are! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You will be a part of us forever.
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Dr. & Mrs. Nick & Nancy Vidalakis
It turned out to be far beyond what any of us dreamed. We knew it was going to be great but this was a case where expectation not only was exceeded by realization, but was exceeded by significant levels. We have had the privilege of meeting many ‘superstars’ but you are in a singular category of excellence second to few, if any.
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Mr. & Mrs. Jack & Kathi Balousek
Your gifted sense of style, taste and staging, deep planning experience, wonderful coordination skills, and strong commitment to us and our event, our daughter Kristin’s wedding last month far exceeded our fondest dreams for how that day and its activities would play out. You have given our family so many rich and priceless memories we honestly don’t know how to thank you enough. Whatever special events are in our future, Duncan, you can be assured that you will be our partner.
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Mayor & Mrs. Oscar & Carolyn Goodman, Mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada
One always hopes that Stephanie and Eric’s wedding will be as fabulous as one imagines, but the wedding ceremony and reception far exceeded our expectations and was as wonderful and perfect as a wedding could be!
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Khe Nguyen-Yeh & Jeffrey Yeh
A friend referred me to Duncan for my month-of wedding coordinator. It is extremely hard to articulate how amazing and fantastic Duncan is to work with. He is so experienced and truly understands what makes a fun, exciting, elegant wedding. He makes wonderful suggestions, knowing exactly what my husband and I envisioned for our wedding day. He does not "take over" by any means, and really allows you to be as involved in the process as you want to be and really makes your perfect day happen. I swear we could not have pulled off the wedding that we did without his help. I have received so many compliments from family and friends on how well-planned, how detailed and beautiful the wedding was. Duncan took care of everything on the day-of so I could truly enjoy the day with all of my guests. I had the best day of my life and I believe, hiring Duncan was the best decision I ever could have made as a bride. BRIDES: I strongly recommend you meet with Duncan. His calendar is filling up fast and he's doing the most ornate, amazing, awe-inspiring weddings out there. I feel lucky that he chose my wedding to plan!!
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Kimberly Thompson-Officiant, A Beautiful Ceremony
This endorsement comes with great excitement! Duncan Reyes of F. Duncan Reyes Events By Design is one of the most talented event planners. I have always been awestruck at his professionalism, creativity, art design, and architectural expertise in set up. I witnessed first hand a hotel ball room turned into a magical wedding. From the massive rose petals with the initials of the bride/groom down the aisle to the circular golden chairs and lighting at the ceremony structure- that is one of my all time favorite weddings. I remember walking in and the videographer said "do I need to pick your jaw off the floor?". Wow!! It has been every event since then that has taken my breath away. He also handles every bit of details for the brides and grooms that they may need regarding their wedding and does it with such ease. He also is a great friend to me! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with your couples.
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David Ethridge-AVR Films
Duncan Reyes is the Master Planner! As a wedding professional for over 20 years, I know Duncan Reyes is THE Event Planner that sets the standards for going the extra mile for his clients. The personal attention he gives every bride before the event also gives relief and excitement at the same time. He is so detailed about the things you know you need to do and the "Iceberg Effect" of the things that are hidden that can add up and cause stress vs. pleasure. Everyone of his clients have a friend for life. I have never seen such a detailed layout of events and timelines, and I know the hours he puts into every event design. On the wedding day, he works for his brides to make sure that the vendors; Hotels, Florists, Caterers, DJ's, Photographers and Videographers, etc. are all on the same page for deliveries, set-up, timeline and execution of events. He is working for you vs. a venue coordinator who only have the venue's best interest at heart. Mahsa was a Persian Bride of mine that I referred him for a huge wedding at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. She knows that if she had not used Duncan, the limos would have been overfilled; relatives would have stressed her out at the wedding ceremony; and the wedding design would have completely blewn her away for the private viewing. All the hotels know who he is - he is the master of ceremonies and they love to work with him. He really is the secret to a stress free wedding that any bride can just enjoy her dream day. He really does become your next best friend. Duncan is a DREAM Event Planner! I have worked with him at amazing weddings he has designed, planned and executed perfectly. His expertise and passion as an artist of design will take your event to a whole next level. He is so accommodating to everyone, guests, vendors and family. HUGE HEART for life and special moments is what he loves and lives for. He told me once that he was so excited about a bride and groom that he started designing the event for even before he had received the signed contract. The bride was completely floored, and he was ready to tour venues for a day of fun and excitement. Call him, you'll love him!!! Experience and flair of design come to mind.
