We loved working with Annie and Small Blue Planet! We truly had 0 clue about wedding timelines,…read morelogistics, etc. and Annie was there to guide us the whole way. She understood our budget limitations so we didnt feel pressured into doing anything we didn't want to do and she was so helpful in answering any and all questions we had throughout the planning process. On the day of the wedding, Annie kept everything moving seamlessly and we were so stunned when we walked in and saw the venue fully set up. Annie is so kind and we so appreciated her calmness during all of the wedding stress. We truly couldn't have done it without her! Thank you, Annie!

Me and my husband are so very happy to have worked with SBP on our wedding on 5/28/2023! Annie is…read morejust the best human to work with and such a knowledgeable wedding industry professional. We really enjoyed and looked forward to each meeting we had with her over the year of planning. We really liked the structure they have, as you can utilize them how you best need to. So we really felt like we got exactly what we needed help on! On the wedding day, everything ran so smoothly and seamlessly. We had a beyond perfect wedding and are so grateful to SBP!! The only bad thing is that we no longer will have meetings with Annie to look forward to!

Still dreaming of this place. What a lovely venue. I've had the honor of watching my daughter get…read moremarried here over the weekend. It's amazing how they can transform this place into something magical and memorable for the couple to make it their own and add their own special touches. Such a beautiful place and the journey starts a couple of miles before reaching Flying Cloud. The drive up with the greenery and awe inspiring beauty that surrounds this place and the hills especially late afternoon as the sun sets low, the peaceful drive up sets the tone for the experience one is about to have here. I've come here a few times to see it as well as the day before for rehearsal and seeing it on the day of the wedding was unbelievable. The place completely transformed into this wonderful fairy tale enchantment that was perfect for the couple. Absolutely a charming place. They transformed this place from the ceremony with the arbor with pretty floral arrangements and rows of chairs with umbrellas to a full dining delight in round tables, linen, flowers and umbrellas. So so special. And at night with the white lights on the trees and the hanging light above the dance floor was just picture perfect! I also should mention the bridal suite is large enough for the bridal party (and then some) with a makeup/hair artist to get ready in. Thank you so much to the staff who worked here that evening, the coordinator here at Flying Cloud and a big thank you to Julia who was wonderful to work with (at rehearsal and day of wedding), so calm and she made sure everything turned out perfectly for the couple's epic day. We appreciate it.

Where do I start? How can I write a review about a place and person that facilitated the best day…read moreof my life? I will be reliving my dream wedding for all of eternity and its success was largely due to choosing the perfect venue. Literal perfection. Firstly, the value you get when booking a wedding at Flying Cloud is unmatched. We toured 5 or 6 different venues and Flying Cloud offered the best option by far. They offer coordination day of and for months leading up to the event. This alone was priceless. You NEED day of coordination at a MINIMUM to have a successful wedding and Julia was the best coordinator I could have asked for. We met Julia the first day we toured the venue and over the 10 months of planning met multiple other times and communicated via email/text without issue. Julia provides spreadsheets that keep you on track with planning and that was so helpful! With the price of the venue you also get chairs, tables, umbrellas and countless other items you would otherwise have to purchase or rent. This is a huge value. The space itself is so versatile and there were so many options for ceremony and reception space. My guests raved to me about how the venue was perfect and so beautiful. Everything was clean and well kept. The mature trees and vineyards in the front made for excellent photo backdrops. It was obvious that there is a well oiled wedding machine in place and I benefitted greatly from their experience in event planning. Flying Cloud has an extensive preferred vendor list which at first I thought may be limiting. Let me tell you that vendors don't make it on this list without proven excellence. The only vendor I had an issue with in 10 months of planning was one that was not on the preferred list. I used a DJ, photographer, bakery, florist, officiant and caterer from their list and everything was executed flawlessly. They also handle the rental order for you. We used Heirloom rentals and that was so convenient. We had access to the venue as early as we needed day of, which for me was 8AM. We also had access the day before for rehearsal and to drop off items. I dropped off so much crap (all the florals that I DIY'd, candles and hurricanes, guest favors, polaroid guest books, 2 mirrors, framed photos, potted plants, ladder ball, a ton of alcohol and more. We used 3 cars to take everything) that Julia and her staff had to display and make look good and cohesive, I was amazed how they had time to do it all and never seemed rushed or stressed. Julia also set up a s'mores station and coffee station for us which was awesome! Directly after our ceremony we went back to the bridal suite to sign our marriage license and our signature drinks and appetizers were waiting for us. This is the kind of thoughtfulness that comes with experience and true professionalism! The bridal suite was such a nice space to get ready. It was spacious and Julia had gallons of water waiting for us. There is a refrigerator, a dressing space, lots of natural light, an excellent lighted, mirrored area for hair and makeup artists, a couch, table and chairs. My hair and makeup artists raved about the space. I had 8 people getting ready with me in that space and there was plenty of room. Julia and her team worked their asses off all day for me and I am so grateful! I think she may have secret magical powers. She fielded questions all day, directed vendors, set up the entire space and did so with a smile and while being kind. She made decisions for me when I didn't want to and everything ended up perfect. There is a reason this venue has won many awards. I can't say enough good things. I'd also like to note that time spent at the venue the day before for rehearsal was 1 hour from 9am to 10am Those who may think that having other parties at the venue on the day of their event is intrusive, should consider that they also had to rehearse the day before. There was another event the day after our Saturday wedding and I did not feel anything but excitement for others who are getting to celebrate their event at this amazing venue. Lastly, when planning I appreciated the transparency. I didn't have to jump through hoops to get their pricing and event packages. We spent $9000 for a Saturday in June. Our event ran from 4pm-10pm and I was at the venue to get ready at 8AM.

