There is NO way we could have pulled off our wedding day without the help of Tessa and Fred+Kate Events. We booked them for the Day-Of Coordination Package and it was worth every cent. Tessa was great at prioritizing what needed to be done right away and what could wait. She was also great at reassuring me that we were ahead of schedule and we were fine. She was so responsive through text, call, or e-mail. We would schedule calls through her Calendly account, which I thought was great. Calls would initially occur every 2 months and as the wedding got closer, the calls became more frequent. We were planning our wedding all the way from New Jersey and in the 2 years of planning, we met with Tessa only twice for about an hour each. As the day got closer, Tessa slowly took over all communication with vendors. Her final timeline for our day started at 8AM, ended at 10PM, and was broken down to every 15 minutes. If that isn't organization then I don't know what is. It was the most thorough timeline I had every seen and I would frame it if I could because her organization was what made our wedding literally the most perfect day of our lives. The week before our wedding day, it rained every day. I had spoken with our reception venue and they suggested we modify our layout to have the dance floor moved under the tent instead of outside. Tessa worked with our rental company and was able to revise our layout that ended up being WAY better than the original plan. The day of our wedding, Tessa had team members come to both my hotel room and the groom's hotel room to be with us to make sure that everything was running smoothly. Each staff member had a copy of the timeline and made sure that we were meeting everything on time. They made sure the florist, photo, and video were on time. Tessa and another staff member were at our reception venue making sure everything was set up on time, too. While I was getting ready, one of my dress straps was not fitting correctly and Jeannette actually sewed it on the spot so it fit! Jeannette and Sachi were great at making sure we were all ready that we actually had like 20 minutes to spare before we headed to the ceremony. At the ceremony, another staff member named Mark was so great because he saw that I was so nervous and he ran across the street to Starbucks and got us all cups of water. They had tissues on hand for me because they saw I was crying already! At the reception, Tessa and all the staff members were there and they were so kind and helpful and I couldn't stop thanking them for everything they were doing. Jeannette and Sachi made sure that we were able to eat a little and drink some water in between pictures and being pulled every direction for things. Everyone involved with the wedding complimented us on how organized everything was and how we were all on the same page with the schedule. That is all thanks to Tessa. This review is SO long, but I cannot put into words how grateful we are for all of Tessa's help. Thank you to Jeannette, Sachi, Seychelle, and Mark for all of your help with our special day. read more

Fred + Kate Events - Tessa-- the MVP! - Party & Event Planning Near Me

Tessa and her team are amazing! We were very impressed with their communication and professionalism. I was the most stress free bride on my wedding day and they made sure everything went so smoothly. We highly recommend their team, 10 out of 10 for sure. You could not go wrong with choosing them to be your wedding planner! read more

In this COVID era, it seems weddings are acts of futility more than anything else. The challenges are frustrating, overwhelming, and constantly in flux. The restrictions on gatherings, socializing, and celebrating in the traditional manner have left few options for any type of party, including weddings/receptions. Enter Tessa from Fred & Kate Events. I would be understating the impact Tessa had on our wedding experience if I were simply to rate her 5 stars with an adjective such as "great." However YELP leaves few options. We would, without question, rate Tessa far higher than the 5 star max, as she was instrumental in the design and execution of the wedding we desired...especially in such trying times. From the onset, Tessa was professional and dedicated. Her organization, attention to detail, and positive attitude were so helpful to us as we were required to keep track of so many different aspects of the wedding, as well as, the need to constantly make covid-related changes, adjustments, additions, etc. It was extremely frustrating and tiresome but Tessa kept us positive, calm, and on task. She was very effective at limiting the amount of stress we would both have to endure and we so very much appreciated how patient she was. In these difficult times, Tessa and Fred & Kate Events are the coordinators any couple should have. They are so attentive, calm, positive, and forward thinking. When we were contemplating the possible cancelation of our wedding, it was Tessa that forced us to see it from different perspectives and what resulted was a small, efficient, intimate, and beautiful wedding and reception. Fred & Kate, with their innovative mindset, will be able to execute any wedding or event in any climate, covid or otherwise. If you are determined to do it, Tessa with Fred & Kate Events, are the ones to call. We are so so thankful that Tessa was on our team as we planned the wedding we wanted. Everything turned out beautifully and we owe much of that to our wedding coordinator. Thank you Tessa and Fred & Kate Events! We are forever grateful. read more