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Mahsa Nekouasl-Sohi
Duncan is the best thing that will happen to you... after getting engaged of course! Seriously, any bride looking for a wedding planner to help plan your wedding or just someone to run the show on your big day, this is your MAN!! My videographer (David Ethridge, also great!) referred me to Duncan and I'm so glad he did. My husband and I had Duncan's services for three weeks prior to our wedding and he was like a GOD that took care of every little detail and organized every little thing that you can imagine. Our wedding may have been a disaster if we didn't have Duncan. I was skeptical at first because my husband and I were the ones who had planned everything and we were so on top of the whole thing that I really didn't think we would need a planner. But then after talking to Duncan and telling him all about our wedding, I realized that there were little details that we had not even thought about and great ideas that we had not even considered. Duncan is extremely creative and can give you lots of wonderful ideas and referrals. Anyone who works in the wedding industry knows that when it comes to planners, Duncan Reyes is the one and that he is the GOD of planners in this industry. No joke. This will be the best money you spend on your wedding... and it gets you peace of mind, a great new friend, and a wedding that he makes possible for YOU and YOUR husband to actually ENJOY!
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Mike Gehrke
I wasn't sure if we even needed a wedding planner but my fiance insisted and, in preparation for a lifetime of doing what she says, i of course listened to her and I couldn't be happier that I did. Duncan was great throughout the entire process and is extremely creative and had many great ideas that we incorporated into our wedding. He has tons of connections within the industry and saved us a ton of time and money throughout the process... I have no idea how we would have survived the day of the wedding without him. If you're like me and on the fence about getting a wedding planner give it some serious thought b/c the amount of time and stress saved is well worth it and I can't imagine anyone better than Duncan!
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Dan O'Connell
I remember the day my fiance (at the time) told me we had to go meet with our wedding planner (Duncan). It was a Sunday and I was not pleased about it. I thought to myself, wow, this is going to take about 3 hours to get through and totally burn my Sunday. I came out of that meeting floored by Duncan and remember turning to my wife and saying, "If I could hire 10 more of him and take them to work with me I would have the perfect team and we would accomplish great things." Seriously. To say he's on top of his stuff is an understatement. He's not only incredibly considerate of your own thoughts / considerations but comes with a wealth of advice that he'll disperse appropriately and comfortably. He'll also come with all the details / contracts / and anything else you can possibly think of prepared. What I thought was going to be a painful meeting going over the ceremony was incredibly enjoyable, fast, and efficient. This same experience happened again and again with him. He is truly a pleasure to work with and I can't say enough great things. He exceeded my expectations beyond anything I thought someone was capable of; and that is quite a compliment considering I'm fairly (ok, very) critical. It is such a relief to be having him running point the day of as well - he's a game changer!
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Mohana Amirtharajah
We are so glad we had Duncan to help with our wedding. He has been in the business a long time so knows almost every major player in the wedding industry in the Bay area. Plus he always has his eye out for new talent. He coordinated all of our wedding vendors before the event so everyone was on the same page. He knows how to take a wedding space and transform it into something spectacular that still reflects the tastes and personalities of the bride and groom. The "look" of our wedding was gorgeous and remarkable- all because Duncan knows how to hire great vendors and make them all work together as a team to create a great overall experience. Most importantly, on the day of the wedding he is so calm and just takes care of everything. One of my guests brought their 2 kids without RSVPing. One of my friends had 1 unexpected guest at her wedding and it sent her planner into a tizzy. Not Duncan, he just asked for the name of the guest and somehow took care of it without blinking. That's what you want in a planner. All of my family commented on how smoothly the wedding ran and how incredible the venue looked. This is all because of Duncan! Let him and his team take care of you, you won't regret it!
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AnneMarie Hogan-Ruddy
When Kelvin and I got engaged, I knew that I needed the help of a Wedding Coordinator. While missing my parents and knowing that Kelvin could not help us from Ireland, it became painfully clear that I did not want to do this alone. I spoke to several other Wedding Coordinators before meeting with you. They had romantic ideas and emotional outpourings, but I didn't need someone to hold my hand through the process. I needed someone like me. Someone who embraces the power of endless e-mails, adores their own OCD, respects generosity, practices gratitude, and understands that business is business and love is love -- even when the two go hand-in-hand. You have been a savior during this process. I admire your kind heart, your keen advice, and your overwhelming patience (and I know I tested that with my many many e-mails, questions and changes). Your connections and recommendations speak highly of your character. I've been consistently impressed with the vendors you recommended. They have kind hearts and admirable work, just like you. When I look back at this wedding, I know that I will always think of you. You are the dark horse. Your are the man behind the whole occasion. You are the reason that Kelvin and I will remember this day as the start of our lives together. From the very bottom of my heart, and from Kelvin's heart as well, THANK YOU! I don't know how you do what you do - but you do it with grace and style.
