I got married in 2020, yes during the pandemic. Why? Well my dad's been battling cancer and so has…read moremy husbands step-father. It was the right thing to do because at the end of the year my husbands grandfather passed away, we are so fortunate that he made our wedding. With that said, planning a wedding is stressful. Planning a wedding during a pandemic is next level. Luckily, I had Emily from a sparkling event by my side every step of the way. Emily was literally a God send. From the minute I got engaged (before the pandemic) to planning all the details, Emily was there answering all my questions and handling tough things like discrepancies with vendors and making sure things got done in a timely manner. She was my go to when I was having a breakdown as so many crazy things happened during the planning process that I was going to write a memoir. But when the day came, and I looked all around me, it was worth it. I got to marry my husband knowing that all the blood sweat and tears Emily and I had endured was priceless and I am forever grateful for her support and her let's get it done attitude. I highly recommend a sparkling event for your next event whatever it may be, if they can weather the storm during 2020, they can definitely handle anything.

I was lucky, because my future daughter-in-law hired Mandi for her November wedding in Carmel…read moreValley, CA. Mandi managed the rehearsal dinner that we hosted for our son and his bride. Having a destination event, required that I have a local and experienced person working with me. Mandi was perfect, as she had insight into the bride's preferences, yet worked with me as the host. She managed the venue staff, the photographer, florist, and decorating details. I was able to ship supplies directly to her and she handled all the details. The winery garden dinner for 45 was flawless! Most impressive was the personal service and quick replies during the planning and organizing. She's a kind and generous person who happens to be an amazing professional event planner!

I am still waiting on my photos to come back but I have a few to share! Let me just say this...if…read moreyou are thinking about Hiring Diane...DO...if you need a wedding planner hire Diane!!!! She is ABSOLUTE MAGIC!!!!! I live in los angeles so don't have the ability to know the vendors in Big Sur and she handled EVERYTHING!!!! Her recommendations were top notch and everyone gave us the wedding of our dreams! Truly we were all blown away and all of our guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been to! I will upload more photos as I get them! I don't have photos yet of the reception but it was everything!!! The food, the dj, the flowers, the drinks, the ceremony...all of it. She is an angel...a magical angel! Super reasonable, super attentive, super helpful! She only wanted us to have exactly what we wanted. I cannot recommend her more highly!!!!

I had almost the exact same experience as Olivia below. Our wedding was 1 week before Olivia's and…read morewe had almost an identical experience. I hate to leave a negative review as I knew Diane was dealing with some personal stuff, however, this is not the person you want ghosting you for months leading up to the event or cutting ties with you a week before the event. Also, I heard from an assistant of hers who said she would be taking over (we never knew Diane had an assistant) however when we emailed this assistant back, they never responded. We tried reaching out to Diane several times and eventually took matters in our own hands and organized our day assuming Diane would be nowhere to be found. Then 1 week before our wedding when everything was set, she began emailing our vendors (photographer, flowers, videographer, officiant, hair and makeup) and communicating a completely different timeline and old information that was wrong!?! She had not read our emails we copied her on for months and caused so much unnecessary headaches the week before our wedding bc we had to go back to each vendor and explain that Diane's information was old and dated and to stick with the timeline we had communicated. This is. Not what you want to be doing last minute. In the end, we all agreed to part ways. Our wedding turned out exactly as we wanted minus the Loss of the $750 for Paion that she suggested and minus the headaches and drama leading up to the event. I can say that she gave us a list of vendors which we paid for, however we did hours of our own research to find hair and makeup & photographer and deserts. The only vendors we used from her were our catering company, Catering Monterey- phenomenal btw - officiant, Soaring Starkey- HIGHLY RECOMMEND, and Big Sur flowers, they were pretty good and made a gorgeous bouquet but had some issues delivering the flowers to us the morning of and left them at Glen oaks reception instead of the house which was frustrating bc we were on a timeline and the reception is not close to the house. The worst part about this experience is that not only did things get so contested and we agreed to part ways 1 week before the event, she also listened to my vision and then booked us for Paion Estates which after talking to my photographer, Lynn Lewis (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) we realized that my vision would not happen at Paion. So we lost our $750 deposit for that location in order to take the wedding photos on the Rocky cliffs (north of glenoaks) which is all I explained I wanted from the beginning and showed very detailed images of my vision. Lynn Lewis, our photographer ended up putting together the day of timeline and making all our dreams for our elopement come true. her services include vendor referrals and timeline management. I'd you're having a small wedding, skip the coordinator all together and just go with Lynn. Lynn was the photographer we found on our own. I'd be happy to talk to any future bride about my experience. Drop me a message and I'll email you. Diane was a nice person and in the beginning I thought this would be great, but as time passed it was clear she's had other things going on and was not 100% committed or at least she wasn't with Olivia and myself.