"Amazing!" "Awesome!" "An extravaganza!" "We enjoyed it!" "Over the top!" "Great party!" These were some of the feedback I received after hosting my granddaughter's 3rd birthday party at the Ka 'Ikena Restaurant at KapCC. My daughter's family live in Maui, & they hardly come to Oahu; & because Kayla never had a 1st or 2nd birthday party, I had planned to host a 3rd birthday party for her. I thought I could do it all on my own, as I'm a detailed person; however, after having gone to my niece's wedding which I thoroughly enjoyed & finding out that she had hired a wedding coordinator, I realized that I lacked the knowledge & connections in making a successful party. I asked my niece to ask her wedding coordinator if she did birthday parties. Yes, she does! I decided to hire her as my party coordinator: Tessa Gomes of Fred & Kate Events (F&K), who specializes in event planning & design services for celebrations. That was the best decision I made in planning this party! Tanna & Bryson Dang were the owners of the Wedding Café, a one-stop shop for wedding planning. In 2011, F&K (named after Tanna's two grandmothers, Winifred & Katherine) was created as a part of the Wedding Café, which specializes in event planning & design services for weddings & other celebrations. In 2014, the Wedding Café was sold, & Tanna's sister, Tessa Gomes, took over F&K, with Tanna concentrating on her Eden in Love boutique stores. In using a wedding or party coordinator, there appears to be different options where the coordinator may do almost everything for you. However, I wanted to be involved in the planning so that I could learn as much as I could & be aware of what makes a party a success. After all, I wanted it to be my party and not the coordinator's party. Tessa allowed me to have unlimited communication with her, either through e-mails, phone calls, &/or meetings. Weekly meetings at La Tour Café & later at Starbucks (after La Tour changed their hours) started 8 months prior to the party date. Through detailed planning, Tessa helped me with the following: * Gave me a fancy notebook to keep all my notes and to-dos. * Via a process of elimination, we looked at various venues & menu options, & finally decided on Ka 'Ikena at KapCC. * Referred me to Creations by You, who came through with the best invitations (with 3 Swarovski crystals glued onto Minnie Mouse's ribbon bow between the ears), table #s, escort cards, & thank you cards using a Mickey Mouse & Friends theme. * Referred me to Party Pizzazz, who created colorful balloon (using Mickey & Friends mylar, polka dot latex, & solid color latex) decorations for centerpieces, registration table, & a huge name arch. * Narrowed down 4 entertainment vendors: Candy Art Hawaii (or Amezaiku, a Japanese art of making sugar animals), DigiToons caricature drawings, Aloha Party Experts balloon Twisting, & Photo Booth. * Referred me to A Cake Life, who designed a 2-tiered custom-decorated cake for display; & having a full sheet strawberry shortcake for serving from Whole Foods. * Referred me to Accel Party Rentals to get linen napkins of 6 different colors to add color to the decor. * Referred me to Sandy's Sweets for the cutest Mickey & friends color-coordinated cookie favors. * Helped me to set up a minute-by-minute program of welcome remarks, coordination of games, staggering of vendor times, showing of the slideshow, singing of happy birthday, entrance of Mickey Mouse, & acknowledgments. * Referred me to an excellent photographer, David Miyamoto, who gave me all pictures the day after the party. Tessa was a great help, as she helped to validate my thoughts in thinking how we were going to implement whatever we came up with. There were many things I did not think of. I voluntarily did a lot of legwork on my own, contacting numerous vendors to see what they could offer & their costs, as I wanted to learn as much as I could (Tessa could have easily done all of this on her own). It was basically up to me what I wanted, as it was my party. One of the highlights was ordering via Amazon an adult Mickey Mouse costume that my hubby agreed to be in; it was a big hit & surprise for everyone. Tessa was there to share her thoughts, keep me on budget, & helped to guide me in the process. On the day of the party, Tessa & her assistant Lori, were hands-on in every aspect of the party, ensuring that everything went smoothly. I have no regrets hiring F&K, as the party was a success due to the many details that were put in. Kayla's family was equally pleased as to how it turned out. If you need assistance in planning a big party, don't hesitate to call Tessa at F&K! While her website emphasizes the more formal wedding planning, she is quite comfortable doing birthday parties, as well as retirement parties & funeral celebrations, which she had recently done over the past few months. Allow her to take the stress off of you & just enjoy the party! Yes, amazing & super awesome parties! read more

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Fred and Kate was recommended to us by our wedding venue and I am SO GLAD they did! We hired them for Partial Planning Services and Tessa was AMAZING throughout the whole planning process! She helped relieve some of my stress during the months leading up to the big day. She made great recommendations and you can tell she is just an expert in her field! Tessa and her team was even more AMAZING coordinating the day of the wedding! Most especially I LOVED Henry! We had a huge wedding party (13 groomsmen and 13 bridesmaids) and and even bigger guest count (365 guests) but everything went as smoothly as can be. I highly recommend Fred and Kate Events! read more

Can't believe I've never written a review yet! Wish I can give more than five stars. My husband and I had our wedding back in November. We loved working with Tessa as our wedding coordinator. We met with Tessa once a month starting at the beginning of the year and more frequently as we got closer to our wedding date. We went over timelines, vendors, and things we wanted/didn't want in the wedding. She finalized details with the vendors prior to the wedding date. She is an amazing coordinator: very attentive, organized, responsive to our emails/text messages, etc...the list goes on. Tessa and her team were exceptional on our wedding day! It was such a seamless and stress-free day. We tell our newly engaged friends and family members about Tessa. She takes the stress out of wedding planning and to us, that was worth the money. If you're reading this, you're probably looking for a coordinator. I can keep going and persuade you, but I don't want to make this review into an essay. Just read all the other raving Yelp reviews. read more

Fred + Kate Events is the crème de la crème of Oahu wedding planners. We hired Tessa and her team for "day of coordination" services, but they went so far beyond the call of duty before, during, and after our wedding that their work was nothing short of incredible. We had a very specific vision in mind for our wedding and some challenging family dynamics. They accommodated timeline and contract revisions with a prompt, professional, and generous attitude. They worked tirelessly to execute our ideas and make everyone feel comfortable in the process. On the day of our wedding, they worked around the clock (12+ hours) to not only manage every aspect of the event from vendors to guests, but they took the time to set up our many decor items. Tessa was literally our port in the storm. She even had to remind me to put on my earrings, which I had forgotten in the chaos of the moment. After a year of virtual COVID planning, we were absolutely mesmerized when we walked into our wedding venue... it all came together thanks to their exquisite work and attention to detail. After the wedding, they made an extra effort to donate our beautiful flowers to a local nursing home for which we will be forever grateful. As a professional researcher, I have a problem delegating work to other people. I prefer to get the job done myself. If you are anything like me (and you value a comprehensive spreadsheet or checklist), then look no further than Fred + Kate Events. Tessa and her team were so organized, efficient, and genuinely enthusiastic about our wedding, that I was able to hand over the reigns with complete confidence. No small feat! Thank you, Tessa! Our wedding was perfect in every way. read more

