Elegant Occasions is an international boutique event planning and design firm headquartered in New York, specializing in complex, high-profile celebrations throughout the U.S., Europe, and destinations worldwide, executed with precision, discretion, and ease.
Your Story, Beautifully Told
Every celebration deserves a story — yours.
JoAnn Gregoli and her award-winning team design and produce exceptional weddings and events around the globe. From the first save-the-date to the final toast, every moment is intentional, seamless, and inspired by you. Whether it’s an intimate destination gathering or a grand ballroom wedding, we bring together creative design, flawless logistics, and personalized experiences that define luxury.
A Global Leader in Event Design & Production
As one of the world’s most recognized event planners, JoAnn Gregoli brings decades of expertise, artistry, and innovation to every event. Her work has been featured in leading publications, and she is the author of The Knot’s Guide to Destination Weddings.
Elegant Occasions is an international boutique event planning and design firm headquartered in New York, with an international presence in Paris and Rome, specializing in complex, high-profile celebrations around the world.
We’ve had the honor of planning events for world-renowned clients, including: George Clooney, Rupert Murdoch, Robin Roberts, Jon Bon Jovi, and President Bill Clinton.
Our approach remains the same for every celebration — dedication, discretion, and distinctive creativity.
JoAnn and her team were professional (knew what they were doing and how to find & manage suppliers) and helped to make our wedding ideas a reality while taking the stress out of planning and the big day! We had a destination wedding in NYC with 150 guests, including a party the day before.
★★★★★
A truly magical evening (and weekend) is the only way to describe my daughter’s wedding. From start to finish, JoAnn made it all happen.
★★★★★
JoAnn and her team were great from start to finish! They were on top of everything!
★★★★★
I can’t say enough good things about Joann. She wasn’t just my wedding planner she was my friend. She was there for me the entire day of the wedding checking on everything to make sure everything was ok and she really came to bat for me when it came to some serious issues with the event venue coordinator. She really fights for you to make… sure that your vision comes out the way that you want no matter what and if for whatever reason something can not be done she is honest with you. I can only imagine how great she is at destination weddings. I highly recommend her!!! Kiss Kiss Jo!!! XOXOXOX
★★★★★
JoAnn was such a pleasure to work with. The moment we met her, we knew that she would make everything perfect for our wedding. She has years of experience, relationships with vendors and has worked on high profile weddings, but is completely down to earth, professional and insightful. She gets to know her clients well, knows what they want and executes their vision. Everything was… beautiful and seamless on our wedding day because of JoAnn. I even recommended her to one of my friends who got married recently. It was another beautiful wedding. I recommend her services without any hesitation.
★★★★★
JoAnn was my wedding planner for 2.5 years and I couldn’t have been more thankful to have her. We first brought her on in 2019 right after our engagement and shortly after COVID completely derailed our wedding plans. Not only did JoAnn support us through the difficult time she also acted as our therapist! We went through so many reschedules, cancellations and iterations of our… wedding plans and she helped us through all of it. We ended up having the most amazing wedding at a venue in NJ called Natirar and I couldn’t have pictured a more perfect day. JoAnn and her team got the job done and went above and beyond our expectations. She is well known and respected in the industry and has a lot of great connections with vendors, which was great because when it came time for the big day we were taken care of. At the end of the day, JoAnn is a good person who genuinely cares about her brides, their families and making sure they have a wedding reflective of their love. The wedding industry can be filled with people who try to take advantage of you and not only is she far from this stigma, she protected us from it. We love JoAnn!
★★★★★
Honestly don’t know how we could have gotten through our big day without JoAnn! We had a large wedding, a lot of moving pieces and 3 wardrobe changes (way too ambitious)! There was a lot to keep track of, and timing was EVERYTHING. She kept everything on the ball, coordinated more than I could ask for, made sure we were happy & fed, and most… importantly kept me sane. I didn’t have to worry about a thing! Our day went perfectly thanks to JoAnn <3
★★★★★
Our first conversation with JoAnn was reassuring and informative. When we met in NYC she was professional, warm and down to earth.
★★★★★
JoAnn of Elegant Occasions is an amazing wedding planner! She is an excellent listener and will quickly understand the type of wedding you’d like to have. She really knows how to take your visions and turn them into the wedding of your dreams! She knows the industry very well, and has endless contacts with each type of vendor. She is very kind and comforting to… her clients, but she also knows how to effectively manager your vendors. On the day of your wedding, you will be a guest at your own wedding! JoAnn will coordinate all of the vendors and ensure that you’re not worried or stressed. She will be in contact with your for several weeks after your wedding, to ensure you are happy and that everything is taken care of. Other wedding planners were dismissive of me when I shared my budget with them, but JoAnn told me that we could make all of my wedding visions come true, and she was right! Her industry knowledge and vendor contacts are so robust, that she can work with any client and no request is too big or too small. I definiitely recommend JoAnn of Elegant Occasions as a wedding planner.
