I am still waiting on my photos to come back but I have a few to share! Let me just say this...if you 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!!!! read more

See all

I had almost the exact same experience as Olivia below. Our wedding was 1 week before Olivia's and we 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. read more

Diane is the most unorganized planners and it's mind boggling she's able to do what she does. We went weeks with no returned emails, no transportation booked. It was a nightmare. Go to loma vista instead, speak with Blaise and their in house coordinator! They are THE BEST. read more

I typically don't write reviews but I felt I had to given the severity of the poor experience we had with Diane. Our wedding recently passed (Sept 10 2022) and Diane completely ghosted us before the wedding without any kind of explanation. To this day, we haven't heard from her. She took our money and disappeared. To provide context, we hired Diane in November 2021 for our September 2022 wedding. We hired her for month-of coordination, but she doesn't have specific packages, so we also agreed to some minor wedding planning items in the months leading up to the wedding as well. I am pretty organized and had planned to do 99% of the planning alone, but since we were planning a destination wedding in Big Sur, I wanted to have Diane gut-check some items, especially because she knew our venue (Glen Oaks) so well. In the beginning, Diane would communicate sparingly - maybe once every 2-3 weeks, which I initially thought was fine because our wedding wasn't for a year and she had other more time-sensitive things to attend to. We paid a $500 deposit and then in March 2022, we received a bill for $756 (less our deposit, $216) that was not itemized at all. It literally said "Itinerary, vision boards, timelines". Apparently this amounted to 14 hours worth of work, but we never received the vision boards and to this day I have no idea what that means. We paid the invoice, and never heard from Diane again. In July, Diane posted to her Instagram that her mother had passed and she would be taking a break, but didn't indicate how long. Wanting to be sensitive, we did not reach out to her about wedding planning items. 2.5 weeks went by and we received an email from an assistant (which we never knew she had), and the assistant let us know she would be helping with wedding planning items in Diane's place but that Diane fully intended to be there for our wedding. Great! We responded immediately with our condolences and questions, the biggest being securing rentals since Diane told us explicitly that we needed to go through her to get them, and we were starting to cut it close being only 1.5 months out. The assistant didn't respond, and after 11 days we followed up. After 6 days of no response, we sent another email; again, no response. By that point, we were 30 days out from our wedding and started to look for a new coordinator since we not getting any response. We learned from our other vendors that Diane also had food poisoning at one point, but had been working weddings regularly again as early as August 6th, which means she ignored our calls and emails willfully and deliberately. To this day, she has not acknowledged that she completely ghosted us without a single word. Please stay away from Diane and her extremely unprofessional business; the amount of stress she put us through literally made me sick before the wedding. While I understand that Diane went through some hardships, that is no excuse to take your client's money and never respond to them ever again. Seriously, what kind of person does that? read more

It has taken me a while to write this review, only because I want to make sure that it is special and perfect, just like Diane. On our wedding day, just before I was to walk down the aisle, Diane started crying. I asked her if she cried for every wedding. She replied "yes, I cry at every wedding because I just love my job". You can truly tell that Diane loves the work and it shows in every detail. She puts forth every humanly possible effort to make your wedding the most spectacular day you and all of your guests have ever experienced. There are many qualities that make Diane ideal to work with: she is funny, detail oriented, dreams big, is respectful of costs, and will entertain any and every idea. She loves the creativity of trying something new, but knows how to perfectly execute with precision the difficult task of planning a wedding on the edge of a cliff. I was worried that the costs of our wedding might spiral out of control. I think that Diane actually helped to curb costs, by telling us what was necessary, what was optional. She had excellent relationships with all vendors and helped to ensure that they all worked smoothly together. She was flexible with me bringing my own DJ and Florist and helped them to fit seamlessly into the mix. There was no detail that Diane did not think of and then perfectly execute. The day of our wedding was absolutely stress free. Diane and her team all wore head sets so that they could communicate. There was absolutely not a thing that I had to think about on the day of our wedding except enjoying my husband and all of our guests. My parents had significant consternation about having a wedding in the middle of nowhere on the edge of a cliff. With the magic that Diane created, however, they were immediately beyond words. My father started crying as soon as stepped on the property, proclaiming that he had never seen such a beautiful place. Several relatives reached out after the wedding to tell us that they had never been to a more special wedding, despite having previously gone to many expensive and luxurious weddings around the world. Not only does Diane create a stunning visual masterpiece, she also creates a space of love and family. More than anything, my heart goes out to Diane and the year that the Big Sur community has had. Plagued by one natural disaster after another (our wedding was flanked by a fire and then flooding and road closures), Diane always keeps her head high and is an integral and shining member of her community. She has had to get creative over the past year with new sites and venues, however, every picture I see of her weddings has been beautiful, each more stunning than the next. We definitely plan to have a 5 or 10 year wedding reunion in Big Sur. I can't wait to work with Diane and would recommend her to any friend or family member in a heart beat. read more