Tessa is such an amazing wedding planner! She and her assistants made my wedding day perfect. It was stress-free. My fiancé (now husband) and I hired her about a year out before our wedding date. We booked with the on-site coordination which included meetings, coordination with vendors, wedding rehearsal coordination, and day of coordination. What I really loved about Fred & Kate is that there's UNLIMITED communication. What does that mean? That means you could meet with Tessa as often as you wanted. In contrast, to other wedding planning companies that has a set amount of meeting times. And boy did I take advantage of this unlimited communication. We met with Tessa at least once a month until the month of our wedding when we increased our meetings to once a week. Another thing that I love about Tessa is that she's really responsible and reliable. She's always making sure you're sticking to your budget, timeline, and your vision. On our wedding day her assistants were so helpful and friendly. ANYTHING that you wanted, they made it happen. I wanted to get takeout breakfast for my wedding party but unfortunately, the restaurant couldn't do takeout on weekends. I was about to get breakfast elsewhere but her assistants got us our breakfast by dining in at the restaurant and packing up our food. After our wedding ceremony, my feet were killing me. One of Tessa's assistants massaged my feet for me! I'm telling you Tessa and her team are so amazing. They offer friendly, great service. If I need another event planner, I would hire her in a heartbeat. read more

I just want to express my gratitude to Tessa and her amazing team of wedding planners. We hired her for our wedding and our rehearsal dinner! She did a phenomenal job with both events and managed to make them both seem very different even though we used some of the same vendors. Tessa has exquisite taste when it comes to vendors. We absolutely loved every single one she suggested and our guests raved about the food. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the pleasure of working with Tessa, and now that my wedding is over I miss our check-in calls. She is smart, talented, organized, and she truly loves weddings and the planning process. You will not be disappointed with her and her fantastic team. read more

There aren't any words to describe how thankful my husband and I are to Tessa and her team. When we first started to plan our wedding, we were hesitant to reach out to a wedding planner, since we (very naively) thought we could do it ourselves. But after our first meeting with Tessa, we immediately knew we wanted (and desperately needed) her help! We had unlimited communication with Tessa throughout the process of planning our wedding through email, text, and phone calls. And she kept us on track with picking vendors and details even when we procrastinated... a lot, lolol! (She even helped us find an emcee super super super last minute, when we thought all hope was lost) On the day of, her team was absolutely amazing!! Every single detail (and there were a lot) was accounted for and the program went so smoothly. I had absolutely no worries that day because her team was ON IT!!! I felt like the luckiest bride to have Tessa and her team working our event. It seriously couldn't have been any better and it's all thanks to them!! Tessa is really awesome and we would 100% recommend her and her team to anyone looking for an event coordinator. read more

If you're looking for a wedding coordinator, you can stop now. Tessa is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! She is cable of doing anything and everything you could possibly need for your wedding day and any other event you could think of. And trust me when I say I tested her well. First off I hate planning anything - I'm a true procrastinator. Second I'm not a wedding kind of girl - I had no beautiful dreams or ideas of what "my big day" would be like. I didn't even want a wedding, my husband demanded we have one! Third I'm a perfectionist and picky as hell. Needless to say with all these amazing qualities I possess I'm a planners worse nightmare. But Tessa loves a challenge and that I was. Challenge Accepted!! She arranged everything for me - meetings with vendors, taste testing, viewing hotel suites, etc. She attended all my vendor meetings with me, because she knew I wanted every small detail to be right and everything to blend seamlessly. We had 10 meetings alone for my invites! We had to joke that we were just meeting for coffee because it was crazy how many times we met to work details out and just look at paper. She booked everything for me, confirmed prices with me, sent invoices to me. Kept my husband in the loop about how much I was spending so we'd stay in budget. Tessa did it all and when I lost steam she gave me small breaks, but hit me with an email as soon as it was decision making time. And if I ignored that... well I got a phone call.. hahaha. She set up my rehearsal lunch and even helped me surprise my husband for his birthday dinner (the day before the wedding) with a custom cake. The wedding itself went FLAWLESS and every detail was PERFECT. How many people can honestly say that about their wedding? She had her team of girls making sure everything went on schedule and everyone was on cue. Leaving the room to go to the ceremony seriously felt like secret service leading the president to his event. I kid you not, head sets and everything to let Tessa know the bride and groom were coming. Even taking photos was an experience, watching her girls clear tourists and bystanders out of the shot. I could go on and on about everything Tessa had to do to make my wedding as beautiful as it was, but I'd end up writing an entire novel. Trust me! It was A LOT! And I imagine.. if the little girl version of me actually had come up with a dream wedding. Even her dreams couldn't have been as perfect as the wedding I had. *On a side note. Most coordinators probably would have slapped me with a major bill for all of these meetings and extra services but Tessa never changed her pricing from the get go. She truly does what she does for the love of it and for the love of her clients. read more

