Dixon Wedding (June 22, 2019)…read more Just over a year ago, we had run in to a snag in planning our daughter's wedding in trying to find a venue in San Diego. I called the Holiday Inn Bayside and talked with Lindsey. On our first visit out to California, my wife and I met with Lindsey and from the start, we were very impressed with her knowledge on planning weddings. I had told her our situation of living in Maryland and trying to plan this wedding in San Diego. At that time, she offered up her assistance. We accepted, not knowing what to expect but not having many options. With that decision, that day became the most perfect beautiful stress free day that we had had in a long time. From that point forward, everything went as smooth as could be...and really, even better than that. Lindsey worked with us and helped plan everything. From our first meeting, she recommended everything from options for the DJ, cleaners to steam the wedding gown and everything in between. For the reception, Lindsey guided us in making the best choices in the set-up of the venue, provided ideas and options from table linens to chair sashes and she personally made wood trivets for our flower center pieces and candel votives. We had some decorations and flowers delivered to the reception area and Lindsey used her creativity to create a beautiful setting that our daughter could only have imagined. Lindsey had truly listened to our daughters plans and ideas and made her vision a reality! During the entire reception, the food and beverage options she suggested were perfect for the number of guests we had. Lindsey kept the entire event on schedule from the moment the Bride and Groom entered to the very last dance. Everything was timed out perfect and nothing was missed. At one point some uninvited guests tried to enter our party and she quietly and discreetly escorted them away. Lindsey made sure the Bride and Groom and their parents had nothing to worry about for the entire evening. She also made sure the their cups of the signature drinks, which was suggested by Lindsey, were kept filled and even worked with our daughter to help her bustle her dress. We had never planned a wedding before and like all parents of the Bride, wanted our daughter's wedding to be perfect. Lindsey made that happen. There are so many details, options and choices that need to be made when planning a wedding and Lindsey is that person you want to help you prepare and succeed in making your event even more special than you would ever imagine. Lindsey will go above and beyond to make that happen. We HIGHLY recommend Lindsey to plan your special day! Joe and Cindy Hemingway

I highly recommend Lindsey Megan Events! Lindsey was so organized and professional, I could not…read morehave asked for a better planner. After our first meeting she completely understood my vision and was so helpful in every step of the process. I really had no idea what I was doing so her recommendations and advice were so valuable. I really appreciated how organized she was, she made the planning leading up to the wedding and the day of so easy. She had everything handled down to the minute so I did not have to stress about anything the day of. She even sowed my dress during cocktail hour when my husband ripped a hole in it! I received so many compliments about how smoothly everything went and how well Lindsey had run the day. If you're looking for someone who knows what they're doing and is a full service wedding planner than Lindsey is the planner for you

Hiring Lindsay (13Thirteen Events) was the best decision we made for our wedding planning. My mom…read moreand I kept saying to each other "Seriously...thank god for Lindsay" many times leading up to the big day. Lindsay completely understood what our goals and intentions were for the wedding vibe and style and she knew how to best make decisions that were aligned to that vision. She kept us focused on what needed to get done by when, which I greatly appreciated! Even when I was slow to reply back to emails, she would follow up and keep us on track. Her timeline and ability to spot details were amazing. She caught several issues with timing and worked them all out with all the vendors to make sure the day ran smoothly. Her timeline for the whole wedding weekend made us feel so organized. One of the best things she did for me was, she reminded me when some things were not my responsibility to worry about for day-of. That made me feel supported and allowed me to really enjoy the moments day-of rather than scrambling around trying to get things done myself. I highly recommend going with 13Thirteen Events for your wedding! Lindsay is so nice, enjoyable to be around, and will make your dream wedding day come to life. I am so grateful for her! I was able to be present for my wedding and really enjoy each second.

The hubs and I renewed our vows Saturday, the 20th, and we've been in the wedding industry for ten…read moreyears plus, and I thought I knew a lot about what it takes to put on an event like this. Nope! You know that phrase "I couldn't have done it without you?" It was true every step of the way with Lindsay. She opened my eyes to details that were brilliant and beautiful. Her suggestions were thoughtful and based on her experience creating warm and welcoming spaces for guests to enjoy themselves and for her couples to sit back and relish in weeks and months of planning. What really made an impression on me was she stayed until all the rentals we're put away and ready to go...even tho we kept saying Lindsay, we'll finish up, you go home....she stayed and made the process seamless. Lindsay knows how to get things done in the most beautiful way. You'll be happy you called her! Joann and Brian Bourguignon