Please choose another wedding organizer in the area as Diane maybe should rexamine the manner in which she treats people.

If there is one quality I appreciate most in people, it is passion, and Diane Allen of Elegant Events is full of it. She absolutely loves what she does, and that shows in every conversation she has, vendor she partners with, and product she creates. On our wedding day, when I arrived at Paion, I almost fell over. Diane and Christine of Christine Cater Flowers had transformed the venue into a magical wonderland. The colors, textures, flowers, and furniture came together like a dream that emerged from deep in my heart, and they were the fairy godmothers who brought it to life ten times more than I could have ever imagined. Each of the vendors she suggested was superb: Christine, Feel Good Foods, Naked Soul (the BEST wedding band EVER!!!), and Edith Meyer Cakes. When I told Diane, I hoped for a drum circle around the fire pit late night, she did not mess around. She got a team of real drummers from deep in the backwoods of Big Sur to come down and keep the party going. Drum circle, carnitas tacos, smores, and my brother's friend's moonshine - now that is a good late night! Part of the reason I hired Diane was because she tells it like it is. She doesn't sugar coat. I knew I needed to work with someone like that. That is a day we will never get back. It is etched forever in our hearts as one that was as good as it gets...better than we ever thought was possible! What a beautiful way to start our marriage - with the seeds of it all being better than we ever thought was possible. Thank you Diane and team for all of the heart you put into what you do! read more

Wow! Where to begin with my appreciation and admiration of Diane Allen & her whole Elegant Events team... Diane was our wonderful wedding planner for my wedding last month at Paion in Big Sur - I can't even begin to express with words how efficient, eloquent and proficient Diane is with her Event Planning - she made the whole process seamless and streamlined, and we couldn't be more appreciative! (And, as you know, wedding planning is no simple task!) In addition, just as a character reference - Diane might just be the most personable, down-to-earth and good-spirited women that you will ever have the pleasure of meeting - my entire family adores her and are actually planning a return trip next year to beautiful Big Sur to reunion with Diane and her fabulous team. I couldn't recommend her more highly to facilitate your Event Planning! She was seriously the hero of our magical wedding weekend - thank you so much, Diane!! :) -Kate G. *Please feel free to message me if I can provide you with any additional information about Diane & her amazing team! read more

My company was hired to provide an elegant espresso bar for their daughters wedding. They hired Elegant Events to be the wedding planner and introduced us via email. From the very start Diane was a great communicator. She was detailed and very easy to work with. Her planning made our role very smooth. We provided an espresso bar and needed to move in during the wedding. Diane had everything necessary for us to be successful for our service. The weddings elegance was like I've never seen before. She created an amazing ambiance and energy among the cliffs and big trees Big Sur offers at Paion. I highly recommend Elegant Events as your coordinator. I hope we will meet up with them at other events. read more