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Heather Elizabeth Sumter
As a wedding photographer, coordinators really help make things happen for our clients, therefore really help us do our job. Having someone to organize the day, as well as help make it beautiful to look at is a huge part of a couple's wedding day. Duncan does all that and more. I had the pleasure of working as a photographer at a wedding Duncan was coordinating at the Boulder Ridge Golf course in San Jose. There was a lot of chaos going on that day due to the Jazz festival happening... and like the rockstar he is he remained calm and made sure things that had to get done got done. In the end our clients were happy, and I was given enough time to take the beautiful photographs that they have to remember their day by. And that's besides the beautiful decor of the wedding that was incredible to photograph. So not only did the bride and groom's day go wonderful, but it looked stellar as well. Duncan is a rock star!
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Jason Mitchell
Duncan Reyes is the most fabulous man alive! When I first met Duncan over Sushi, he told me the story of being flown to India to hand select white elephants for a Wedding he was planning in Dubai. Wow. Duncan has shaken hands with Presidents, traveled the World designing events, and regularly works with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and NFL Stars. But what makes him such an amazing human being and so good at what he does? The moment you meet Duncan, he brings you into his world, and you are a part of his family of event professionals and vendors. He connects you with his "Dream Team" of vendors, whom also shower you with love, and care very much about making your event a success. You get a warm feeling of security and ease, which is very unusual for a Groom in the Wedding planning phase. 90 minutes after Duncan started planning our Wedding, he called me back and said, "Ok, we're ready. The whole Dream Team is on board." I know in my heart that our Wedding was a hundred times more brilliant, elegant, gorgeous, memorable, and stress free as a result of Duncan's constant, diligent, all encompassing work. We are so grateful for everything that Duncan did for us, and he always has a place in our family. The best investment you can make in planning your Wedding or Special Event is to hire Duncan. He is the best of the best. From both my Wife and Myself, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving us a day we will remember the rest of our lives.
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Rev. Rich Menefee
Duncan Reyes could organize a party in Hell and everyone would have so much fun they would never want to leave. Seriously....this guy throws a party and you won't ever forget you were lucky enough to be invited. It is the little things...Duncan lets nothing slip by him. His attention to detail is astonishing....his ability to stay unflappable in a hurricane force wind is something that is inspiring to witness. I know he has planned parties for mega stars....and is in demand by celebrities and powerful people who can choose anyone. They choose him for countless reasons. The best part about Duncan is that he will treat you the same if you are a couple in love getting married at the Hilton as he would if you were Prince Abooboo from some enchanted isle in the middle of the South Pacific. There is none better. Period.
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Bryan Nadeau & Dr. John C. Davis, Jr.
We can't begin to express our thanks and gratitude for all you have done! The level of detail is impeccable. Your creativity is off the charts, and all your unflappable demeanor is amazing. You never once said "No" - only "Standby", "Done", "I'll take care of it". From a Television Producer and a Medical Researcher who both pay close attention to detail, we can't tell you how comforting those words and "can do" attitude have meant to us. You have made our most important day a spectacular event that our Friends and Families, and most importantly ourselves, will be talking for years. You and your Team really are "The Dream Team", and we're very lucky to have all of you. But most importantly ... YOU!
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Bo Nam
Duncan helped make our dream wedding come together seamlessly. More than anything, it was his attention to detail that truly made it special. His extensive experience in the industry and love for the job made our lives so much easier. He's incredibly organized, quick to respond, calm under pressure, and a pleasure to work with. Any time we were flustered or buried under thousands of decisions to make, Duncan would always be available to help us navigate any issue and helped keep us on track. Duncan came so well recommended that we had very high expectations. And I can say now that he has well exceeded even those elevated expectations. If you're planning a wedding, it's a no-brainer. Call Duncan and you won't regret it.