(This review is part of a Wedding Vendors List that I created - still working on it!)…read more I got married April 19, 2009. Dawn and Christy were quite good overall... I met with 7 or 8 wedding planners and I thought they were the best value (I didn't think it was worth it to pay more than $1000 for month-of services). I was extremely happy that I'd hired them. The nitty gritty - I met with Dawn in the initial interview. She came well-prepared to the meeting with tons of recommendations before she knew if I would hire her. This was important to me - someone that was willing to help me, not knowing if she would get the job. Over half of the other planners withheld info until they knew I'd be "worth it." To me, it's an important sales tactic to give free advice. It also makes the person appear that she is genuinely interested in helping people. I need a vision of how the person will help me; I am not looking for a listing of services in the interview - I can read that on the website or brochure. Dawn is full time and Christy does have another job, but she was very good at getting back to me promptly (she took the lead on my wedding). I was confused initially though, because Christy was responding to me and Dawn wasn't, so it would have been good to know up front that Christy would be "taking the lead" on my wedding, so I wasn't wondering what had happened with Dawn and had to ask. I also hired them because Christy is a designer. She's done department store windows and is creative. I was expecting too much though once I heard this. Dawn and Christy's role is not really to design the wedding decor, although they are very willing to help in this area with suggestions and as a sounding board for ideas. Christy gave me a lot of suggestions, but I wasn't really sure what I was looking for so I got a bit frustrated. I realized later this wasn't really what they had contracted to do though, and we figured things out. Christy put a lot of time in - she met with the florist to help with suggestions (on her own and after I had met with the florist once). She also came to 2 other meetings with the florist and me. And, it was hike because my florist was in Chula Vista (Tess Florist - she is terrific - review is coming soon on her). Christy also dealt with my numerous calls and emails. She came by my place twice to pick up stuff for the wedding, and went to the florist a 4th time to bring her the poles I had bought for the huppah - this one errand was huge, because we were getting pretty close to the wedding! Christy and Dawn were with us the day of the wedding; bringing us bouquets/ bouts/corsages, helping us stay on schedule, and making calls. Of course I didn't see all of the things that they were doing behind the scenes, but all was taken care of and that was amazing. My only complaints, which aren't dealbreakers and I would still recommend hiring them: I found out about this on the honeymoon when I saw pics (thankfully not at the reception) and it REALLY bothered me. They had not set out the placecard CDs that I made as I asked, and I was really upset about it. I know it's a bridezilla thing, but I'd worked so hard on this item of decor and I was really excited about it. Christy said there wasn't room to display my CDs as I asked. However, I'd suggested what to do in that case and I think she might have forgotten or didn't attempt it. She said there wasn't time to check with me, but I wish she would have. A second thing - the aisle wasn't wide enough for my parents to both walk me down the aisle - a detail that I thought they should have caught. (My Mom had to awkwardly walk behind Dad and me.) In the big picture though, those things are minor and compared to how well the event went. Dawn and Christy were a huge help and did a good job. My runner up selection for a wedding planner was Jo-Ann at http://www.jafevents.com

I am re-posting this review because somehow it got "filtered". Suspicious. (Update: I still have…read morenot received my $750 deposit back). We met with 3 wedding coordinators and decided on Dawn because she seemed nice and easy-going, had some creative ideas, and offered reasonably-priced services. Like Audra B., I fell for the "free advice" thing on the interview. Dawn seemed genuinely nice and like someone I could trust. I found that you get what you pay for, or less rather. We hired a planner to save us precious time, since we both work a lot (my fiance is a contracting manager, I'm a third year medical student). Unfortunately, I spent more time composing bulleted to-do emails to send to Dawn than it would have taken for me to just do the tasks myself. This is primarily because Dawn often would ignore my emails, so both my fiance and I had to repeatedly ask her to do things. She did not offer us price comparisons of vendors; she thought her work was done when she gave us 1-3 recommendations, basically we had to do all the work. Our only major preference was that we want to do a "green", environmentally-conscious wedding, and upon initial interview she sounded excited about this, and totally accommodating. Afterward however, she did not take this preference into account, she seemed to just offer the same vendor(s) as always, and did not screen them to see if they would fit us. My fiance and I had to again do most of the work. I found most of the vendors myself because I could not wait on Dawn to figure things out, and worried things would just not get done on time. She was seriously late on the time line SHE made. We would have been seriously over budget on the budget SHE made; another reason I had to step in and find vendors myself. Initially, she said she would accompany us on meetings (such as with the caterer), but once hired, she quickly came up with excuses to not do so. She did not once come with us to meet a vendor. After much time had passed, not a single thing on the time line was at completion. At the point the second check to her was due, she just stopped working entirely, backed out of our contract, and NEVER REFUNDED THE MONEY WE HAD ALREADY PAID HER. She did find the time to call two of our vendors (both of which I had found) and revoke our contracts. One of these vendors pulled out 17 days before the wedding, saying that we did not have a contract, so I am dealing with that at present. Suffice it to say, I do not recommend using A Blissful Event. Dawn, if you are reading this, please send us our money back.