Diane was extremely thorough, patient, and kind in working with me on deciding on the perfect venue for a Big Sur wedding. As a previous native of Monterey, I was well aware of the complications of having a wedding in the area but she is a pro! I booked out 2 years in advance with her and ended up having to cancel a little over a year in advance. Although her contract stated the deposit was nonrefundable, she worked with me to refund my money. She is very personable and you can tell she truly cares and loves what she does! I was really impressed with her ability to create and facilitate the perfect wedding according to your exact needs. I look forward to using her services in the future! read more

There is a great wedding planner, and then there is Diane Allen. She is an exceptional one, whom both sides of your families would remember forever. She made our wedding into something much more magical and spellbinding beyond my imagination. I chose Diane initially because she had a lot of experience with the Paion estate. Her communication style is direct and straightforward, which made vendor selection incredibly easy. There is hardly a vendor she has not worked with in the Big Sur area, and she is very candid about the pros and cons for each one. I appreciated that so much, since the amount of vendor information can get overwhelming. Little did I know, what truly separated Diane from a great wedding planner to a truly unforgettable one was something way beyond the tangibles. Tangibles such as her seamless execution, expert knowledge on Big Sur, no bullshit communication and no surprise budget approach. She fixed my placement cards mistake resourcefully by herself, because she knew how hectic the wedding weekend would be for me. She teared up during my father-daughter dance. She went extra mile to make sure our families were taken care of, and that I didn't have to worry about a thing. She dealt with stubborn guests with grace and poise. She even made sure Andrew & I had some alone time to savor the ceremony. I think I drunk-hugged her multiple times throughout the night. It's this intangible quality that distinguishes Diane from other planners. Diane is Khaleesi of weddings: cool, calm, collected and ever so competent even in crisis. Hiring Diane was hands down the best decision I've made in the entire planning process, and I hope you also have the pleasure of working with Diane. Diane, thank you for giving us one of the best nights of our lives. We will remember you forever. Vendors: Classic Catering, Winsome & Wright, Christine Cater Flowers, Chic Event Rentals, Kiyomi Sanada, Kindlewood Films, DNA Entertainment, AITS read more

Diane and her business associate, Peter, left us feeling ripped off and taken advantage of. We had planned a small intimate wedding in Big Sur (at Paion Estate), but it was ultimately canceled by forest fires. Diane called to deliver the bad news, and assured us (verbally and in writing) that we would get a refund for the wedding venue. To be clear, we were only expecting a small refund for the cost of the venue that we didn't get to use. Initially Diane was somewhat responsive to emails, but ultimately stopped responding and leaving us completely in the dark. It's unfortunate, because we initially really enjoyed working with her, but this whole experience has made the two of them look dishonest. We had no idea that would get taken advantage of like this. We can't recommend hers or Peter's services to anyone. We wish we didn't have to give her even one star. Maybe consider looking for a more honest and professional business when making Big Sur wedding plans, or risk getting rippled off like we did. read more

My husband & I are so grateful to Diane for turning our dream wedding into a reality. We live in Burbank and were pretty unfamiliar with the Big Sur area before our wedding, and chose Diane as our coordinator because she has so many years of experience, complete knowledge of even the smallest details of the area, and a more affordable price than other planners we got quotes from. The communication could be a bit spotty in the months leading up, but when I raised concerns, Diane assured me we would be her top priority when our wedding month rolled around, and she sure did get it all done as promised. She connected us with our ceremony site, rentals, bakery, florist, stylist, cocktail hour caterer, and probably a lot more vendors that I'm forgetting! She was so organized, thorough, and shot it straight with us, which I think is what we appreciated most. When she'd send quotes for vendors that were out of our price range. When she sent quotes for vendors that were out of our price range, we'd tell her so, she'd say got it, then come back soon with a more affordable option. I really can't imagine how we would've gotten through the wedding weekend without her. The day before, she was running errands all over for us, picking up supplies from us at our hotel, beverages from Bevmo, etc. And on the wedding day, Diane and her team went above and beyond. They were all so professional and wonderful, our family loved chatting with them, and at the end of the night when it was pouring rain and we had an hour long trip in the shuttle back to our hotel in Monterey ahead of us, Diane drove slowly ahead of the shuttle to lead the way and make sure we got there safely, since she knows the roads so well. Infinite thanks to Diane--we love her and can't wait to be back in Big Sur so we can see her again! read more

