Everything was planned down to the very last detail and from our first conversation she understood exactly what I wanted.
a global authority in luxury celebrations
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.
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.
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.
Everything was planned down to the very last detail and from our first conversation she understood exactly what I wanted.
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!
We just had an awesome wedding after 2 cancellations due to Covid. JoAnn navigated us through the challenges and we had the best wedding ever. It was unbelievable.
During the weekend of our wedding, she made sure everything ran seamlessly. As the bride and groom, we were able to be present and enjoy our family and friends.
My fiance and I thought we could try to plan our wedding on our own, boy were we wrong! When the stress became too much I reached out to JoAnn based on a recommendation. She was amazing every step of the way! She calmed me down when I was super stressed and took care of all the odds and ends that didn’t occur to me.… Dena and Marissa on the day of were ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! They took care of everything and made sure the day and night were perfect.
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 planned my wedding for about 105 guests and made me feel like my husband and I were celebrity clients.
I loved working with JoAnn over the past year! She was so in tune with what we wanted, and was always available. We planned our NYC wedding from California, which I was worried would be a big challenge, but JoAnn made sure it was a non-issue throughout the whole process.
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.)
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. I would recommend JoAnn to anyone who is looking for a planner in the states or a destination. She is a diamond in the rough. Kelley Anne Peterson
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…
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 an integral part of our daughter’s out of country wedding! She was available for us and professional through out the journey making this day so special. Would would recommend JoAnn to anyone!
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!
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 and her team are simply the best. After getting engaged, I promptly started planning my wedding on my own. When I first came to JoAnn I was stressed, confused and overwhelmed. Between working full time and scouring Pinterest for hours on end every day to try and determine my personal vision, I was exhausted and discouraged. I did not know where to start and… I was feeling anything but confident in my planning abilities. I knew I needed professional help, but I didn’t know where or who to turn to. From the first call I had with JoAnn I knew she was the perfect fit, from that moment on wedding planning went from a taxing process to seamless, enjoyable and fun. JoAnn is an incredible professional and person. She makes her clients feel as if they are her only priority, she is honest, hardworking, diligent and trustworthy. JoAnn maintains constant contact with her clients throughout the entire process. Her top priority is to make sure the bride and groom’s wedding day is the best day of their life. And I can say our wedding day far exceeded any expectations I had. I walked into our venue before the reception and I couldn’t help but tear up. It was simply my fairytale brought to life. JoAnn became my lifeline throughout the entire planning process and as I called her our “Mama Planner”. She is a true gem; she is so easy to work with and manages to make what seemed impossible, possible. When planning a wedding plans can change suddenly and of course at the worst times, obstacles are inevitable and things will go wrong, but with a smile on her face JoAnn figures out a solution to every bump in the road no matter the size of the bump. When I arrived at the church the night before my wedding for the rehearsal, I found out the priest wasn’t going to make it to the rehearsal due to an unforeseeable circumstance. JoAnn did not flinch and she calmly announced to my wedding party of 9 bridesmaids and 11 groomsmen that the rehearsal was still going to take place. She stood in front of the church and JoAnn the wedding planner became JoAnn the priest. JoAnn can really do it all. No vision is too large for JoAnn to execute. She was the best decision I made when it came to planning my big day.
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!
The best possible experience. JoAnn was wonderful to work with! She handled everything start to finish and made me feel comfortable. Coming from the event industry I know the importance of a planner and I never doubted JoAnn. She handled everything professionally and with confidence!
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 plan and execute my wedding and my sister’s weddings 3 months apart! 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! JoAnn perfectly achieved my vision of a warm romantic wedding, and taught me that details like uplighting and beautiful chargers really do make a world of difference 🙂 My family and I cannot say enough great things about JoAnn, we only wish we had more celebrations to plan together!
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!!!
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 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!!
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 !
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
JoAnn was a visionary, she created magic from a barn that was just a horse training center. She was caring, compassionate, and listened to all my desires, and made it happen.
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 !!







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.
Call: (973) 800-7164
Email: joann.elegantoccasions@gmail.com