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Tessa is amazing! If we could do it all over again, we def would use Tessa for our coordinator. Too many good things to mention, so I'll just list a few. We booked the "day of" package, but got so much more. We had soo many questions and needed tons of advice, so we really relied on her from months in advance. Also worth mentioning, is her team of people on the day of... She brought along a team people to assist, who were extremely helpful and very accommodating. I almost died from lack of coffee, but one of her staff went to starbucks and got me coffee....haha they even cleaned my wife's shoes after she walked in mud. Also... My gf at the time was having several wedding related, mini-meltdowns and Tessa was very good at addressing the situations. Because she's got a good relationships with many of the vendors, she was able to workout most of our issues. anyways... I'd def recommend her to anyone looking for a wedding coordinator! read more

Every wedding couple should feel completely relaxed and free to enjoy their wedding day. Tessa and her team of emergency kit carrying, cooler wheeling, troubleshooting experts did just that. I was worried about all the little details of the big day until F+K arrived. I didn't have to worry about timelines at all, I just followed along and enjoyed the entire process. My wedding day was very hot and humid and no one in our party went thirsty thanks to Tessa. Also, the guys had cool towels to help fight off the sweat. Everytime we turned around there was water with straws for the girls to keep their lipstick looking sharp. Ladies, I don't know about you, but my groom and his friends can be hard to round up when they are all together. Thanks to Tessa and especially her assistant, they were on time to everything but still had a lot of fun getting ready. The best part was the end of the night, literally nothing was left for us to do except say goodbye to our friends and family. Leftover decos were put away, my extra pair of shoes were in my hotel room, along with our phones. I celebrated the entire day and everything was taken care of. My friends are still in disbelief at how relaxed I was the entire day. Hands down the best money spent on my wedding day! read more

Tessa at Fred + Kate Events is THE BEST! I just had my wedding in Hawaii a little over one week ago. My Husband and I live in LA so planning a destination wedding in Hawaii could have been very stressful had we not had Tessa. Initially, I was hesitant in hiring a wedding planner as it seemed out of our budget, but now looking back -- there's no way we could have done any of our events and the Wedding itself without Tessa. It was the best money that we spent from our budget. Tessa and her team established a great connection with me from the beginning. Tessa always got back to me right away with any questions that I had and made some amazing suggestions that were invaluable to us since we were so far away. She talked me off the ledge many times during the planning process and even saved the day by coming up with an alternative venue for our Welcome Event when our initial venue didn't work out (Tessa's alternative was actually a MUCH better option). Tessa and her team made my husband and I feel so comfortable and taken care of from Day 1. We were given a detailed timeline of the Wedding Day and pretty much did not have to worry about a single thing. It was an amazing day that I will never forget. Thank you Tessa and Fred + Kate Events!! read more

Tessa is the greatest! She made my wife so happy with our wedding all I did was show up everything was perfect told us how who and when and it worked out perfectly she's the best didn't meet her until the wedding but she made my wife's dream wedding come true advised her how to maximize what we got for our money she is the best sincerely Johnny Riley (aka) gator thank u Tessa read more

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When my husband (then fiancé) and I were first engaged, we didn't think we needed a wedding planner. We wanted to stick to our budget and in our mind at the time, this was a luxury expense - not a must have. Then we met Tessa at a venue site visit and we were IMPRESSED! We hired Tessa immediately and she was so worth it. Tessa and her Fred + Kate team is a MUST for any event. We loved her for these reasons: - Tessa is an industry expert and comes with years of first hand wedding and event planning experience - She is creative and has a solution for any problem you throw her way. She does not back down from a challenge and embraces crazy ideas! - Tessa has great relationships with other vendors (which is helpful if there are any vendor related issues) and she recommends top quality vendors - Not only is Tessa creative and brings her unique ideas, she is also great with small details - both design details and reviewing those vendor contracts. Contracts are never fun but Tessa knows what to look for and what questions to ask. - Tessa kept us on track throughout the planning process - which made the planning experience stress free and enjoyable. - Unlimited communication. Tessa is always willing to chat/meet and is super responsive. Seriously, you will feel like Tessa's only client! - Tessa is also a true people person. She understood us, our vision, and helped us plan our dream day. When you hire Tessa, you get more than a wedding/event planner - you gain a lifelong friend. - Tessa will create an extensive event timeline for you - broken down to 15 minute increments and will keep your special day running smoothly. - Tessa really thinks of EVERYTHING. She has an extensive day of emergency kit that I didn't think we'd need, but we totally did! I've been to other weddings that have similar emergency kits but they were not as extensive as Tessa's. This may seem minor but it's all about the details. - She has a team of assistants who are professional, attentive, and will go above and beyond to make your day special. They pay attention to the small details and will think of things you didn't know you needed. We would recommend Tessa and her team in a heartbeat. If you're still unsure, just schedule a meeting with her - it doesn't hurt to have an initial meeting and you won't regret it! read more

By far the best decision my husband and I made for our wedding was hiring Tessa. From the very beginning, we felt incredibly supported and in great hands. Our wedding went incredibly smoothly and Tessa helped us every step of the way. She truly went above and beyond in making sure everything was tracking in the months leading up to the wedding, which was so valuable and helped us avoid disaster scenarios and day-of stress down the road. If you're debating whether or not to Fred & Kate, do it!! You won't regret it. read more

