My husband and I got married a month ago and it was extremely stressful planning things on a short timeline. I wasn't going to hire a planner at the risk of spending so much on something I thought I could manage on my own (with some help of the fiancé, of course). I met Teri and Pura at the Wedding Expo at the Convention Center. To be honest, it was because I loved their décor display. After some much needed advice and budget reworking, I decided to splurge some of the wedding cost on a day-of planner and was excited for a consultation with Teri. She was extremely friendly and not the least bit intimidating for someone who has so much on their plate. Teri got back to me immediately with scheduling my consultation, and would reply to my emails within 24-72 hours (which is impressive if you can understand how I was a last minute addition to her extremely busy wedding season schedule!) She was amazing as far as managing my expectations within my budget. Even though I brought a mess of ideas and pre-purchased wedding details like my expensive venue, Teri was extremely cognizant of my budget at all times. She gave me great advice when it came to necessities and "risk versus reward" type details. It sounds silly when deciding what size flowers to use or using a Bluetooth speaker and playlist, but it's a huge deal when someone can save you $500+ just by substituting with simple, yet money saving options! Along with Teri, I have to give a huge commendation to her daughter, Dannah! She was pregnant, busy with her husband shipping out, and a full schedule of June weddings...she managed to do a site visit, organize the small pockets of chaos during my wedding, AND she even did the set up, SERVING OF FOOD, and take down! Honestly, Teri and Dannah were an awesome team and they were above and beyond my expectations. In lieu of describing every detail of my wedding, I can simply put it that Teri and Dannah are extremely efficient at managing their time from busy schedules, to their personal lives and their clients. They worked hard to meet their client's expectations and stayed strict to the "guidelines" they established from the beginning. I highly recommend Julian and Coco for their planning services, and both Teri and Dannah for their work ethic and genuine interest in helping people enjoy a happy and memorable experience. read more

*****DO NOT HIRE***** Pura Stephens can talk you up on your consultation call...and that's where it ends. After our talk on the phone, I thought that she was perfect! She agreed to a payment plan of 5 individual payments and since my mother had offered to pay for a coordinator, we made our first payment. Then the silence started. Pura was supposed to have called me the following week to talk over the details, vision, etc. This call didn't take place for a month and only after I told her we wouldn't be making our 2nd payment until she returned our multiple calls. She did return my call and was pleasant and apologetic. Then she didn't call again till the 3rd payment was due. At this time I expressed my frustration and explicitly wrote what I wanted to go over in an email. At this point, we started bi-weekly phone calls...this lasted for 1 call. She didn't call me for our scheduled bi-weekly followup and didn't return emails or calls for a few weeks. When she finally did, she said it was because of a family emergency/ a family member had died. I said I was sorry for her lose, but she should have sent a mass email out to her brides. Again, we had bi-weekly calls. I emailed her questions that I had for vendors and she would forward it to them with the words "See below". The last straw was I had multiple questions in regards to party rentals, it was at least 6 questions. She emailed the vendor and in three short 5 word phrases made 3 changes and forwarded the email to me with the vendor's response. She completely ignored my questions to her and my request to ask the vendor their opinion. I emailed her per the contract - if I wanted to cancel the contract it had to be in writing and with more than 30 days notice. It states "refunds are limited to unearned fees, funds in excess of unused or non-refundable fees and out-of-pocket expenses". My mother - whom the refund needed to go to - contact Pura to setup how some of what we paid would be refunded. Pura proceeded to tell her that she would not refund until she talked to me and blamed the vendors for her lack of communication and progress. Since that call she has not answered my multiple phone calls, voicemails and emails. Only after I hired her did I find out this is her M.O. Apparently 5 phone calls and a few emails = $2000 with Julian and Coco Events. Do Not Hire this company! Stay away! read more

I had similar problems when dealing with Pura from Julian and Coco. I am not local in Hawaii, so we really need someone who can help us not only be there during our wedding, but also help with the planning. It all starting out great until my first payment was made, and then no phone communication, a lack of information in emails responses, and then when I finally expressed my frustration of my lack of services I had paid for, she emailed me back that she was sorry I was unhappy, offered to have a phone call to discuss things (which she never called me) and that was the end of it. They never offered to refund my payment- even though we had only exchanged 2 phone calls and a handful of emails over a span of 4 months. I hate having to write negative reviews, but this situation has put us in a stressful situation to both our budget and our feelings about the wedding. Brides, do your research and look for other coordinators! read more

