from our founder

I founded Anne Kelley Events with a vision – to create unforgettable experiences with ease and elegance. In the years since, we have orchestrated hundreds of weddings, celebrations, corporate events, and fundraisers, and our commitment has never wavered.

We design first and foremost for our clients. We get to know you. We embrace your vision. Then, we create bespoke events that are timeless, elegant, and unmistakably yours. In the face of the most complex logistics, we make every experience seem effortless. We embody grace under pressure, and we work diligently to ensure every experience we create is one for the ages.

Let us breathe life into your vision and exceed your expectations. We can’t wait to begin.

—ANNE KELLEY

our team

In this work, we have been incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by exceptional people – from the clients we serve to the members of our team. Anne Kelley Events is made up of seasoned and highly sought-after event specialists who thrive on the process of breathing life into your vision, whether it’s a wedding, corporate event, or fundraiser. Our attention to detail is unmatched, and our events flow with ease —designed to feel seamless, natural, and intentional.

Alexa Schmitt

Alexa brings enthusiasm, devotion and her spice for life to each wedding she works on. As a natural extrovert, her warm demeanor and caring approach enable her to establish strong relationships with each client. Before entering the event industry, Alexa worked in public relations. When not working on events, you can find her in her personal training studio working with clients or hiking the Shenandoah trails.

Audrey Staples BERGEY

Audrey, a Certified Meeting Planner, brings a creative and meticulous approach to planning and her intuitive and warm personality ensures her clients are put at ease to enjoy their special day. Anne and Audrey have been teaming up for nearly 20 years, collaborating on both social and corporate functions. Audrey’s expertise in the corporate and meeting planning industry makes her an important asset to AKE.

Alicia Carmody

Whether Alicia is hosting an elegant patio soiree or a casual dinner party with friends, her main goal is to bring people together in a way they won’t soon forget - and she gives that same intentionality to each client. Alicia handles many of the day to day operations for Anne Kelley Events and can be found scoping out new venues up and down the east coast, assisting at an event or handling behind the scenes details. She thrives on making events one of a kind, seamless affairs.

kind words from our clients

Accolades

“Anne Kelley and her team are amazing! They are professional, warm, creative, cool under pressure and a complete joy to work with. I have used her for 2 weddings and can't wait to do it again!”

— Mother of the Bride, A & P

“I highly recommend working with Anne Kelley Events & Design! Anne's expertise of the wedding planning process is unmatched. She helped us to develop a vision for our wedding weekend and connected us with all the best vendors. Then over our wedding weekend, Anne's team made sure everything went off without a hitch! Our guests still tell us how much fun they had at our wedding (a year later!), and that's all because of Anne!”

— E & S

“I had the opportunity to work with Anne Kelley Events & Design with my lead planner as Alexa Schmitt. Alexa’s guidance through design concept decisions, countless deadlines and timeline planning was invaluable. We went into our wedding weekend stress free, with the utmost confidence that our wedding vision would come to life. There was not a single moment in the day where I was worried about the logistics because I trusted the AKE team wholeheartedly to see to every minuscule detail. We feel so lucky to have had the support from such a wonderful and dedicated team. I cannot recommend Anne Kelley Events enough! They are the best in the business!!!”

— L & P

“We had the absolute privilege of working with Alexa Schmitt as our lead planner with Anne Kelley Events (AKE). From the very beginning, Alexa guided us through the wedding planning process with professionalism, extreme organization, and a wonderfully positive attitude. She thoroughly listened to our wedding vision and helped design exactly what we were looking for, giving us input and adding creative touches we never would have thought of (like a cocktail napkin with our cat on it).”

— J & S

“We hired Anne and her team for a full-planning destination wedding in Boca Grande, Florida in June 2023. From start to finish, Anne was incredible! When you work with Anne, you'll find someone who is SO organized, so well-versed in the industry, and surrounds herself with truly the kindest, most hard-working team. I felt super relaxed going into the weekend knowing she had it all handled. She helped me venue search, negotiate contracts, and she handled our entire wedding weekend from beginning to end -- no small feat. Her day-of assistants were also incredible and professional. You'll be in the best hands with AKE!!”

— N & P

“Everything about the wedding was perfection! Every vendor you recommended exceeded expectations. Everyone that put the wedding together and executed on that day was so incredibly friendly, professional, and talented. But you, you are more exceptional than I even knew! You are unflappable. You know how to make the day go more smoothly than I ever imagined and handle it all with knowledge and grace.”

— Mother of the Bride, H & S

“I don't even have words. Thank you for being our guide on the most amazing journey. You made our day so magical!”

— M & M

“You made this process so much easier than either of us could have hoped for! Thank you for handling everything so smoothly, we honestly do not know what we could have done without you.”

— C & K

“What a beautiful wedding you so diligently, generously, and lovingly planned! Thank you for every text, call, email answered, for every meeting, for every detail so professionally and passionately tended to.”

— Mother of the Bride, M & J

“Thank you for all your guidance... your attention to detail and creativity but most of all your professionalism is beyond our greatest expectations. We really enjoyed working with you over the last year and best of all, we made a new friend!"

— Mother of the Bride, K & A

“Thank you for all your hard work over the last year to make this weekend happen. There is no doubt in my mind that it would have been an impossible task without you. You have a beautiful eye for detail, you are wonderfully creative, and are excellent with people! Words do not properly capture my deep appreciation.”

— C & H

“Thank you so much for everything. You have been a God-send for us throughout this whole process and we couldn't have done this without you.”

— Mother of the Bride, J & J

“I cannot begin to say thank you enough to express how truly grateful we are to you. Thank you for making our dream wedding a reality. We had the best night of our lives all thanks to you. You always knew how to keep me calm and took all the stress out of planning a wedding. You are so talented and have the biggest heart. I will miss talking to you every day, but we will forever stay friends!”

— M & Z

“From the bottom of my heart - thank you. You were everything an event planner should be - and 10 times more. You handled the numerous changes and glitches with covid with calmness, grace, and finesse. I couldn't have done Jenny's wedding without you. You are one in a million.”

— Mother of the Bride, J & S

“Working with you over the past several months was wonderful! I loved your enthusiasm, your energy, and the positivity you brought to all of our interactions. Your personalized service was amazing. You always made me feel like I was your only client. You were extraordinary and went above and beyond from start to finish.”

— M & A