This is one of those reviews you just hope people read. My wife and I cannot even begin to express our gratitude to Tessa and her team. Our interaction with her team was somewhat minimal (the day of basically) but in that short time they were attentive, on point, gracious, fun and absolutely hard working. We never wanted for anything. But it was Tessa who we spent a large majority of the 6 months leading up to the wedding - and I am telling you right here and right now that she is remarkable at her job. Passionate, ORGANIZED (so important since the wife and I...not so much) and totally reliable. I know that she was juggling multiple clients as she was working with us - but it never felt that way. It felt like we were her only clients. I have to assume this is one of the key desired qualities in your wedding coordinator. Cannot recommend Tessa and the Fred and Kate team anymore. We will miss our weekly calls with her - that's for sure. read more

When I first began planning a wedding I didn't think I needed a wedding planner as I plan events for a living. As an Event Coordinator I know how important details are to every event. Four months out from my wedding day I decided to look for a day of Wedding Planner. I came to the realization that I needed someone as detailed oriented as I was to assure my wedding day would run smoothly. With the help of my wedding photographer I connected with Tessa from Fred+Kate Events. We contacted her and heard back from her quickly. Luckily she was available the day of our wedding so we scheduled a meeting with her. My husband and I didn't know what to expect. After meeting with Tessa we immediately knew that she could meet our expectations and was able to understand the vision that we had for our wedding. We had multiple meetings with Tessa afterwards where she kept us on our toes and made sure we met each deadline that she had set for us. Tessa had no problem with us emailing or texting her when we had a question. She always responded promptly and guided us in the direction we needed to go. The day of our wedding Tessa and her team did not disappoint. Just like Tessa, her team was very professional and personable. They made sure everything was in its place and kept everything on schedule. Her team even made sure I stayed hydrated and was comfortable throughout the day. Tessa and her team were very attentive to myself, my bridal party, family, and guests. She even made sure I had my change of shoes (comfort is key) immediately after the ceremony. Even though my husband and I had known Tessa for only four months prior to our wedding day it was like she was our long time friend. Fred+Kate Events has a motto, #itsabigdeal and let me tell you, they made my wedding day a big deal! I highly recommend Tessa and her team to coordinate your special day! read more

Regarding: George's surprise flash mob proposal to Judy on 8/7/14. Special Thanks: Tessa @ Fred & Kate Events, 24-7 Dance force, Supreme Video Productions, Fisheye Studios, "Marry You" (Bruno Mars), Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel, Sunway Tessa @ Fred & Kate Events helped me dream the dream and then made my dream come true. Thank you Tessa. You made my dreams dreamier. ;) Here is the YouTube link which encapsulates Tessa & Co's hard work in the proposal: http://youtu.be/tRLK2PLZxnI After I provided Tessa with my general creative vision, dream and personal values, Tessa partnered closely with me on both i) crystallizing and refining the creative, imaginative vision and ii) the traditional wedding planner role of detailed logistics and execution of turning a dream into a poignant memory. In terms of budget, I thought Tessa was very fair. She provided several packages of prices and services and a detailed breakdown so I could see where the funds would be going. Overall, I thought the prices were quite reasonable, but more importantly, Tessa and her vendors performed superbly. Tessa is much more than a wedding planner. For me, she became a close friend, confidante, and an extension of myself who was fully invested emotionally in the dream to provide Judy with a proposal that would make her heart fall out of her chest. Tessa even pushed the envelope of my vision with an optimistic spirit of "go big or go home" and "we will do better than the greatness before us". I came to trust Tessa and together we put together a thrilling, emotionally-charged proposal which mesmerized Judy, made grown men cry, generated 6,000 YouTube views, and made it to the Hawaiian nightly news -- all within six (6) days. Astonishing! At times we had significant differences in points of view and we even had professional arguments, but it was unequivocally clear that Tessa was laser-focused on a world class proposal and would not roll over when she had some excellent ideas, but instead she would paint the picture and let it simmer in my mind for me to decide. Often, I would select her recommendation, but when I decided to go in another direction, she was able to put her differences aside and fully invest in my decision. In the two weeks prior to my proposal, Tessa had three (3) other weddings, but I felt she was always available and would get back to me late at night or early in the morning whenever my schedule opened up. And we often we spoke at odd hours and secretly when Judy would not notice. Tessa made a detailed timeline for all parties involved so that the dancers, videographers, photographers, venue, and myself had a minute-to-minute play-by-play. Also, she infused in the vendors my over-arching vision, personal values and dream. The dance crew was hesitant about me being the lead dancer and was more accustomed to showmanship, but Tessa reminded all of them that this was a proposal and this was for Judy, so the goal was to connect with Judy emotionally rather than putting on a commercial show. I strongly recommend Tessa for any event planning, proposal planning or wedding planning. In addition to the requisite logistical planning and execution, she also immerses herself in understanding and creating your vision such that she can bring that vision to all aspects of planning, managing vendors, managing the day-of, and managing post-day-of. After the day of the proposal, Tessa continued to partner with us to manage the photography, videography, YouTube and other social media outlets. I am happy that I found not only a wedding/event planner, but also a friend who is smart, has high integrity and works very hard to make your dream come true. We still very much stay in touch. I fully endorse and recommend Tessa @ Fred and Kate Events. If you would like a more detailed referral or have other questions, please feel free to contact me through Tessa or Yelp. read more