Thank you Samantha at Sales for giving me the opportunity to explore and understand Carmel Hyatt…read moreHighlands Inn. I liked how you talked to me and taught me even though I don't speak much English yet. We really appreciated the Welcome package and envelope. You are always smiling and the main door where everyone comes in is a very smart and wise place to have you. My daughter needed something to lift her spirits. She's a really special girl and doesn't always "fit in" easily. Well, to be honest, she doesn't fit in most of the time sometimes. We brought her to Hyatt Highlands hoping to give her a good dinner because she hadn't eaten all day, and hoped that she might have a great dinner experience, enjoy the beauty of the scenery. I don't really like the phrase "special needs." I'll just say my daughter is special. She has unusual talents like memorizing a song - the music and lyrics - the first time she hears it. Or, she can handle and love animals that might bite or be fierce to anyone else. One time she saved an Eagle's life. However with people, she sometimes irritates people even with the best of intentions. To be really honest, we've been kicked out before because some places don't really understand her the way we do (her family). So yesterday the sunset was so beautiful. Everyone that had been dancing to TJ's (Pianist) music had gathered in a large crowd taking photos. My daughter is a photographer and also found a spot to take photos of the sunset. Jonathan from the restaurant was so patient with us, and was both professional and attentive to my daughter. I was afraid she would possibly offend him because she can come across a bit direct. But he was patient with her and even though they had never met before, Jonathan seemed to have this natural sense for people. My daughter really wanted dessert. We discouraged her because we thought the restaurant closed. We didn't want to give the staff too much work. Jonathan let her know they'd be happy to get her the dessert she really wanted to make her dinner perfect. (She's polar like that: It's either Perfect OR IT'S NOT!) At a restaurant like Highlands Hyatt, you are lucky to have a really professional staff. Jonathan was a blessing because he apparently is a "pay it forward" kind of person. When you have a special teenager, one of the best things for her is just to have a wonderful sunset, a perfect dinner, a new friend like Jonathan to have a reason to come back. Jonathan exuded a kind of care and patience we needed to give our Family a positive trajectory again. Thank you Jonathan. You're a professional server and your willingness to show care and serve everyone you come in contact with gave us an especially blessed day. You give all the customers your full attention which creates meaningful memories for anyone you take care of at the restaurant.