★★★★★
Absolutely Best Planner Ever!! Wedding was Perfect and Everything that I imagined it to be. On the wedding day I was 100% stress free. My wedding was in great hands!!!
★★★★★
I met JoAnn in person for the 1st time the day she traveled in for my wedding and instantly I knew I had made the right choice! I am so grateful that she was onsite as the planner for our destination wedding. Everything was fabulous! She is truly a joy to have around.
★★★★★
We feel so lucky to have had JoAnn as our wedding planner. From the very beginning of our 20-month planning journey, she was incredibly responsive, professional, and reassuring.
★★★★★
We weren’t fully prepared for just how intimate our relationship with JoAnn would turn out to be, and how important that intimacy was to a successful planning process. Picking someone we genuinely liked and trusted was crucial, and JoAnn effectively became a part of our family for the better part of a year (though without any “family drama” that sometimes seeps in and derails a… couple’s vision for their special day). She always listened eagerly and intently, and NEVER “yes’d” us to death just to make her life easier or took the path of least resistance. For us, JoAnn always took the time to fully understand our vision and wasn’t afraid to remind us (gently) when something we were asking for (or neglecting to ask for) missed the mark that SHE took the time to understand so thoroughly. It’s not quite the same as a relationship with a doctor or attorney or therapist – though the amount of trust that’s necessarily placed in your professional’s hands makes the planner selection process as crucial as anything you’ll do for that day / event (other than choosing the right spouse!) More than anything, we appreciated that JoAnn’s focus was always on our vision and our guests’ collective experience rather than on herself, and she never once made us feel as though we were simply being plugged into an assembly line. She totally understood the “once-in-a-lifetime” experience of our day / weekend required a truly customized approach, and brought together the best of our ideas and her experience… Simply put, there were too many variables to consider for us to handle the planning process by ourselves. We had NO idea how many things we didn’t know that we didn’t know! Starting with site and venue selection – especially for a destination wedding and operating within the complexities of a global pandemic – and continuing through making sure our musicians and bands were right for the place and “vibe” we were going for, and carrying on to things as seemingly simple as “save the date” notices, setting up a wedding web site as a constantly updating resource for our guests’ travel and logistics questions, and even making sure food and beverage selections for our rehearsal dinner and wedding reception were complementary and not repetitive – as well as reflective of the local cuisine / culture of the island and a “best foot forward” offering of our resort’s (extraordinary, as it turned out) chef and culinary staff. From our perspective, no detail was too small for JoAnn and her team at Elegant Occasions to bring to our attention, and – in that the task was still occasionally a bit more than our minds and hearts were able to process completely – she always seemed to know exactly when to step in and make editorial calls FOR us, then knocked every single one of those out of the park! We approached our wedding planning through the prism of “hey, at the end of the day this thing is supposed to be for and about us” and still – when all was said and done – every single one of our guests felt as though we’d planned the entire weekend of events for them! We lost count of how many times we saw one of our guests thanking JoAnn for what an amazing time they had, and – given the challenges and expense \associated with attending a destination wedding – there’s probably no greater testament to the necessity for retaining a pro liker her and her team to do the job than of those unsolicited comments of praise they so richly deserved…
★★★★★
THere are no words to describe how much I loved working with JoAnn Gregoli, owner of Elegant Occasions. I interviewed a number of event planners and instantly knew when I met Joann that she was the right person to help me plan my daughter’s destination wedding. She has a great demeanor and is well liked by all vendors. She listens to what you want and… then helps make it happen. Planning a destination wedding has a great deal of challenges and she helped make the entire process much less overwhelming. It was a pleasure to work with her and I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone.
★★★★★
Keep a consistent line of communication open with JoAnn. She’ll deliver. She was also sensitive to our budget. She also succeeded in working with the wedding venue to negotiate a most favorable rate from a less-than-accommodating caterer. (We were parents of the groom responsible for the rehearsal dinner and welcome party at an overseas destination.)
★★★★★
JoAnn and Dena did such a fantastic job with our wedding which we just had on 10/8/16. They were with us from when we first started planning about a year ago and were one of the BEST decisions I made about the wedding. I could not imagine trying to plan the wedding or even manage the day-of without their experience and expertise. They were also… very responsive to any requests or questions I had and always had time for us whenever we needed them. They also made sure we had things done in a timely manner and also made sure we covered all the necessary details (most of which we would have never thought of ourselves). Most importantly, they are both the NICEST people ever and so easy to work with. They made our wedding day completely stress free so we could just enjoy everything with our family and friends. Look no further – they are the best!
