After8 Event Planning & Design - Sherman Oaks, California

Kevin M

Client Beware for Wedding services

I hired Payman's services based on a recommendation, but my experience was far from positive. Despite a full-service contract, we found myself doing most of the heavy lifting. He was slow to respond to emails, often taking days or even weeks. When it came to venue selection, he suggested only a few high-end options that were out of our budget.

Payman's communication style was also frustrating. He often mumbled and spoke so quickly that it was difficult to understand him. He was disorganized and failed to provide a clear timeline or checklist to guide us through the process.

Perhaps most concerning was his lack of value-oriented approach. He seemed fixated on using the same high-end vendors, regardless of our budget or preferences. After speaking with other clients, I learned that his assistants were the real driving force behind his business. Unfortunately, his assistant Lauren, the only positive aspect of our experience, resigned.

Due to the constant stress and anxiety caused by working with Payman, we decided to terminate our contract approximately 10 months before our wedding. Despite paying a $6,000 deposit for virtually no services obtained, he refused to return any of it. He claimed to have lost business due to our booking, but I later discovered that he had booked two events on the same day.

I strongly advise against hiring Payman's services. His ineffectiveness, poor communication, and lack of professionalism made our wedding planning experience a nightmare. Terminating his services was the best decision we made. Potential clients should be wary of the overwhelmingly positive reviews on his profile for mostly Bar Mitzvahs and conduct thorough research before making a decision for their wedding

Kimiya Jafari

What I thought would be a stress-free, exciting time during my wedding planning experience, ended up turning into the most stressful part of my wedding planning experience.

We hired Payman’s services because of a family friend who had used him for some events that I had gone to years ago. We took this referral very seriously which is why we put our complete trust in him.

Simple questions like, “Where and how do we start looking for venues?” were never answered to the point where I had to start looking up 20+ venues on google myself. I even made an excel sheet with each venue + notes about each on guest count, food, alcohol, fees etc MYSELF. We told him many times what venues we did not want to use and he kept trying to convince us to use them instead of giving us new options. We told him we wanted venues in LA & OC, he sent us options in Palm Springs, Simi Valley and Palos Verdes.

When we finally did find a venue we liked (on our own), we asked him to review the contract, he didn’t and said it looked fine despite there being glaring issues as well as a missed opportunity to negotiate (which we did on our own). He took no interest in venues outside of his usual selection of venues - this was the case with other vendors as well. Once we realized this, we knew we made a mistake in trusting him but felt like these would improve (hopefully).

During our first in person meeting in the middle of August, he mentioned that we would start with his budget analyzer which we would receive in 2 weeks. It required numerous and constant follow ups on our part to finally receive this document after 6+ weeks. Also, this “Budget Analyzer” was not even helpful, it was a generic budget with no guidance on the options or alternatives.

For our DJ, we requested someone experienced in both Persian and Hip-Hop music, explicitly stating we did not want EDM or house music. However, the three DJs he suggested were all EDM professionals, one of them even stated they usually don’t play more than a couple Hip-Hop songs for the whole wedding. This left us feeling confused and unsupported, especially since he didn’t attend any of these interviews and just wasted our time.

When speaking to others about our experience, everyone said this is not representative of a full service planner. We finally left Payman’s service 10 months before our wedding and immediately understood what full-service planning entails when we hired another planner. The new planner showed us a DETAILED and COMPREHENSIVE to-do list and timeline from day one, answered all of our questions, worked with our budget and interests, showed up to each vendor meeting, and actually cared to help us on our wedding planning journey. We felt our wedding was saved and dodged a mental health bullet had we stayed with After8.

Additionally, he has 2 plans for his services. One of them (the less expensive option) is him not SHOWING UP TO THE ACTUAL EVENT. What kind of planner has an option in his services to not show up to the event on the day of? Imagine having a wedding planner that tells you he will not be there on the wedding day, but that his assistant will be there. His assistant also told us she just started working there recently, and then Payman let us know that she was leaving the company around 1-2 months of working with them.

There were so many things I wasn’t aware of on our wedding day that our new planner was taking care of just by being physically there.

While your event with After8 may be a success in the end, you will be carrying a large burden of work that typically falls under the planner’s responsibility throughout the entire process.

N S

After8 did a phenomenal job planning our party. I’m still getting phone calls and texts from guests telling me what a fantastic time they had. Everyone is calling it “the best party” they have ever been to. Not only did after8 excel in the visual aspects and bringing out the vision and the theme we had for the party, but they also ensured the smooth execution of the event. They coordinated with vendors, managed the timeline and ensured that everything ran seamlessly. This allowed us to relax and fully enjoy the celebration. I wholeheartedly recommend after8 to anyone who is looking for the party planner of the year.

Michelle Neman

Payman and his exceptional team orchestrated an unforgettable evening, transforming our party into a magical experience. Their expertise and dedication shone through, evident in every detail of the stunning design and flawless execution. I wholeheartedly recommend their services for anyone seeking an extraordinary event.

Nick Ebrahimian

Peyman and Shannon were simply amazing in planning our daughter’s bat Mizvah. They were patient, attentive and always available. Peyman was a master in setting up the event and had a great connection with all the vendors. Thank you After8 Event Planning for making a memorable event for our family.

Mr Broumand

If you are looking for experience, vision, excellent service, drive to out perform, many many compliments on your event and peace of mind, look no further. Excellence is here. They get the job done and in an amazing way.

yasamin matian

Couldn’t be any happpier working with this company for my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah. They are professional, helpful and responsive. Thanks to Payman and the whole staff for making it an unforgettable night.

Sahar Bina

I worked with Payman and his team at After8 Event Planning to plan my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. The team was an absolute pleasure to work with and the events planned went beyond my expectations. The flowers and decor at our luncheon and party were beautifully designed, the entertainment was a hit and the events were executed with absolute perfection. After8 made what we envisioned a reality. I will be working with Payman and his team for all of our future events knowing that I will be in good hands.