MDP Events meticulously plans spectacular events throughout the Suncoast of Florida and across states nationwide. Every detail is accounted for with extraordinary organization and an attention to personalized decor that resonates with our couples to provide meaningful, thoughtful, and cherished memories throughout every wedding day touchpoint. Our process includes inventive design and intimately crafted timelines that lead into a well managed, seamlessly coordinated celebration that will leave a lasting impression on every guest for years to come.
Our Wedding Style Is:
MDP’s wedding planning style utilizes our expertise in the industry to plan completely custom events for any size or style celebration! We are honored to have the opportunity to be a part of our couple’s special day. Through inventive design, detail-oriented planning, and stress-free production, we provide coordination that is ALL about our client’s vision! Our goal is to guide you through every aspect of planning with ease and confidence so you can enjoy your engagement. We also offer A La Carte packages making sure that our couples are given the services that best suit their needs to make for a wonderful and fun planning partnership!
Our Personality Is:
Our personality is super outgoing, optimistic, and realistic! We absolutely adore working with each of our clients and want to make sure they always have an answer and feel like they are in the best hands. We want to have fun with our clients and make sure they know that even though we are their Wedding Coordinators, we are in this partnership together and will do everything we can to make sure their day is as they imagined while guiding them based on our knowledge of the industry!
What Inspired Us to Start Our Business is:
I opened MDP Events in honor of my best friend, Maggie Dundon Potter who loved weddings and the industry just as much as me! I have been in the events world for 10 years and knew I wanted to continue for the rest of my life! In 2016 Maggie and I spontaneously left our coordinator positions in Newport, RI and decided to move to Boston together. We always said we would start an event planning company together, but she sadly passed in 2017. Now I have the most incredible privilege of detailing each celebration in memory of her.
We Love Being a Part of the Wedding Industry Because:
What we love most about planning weddings is the relationship we create with our clients and seeing their ecstatic reaction on their special day knowing they are over the moon happy! I have always had a love for planning weddings even before I found my niche working in Newport, RI during college when realized it was my absolute dream career. The passion I have for coordinating weddings stems from my obsession with organizing and the couple’s personal details! It’s ALL in the details! I mean who doesn’t love a wedding?!
What Makes Our Business Stand Out From Other Vendors Is:
What makes our business stand out from other planners is our backbone of pure passion. I opened MDP Events in honor of my best friend who shared the same obsession and love for weddings that I do. Not only do I adore planning weddings, but having a huge motivational inspiration makes each and every celebration extra special. We offer the standard packages as well as A La Carte options. We want to make sure their coordination package is what they need and best suits them to make our relationship as beneficial as possible.
One Thing Most Couples Would Be Surprised to Know About Us Is:
I LOVE EDM and dance music! I attend lots of concerts where there is SO much event inspiration through color, design, and pieces of stage art that are outside the box. Music is so therapeutic to me and I enjoy getting to listen to it in my car or especially live with a huge glowing smile on my face.
One of Our Non-Wedding Passions Is:
One of my passions non-wedding related is FOOD! I absolutely adore all things food. Many people say they love food, but I definitely call myself a foodie for how I love to try new very weird combinations, constantly binge every cooking show under the sun, and have a serious adoration for cooking for my family and friends!
Our Pricing:
Event Management starts at $2,500
Partial Planning Experience starts at $4,000
Full Service Coordination starts at $7,500
We also offer A La Carte customization for couples to create a personalized package!
Our Associations/Awards:
The Knot Best of Weddings 2022
Wedding Wire Couples’ Choice Awards 2022
Best Of Sarasota – Wedding Planner 2022
Meet Lauren Gertz
Hi! I’m Lauren! I am originally from the smallest state of Rhode Island. I went to college at Quinnipiac University for IO Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Photography. I know…weird combination! I always knew I wanted to work in weddings, but also thought I might like to be a Forensic Psychologist. WELL we all know how that turned out.
