Not Your Average Wedding Planner
Orpha Is
Orpha is the nickname and middle name of our founder, Marisa's, maternal grandmother, who embodied love, joy and comfort. We aim to honor her legacy each and every day by creating joyful and meaningful weddings and events.
We add joy, beauty, originality, and creativity to people's lives.
Lead Designer & Founder
Marisa Vrooman
After three years living in Barcelona and five years in New York, Marisa returned to Charlottesville, Virginia - where she attended UVA - to raise her family and enjoy this wonderful small-town with its big-city sophistication.
Her extensive career offers her a wide variety of experiences that she regularly draws on while planning weddings and events. While working in film and television production in New York, she honed her logistic expertise along with her creative skills. Her work includes working on big budget Hollywood films including: 27 Dresses, Across the Universe, Ghost Town, and When In Rome and also cutting edge indie flicks. She worked as a commercial production designer and set decorator further developing her creative sensibility and style.
The Gates of Central Park, where she met her husband, Nate, was one of the highlights of her career in New York City. She managed 600+ volunteers & staff members, helping to oversee the project installation, working alongside artists Christo & Jeanne-Claude and their incredible project directors.
Orpha Events formed in 2010 as the perfect marriage of creative passion and organizational finesse. Orpha is the middle name and nickname of Marisa’s grandmother, who inspired her through her generosity of spirit and amazing ability to spread joy and love.
The Orpha Team
The women and men that make up the Orpha Events Team are the best in the business. We are a highly trained and creative team with a varied experience and education. We love to create seamless experiences for our clients and their guests.
We live by Orpha's core values and love what we do, immensely.
Each of our Assistant Planners have more than a five years of experience in event planning under their belt. We are passionate, professional, organized, detail-oriented, and dedicated to you and your wedding day.
Our Event Specialists Team includes no less than three assistants on your wedding day. Each Specialist has been with us for at least three seasons. One has been part of the team for almost a decade! Working every event together has helped create a bond, and a shorthand that empowers us to be efficient, effective, and extremely responsive to your needs on your wedding day.
Each and every one of our staff members brings a special skill set, a passion for what we do, and a level of experience that puts our clients at ease throughout the wedding planning process and on your wedding day.
