When I opened Sally Oakley Weddings and Events in 2010, my goal was to make the experience of planning a wedding less stressful, more fun and ultimately to ensure that my couples and their families enjoyed the wedding day as much as their guests. As the business and our team has grown, we have held true to these goals, lessening the load for over 500 couples and counting.
Our inspiration comes from the connections we make, the unique vision and story that each couple brings, and the joy and love we get to bear witness to each weekend.
We believe every love story deserves to be celebrated, and are honored to be a part of those celebrations.
Meet the Team....
We are so glad you are here....
Sally Oakley
Like many things in life, the path that led Sally to opening and founding her boutique event planning business was long and winding. Born in England, Sally and her family moved to the bitter cold of Minnesota at a young age. She received a degree in Design Communications where her love of creating beautifully crafted and styled things began. After college she relocated to North Carolina and found her way to a local wedding planner where her true passion was discovered.
With a passion for planning and styling events, Sally strives to create a unique and memorable experience for each and every bride and groom. What Sally loves most about her job is the close relationships she builds with her couples through the many months of planning their perfect day.
In the industry now for over 18 years, Sally has cultivated many long-standing relationships within the industry and has the honor of being a preferred vendor at some of the Triangle’s very best venues. On a personal note, Sally lives in the Five Points area of Raleigh with her husband David, their two daughters Ellie and Kate, and their two pups, Bear and Dolly. In her free time, she loves walking to local breweries with her dogs, cooking dinner for her family, and getting away to the family beach house.
Kathy White Swope
Kathy launched her career in the special events industry over 25 years ago. She is a graduate of the prestigious Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, SC. As a native of the South, Kathy is known for her southern hospitality, trustworthiness and ability to tell it like it is, in the nicest way possible :)
Before joining Sally Oakley Weddings & Events in 2014, she worked with some of the industry’s best vendors and is known for her extensive knowledge of catering, rentals, design, and logistics.
Kathy’s favorite part of wedding planning is helping her clients’ visions become reality and being an integral part of their “special day”. Her reputation precedes her as her attention to detail and flawless orchestration of the big day are unparalleled.
She is highly revered and recommended by her clients and previous colleagues and we are very pleased to have her on our team!
Kathy lives in North Raleigh with her husband Glenn and their two fur babies, Piper and Josie. When not working Kathy loves down time with friends, hiking, traveling and sushi dates.
Mandi Degnan
Mandi discovered her love of hospitality working at restaurants while attending the University of Kentucky. She brings a wealth of knowledge and 15+ years of experience in the local hospitality industry, most recently opening three restaurants with her husband: bu•ku global street food, so•ca cocina Latina, and ko•an public table.
Mandi joined the Sally Oakley team in 2018 and immediately fell in love with the world of weddings. Her favorite parts of her job are getting to build relationships with her couples over months of planning, working closely with so many fun, creative vendors, and seeing everyone’s hard work come together to create an incredible event. She also really loves wedding cake!
She and her husband, Sean, live in Raleigh with their two sons, Leo and Roan, and two doodles, Maisie and Goldie. In her free time, she loves date nights, crafting, and a good margarita.
the experience
We believe every love story deserves to be celebrated, and are honored to be a part of those celebrations.
We can't wait to learn more about you and your love story, but first, let's take a look at the Sally Oakley Wedding Experience.
The Experience
- Cassandra
She was fantastic to work with leading up to my wedding. Always organized, great ideas, and seamless details! I worked with Mandi on my wedding day due to having to change my date a few times. She was WONDERFUL! If anything went wrong, I had no clue about it. She made sure my day was fun, relaxing, and stress free for me. Her attention to detail and ensuring everything was in place and on time was everything I could have asked for!
"A warm hug on your wedding day!"
- sarah
Kathy was the MVP of our wedding day. Apparently there were a few hiccups leading up to the ceremony but Kathy made sure I was none the wiser. She made sure everything was handled and in order before our ceremony began and made sure we stayed on schedule the entire evening. Kathy could not have been more helpful from the day we signed our contract to the moment we walked out of our venue. Thanks to Kathy, I was able to enjoy my wedding and did not have to think about a single detail the entire day!
"Absolutely Worth It!"
- betty
Sally was a life saver for this mother of the bride and I highly recommend her. She kept us organized every step of the way and helped me focus on the important things while assuring me that some of the things I was stressing about would take care of themselves. She knows all the area venues and vendors. If something goes wrong she knows how to respond. She coordinates everything down to smallest details. We were in very good hands with Sally.
"Sally was a lifesaver!"
- mary
Sally is truly amazing and was absolutely wonderful to work with! Our venue came with an on-site planner but we hired Sally to work alongside us and it was a dream! She listened to exactly what I wanted for my wedding day and made the whole process seamless and easy. She was so kind, helpful, and easy to communicate with - even with my many, many questions leading up to the big day. Her caring personality was so comforting to have around on my wedding day, and she put me at ease the whole weekend. I would highly recommend Sally and can't say enough good things about her!!
"Sally is amazing!"
- megan
Our coordinator Mandi was incredible to work with! She was available anytime, day or night, by phone or text to answer my questions or help me adjust to changes as they came. She was also willing to attend any and all vendor appointments with me, and had excellent advice and recommendations on how to make the day personal for me, my fiance, and our families. We could not have done it without her! She made the day of the wedding so smooth and relaxing. Would highly recommend Sally Oakley weddings to any bride!
"Wonderful planner with attention to detail"
- Christie
Sally has an impeccable, professional relationship with all her vendors which is invaluable to the bride, groom and families. Every issue that arose was handled by her with ease leaving all feeling relieved not frustrated. My daughter and I actually missed our conversations with Sally after the wedding. Both my daughter and myself were out of state and we absolutely could not have done this without Sally steering all things. My daughter had the wedding she wanted but Sally made it all possible. Everyone involved in the wedding came away so impressed with her calm attention to details from the sideline.
"Best of the best"