The previous post is a lie! I'm the bride! Please listen! My name is Daijha Rosales and I am responding to a review made by someone a few days ago. I just had my wedding last week Saturday (July 19th) and I worked exclusively with Teri Christensen. Teri Christensen is not only a wonderful person she is also an extraordinary wedding coordinator! Everything that was said by that person is wrong! This person is upset for an unknown reason and is taking out her frustrations on my wedding coordinator Teri. Julian and Coco (teri&pura) were so nice from the beginning of our year and a half planning process. I am EMBARRASSED And ASHAMED of the things that were said about teri. Please don't believe that post because I was the bride of that wedding and I had a night that I will cherish forever. My wedding wouldn't have been what it was if it wasn't for TERI CHRISTENSEN! ! They are not a scam. They are 100% legit! My husband and I love teri and we are so fortunate to have worked with her. Many apologies go out to Teri and her team from my family and I. If you're planning on having a wedding, Julian&Coco is definitely the right choice if your looking for great service, great people, and an unforgettable wedding. Teri, if your reading I want to say that I am truly sorry about this. read more

Julian and Coco Events - Teri Christensen hard at work - Wedding Planning Near Me - Haleiwa, Hawaii

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STAY AWAY! I want to save you the biggest migraine and your money, do not hire Pura Stephens. She literally scammed me out of almost $2000. I had to file a lawsuit against her to receive my reimbursement since she didn't return it all, and I'm happy to say, that the Judge granted the case in my favor and I received a Judgment against her and her company!! Just--don't hire her. If you're in the same position and want to see how I filed my complaint, please message me and I'll send you a copy. What happened? Well, She was on my venue's preferred vendor list and she no longer is a preferred vendor and they have since taken her off their list. I started to lose my patience with her because I was irritated at the fact on how disorganized she was. I'd assume in order to be a successful coordinator, you'd need to have a little organization. I think she grew her company too big at once without the help she needed. So, why am I so unhappy? It's quite a laundry list: At first she was so responsive. I met her at her office, we talked about all of the things that we were planning for the wedding. Then nothing. I would email her and it would take so long to respond. I was thankful that in the beginning she helped me get in touch with my caterer. But this was literally the first few days after I hired her. I also rated low because when I had talked to my caterer on the phone, I confirmed with them what they needed for my wedding reception (in terms of rental items). I had it all covered. I emailed Pura telling them what the caterer said and she responded saying she'd follow up. She contacted me a few days later via email and stated that I needed to order a bunch of stuff for the caterer. I was so angry from being pulled around and reconfirmed with the caterer, and they didn't need of the things she told me. I would have rented so much stuff that wouldn't have been used. Not cheap stuff either: her email included the following items: 1) *Six* tables for the caterer 2) two black rectangle floor drape 3) 4 black linens (no idea where black came from) 4) a culinary tent 5) 1 grill station; I'd assume that this would cost approximately $750-$1000 extra. read more

Aloha, The owner of this company used my nanny agency services to book a sitter for a wedding she was planning. Our sitter cared for the children attending her clients wedding. After we provided our services she must have canceled her credit card because it declines when we try charging it. We attempted to reach out to her 4 times over the course of the week & she has not returned any of our phone calls or text messages. 2 weeks have passed at this time. This is a very shady tactic to cut costs. We have placed this company on a list to never provide services to them again. If you are reading this then they still have not contacted us to pay. I'll take down my complaint once we receive payment. read more