Mom started to have medical emergencies. At the ER, they kept her for days; found incidental but…read moreserious issues; been tough financially. We have (a good) history with Highlands because a couple family members love this place and sometimes invite us along. I watched a medical specialist doctor give mom bad news. She cried hard and the doctor was amazing to give her a big long hug from the heart. It's painful to see mom getting bad news and watching your parent cry like a little girl. When you're traumatized, you do some stuff that doesn't make sense. Sometimes God intervenes and just takes you to a situation you can get healing. We ended up randomly at Hyatt Inn a few days ago - drove aimlessly; ended up here. We had no business to be here because we couldn't afford the Hotel nor the Restaurant. We felt out of place. We intended to only try and get some glimpses of the architecture and Seascapes; stay out of the way of paying customers. Samantha (Sales) started talking to us. She made us feel from being intimidated to treating us like VIP's. Samantha found a way for us to get not only a Hotel (which our family members had treated us to before) - but even a Villa. Me and Mom came in for The Tour and the entire Sales staff was really nice and patient, especially to mom. Helping find the restroom and snack bar might seem simple, but my mom's condition requires people repeat things and explain slowly. I just liked how mom could talk to any of the Sales staff, and they helped her like family. Sales allocated 90 minutes for Robin to teach us about Vacation packages. We ended up taking THREE HOURS+ of her time! Then my mom's exhaustion hit and she suddenly needed to rest and sleep. Robin and Mo both showed mom tremendous compassion and patience. I was thinking in my head, "If someone took 3+ hours of my time and suddenly said they need to sleep, I WOULD HAVE BEEN MAD!" Sales was so patient and gave my mom an opportunity to recover and continue looking at packages. Samantha was so detail oriented, she had informed us of the wine tasting. Daniel from sales set a positive and fun tone for everyone at wine tasting. He, the Pianist, & Paul made a great Sales team. I was really focused on taking photos and videos of my mom, because I knew there might not be opportunities forever. I forgot to get wine and even after the event closed, Jonathan was so helpful to let us still get a sample. There were raffles and everyone was delighted how Daniel was super enthusiastic, making drum roll and with the Pianist making excitement from the event. Mom won a raffle (I promise no one knew of our situation). I got the whole thing on video and already put it on YT. What a blessing and precious memory - exactly what we'd hope for in our situation. If you want to test Aaron Dominguez's Leadership and talent to Inspire his staff to treat every person like family, just put a person like me at the best table of the Restaurant. Privately, I was already feeling bad I didn't tip Jonathan for his kind service & going the extra mile at wine tasting. Finances were bad, I cut my own hair and it looks terrible. I'm calling and arranging mom's medical needs, and answering her worried questions over and over. I don't think back on it a lot, but at one time I must have peppered mom with the same questions over and over as a child; now our roles were reversed. I went into Jonathan's section, into Hyatt's table looking completely like a homeless person (yes, with ruffled stuffed bags and everything - I'm really burned out). I know that 99.999% of any restaurant would have had me move on. I wasn't ordering anything, I know I looked extremely out of place, and "my type" can't tip either. Instead of making a person looking like they've been on the street leave, Jonathan (Waiter Food Beverage) just came up to me and assured me that if I needed or wanted to order, he'd be happy to serve me. Yet he let me remain here at their best table to get a breath of fresh air for someone that felt like they were drowning. (I don't even think I realized this until writing this review. I'm really experiencing severe distress). An "additional test" of an Establishment is to show up like me and mom, test everyone's patience, and see if Robin, Samantha, Jonathan, Mo, the Pianist AND SPIRITUAL MASTER Dino Vera, Jessica T (front desk), Daniel, Bryan (bartender), Diego & Lily (Front Desk Reception), Jacob, and Paul will give you VIP treatment when you come in with all the outward appearances of being and feeling like times are at one of their worst. Everyone at Hyatt Highlands Carmel has proven that they consistently give customers their best, even when we might be struggling. Some kind of Magic & Blessing that is pervasive at THIS VERY SPECIAL PLACE. I hope anyone reading, Staff or Customer, can have this highly unusual rare experience of being taken in like Family. At your worst or best, the staff genuinely tries to Uplift & Heal. Thank you Hyatt Highlands!

If you are planning to get married in Carmel, Big Sur or really anywhere in Monterey County you are…read moredoing yourself a massive disservice not hiring Mariah! She is simply the best and we could not have had our wedding planning and day-of run so smoothly without her expert guidance. My wife has been friends with Mariah since middle school, and she knew she wanted Mariah to be involved in our wedding planning when we chose to get married in Carmel. Originally we hired Mariah as our month-of coordinator, but it quickly became apparent that we needed her expert help navigating everything about a year out. She soon became our official planner, and it was the best decision we made! She is incredibly organized, highly communicative and has a profound attention to detail. She really does think of everything! Given that she grew up in Big Sur she has tremendous knowledge of the local vendors, venues and just all around logistics of the central coast. Mariah is also a very calming person and worked just as much as a therapist for us as she did our planner. Even though she's juggling so much, you would never know. On our actual wedding day everything ran so seamlessly and she never seemed stressed or frazzled. I only wish I approached the planning process in the same manner. Hire Mariah for all your wedding coordination needs and you will be in the best hands!!