★★★★★
I have heard horror stories about weddings, stressed out brides, and bad vendors. My wedding with JoAnn (elegant occasions) was flawless – I would not change a single thing from my wedding and there was absolutely no room to improve – it was already a dream wedding. Not a lot of brides can say that! We were booked a year and a half in advance… for our 10/10/10 wedding. Unknown to us, my venue in Newport, RI was in the process of being sold. JoAnn found out before the public did and was able to find several other locations as a backup. When the original venue was sold and my wedding was cancelled 8 months before hand, JoAnn had the backups ready and I had an even nicer venue than our first choice at the same price. She and her team are amazing! They are professional, they have all the right connections, and very creative. There are tons of stories of her coming to the rescue over the time period we were planning the wedding (too long to type). It was also a relief on me, my husband, and my parents that we did not have to worry about coordinating a thing the day of the wedding. Everything was handled for us and we were able to let loose and have fun. To me, there is no other choice than JoAnn.
★★★★★
JoAnn and her team were an absolute pleasure to work with over the year that we planned our wedding. She is incredibly organized and kept us all calm during both very exciting and stressful time! My family and Fiancee looked forward to our meetings with JoAnn as she kept us all on track to making our vision a reality all while being mindful of budget… considerations. The final product on our wedding day was exactly what we wanted and beyond. Everything went seamlessly throughout the wedding weekend thanks to JoAnn and Elegant occasions!! I would highly recommend working with JoAnn to anyone!
★★★★★
JoAnn was great for our wedding, she was very responsive (within 10 to 15 minutes usually!) for any questions we had during the wedding planning. She never made it seem like any idea we had was not feasible, she always was encouraging and made everything happen that we wanted!
★★★★★
JoAnn is incredible at what she does. She is a wonderful person to work with because of her positive attitude and beautiful spirit. She has knowledge far beyond her years and openly shares every bit of it. I love working with her and plan to do so for a long time to come! I highly recommend that you look no further than JoAnn Gregoli!
★★★★★
I worked with JoAnn Grigoli of Elegant Occasions on both of my daughters’ weddings. The first wedding was in Oct. 2008 and JoAnn was wonderful. She was a great help & wonderful resource in planning a tented wedding on the water in Rumson, NJ and had great vendor recommendations across the board. Her knowledge, experience & overall expertise in all things “wedding” were invaluable. Perhaps… most important of all was JoAnn’s ability to remain calm in the midst of chaos and her talent in working well with both the bride and mother of the bride. She is a terrific multi-tasker (no surprise there as she is the mother of 6!) and always got back to me promptly in countless emails & phone calls over the course of a year of planning. JoAnn was an organized , calming presence on the actual day of the wedding and it was a great relief to me to know that JoAnn was coordinating all the logistics from the bride & bridesmaids getting ready/the photographers & videographers being where they were supposed to be & on time/attending to last minute crises (no iron in the house, brand new stain on mob’s dress)/transportation issues (church was 35 min from reception site)/ and on & on. It was a truly beautiful day/evening and JoAnn was the “ringmaster” while always remaining a pleasure to work with. The second wedding I worked with JoAnn on was in Aug 2010 for my younger daughter . This was a destination wedding in Newport , RI (I live in NJ and the bride in NY). Again , JoAnn brought all her expertise to bear in helping plan the wedding my daughter envisioned & her special knowledge of Newport weddings & local vendors was just invaluable. Her recommendation of Sayles Livingston as our florist was just perfect ! Again , JoAnn was always available and a voice of calm on the day of the actual wedding. She was fun & easy to work with & always full of great suggestions . She gave us great tips on a rehearsal dinner site as well as on a local clambake vendor. JoAnn was crucial both on “big picture” issues as well as on the countless details (including the various timelines) . The wedding itself was another glorious day/evening – and she even took care of sewing a bridesmaid into her dress after a zipper broke!. Perhaps I should even credit JoAnn with the perfect weather (our past family events usually included boots & umbrellas !) Overall,I’d rate JoAnn & Elegant Occasions with at least 5 stars ! I have recommended her without reservation to friends & acquaintances. If you’re looking for an experienced , professional wedding planner who is also easy & fun to work with yet adept at handling all aspects of “crisis management”- JoAnn is the perfect choice !
★★★★★
I honestly don’t think there is another wedding planner as good as JoAnn Gregoli! Her expertise is amazing – the wedding was enchanting and magical and everything we wished for and more. Her team of experts is second to none. She is friendly, loving, outgoing, caring and professional. I highly recommend her! She anticipates everything and anything and responds quickly. We never worried for a… moment; we were confident in her abilities and she made our dreams come true.