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Jordan Scher-Merkow
My husband and I are both medical students across the country, so planning a wedding several time zones away was going to be challenging. Additionally, I am a self-described personality type "AAA" so I knew I wanted to be as involved as I could in the wedding planning process but also have someone on my team that I could entrust with all other details when my wedding could not be prioritized. As a thorough individual, I wanted to do my due diligence in researching a wedding planner who would protect my vision, understand my neuroses, and be flexible with a demanding schedule. In the end I made a spreadsheet of 46 wedding planners - spoke to most of them over the phone and eventually landed on Duncan Reyes. Duncan was truly the brains behind our entire wedding- not to mention a complete genius when it comes to knowing who's who in the Bay Area wedding scene. In the end Duncan did so much more than plan our wedding; he introduced us to vendors that I never would have found, answered thousands of e-mails (responding to all of them with lightning speed!), and kept meticulous records of budgets, payments, and meetings. To those of you weighing whether or not to have a wedding planner - it was an absolute must for us and really allowed us to enjoy the wedding planning process and most importantly our wedding day. Duncan Reyes truly has our highest recommendation and is a pleasure to work with. He coordinated our wedding, dealt with crazy nuances (and personalities), and handled all stress and anxiety with poise and grace.
The day of for me was actually RELAXING knowing that Duncan was in charge of everything and that we had settled bills, gratuity and such ahead of time. THE ONLY THING I HAD TO WORRY ABOUT WAS GETTING MARRIED! Our timeline was 12 pages long, but I knew Duncan had that whole thing memorized and was ready to execute and perfect every single detail. If there were any problems, I knew nothing about them because Duncan had already taken care of them. What most impressed me the wedding day was how fluidly everything flowed, everything happened AS PLANNED, and Duncan was able to create the warmest, most welcoming, and glamorous black tie wedding in the middle of down town San Francisco.
Several weeks have gone by and we are still getting endless compliments on our wedding and wedding weekend. Duncan absolutely knows how to make YOUR special vision come to life in the most vibrant and fabulous form. Most importantly, my husband and I were beyond floored our wedding day and would not have changed a thing.
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Joyce Lee & Dennis Chang
Thank you SO MUCH for being our wedding planner! It has been quite a journey from when we first met only several month ago (which now seems like an eternity!). You not only helped us to embark on what seemed like a task that just got bigger and bigger, but you also helped us bring the the ship home through our wedding day (only slightly wetter than expected). Your down-to-the-wire agility and assuredness through the unpredictable weather helped us embrace the rain and ensure that our guests were comfortable and having a great time. Again, we can't thank you enough and hope we cross paths again.
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Cyndi Hicks-Ramirez
There aren't enough great things to say about Duncan Reyes and the work he does. I found Duncan right after we got engaged by endlessly stalking San Francisco weddings on every website I could find. His weddings were featured many times and I instantly fell in love with his work. I knew I had to have him as our planner! We reached out and set up a meeting shortly after. Duncan met with myself, my fiancè and my Mom. We all fell in love with his warm personality, his organization and his ideas right off the bat for making my wedding spectacular. After hiring Duncan, we went to our top two venues with him. We walked in to each venue and EVERYONE we encountered at the venues excitedly screamed "DUNCAN!!" and ran over to talk to us. It was clear Duncan was good at what he does and more importantly, that people genuinely enjoyed working with him. After deciding on our venue, Duncan immediately saved us a ton of money negotiating with our venue for us. After that, he used his (many) connections and saved us even more money on almost all of our vendors. Besides the financial aspect, Duncan truly made our wedding planning easy and stress free. He handled everything leading up to the wedding, and seamlessly handled our wedding day craziness. Somehow mine and my now husbands wedding bands were left at the hotel while we headed to the church for our ceremony. Duncan somehow got our bands from the hotel to the church in time for the ring exchange. I don't know how in the world he did it, but he of course handled it with a smile on his face. I can't thank Duncan enough for everything he did for us during our wedding planning and wedding, and I can't recommend him enough!
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Todd Barbee
Duncan! We owe you our gratitude, our thanks, and our love for all that you have done to make this the most special day of our lives. I hope to remain friends with you long after today is gone!
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Jennifer Brinn-Barbee
When we connected with you back in June, I took a deep breathe and just did it. When I heard the calm of your voice, I knew we were making the perfect choice. There is not enough thanks that can be expressed for all of your support, your work and utmost professionalism. You told me when we first spoke that this was your passion, and it has truly shown! We'll be singing your praises for many years. A gazillion thank-you's!!!