Mariah was the day-of coordinator for our mid-May Big Sur wedding, and we wish we could have worked…read moretogether for longer! She was an incredibly calming presence from the moment we met her during our ceremony rehearsal, and seamlessly took on multiple responsibilities over the course of our wedding day to make sure that we didn't have to worry about anything but enjoying ourselves. She handled everything from playlist switching to heating up some items for our dessert bar, all while setting up the event, keeping the day's schedule on track, and coordinating all our vendors and guests to follow the set timeline. Our wedding day was genuinely stress-free thanks to her expertise, and we were able to fully enjoy our time with our loved ones. She also has incredible relationships with several vendors in Big Sur - she knew our shuttle driver, caterer, venue groundskeeper, and bartender, and clearly was treated as a trusted partner by all of them. It added an extra element of community to the day which was lovely to experience. And bonus: she gives off such a warm, kind energy. Even though we had only really worked together for a day and a half, she texted us the morning after our wedding to ensure that everything had gone well after she and the other vendors had left for the night. Overall, I highly recommend Mariah for any event planning or coordination needs! If we ever plan another event in the Big Sur area, she'll be our first call.

We had the pleasure of working with Coastside Couture for our wedding in Nov of 2022 and we are…read morestill reminiscing about the incredible day they helped us create. From the very beginning, their team was dedicated to understanding our vision and bringing it to life in ways that exceeded our expectations. They dug deep to get to know us and our families and words can't do them justice. One of the standout aspects of their amazing work was their recommendation and orchestration(no pun intended) for a band that matched and exceeded our hopes for a lit and epic dance floor. The energy and talent of the band they suggested turned our reception into an unforgettable celebration. Our guests are still talking about how much fun they had dancing the night away. The attention to detail and commitment to excellence from Heidi, Sonja, and Harley were evident in every aspect of our wedding. They managed to seamlessly blend elegance and fun, creating moments that reflected my husband and myself and will be memories we will literally never forget. Also I reflect now on how much stress they removed from our lives and I am eternally grateful. We have no idea all the ways they just allowed us to have fun in the process. We truly believe that our wedding was one of the best day of our lives, and much of that is thanks to the hard work and dedication of this dream team. If you are looking for a wedding planning company that will go above and beyond to make your day as special as possible, we highly recommend Coastside Couture. Their expertise, passion, and personal touch made our wedding day epic and unforgettable. Love them!!

Heidi, Sonja and Harley were great to work with for our wedding. We started working with Heidi 9…read moremonths before our wedding in Carmel Valley and she immediately started reserving/confirming vendors that we absolutely loved. She is experienced, and really knows the area and the best vendors to work with. She managed to reserve one highly in-demand vendor before we had even finalized our contract with her, anticipating that it would be the best option for us (which it was). That is how forward-thinking and proactive Heidi is - a true godsend for two people with busy schedules and very little time to plan a wedding. Without Heidi, our wedding would be an absolute shadow of the wonderful event that it turned out to be with her at the helm. We recommend Heidi for any event in and around Carmel, particularly for those individuals with tight schedules, busy lives or far reaching visions of what you want out of your event. She really focuses on personalizing your wedding day to reflect the couple's tastes and vision. Heidi and her incredible team will move heaven and earth to make sure that you have the event that you want. We hope that we will have many opportunities to work with Heidi and her team in the future. To Heidi and her team - thank you for everything.

If you're on the fence about hiring a wedding planner, let me save you some time--do it, and make…read moresure it's Kate! My husband and I came to her with nothing but a venue and a vague idea of what we wanted our autumn beach wedding to look like, and she took that and turned it into one of the most magical days of our lives. From the very beginning, Kate was an absolute dream to work with. She is incredibly knowledgeable about all the local vendors and made the entire design process easy and fun. My husband and I were pretty clueless when it came to wedding planning, but Kate knew the answers to everything--even the things we didn't know we didn't know! Her expertise gave us confidence every step of the way. Kate is also beyond organized. She handled everything--from RSVPs and seating charts to coordinating vendor cleanup--so that on the day of the wedding, we didn't have to worry about a single thing. She ran the entire show behind the scenes, allowing us to be fully present and soak in every moment of our special day. And let's talk about Kate's personality--she was the calming force we didn't even know we needed. As the wedding day got closer and stress levels started rising, she remained completely unflappable. No matter what unexpected twists came up, Kate handled them with confidence and ease. She was also incredibly thoughtful, truly taking the time to get to know us as a couple, which made our wedding feel even more personal and special. Looking back, my husband and I both agree that hiring Kate was, without a doubt, the most important investment we made in our wedding. If you want a wedding planner who is knowledgeable, organized, and an absolute joy to work with, Kate is the one. I would recommend her to absolutely anyone!