My husband and I had no real knowledge of weddings when we got engaged. We didn't know how much things cost, we didn't know where to start looking for vendors, we didn't know the timing of everything that needed to get done. We knew from early on that we would need help, so about a year before our wedding, we looked for a wedding planner. We interviewed with 3 different people/companies, but ultimately went with Tessa for 3 main reasons: I liked her on a girly/friend/relatable level, she fit our budget, and she didn't limit the number of face-to-face meetings we could have (as some other planners did). She was the same price whether we booked her a year in advance, 6 months in advance, or a month in advance so we decided to get on it and book her as early as possible so we could use her as much as possible. In the beginning, we met with Tessa about once a month. She helped us pick a venue and told us about the pros and cons of the places we were looking at. She offered suggestions for a photographer, videographer, dj, etc. She works with a lot of the vendors from the Wedding Cafe so she'd make suggestions based on what we wanted and our budget. We had to book our own appointments and see if we liked them. If we didn't, she'd offer other suggestions. While we didn't like/book all of her suggestions, she was perfectly fine with us using a different vendor of our choice. She'd review the contracts before we signed them, just to make sure they were legit. She did come with us to our tasting, just so we were all on the same page for the day-of with the catering. The good thing about working with the vendors she suggests is that she has the relationship with them and can be the one to get on their case. I remember I didn't want to book the videographer she suggested because I wanted my video back sooner than what was normal for him. So she nagged him for us until he agreed to my terms, and could only do that because she had the relationship with him. But anytime we didn't hear back from a vendor in a timely matter, she could follow up with them for us because she knew them. The Wedding Cafe people all kinda work together so we were even able to get a little discount on some of them. Tessa would assign us homework at each meeting in order to keep us on track. While we dreaded it each time, we didn't want to be stressing at the end so she said we had to do the work early. When she didn't hear from us with any updates on progress, she'd check in to see how we were doing. When it was about a month before the wedding, we started to meet with her weekly because I was getting nervous that we wouldn't have everything done in time. She was willing to meet with us as often as we needed, even if it was just for reassurance that everything was on track. She had everything we needed inputted into our day-of timeline which really helped, especially for people who kept asking about what time is this and what time is that? She came to the rehearsal with us so we knew how/when to walk into the ceremony, where to stand, what to do, etc. The day of the wedding, Tessa and her team (3 assistants) showed up pretty early at our hotel. I didn't have to worry about checking on the vendors to see if they showed up on time with whatever they promised in the contact. I didn't have to worry about checking on my husband and his groomsmen because she did that. I didn't have to worry about checking on the ballroom setup or the ceremony setup. Basically, I didn't have to worry about anything. I was really able to just enjoy the day getting ready and soak it all in without worrying about having to do anything else. Tessa did all of that behind the scenes so if there was ever a problem, I never knew about it. I liked her assistant, Seychelle, the best. When we went to take sunset pictures, it was so hot. So Seychelle ran to get us cold waters and towels to wipe our sweat. She even held it for us! At (almost) the end of the night, she had to escort my husband back to our room since he didn't make it till the end of the wedding. She made sure he got back safe. Then once the wedding was over, she and Seychelle escorted me back to our room. They took my hair out, they got me out of my dress, helped me brush my teeth and made sure I was safely in bed before leaving. I consider myself a relatively low maintenance bride, but was just waiting for bridezilla to come out. She never did. Not sure if it was because she was never going to come out, or if it's cuz I had Tessa. Either way, my wedding was perfect, and if it wasn't, I didn't know about it. I really wasn't stressed at all, and by having Tessa help us all throughout the planning, we were able to actually enjoy the end result without resenting any of the work we did. It was the best decision we made! I had the perfect wedding and ended up with a great friend after it! We still try to meet up with Tessa every now and then, except now we don't have any homework! :) read more

Fred + Kate events... what can I say... They're the BEST!!! We at first were on the fence about hiring a day of wedding coordinator, because we thought we were pretty good in planning and organized but let me tell you...It was one of the best money we ever spent for the wedding even though it was not in our original budget. We did our research and met with a few wedding coordinators for a day of wedding coordinator. And for the price and what we were looking for in a day of wedding coordinator, Fred + Kate was perfect for us. My recommendation is to try and compare apples to apples when trying to figure out the pricing and everything for a day of wedding coordinator. Because we noticed with other wedding coordinators there were base prices and you can "add" on options. We originally booked with Kelly but circumstances lead us to Tessa as our the lead event manager for our wedding and my husband are thanking our lucky stars. Tessa is very personable and sincerely cares about couples she works with. After a couple meetings with Tessa and Kristen, it felt like we were talking to friends. It made working with them fun and stress free! Tessa and Kristen went over things that we didn't even think about and consider. They went over every little detail and made it so that everything worked for us and was about what we wanted in our special day. The day of the wedding went so smooth!!! Tessa was literally up in my room making sure I was up and made sure we had breakfast. The day flew by like how everyone said it would, but I think my husband and I enjoyed every minute of it as we had Tessa and her team and didn't have to worry about anything. Best day of our lives! And nice thing about Tessa with F+K is she still keeps in touch with us even after the wedding. We really did gain a friend and would recommend F+K to EVERYONE! read more