I wish I could give more than a 5 star rating for Julian and Coco Events. I met Pura and Teri (co-owners of Julian and Coco) after working with a wedding planner that was a nightmare. They picked up all the pieces 6 weeks before my wedding...which was large and quite complicated by Hawaii standards. They poured EVERYTHING they had into the event. We started with a table mockup in their storefront in Haleiwa to work through the iterations of table and floral design, then they organized a real-life mockup of the flowers so we could see what they looked like on the tables we rented. We came up with some really unique ideas....like using Monstera leaves in place of a placemat...and we printed the food menu on a natural leaf so it would match the decor of the tablescape. Every detail was taken care of with immaculate love and attention. Pura and Teri have a great partnership... Teri is artistic, creative and full of ideas. Pura is detail oriented, looks after the contracts and identifies where there are gaps. They have truly complimentary skills and personalities...which is critical in the dynamic nature of wedding planning. Together they have 30+ years of wedding planning experience, so while this company is relatively new, they have planned literally thousands of weddings on Oahu! I read the other reviews for Julian and Coco, and take my word...they aren't true. This is an exceptional company and my wedding would not have been possible without them on board. One important thing to note is that most Hawaii wedding planners don't have offices or storefronts. They work from home and will meet you at Starbucks... but prefer to communicate over the phone or via email so they can juggle a lot of brides. The Julian and Coco storefront in Haleiwa is so cute and allows for face-to-face meetings and mock up sessions...which makes the wedding planning process fun and ultimately leads to a better and more memorable event. The storefront has linens, candles, furniture, dresses, favors, etc. etc. in many different styles...which can help you determine the special style and touch you want for your own wedding. I work in international business and specialize in partnerships. I can honestly say that the partnership that we formed with Pura and Teri of Julian and Coco for the delivery of the wedding was one of the best I've ever experienced. They are fun, professional and truly EXCEPTIONAL! read more

Teri of Julian and Coco is an experienced wedding coordinator and a pleasure to work with. She is friendly, hard working, practical, and a flexible multitasker. She is very knowledgable about the local wedding vendors, their prices and services. She had many creative inputs for our wedding that were in line with our theme. She has her own collection of wedding decor that she leveraged to help keep our costs down. Leading up to the wedding, she is very helpful by quickly resolving various logistic problems and managing the chaos. During the wedding is where her years of experience comes through and she really shines. She uses a detailed timeline to orchestrate the masterpiece that is the ceremony and reception, keeping everyone on track. We are very pleased with Teri and recommend her to anyone. read more

Hawaiian time... living in Hawaii, you come to accept and even expect that things will run late and sometimes fall by the wayside. It's not such a big deal UNLESS it comes to planning your wedding - the single most important day of your entire life! In short, here is what I just experienced with Julian and Coco: my wedding venue suggested J&C as a resource for vendors. We stopped by their office on a Saturday afternoon and the two owners were kind enough to sit down with us even though we didn't have an appointment. They went over all the services they offer and it sounded great. I was actually excited about working with them. I was told that I would have an email proposal/quote on Monday. Monday came and went - nothing. I took the initiative to email both Pura and Teri on Monday evening - nothing - not even a response to say they were working on my quote. It's now Thursday, and being the persistent business woman that I am, I decide to call them. Pura answered the phone and said she was still working on my quote and I would have it by Saturday. She did not apologize or offer any reasons for the delay. In the meantime, I have received at least five other quotes from coordinators around the island who responded to me within a day or so (some even responded on the same day - wow!). The moral of the story is that if a wedding coordinator cannot respond in a timely manner from the get-go and stick to their word, then why would I entrust them with the planning of my wedding? There are many, many great wedding coordinators on Oahu. I suggest checking into someone other than Julian and Coco. read more

Did a event with Pura for the Haleiwa festival. Got all the information and she follow up with phone calls to make sure the client get what they want. Easy to work with and always return my phone calls. read more

These people are not professional. It all sounded great. After our consultation, We were told they would contact us later that day. No one got back to us for over a week. Not reliable. You cannot trust their timetable. Word on the street from other local wedding peeps... STAY AWAY!!!!!!! read more

My daughter was married at Lou Lu Palms Estate on April 14. We had hired another planner who had been highly rated on the social media, who turned out to be a bust. We learned that if one wants to really find out how good a planner is, see who she offers as her references. Julian and Coco were the only planners who gave names of brides to my daughter, and mothers-of the bride to me. When we realized that we would not make it with the first planner, my daughter asked around and learned that Pura and Teri had recently started a practice in Haleiwa. Pura Stephen planned and executed 300+ weddings per year while at Turtle Bay and Teri Christensen has an equally impressive list of accomplishments while planning weddings at the highly regarded Kahala Hotel in Honolulu. We went to the storefront office in town and told them our story of woe with the first planner. Unlike our first experience, they both listened intently, and spent three hours with us. They told us to come back at 9 a.m. the following morning (I had flown from Northern California specially to help find a new team) and when we arrived, they had tables set for both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding, using all of our ideas. It was astonishing! They helped us refine the look and feel of the settings and our ideas, including arranging for napkins to be specially made with fabric we loved. By morning Pura had read every one of our contracts and pointed out problems and issues. It was truly impressive. Nothing replaces experience. These women have seen it all, and when something does go wrong (in our case a difficult-to-be-replaced table was broken on the wedding day during delivery) they handle it with creativity and calm. Week after week they stayed on it and finally we were at the day of the wedding and though very ill, Pura hung in there and with Teri, delivered the wedding my daughter and son-in-law had dreamed about. I am not generally considered easy to please, but I can say unequivocally that if I ever do another event of any kind in Oahu I would call Julian and Coco first! read more