I can always count on her to come through with amazing centerpieces for our annual golf event. I…read morejust let her run with it and can rely on a job well done. I never worry and it's one less thing for me to complete for tournament day. She is very prompt and always a pleasure to work with. Great Job!!!

As a wedding sales person and planner being in the business for over 15 years, it came to my time…read morewhere I had to get married myself :-) but wanted to actually step back and enjoy my own event and not having to stress about planning and executing it. So, it was not an easy choice finding someone I could trust with all my micromanaging habits. Well, the day of the event came and that is when I learnt that I had made the perfect decision by hiring Parada & Co. She exceeded every single expectation I had. she was there from the very beginning (before I expected her to be) all the way to the end (Later than we thought she would stick around). She professionally handled everything from A to Z for us. She picked up my wife's last minute decision's rental items for us on the day of the wedding. Perfectly coordinated everything with all vendors, venue, bridal party and everything I could ask. For once in the last 15 years of being in hospitality business, I calmly sat down and enjoyed the event. I do not do reviews often but i definitely recommend Alyssa to anyone whom is looking to have a perfect event and wants to avoid all false and expensive advertising.

Sam Northway, of Samu Events, is wonderful to work with and creates unique and gorgeous events…read more He uses his experience as a professional florist and a former set designer to make incredible events with beautiful, tasteful arrangements and decor. We worked with Sam for our wedding and it was an awesome experience. We talked colors and flowers and threw ideas off each other and the end result was more than we could have dreamed of. My boutiques were stunning, the centerpieces were brilliant in color and design, the accents throughout the venue transformed a cement rooftop into a wonderland. He is patient, thoughtful, creative and willing to work with any budget.

We had the honor of working with One For The Books Events this past weekend for a wedding and we…read morewere very pleased with the professionalism. Evan was prompt in responding to any questions we had either through email, text or a quick phone call. The day of the event she was relaxed, well organized and just a sweet person all around. So, if you have a wedding or any event and need painless coordinating I would highly recommend hiring Evan and her team!

Working with Kayla was the best decision of our entire wedding planning process! I could write a…read morenovel on how lucky my husband and I were to have worked with her for our wedding in May. We are forever grateful for having her help guide us through one of the most magical chapters of our lives that could have otherwise been incredibly overwhelming and stressful. Fellow couples having a destination wedding, look no further!!! To start, Kayla is truly a powerhouse of an advocate for the couples she works with and is responsible for making our wedding day be the most magical day of our lives. We know that without her, the wedding weekend we had and the circumstances of our wedding day wouldn't have been possible without her. We were so fortunate to have her in our corner through all of the ups and the downs through our 1.5 years of planning. Kayla is an absolute professional. Everyone always says your wedding day will not go perfectly and Kayla executed a 3 day weekend of events with very stressful weather concerns flawlessly while making it look easy and like there wasn't a stress in the world. I know that she protected my husband and I from so much stress and concern through our wedding and we are so grateful of the professional that she is. Kayla is organized, engaged and communicative. Multiple people from our wedding party from both budget and luxury end weddings have shared nightmare stories about their wedding planners being disengaged, uncommunicative and disorganized. However, Kayla exceeded our expectations in every area. She was communicative and responsive to both my husband and I through our entire wedding planning process and beyond, both as individuals and as a couple. She was engaged with our vendors and with our wedding planning. Also, as a type A bride with difficultly letting go of control, she was as type A organized as any event planner could dream of being and any bride could hope for! Often, the wedding planner is often forgotten or standing on the sidelines but not here - my family, wedding party and guests have been raving about Kayla since the wedding over two months ago. She kept a large bridal party focused and organized which is near impossible to do and helped everyone feel prepared for a chaotic weekend. So much so, the weekend was so calm and not chaotic for us at all. The things that could have gone wrong, didn't go wrong because of her and her alone. Kayla also made the wedding planning so fun for my husband and I from beginning to end. I have dreamed of planning my wedding for so long and it was very important for me to have a part in the planning process and not just be along for the ride. Kayla allowed me to walk alongside her through the process in a collaborative approach to wedding planning and not just be on the receiving end of decisions. Lastly, my husband and I both have strong personalities and opinions that often differ and she was patient, kind but also direct and honest with us. We needed someone who could provide us direct opinions and be transparent and honest through the entire process. She was able to do this exceptionally which furthermore describes how professional she is. We will be forever grateful to Kayla and the gift she has given to us of an incredible experience wedding planning and by allowing us to be a guest at all of our wedding events so that we could be present with our friends and family.