When we got engaged, all my husband and I knew was that we wanted to have a wedding that felt like…read more"us," but we had no idea how to put that into words, let alone make the vision come to life. We knew we could plan a wedding on our own if we really had to, but that we'd be blind to the things that would make it a "wow" wedding and to be honest, we really wanted to enjoy being engaged and not have to worry about planning every single detail. We had several consultation calls with different planners, but Kaitlin stood out from the get-go as someone who is experienced, professional, and most importantly, has a skill for really listening and understanding what was important to us. Kaitlin took small pieces of what we said was important to us and made our vision come to life. We wanted a wedding that felt like an experience for our guests. We wanted them to feel relaxed, have great food and drinks, and be delighted by small surprises at every turn. Kaitlin had incredible ideas for unique vendors to bring in, from a live guitarist who fit our vibe perfectly to our own coffee truck service. She also knew how to respectfully encourage us to consider color choices or other decor that she knew would make the event feel more timeless and well-rounded. The entire weekend of our wedding, Kaitlin and our vendors were perfectly in sync. I never felt stressed over details or timing at any given point. They were attentive, caring, and incredible detail-oriented. My husband and I had the best year planning our wedding with Kaitlin. We're so grateful that our vision came to life and we'll be forever reminiscing on our perfect day. If you are looking for a planner who will be a partner with you in creating the wedding of your dreams, cares deeply about you and your loved ones, and can create an experience that wows your guests, look no further than Kaitlin!

Patty and Carol are the real deal. - If you are debating on getting a wedding planner then you most…read morelikely need one. I am so grateful that Patty was recommended to me, I have no idea what I would have done without her. If you have no experience planning a wedding, then Patty is a great option. She will go above and beyond. She helped me with EVERYTHING. We had so many phone calls about planning, venders, timelines, you name it. We got married at the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa, Patty got our marriage insurance (didn't know that was a thing) and every detail was done to my exact wishes; our rooms, a get-ready room, timeline. She helped me find and book my venders; makeup, hair, live music. She knew about the area restrictions and completely managed all my venders. She made the best timelines I have ever seen in my life, had everything to a tee with wiggle room in case things did not go according to plan (which they rarely do). She even helped my officiant (who was our best friend) with his ceremony timeline and speech. Patty took care of everything, even when I had vender drama, she took care of it without me having to deal with it at all. And she even ran to our room when our ring bearer forget our rings! Day of, Patty has her assistant Carol which is more than a bonus. Both Patty and Carol are adored by me and my family. Truly were like my own family, even helped me put my shoes on. There are no perfect words to describe how truly grateful I am for having them at my wedding. Best decision I have ever made. 10/10 would hire them again.

I have been photographing weddings in the Bay Area (and beyond) for 30 years and have the…read moreopportunity to work with some wonderful people in industry. Patty has always impressed! Weddings are an expression of the love and personality of the B&G. Patty works with couples to create events that are uniquely their own. Strategizing, organizing, and working on every last detail. Then she connects her clients with the perfect vendors to make sure their vision comes true. When it counts most (wedding day) with her charming personality yet decisive personality, she executes weddings that flow with grace. As a photographer I have follow up conversations with the B&G after their wedding. The always give Patty the highest praise. Patty makes it happen! Todd Rafalovich

Josh and his team were absolutely incredible. Josh was always responsive, organized, and…read moreprofessional. He had a ton of insight into rules of thumb for weddings, what would work well and what wouldn't, and event a lot of insight into the venue itself (Carmel Valley Ranch). Not only that but Josh is incredibly warm and fun to work with. Day of, he and his team were organized, adapted seamlessly when unexpected things came up, and they truly helped make our wedding the best day of our lives. At the end, my Mom said he was the best wedding planner she had ever seen. I could not recommend Josh more highly. He is the best. :)

From the jump, Josh was always on top of it whether it came to mapping out the planning via the…read moresystem that they use m, or answering all the small questions that I thought about at midnight the night before! He is so organized, helpful, personable and you can tell genuinely loves what he does. He helped us with things we never would have thought to ask. On the day of the wedding we had nothing to worry about at all. He and his team were awesome, and we recommend them to everyone we know! You will be so happy you did.