Pura and Teri and Julian and Coco Events are fantastic! They are incredibly passionate about their business and making each event perfect and special for each of their clients. Unlike other wedding consultants who only offer package deals, Pura and Teri work with each couple to make their services work for every budget. They also work with only the best wedding professionals Hawaii has to offer. read more

I recently just got married, and I had the privilege of working with Julian and Coco Events. I personally worked with Teri Christenson, and she beautifully helped plan my husbands and I dream day. I had such a lovely, stress-free time with Teri. She initiated and created a very personal and professional relationship. I'd like to compare my experience with Teri as if I was planning my wedding with my very own mother. Teri, you brought joy and excitement into making this day possible. You were always so kind, generous, and sincere in every step of the planning. Throughout the whole process, I truly felt confident in your ability to execute every detail and series of events in our wedding day. We had tons of elements to our wedding, including working with multiple musicians, and Teri managed everything very professionally and smoothly. I had nothing to worry about the day of the wedding, and when I finally walked up to our reception I was overwhelmed and so appreciative. Everything was perfectly displayed as I had envisioned. Thank you so much Teri for all the time, energy, and love you poured into giving Josh and I the best/happiest day of our life. I highly recommend Teri from Julian and Coco events. If you are looking for a wedding coordinator she is amazing and even better loves what she does! read more

Julian and Coco Events - Wedding Planning Near Me - Haleiwa, Hawaii

FYI: Teri no longer works with the company. I'd recommend taking note of who you're dealing with when considering Julian and Coco. See my previous review read more

Our wedding couldn't of been more perfect or ran more smoothly if it wasn't for Julian & Coco. Teri & Dannah were there every step of the way making sure everything ran smoothly. They went above & beyond to make our wedding beautiful. All the guest kept complimenting how beautiful everything was. They will definitely give you the dream wedding you have always wanted. They pay attention to detail. Every detail I wanted was incorporated some how. With creating even more fabulous ideas. We really couldn't have been happier. Thank you Julian & Coco for such a wonderful day that we'll never forget. Mahalo, Phil & Peggy Jones read more

Shes a thief! She took a payment on behalf of another vendor and then suddenly disappeared. Thats stealing.

My experience seems to be identical to the previous review. What a shame as I believe they are a new company. I met with Pura for the initial consultation. She seemed well informed and resourceful so I was ready to hire her. At the end of the meeting, she said she would email me a proposed contract and also contact a venue that I was interested in by the following Monday. I waited for about a week until I emailed her asking her if she had made any progress. She did not reply until days later saying she "left a message for the venue" and that she will keep trying to contact them until she got a response. Since then, I have not heard from her (it's been about 3 weeks) other than she left me a voicemail about offering her services as a wedding planner (apparently she doesn't even remember my name or phone number let alone that she could have already had my business). Just disappointed because if she didn't want to work with me (which is totally fine), then why string me along? I don't understand why people would do business that way. read more

We hired Julian and Coco to be our wedding planners this year. They were so nice and came up with a lot of creative ideas for the wedding and rehearsal dinner. As the groom, I didn't think we would need a wedding planner in the beginning, but after seeing everything it takes to put on a wedding I am so happy we chose Julian and Coco. For anyone looking at venue's on the North Shore in particular, there is no other place to go. I would recommend them to everyone. read more

I would like to write an update about my previous encounter with Julian and Coco's former associate, Dannah, and her mother Teri. Ever have someone continuously tell you that your "check is in the mail" or that they will "make a payment tomorrow" etc.? These two have certainly given me that run around for the past nearly two years that I've been trying to get my wedding deposit back. They have both acknowledged that Dannah owes me the deposit for failure to follow through on coordinating my wedding. I wouldn't have reason to write on the page, save the numerous emails I have back and forth with Teri telling me that my deposit would make its way back to me. It is extremely unprofessional for someone that owns their own wedding business. I recommend thinking twice before booking anyone that is not good on their word. read more