We rolled the dice by booking our destination wedding in Big Sur without meeting Diane or visiting any of our locations. Diane not only delivered, but exceeded our expectations in every wedding planning category. Her knowledge of the area is second to none and she was very capable of meeting our budget requirements without cutting corners. Diane's professionalism combined with her southern charm made it a fun an relaxing experience. You will not be disappointed going with this planner. read more

We worked with Diane Allen and Elegant Events for our Big Sur wedding @ Wind & Sea July 26, 2014. It was truly the best day we could have imagined! From the beginning Diane was extremely knowledgeable with Big Sur & Monterey vendors and we really appreciated how up front and honest she was every step of the way. Everyone she recommended to us was beyond reliable. That's what you get with someone who has worked in Big Sur for YEARS. She will not recommend anyone that won't deliver 150%. I really appreciated Diane's "no surprises" approach to the budget as well. She's so easy to get along with and I was happy to have someone I could no-nonsense banter with and crack jokes while being able to totally depend on her. She's hilarious. Diane made our day run so smoothly that neither of us had to worry about a thing. I am a planner to a fault and it was really nice to just relax and enjoy our wedding day. I cannot recommend Diane and her team enough! Jennifer we loved working with you too! read more

I can't express how wonderful our wedding day was because of the hard work and efforts of Diane and her team. From day one, Diane was super responsive and very candid about all the details necessary in planning a wedding. Her recommendations were always spot on and she always took a personal stake in ensuring that we were happy and satisfied with the planning. Her sense of humor and enthusiasm made the whole planning process easy and enjoyable. After all of our planning, the actual wedding day turned out even better than I had expected. Diane definitely knows Big Sur like the back of her hand and any bride wanting to get married in the absolutely gorgeous Big Sur should definitely give her a call! read more

Diane Allen is one of the top wedding and event planners here on the Monterey Peninsula. We have now worked with her for over twelve months and all of the events and wedding go smoothly and apart seamless. She would be one of the people we would contact for any event we were planning here on the Peninsula. We are careful to chose who we partner with and we would not hesitate to partner with Elegant Events. All of us at La Coiffure here in downtown Carmel. read more

I highly recommend Diane Allen and her team at Elegant Events. Diane recently coordinated my daughter's wedding in Big Sur and everything came together exactly as planned. That is no small feat for a remote location. Diane knows what she is doing and does it all with great care and seeming ease. Everyone on her team was wonderful to deal with. I was able to completely relax and enjoy myself at the wedding. All the details were well planned and executed. Thank you Diane!!! read more

My husband and I planned our Big Sur wedding from South Florida and hiring Diane was the best decision we made. We debated about hiring a wedding planner at all to keep costs down. But within a few short days, we knew we made the right decision. I could not imagine planning the day without her. She was easy to communicate with and on top of every detail. She connected us with other amazing vendors who helped make our day exactly what we wanted, and more. It's obvious that Diane loves what she does, loves Big Sur, and loves her clients. Our day was absolutely perfect and we have Diane to thank for that. read more

Diane Allen is quite simply the best person a couple, and everyone else who helps that couple to plan a wedding, can have next to them on their wedding day. Diane helped me plan and completely coordinated my May 31, 2014 wedding at Paion--a gorgeous, private location that gave us the aesthetic, flexibility, and seclusion we wanted for our wedding. Not only did she guide me through every step of the process, she also frequently knew what I wanted when I didn't know how to articulate it, and handled the many aspects of coordinating a wedding that I could never (law school does not prepare a person for logistics in Big Sur, I'll tell you that!) I absolutely recommend that anyone considering a wedding in the Carmel-Big Sur area work with Diane. She knows everyone, she knows how things work in Big Sur, and if you trust her she will deliver the wedding beyond your wildest dreams. She is also a genuine, wonderful woman who I plan to send a holiday card to every year. Thank you, Diane. We are lucky to have had you! read more