Cheri is truly a star. She is so amazing at what she does. Getting to work with her was one of the…read morebest parts of our wedding. I am from CA but was living in NC so I was planning our wedding long-distance. Even from afar, Cheri made the process so fun and easy on us and was always there to answer my (many many) questions- even at 5am or 11pm. She is so detail oriented and kept me on track with planning. She also has an amazing eye for decor. As a Type A bride, I loved being part of the planning process, but I also felt like I could trust Cheri's judgement 100% and she never led me wrong. She also took care of things before I could even think of them. She is truly so sweet and made all my craziest ideas possible. Now for FLOWERS- not only did Cheri do the planning and rentals, her and her team also did my flowers. I was so blown away- they were exactly what I was dreaming of. Her team captured the inspiration pictures perfectly. Cheri went so far above and beyond in every way, especially the little things. On the morning of the wedding, I woke up with a cold and Cheri brought me a hot tea from Starbucks. One of our guests left their phone on a shuttle, the next day Cheri drove an hour to pick it up. Working with Cheri was a dream and I wish I could do it all over again.

My now-husband and I chose to work with Cheri and Meghan at Coastal Classy Events & Design after…read moreour first wedding coordinator left us feeling worried that things were slipping through the cracks. Upon meeting with Cheri and Meghan in order to get to know them and to discuss our plans for -- and anxiety about -- our wedding, we quickly felt at peace and knew that we would be in great hands with them. In the approximately six months leading up to our wedding, and especially in the final few weeks, Cheri and Meghan frequently went above and beyond to help make our wedding dreams a reality. We selected Coastal Classy's "Color By Number" / "Day-of-Event Management Plus" package. In the months leading up to our wedding Cheri and Meghan helped us to navigate the process of selecting vendors and finalizing contracts; having them look over the fine print and to begin to interface with the vendors on our behalf was very helpful. In addition they listened to our aesthetic requests and helped us to develop and implement decor that met our needs and, for the most part, our budget. Overall our experience with Cheri and Meghan was excellent. They certainly helped to keep us on track in the final weeks leading up to our wedding weekend, and their day-of coordination and assistance was second-to-none. As we're sure always happens, there were some minor, unforeseen hiccups on the day of our wedding, but Cheri, Meghan, and their staff were rockstars, easily smoothing over the bumps in the road (to the point that we were mostly unaware of any of these behind-the-scenes happenings until after the event). We could not have had as gorgeous and successful of a wedding as we did without Cheri and Meghan; they made us feel like princes, and we will always hold a special place in our hearts for them for all the beautiful memories they helped us to create! If you want to have the wedding of your dreams in Monterey, and have fun with two wonderful planners & human beings along the path of planning, we strongly suggest working with Cheri and Meghan and the rest of the Coastal Classy Events & Design team! Sam L. & Timmy F.

We still can't get over how perfect our 7/3 reception went. Thanks to the team, it was truly the…read morebest night of our lives, and our hard-to-impress guests were also wowed by everything. From planning to execution, we appreciate how smooth everything was from beginning to end. The food, from cocktail hour to the dinner buffet, was delicious and we received so many compliments about it all night when we talked to each table. The service all around was amazing and our guests loved how friendly all staff were. Sales staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. We were appreciative of how responsive and flexible they were. Day-of coordinators were ELITE in executing our vision day-of and putting everything together so beautifully. Their coordination helped us relax and enjoy our day knowing that we had a strong team helping us out behind the scenes. We will forever be grateful for the experience we had at Carmel Fields!

Attended a wedding at this venue and enjoyed every moment of it. From the outside to the main…read morelobby, it was all gorgeous. However, the standout moment came after the wedding ended. We planned to head back to our hotel around 10pm, only to discover a flat tire on our car. We attempted to change it, but the hills/slope of the area made it difficult to keep the car lifted. Staff member Ash (and 2 other gentlemen, not sure if they worked there) literally saved the day. Ash helped us out by providing her jack and assisted with removal of the flat tire with the spare. She then ensured the wheel was safe to drive and informed us of both the nearest gas station for air and mechanic for a repair. I can't thank her enough for turning a terrible moment to an amazing memory.