I studied abroad in Australia and it is still one of my absolute favorite places! I live in Sarasota Florida with my boyfriend and cute cat Jade. I recently bought a house in Sarasota and had a blast doing all of the interior decorating. I love traveling, theme parks (especially roller coasters), relaxation time at home, makeup and skincare, getting some sun at the beach, dancing at concerts, and spending lots of time with my family!
Website
401.258.2281
MDP Events Reviews from Marry Me Tampa Bay Couples:
Marry Me Tampa Bay curates the below reviews from real couples whom we've personally interviewed. As Tampa Bay's most trusted wedding planning resource, these reviews are 100% accurate and aren't created by fake accounts.
Tropical Tented Siesta Key Beach Wedding | Sunset Beach Resort
We looked for a wedding planner who exemplified competence, communication, and connections, and Lauren was all that and more. I didn’t know I was going to need crisis management on the day of the wedding, but when a wild teenage beach party broke out just before the ceremony, somehow, she got it all handled, and everything went off perfectly. Lauren and her experienced team at MDP Events always went above and beyond. They were able to help guide us on the big picture down to the smallest details and even navigated all kinds of twists and turns along the way so that we could enjoy the happiest day of our lives to the fullest.
Lauren gave great advice and referrals too; being only part-time residents, we needed her professional connections and recommendations, and they were top-notch. The best part was knowing on the day of the wedding that everything was taken care of, finding out later that she had even taken care of things we didn't know about in order to ensure the best day for our family, friends, and ourselves.
Luxurious Dusty Blue Sarasota Wedding | Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
The first thing we did was hire a wedding planner. I really looked for someone who understood my vision for the day and could help me stay organized and on track. I believe your wedding planner should feel like your friend, after all, you will be talking to them nearly every day!
I used both Marry Me Tampa Bay and The Knot and found MDP Events. I knew after one five-minute conversation that I wanted to work with the owner Lauren Gertz. She completely grasped the theme we were going for and added so many amazing ideas that took our day to the next level. Lauren and I discussed our ideas for the wedding, and she put together a list of recommendations for all other vendors. She provided about 3-6 amazing options for each category, and from there I was able to narrow down and choose. We had countless people tell us our wedding was the best they'd ever been to, and honestly, we owe it all to her.
White, Silver, and Black Winter-Inspired Downtown Tampa Wedding | Tampa River Center
Being a professional planner myself, it was important to find someone like-minded. Organization was key and kindness was the cherry on top.
I interviewed several candidates for this important position and found that Lauren of MDP Events was flexible, kind, and organized.
Italian-Inspired White and Greenery Sarasota Wedding
We were looking for someone we felt comfortable with. We were dating for almost ten years before getting married, so we had a long ride before getting hitched. We knew that our wedding was the most important day of our lives, and we wanted someone who would understand and create a vision to reflect that.
We chose Lauren Gertz, owner of MDP Events, after hearing about her through word-of-mouth. We then did a ton of research, reading all her reviews and looking at her past work. We then decided to schedule a call with her. From the first call, we knew Lauren was the one. She was attentive, reassuring, and easy to talk to from the get-go. Lauren was with us every step of the way- she was an absolute dream to work with!
MDP planning was amazing. Lauren went above and beyond in every single way! She was the one to recommend the majority of the vendors.
Romantic Vibrant Tropical Citrus Sarasota Wedding | Powel Crosley Estate
Because we only planned for two months, we knew we needed a very talented wedding planner. We wanted someone who was organized and relaxed, who would both help us with the work, and help us calm us down in the process.
After our initial call with Lauren from MDP Events, we knew she'd be a good fit for us. She understood that we didn't want anything fussy or traditional for tradition's sake, and she assured us that even though we had to move quickly, we'd be able to make it work.
Lauren from MDP Events, went above and beyond; she was always available, flexible, and completely organized. We're so grateful for everything she did. She was so easy to communicate with, she never made us feel obnoxious for changing our minds at the last minute or asking a million questions, and she had so many brilliant ideas along the way.