Hire Kayla & her team ASAP! She is an ace and was the best decision we made with our wedding…read moreplanning process. I'm very detail oriented and organized and even before I started wedding planning I didn't think I needed more than a day of coordinator and I was so wrong. My husband and I were originally getting married in Cancun Mexico in November 2020 but we had to postpone it to May 2021 but then travel restrictions forced us to postpone again and move our wedding location completely. We found a venue in San Diego we liked but they required us to hire a planner. By this point in the wedding planning process I was fed up and just wanted someone who could essentially take the lead and tell me what I needed to do. From the moment I had my first phone conversation with Kayla trying to find a wedding planner I immediately knew I wanted to hire her. Talking to her didn't feel like she was trying to sell me, she told me her whole philosophy and why she became a planner and how she works and how she grew and trained her team. She told me what was important to her and those things are what matched exactly what I was looking for in a planner. I could tell she genuinely loves what she does and is so passionate about being the planner that the couple needs. Kayla is the absolute sweetest but when she has to, she will lay down the law which is the perfect combination. She will have those honest conversations with you about your budget and if they matched your expectations and when those need adjusting. She also helped us stay on track in planning our new wedding in under 5 months. She made sure we were thinking about every detail and that we had a plan for everything. She helped us stay focused on what was most important to us, but she also made sure Sean and I were taking the time to still enjoy each other in the planning process and sent us some popcorn seasoning for a movie date night in. The month leading up to our wedding, it felt as though we were the only couple Southern House was working with and we're sure that is how every couple feels when working with Kayla and her team. Kayla accomodated to my busy work schedule and knew that texting and hoping on calls during my lunch breaks were the best way to get answers from me. She made sure all the major plans and details were buttoned up a week before our wedding so we could relax and enjoy the days leading up along with our wedding day. Kayla and her team exceeded our expectations on every aspect of planning and executing our wedding day. This day would not have happened if it wasn't for Kayla. Kayla went above and beyond. She worked with our other vendors and threw in extra surprises for Sean and I. Even though she wasn't there physically she was in constant communication with her team. Jessica, Jordyn. & Kellie were so amazing day of the wedding. They were so professional and executed everything perfectly. They were also constantly checking in with the bridal party making sure we had everything we needed and always answered any questions we had. Sean and I didn't have to worry about anything besides getting ready and enjoying our wedding day. We're so glad we had to postpone and move our wedding because in doing so we were able to work with Kayla and we had the best wedding day ever. It was absolutely perfect.

We can't give Wendy enough praise! We planned our wedding in San Diego all the way from San…read moreAntonio, Texas and Wendy was so open and wonderful to work with, even from miles away. A few weeks prior to our wedding, I got very sick and Wendy began working with my aunt and uncle in San Diego to make sure everything was taken care of while I recovered. I so appreciated her flexibility! We finally met Wendy in person the morning of our wedding as she was setting up our room at Marina Village. She and her staff were so friendly and gave us a lot of great advice. In fact, she saved us a lot of stress by allowing us to hire her cleaning services the day of the wedding! She and her staff showed up at 9:30pm and began cleaning up, slicing the cake for us, and making sure all was clean by the end of our party. What a life saver!! She went above and beyond! Plus, her decorations were fabulous - everyone was raving! From the centerpieces, to the table linens, and spandex chair covers, everything was beautiful. We totally recommend Wendy for your special event needs. We really can't say enough great things about her. Thank you, Wendy and staff!!

So happy we found Wendy for our wedding!! Our linens were beautiful, everything we hoped for. You…read moreget what you pay for, and although Wendy was not the "cheapest", her prices were very reasonable! Wendy met with me twice, I couldn't have asked for a better vendor, she is professional and communicates with you in a VERY timely manner! 5 Stars.