About

First things first....."Gel - Tah- MA"

The G followed by the J really throws people off.

Born and raised in New York, I moved to Portland from Washington, DC in 2011. Many years ago, my mom told me I should be an event planner--and mom knows best.  Her wisdom, combined with my hyper-organization and serious attention to detail set me on my career path. I worked for a small, boutique meeting and event planning company based out of Alexandria, Virginia for five years and traveled the country planning and executing so many different types of events.  It wasn't until my last year there that we started planning weddings and I fell in love. I would still be working for that company to this day if I didn't move to Portland to follow my heart and now husband. I have been in the event planning industry for 15 years and am currently the Manager of Corporate Events at an international organization in downtown Portland. If you are newly engaged and don't know where to start OR if you have all the planning done and just need someone to set the tables and tell you when to walk down the aisle, or if you are somewhere in between--it would be my pleasure to help you see your vision through for your event. Feel free to shoot me an email to start a conversation. 

testimonials

katy & mike giampetruzzi

Portland, Maine

“Allison was the best money I have ever spent on anything, ever. 

From the first moment we met with Allison, her organizational skills and personality made my husband and I feel at ease. Throughout the process, dealing with our venue was extremely difficult; they wouldn't respond to emails, would tell us things and then not have them done, wouldn't show up for appointments, etc...Allison took on this challenge and took the worry off of us and held the venue accountable for the things they had told us they would do, in the end the venue was exactly as we had imagined and this was 100% due to Allison's diligence, persistence, and care of my husband and I. Allison was extremely knowledgable and asked great questions about things we hadn't even considered. Allison got to know my husband and I and helped keep our vision of the wedding alive. When adjustments had to be made, Allison made sure that the adjustments still fit within our wedding day vision and the wedding was the most amazing day!!! Our wedding day was absolutely perfect, Allison was behind the scenes making sure that everything went according to plan, ran on time, and that all of the small details were taken care of (even when my family threw in some additional things right at the end). To anyone I know getting married I will recommend the first thing they do his hire Allison. I cannot thank her enough for all of the work she did and all of the help she was during the wedding. Our wedding was the greatest wedding and we were able to enjoy it throughout the whole night, largely due to Allison.”

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Sarah & Dustin Carson

Scarborough, Maine

“My husband Dustin and I were married September 19, 2015.  I had spent the year prior scouring Pinterest for every rustic chic barn wedding themed idea that I could find.  I had a vision of exactly what I wanted for our day; down to the way the cake stands needed to look on our dessert table. 

We needed someone to help facilitate the day that wasn’t afraid to get their hands dirty.  I needed someone to move chairs from our ceremony site to our dinner tent, to keep people moving, keep me laughing and most importantly, to see the day through my eyes.

Allison was that person.

She was a dream come true.

On our wedding day, my bridal party kept saying, “You are so calm… like not worried about a thing.” Isn’t this what every bride wants? You spend so much time preparing- and on your wedding day, you should be able to soak up every ounce of reward for that preparation.  Allison and her husband allowed me to do just that.

Allison and I had met three times prior to my wedding.  THREE times!  She had experienced her own wedding, and had assisted several friends, so she had a clear idea of the topics that we needed to cover.  Once I had spilled every single idea that I had, she was able to connect everything in a timeline and I felt as though a weight had been taken off my shoulders.  I could see my day coming together, and left our meetings with tasks to complete. 

She kept me on track, and thought of everything and anything that I didn’t. 

On the day of my wedding, I did not pick up a box, a decoration, a chair or even think about the set up. —Did I mention that she was due to have her baby ANY DAY?!

My eyes welled with tears when I finally stepped out of the ceremony and walked into our reception as I saw how everything had come together. 

My vision became Allison’s vision, and there is nothing more that a Bride could ask for.

Thank you Allison and Team (and Baby Grace for holding off for a few days) for helping to make our wedding day the most memorable day of our lives!”

–

Deanna & Daniel Carik

Washington, DC

"Allison proved to be a top-notch resource for me and my husband while planning and executing our wedding at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC on September 19, 2014. I valued the honest advice, professional guidance, and shoulder to cry on that Allison provided during our 6-month planning process more than I think she knows. Her knowledge of local venues and vendors, review of our wedding day timeline, and calm and classy presence with me at the salon the morning of our wedding were all priceless services that I believe only she could have provided me. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a professional event planner and friend for life."

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michelle & TOmmy McDonald

Washington, DC

“Allison's insights and experience were invaluable for making our wedding day EVERYTHING we dreamed of!  Her extensive network of vendors made sure our entire wish-list became a reality while keeping us well under budget.  If you are looking for the wedding you want, for the price you want, without the stress or hassle then look no further.”

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flannery & Mark Pantall

Alexandria, Virginia

“I have known Allison Gjeltema for many years. She is a wonderful friend, and has always been one of the hardest working people I know. I have attended numerous events and weddings that she has planned and spearheaded; every one of them being beautiful and memorable. She is meticulous, conscientious, and clearly listens to the needs/wants of her clients. She takes the unique visions of her clients and is able to bring them to life. She is extremely organized and pays attention to the smallest of details; making her an extraordinary event planner.

Based on her knowledge of the industry and years of experience, she is the first person I call when seeking event/wedding planning advice. She played an intricate role in the planning of my own wedding which was held on June 23, 2012 in Old Town Alexandria, VA at Hotel Monaco. I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding. My husband and I were able to focus on enjoying the most wonderful day of our lives without worrying about any hiccups along the way. Allison lent her expertise and vendor knowledge when needed most. I knew she would always be available whenever I had questions, and I greatly appreciated her guidance throughout the entire wedding planning process.

One of the best things that can be said of Allison is that she truly cares about each and every event, and you can rest assured knowing that she will create an event that will be timely, organized, and picturesque!”

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jACKIE & aNDREW pRICE

Syracuse, New York

“Allison Gjeltema  was an amazing event planner for my wedding, which was on July 23rd, 2010. One of the my favorite moments when planning with Allison is when she came over for dinner and afterwards we sat down together and discussed my entire wedding plans from start to finish. During this time, she sat and typed up a timeline of what still needed to be done leading up the wedding all the way through to the last dance. When we were done, she had typed a beautiful well organized timeline with dates, times, locations, who was in charge of what, and vendors. It was amazing! I felt great afterwards and not worried about all the details because it was all mapped out! From there, we were able to send parts of the timeline or all of it to the different vendors, which made it so easy!
Additionally, Allison put together a timeline of events for my bachelorette party in Washington D.C. and sent it out to everyone who attended. I told her spots I wanted to go and my plans and she took care of the rest.  It was so much fun!
The day before the wedding and day of Allison was always there checking in with me to see what I needed and took care of all the details behind the scenes. I had no worries in the world because she is fabulous at what she does and is the most organized, kind, and loving person. I would highly recommend her for any event.”

Interests

Family
Friends
Dancing
Facials
Retail Therapy
Wine

fun facts

I used to play the French Horn
I played Division III soccer in college
"Allison" means truth
The last book I read was What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I met my husband on the dance floor
I have 3 amazing, wonderful, exhausting children