I cannot say enough to thank Diane Allen for the amazing work she did to put together my elopement. A couple of the local hotels in Big Sur offer elopement packages. We tried to work with one of the hotels, but the whole process was a nightmare. Diane came to the rescue. She is so open and friendly. We clicked with her right away, and we immediately felt comfortable trusting her with the details of our big day. She put together our elopement in exactly one week, and the whole process, including the day-of, went without a hitch. Everything from the flowers, to the license, to the officiant was organized for us. She is an excellent communicator, and this really put us at ease. We loved each of the vendors that Diane recommended to us. All were professional, talented, and truly fun to work with. Because of Diane, my husband and I were really able to enjoy each other rather than divert our attention to coordinating our vendors. The whole day was stress free. That's right, stress free! We have a larger vow renewal scheduled in 2014 at Paion, a private estate in Big Sur that Diane represents. After what Diane was able to put together for our elopement, I am really confident that our next "Big Day" will be just as wonderful as our first. read more

Elegant Events made our wedding come to life at a private estate in Big Sur. They did such a remarkable job coordinating our event that all anyone could say was that it was "magical." Diane Allen knows the area so well and was able to suggest vendors and physically set up a beautiful and seamless wedding in the wilds of Big Sur. It was our dream wedding and we could not have done it without Elegant Events! read more

Diane Allen/Elegant Events is a must for those planning a wedding in the Big Sur/Monterey Peninsula area. Her expertise in planning, as well as knowledge of the area brings together the most perfect wedding event. Our wedding was not a large one, but instead a private ceremony intended for our closest family and friends. Although small this took much coordination and planning. Diane's expertise in finding the perfect venue for us- a BEAUTIFUL private estate, alongside the beach and gorgeous mountain views could not have been more of a perfect setting for our day. From the initial phone call inquiry I made until the very last moment of our dinner reception, everything came together smoothly, flawlessly and was an event that our family's still speak of. Her creativity and professionalism combine for an amazing special and very auspicious event for any couple. I absolutely highly recommend. Many many thanks, Diane. We are always so grateful to you and your team!! read more

I can't express how wonderful Diane and her staff are! She made planning a wedding from southern california easy. She is honest and trustworthy. She knows all of the best vendors to work with and every suggestion was wonderful! She pays attention to every detail and took all of the stress off of me! It is obvious that she approaches every wedding as if it was her own. She will not let you have a bad wedding but more importantly will add something special to your experience. All of her staff were so nice and on top of things! Diane made sure we took care of things that I would have never thought of. The whole day ended up more amazing than I could have expected and I know that I owe that to Diane and her staff! Seriously wonderful at what she does!!! read more

This review is 8 months overdue but not from lack of love! Diane Allen and her team are without a doubt the most talented wedding visionaries ever. What she and Christine Cater created for my wedding day was just beyond. I still can't believe the beauty and detail and joy Diane brought to the entire experience. EVERYTHING was perfect and captured me and my husband's personality and "vision" (to the extent our conflicting and elaborate ideas can be called that) amazingly. 8 months later and I still have friends telling me it was the most beautiful wedding they've ever been to. I never felt pressured during the process to go in one direction or another and there was no request too out there. She also knows and has wonderful relationships with vendors throughout the area--something that is incredibly important if you are lucky enough to be a guest of Big Sur's beautiful and tight-knit community for your wedding without actually living there. She also truly believes in the magic of getting married, something that i was surprised to find made a huge difference on the day itself. My husband and I consider Diane a lifelong friend and will be eternally grateful for everything she did to make our wedding and the months leading up to it a complete joy. read more