My wife and I originally thought that we could handle all of the decisions and checkboxes that come with planning a wedding. We went to TWC workshops on wednesday nights @ ward for a a good year and a half trying to get an idea of how to plan our wedding. About a year prior to our wedding date, I decided to get the ball rolling, we went to venue open houses, attended TWC workshops for everything from venues to music, and florals. Overall, I thought we were ready...but boy was I wrong. I wanted to handle it all so my wife didn't have to worry about the details but I got overwhelmed with questions, decisions, coordination...that's the moment I decided to sit down with Tessa. Tessa was really open with what we should expect and the services she would provide. She provided us with a checklist of things to complete throughout the planning phase and helped us with decisions so we could stay as close to our budget as possible. Although I was panicky and worried, Tessa was always there telling us that we were in good shape and if we ever fell behind in coordinating vendors or providing a guest list, she always made sure we kept on track. She was always accommodating to questions we may have had and was always available for a meeting to go over details for the wedding. The day of our wedding was spectacular, we didn't have to worry about anything. Tessa and her team of superheros were there to make sure everything ran smoothly and to keep me from going to the 12th floor (body guards and all, hehe) When I accidentally got cake on my wife's wedding dress, she came to the rescue with an emergency kit and removed the stain. Every little detail she had handled. She coordinated the timeline, provided it to vendors, and ran the whole day. I'm very happy we chose Tessa for our wedding coordinator, she is simply the best and I know that if we need any other sort of event planning, she will be our number one person to see. We love you Tessa! Robert + Krystle read more

Smartest decision ever. It is highly likely that without the help of Tessa, I would not be happily married today. Planning a wedding is big - it's the moment you vow your love and commitment to someone with an audience!! No matter what your vision is, I'm convinced Tessa can help pull it off. Here's the back story: At 6 months pregnant, we decided to get married with 6 weeks to plan and execute. I have several friends that could have helped me pull this off but I really wanted to maintain my friendships and I also really wanted to marry the love of my life so I knew I needed help. The search for the one: I checked out many websites and reviews and narrowed the search down to a few wedding planners, sent out 3 inquiries. One responded 1.5 weeks later, one just wasn't the right fit, and then there was Tessa. She called me back the next day and I knew she'd be easy to work with, I loved her energy and she wanted to work with me being pregnant...she encouraged and allowed me to be pregnant and she also worked with us on pricing considering our short timeline. After bringing my fiancee to meet Tessa in person, we were sold and paid the woman. done deal. The process: Tessa helped us draft up a quick and dirty budget and helped guide us on decisions we needed to make. We were able to take care of things that we wanted to and if we needed her to take care of something, she was on it. She was incredibly responsive! We had many late night texts and emails as we made final decisions. Most of our special day came from recommendations from her repertoire of wedding planning expertise. We surprisingly made all the decisions needed and got everything in place ---- well, i say "we" but really Tessa did all the hard work! The outcome: For me, things were a little bit of a blur but I remember enough to know that it was a beautiful wedding and celebration. Many guests commented positively about the wedding and I know we couldn't have done this without her. It was a short and sweet wedding with under 50 guests. As a pregnant bride, all I wanted was to look like a bride, share a delicious meal and have it documented with a little photo shop magic. Tessa pulled together a team that made this happen. It was evident that the reason she is successful is because of the relationships she has built in the wedding industry. I'm not sure if i'm supposed to have picked up on this but photographer, MC, and make up artist were helping her out aside from their roles--- photographer and make-up artist were helping with dessert centerpiece set-up, emcee was helping with photographer, holding the screen thing (sorry, pregnancy brain is preventing me from remembering what that is called)...this was impressive. Tessa even helped put the final touch on our wedding cake and it was beautiful! Feed a pregnant bride some cake and all is right in the world. Without a doubt, you have to at least meet Tessa if you want to be a happy bride ---she'll make things happen! read more

We hired Fred + Kate Events for our wedding in Hawaii. Kristen began coordinating our planning efforts many months before the actual date in March. She was absolutely delightful to work with! She possessed excellent knowledge of all of the local vendors for flowers, photography, seating, etc... Kristen even took the time to research us and all of our friends on social media to get a "feel" for what we would like and wouldn't like. On the actual wedding day, Kristen and her team were instrumental in making the big day as smooth and effortless as possible. She worked out a brilliant schedule for all parties involved, ranging from getting ready in the morning to multiple photo shoot locations in Honolulu and back to the venue for the ceremony and reception. They took all of the planning and guess work out of the whole day--all we had to do was show up and follow their instructions! I cannot recommend Fred + Kate Events enough! Every single staff member that we interacted with was kind, professional, and absolutely fun to work with! I never thought a wedding could be so easy and smooth--thank you Kristen, Alyssa, Tessa, and the entire Fred + Kate Events staff!!!! I wanted to also mention that we planned our wedding from Atlanta, Ga and it was still a breeze! Kristen responded to our emails like a ninja! We also didn't meet her until the day of our wedding and it was as if we'd been friends forever! Destination couples do not be worried one bit-Fred + Kate Events will take care of you all the way!!! read more

This is the second event that we worked with Tessa. The first one was our wedding and the most recent event was my husband's surprise birthday party. Tessa not only brings such a practical approach to party planning but the attention to details and her experience made both events huge hits with our guests. She is incredibly organized, efficient, cost effective, and they take care of set-up, finding the venue, catering and menu coordination, linens, decorations, hiring and paying the various vendors, and then the clean-up and take down at the end. I had the decor shipped directly to her and like our wedding, all we needed to do was to get to the venue and everything was perfect. She is also good at finding cost savings on vendors but the follow-through is impeccable. read more