★★★★★
I cannot say enough good things about JoAnn and her team at Elegant Occasions!! I knew she was amazing after she planned by sister’s wedding earlier this year; however, for our destination wedding in Bermuda (October 8, 2016) JoAnn went above and beyond. JoAnn truly became a part of our family during the planning process, traveling with us on site visits and negotiating with the… hotel and vendors on our behalf. Not only is she a true professional in this business with the best contacts, but she will work tirelessly to create wedding of your dreams. If you are planning a destination wedding, there is hands down no one better than JoAnn. JoAnn and her team handled all of the logistics for the 4 days of our destination wedding weekend and the entire event was a huge success!! She anticipated every detail and was always there to listen to me and my mom every step of the way and guide us in the best direction. She is patient, knowledgeable, and truly cares about and loves her clients. JoAnn and Elegant Occasions are full-service wedding planners, from concept and design to execution. I can’t thank her enough for planning and being a part of our perfect destination wedding!!
★★★★★
Joann is an incredible planner. She does not only bring to the table her amazing experience but she puts her heart into what she does. It is such a pleasure to work with you will not regret having her on your wedding team 🙂
★★★★★
JoAnn did a fabulous job helping me plan my wedding!! I loved working with her. She listened to my ideas and helped by adding her professional knowledge of the business. JoAnn’s energy and upbeat attitude is so fun to be around. I recommend JoAnn to all of my friends.
★★★★★
5/5. The BEST! We feel so lucky to have had JoAnn as our wedding planner. From the very beginning of our 20-month planning journey, she was incredibly responsive, professional, and reassuring. No matter how big or small the question, she always answered promptly and thoroughly, which made the entire process so much less stressful. Her experience really showed when it came to site visits, handling… vendors, and dealing with unexpected challenges. She anticipated issues before they even came up and took care of everything behind the scenes so we could focus on enjoying the experience. On the wedding weekend itself, she was absolutely phenomenal — calm, organized, and always ten steps ahead. We truly couldn’t have imagined our wedding without her. Our family and friends kept commenting on how seamless and beautiful everything felt, and we know that’s all thanks to her and her team. If you’re looking for someone who is not only talented and detail-oriented but also kind, patient, and an absolute joy to work with, look no further. Hiring JoAnn was one of the best decisions we made.
★★★★★
I have so much respect and high regard for JoAnn at Elegant Occasions. She provides high communication and will work after hours and weekends, which many planners will not provide this level of service. She helped me plan a wedding in the pandemic within 90 days! Most of my friends thought I was crazy, but working with JoAnn made this so enjoyable and doable. I… was able to lean back and really enjoy the journey because of JoAnn. Every vision I had, she provided from the photos, to sky lanterns, champagne coupe waterfall, exquisite menu, and intentionally quality time with my groom on the wedding day. Her wealth of contacts provided me the BEST vendors from the photographer, to the band, and the invitations. JoAnn has a gift from God to create a magical and dreamy wedding. Brennan and myself could not be more than pleased and hands down my wedding was beyond my wildest dreams.
★★★★★
JoAnn was my wedding planner for 2.5 years and I couldn’t have been more thankful to have her. We first brought her on in 2019 right after our engagement and shortly after COVID completely derailed our wedding plans. Not only did JoAnn support us through the difficult time she also acted as our therapist! We went through so many reschedules, cancellations and iterations of our… wedding plans and she helped us through all of it. We ended up having the most amazing wedding at a venue in NJ called Natirar and I couldn’t have pictured a more perfect day. JoAnn and her team got the job done and went above and beyond our expectations. She is well known and respected in the industry and has a lot of great connections with vendors, which was great because when it came time for the big day we were taken care of. At the end of the day, JoAnn is a good person who genuinely cares about her brides, their families and making sure they have a wedding reflective of their love. The wedding industry can be filled with people who try to take advantage of you and not only is she far from this stigma, she protected us from it! Highly recommend!
★★★★★
We couldn’t have achieved my dream wedding (and my sister’s dream wedding!) without JoAnn, who has now become an extended member of our family. JoAnn helped navigate new wedding challenges in a COVID world with ease, brought amazing creative ideas and vendors to the table, and made the night of our rehearsal dinner and wedding go flawlessly. Joann is friendly, responsive, efficient, detail oriented, collaborative,… and a problem solver- everything you’d want in a planner! My family and I cannot say enough great things about JoAnn, we only wish we had more celebrations to plan together!
★★★★★
We contacted JoAnn with 2 months to go before the wedding, we still needed some vendors (Video, favors, transportation and accommodations for out of town guests) so many things we needed help with. Joann stepped right up and took care of all the details. She added items we did not even think about, and they added such a wonderful touch to the reception. Everything went… smoothly, her team was a pleasure to work with and took care of all the details. Everything fell into place, my daughter and I did not have anything to worry about that day. JoAnn helped to bring all the details together and made it such an amazing day we can't thank her enough !!
Brands who trust us with their events
Let’s Create Your Celebration
Whether you’re dreaming of a sunset wedding in Capri or a black-tie gala in Manhattan, we’ll bring your vision to life with grace and precision.