Tessa and her team are Absolutely Fantastic! They made our wedding day a very memorable & stress free day. Our wedding day was exactly that "Our Wedding Day." A celebration of Love and Happiness. Charles and I started planning our wedding day a year and 6 months before the date and I had Tessa from the very first day of planning. Unlimited phone calls Unlimited emails and Tessa was great with answering every one of them. She made the whole process of planning a wedding as simple as possible. Through our many meetings at Mac 24/7, Tessa was able to understand what was important and less of a priority to us. I still remember the day I told Tessa that I really wanted a Floral Wall either for my ceremony backdrop or part of the decorations for the reception, at first as we talked about cost it wasn't foreseeable. I wasn't disappointed at all because I had all sorts of ideas still going thru my head. But the day came when Tessa found a vendor who could make my dream of a Foral Wall come true. She sent me a text message right along with a picture of the demo. She gave the vendor my name and contact information. The very next day I got an email from the vendor and my vision started to come together. From that very moment Tessa completely understood our Vision. July 11, 2015, our Wedding day, Tessa & her team were prompt, helpful, and so courteous. Tessa's team was instrumental with making our day run as smoothly as possible. I made a comment after hair and make up was done, that I was hungry, and I was asked in conversation like, what I was hungry for and Tessa and her team brought to my room a Whopper and Fries exactly what I was hungry for. (Burger King was just right down the road from our hotel) Tessa made sure I was completely happy. She made sure my bridal party & I were hydrated; they had a cooler on wheels full of water bottles and straws to keep our lipstick in tack. Tessa and her team are fully equipped for any type of emergencies, should any arise. I am not the type of girl who is used to having all the attention and being catered to, I am more the type of making sure everyone else is okay if anyone needs anything, and with the type of job I do I make sure all the logistics are in place. But on my wedding day I had no worries, it felt a little odd to not be the one running around and taking care of any issues. The trust that was built between Tessa and I came naturally & I knew in full confidence that Tessa would be able to take care of anything. Charles and I were able to just live in the moment. We were able to see every detail of planning unfold before our eyes and just be and live in the moment. Our families were stress free as well. For all they had to do was to make sure they showed up on time. No one from our families had to worry about helping to set up or bring anything. They too were able to just enjoy and celebrate our day. Tessa stayed with us to the very end and made up our room with the flower petals used in ceremony. She made sure our envelopes and gifts were secured in our rooms and reminded us the code for the safe. She thought of every detail that Charles and I didn't think of & she made us feel so loved and happy on our day. Thru this whole process, we not only had a Perfect Day, we made a life long friend, who has become part of our Ohana. Our Friends, Family and Co-Workers are still talking about our wedding day, and I recommend Tessa from Fred & Kate for any type of occasion you are putting together, big or small. read more

I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of excellent reviews this company has received. Tessa was coordinating a birthday party for which I was supposed to provide letterpress printed gift tags. A mistake on my side plus a shipping snafu (I'm in California) resulted in the tags being scheduled to arrive days AFTER the party...Tessa sprung into action, suggesting two local printers AND sending their contact information. She picked the tags up, punched the necessary holes and tied them to the party favors with raffia, which looked fabulous. In short, she went out of her way to fix MY problem and was responsive, kind and oh so helpful while she did. If I could give more than five stars, I would! read more

Fred and Kate events gives incredible service to their clients. As a professional in the wedding industry, I've worked with Tessa and her team on many events and I've witnessed their clients enjoying their wedding day from start to finish. I've also more and more learned about owner, Tessa's business philosophy of being honest with her brides and grooms, and treating them like family, with the main focus being to make their wedding experience a special one. Totally worth going with them. read more

Highly recommend Tessa and her team she put together for us on our special day. Absolute pleasure to have her helping us, she perfected every detail, nothing was ever to much for her. Although we lived overseas communication was never a problem. Tessa was great with vendors to budgets and timing on the day. Tessa made planning a wedding a lot easier and stress free. We could not have done it without her. She thought of ideas we would not have come up with ourselves. Cant recommend a wedding planner highly enough and therefore Tessa is a MUST! read more

Tessa fully coordinated our intimate wedding at Turtle Bay resort. She is friendly, patient and professional. I've emailed and texted Tessa so many times and she always replied promptly. She attended to every little details with me for my ceremony and reception. During the whole preparing process, there were times when I got very anxious and worried and start to be a bridezilla, Tessa remained very patient with me and addressed every thing that I wanted. During the day of our wedding, she even brought her assistant, Laurie which was awesome as well! They had these emergency kits with them which was a great help. I felt totally stress free during the wedding because I know I'm in good hands with Tessa, which was true because we all had a blast during the wedding! If you want someone that is friendly, patient and professional with ample knowledge and resources on planning your wedding, get Tessa! read more

Tessa and her crew was nothing short of incredible! From the first day we met, to the night of cleanup she was there for every step of our wedding journey. Tessa is REAL! She will not beat around the bush, when she says she will get it done it will be done! First off, because of some early on vendor difficulties, we had over 20 vendors at for our wedding. You can only imagine what that's like to organize, but she did it. She was great with helping me stay on budget! I told her what I wanted, and even though there were some things I couldn't afford, she made sure I got the closest thing it. Till the day of our wedding, Tessa stood by my side with every question and concern I had. She's easy to contact and so much fun to work with. I couldn't have asked for a better planner. She definitely the best out there! Ps: she offers 3 different types of packages to help plan your wedding... I highly recommend you take the fullest package. Planning a wedding is so much work. You'd regret it if you didn't! TRUST ME! Tessa will make your big day a dream come true. I can promise you that! read more