Melissa Panico of MAP Events planned my wedding this past June and she did a wonderful job! With…read moreso many little details and big decisions to make about your big day, choosing a wedding planner may be the most important decision of all. I found Melissa through my wedding venue (Solage Calistoga) and I could not be happier with MAP Events. Since my husband and I had already picked our venue, we hired Melissa to take care of all of our other details. During our initial consultation with her, we were immediately impressed with her professionalism while not coming off too "stuffy". It was clear that she had both the experience and staff to pull off our dream wedding while staying within the confines of our budget. At no point did Melissa try to work outside of our budget, and since her pricing was a flat fee, we did not have to worry that she would try to up-sell us. In addition to creating a wedding budget, Melissa also recommended various vendors and helped shape our vision by hearing all of our ideas and making them a reality. I cannot count all of the emails that went back and forth between us during our engagement, but she was so responsive to all of our concerns. She also went to several meetings with us to help us choose our florist and stake out our venue. More than anything, Melissa gave us piece of mind that everything would be taken care of during our wedding weekend. From timelines, to dealing with difficult family members, to coordinating vendors, Melissa and her staff gave us the most special wedding weekend, and we did not have to worry about a thing. Our family and bridal party all commented about how professional and nice she was. After our wedding we immediately went on our honeymoon for two weeks. Our venue contacted us to let us know that there was surplus wine left at the resort that needed to be picked up. We panicked since we would be in Hawaii for two weeks with no way to get back to Calistoga. Before I could even respond, Melissa had already arranged to pick up our extra wine and have it stored with her staff while we enjoyed our honeymoon. It was this attention to detail as well as her ability to put out fires that makes Melissa an invaluable source for brides on the big day (and even after the fact)!

I can't say enough good things about Melissa as a wedding planner. She helped me plan a wedding…read morethis past Memorial Day and was professional, fun to work with, polite and accommodating at every turn. I read Georgianna G's review and would like to say that over the course of the year we planned this wedding together she was not late once and promptly returned every call. Melissa went above and beyond for us. Our venue (Annadel Estate Winery) was a complicated one. It's necessary to bring in everything from outside vendors. Tables, chairs, lighting, all the kitchen equipment, tents, even restrooms had to be rented from outside vendors and their delivery and set-up coordinated by Melissa. No small job. On top of that, the owner of that winery is...slightly...erratic in terms of...well...everything. She handled everything that came up with him with grace and aplomb. On the day of, I was able to concentrate on my new husband, family and friends with no distractions. On top of that, when the expenses were starting to creep up, we figured out that furniture from cocktail hour could do double duty during the dancing and Melissa arranged to have it moved while we were having dinner. Thus saving us quite abit of money. A direct note to all future brides: sometimes you'll get fantastical ideas in your head about what you want. Melissa will do her level best to accommodate you, but will also point out potential problems. I thought it was a fabulous idea to have peacocks roaming around. She clued me into the fact that they are actually quite mean birds. I did some research and found out that, particularly in the spring mating season, they have been known to attack people who get to close. While that would have made for a memorable wedding, I stuck with the no-peacock plan. Choose Melissa. You will not be disappointed.

Jen's services were probably the best purchase we made for our wedding. She was extremely helpful…read morewith the planning and logistics side prior to the wedding and kept us on track for what needed to be done. Day of, Jen and her girls were amazing. They made sure everything was set up and ran smoothly/ on schedule the whole time. Jen's experience was extremely helpful throughout the whole process. Couldn't have got anyone better.

Jen is top notch! We helped us find fabulous vendors, answer our many questions in a very timely…read moreway and when we had to delay our wedding due to COVID she was so helpful with us making the hard decision and then rescheduling everything with us so it was a smooth transition to the next date. If you are looking for the best planner who is your partner through planning and the actual date, look no further, Jen is your person!!

Where do I begin with Maryssa, there are too many good things to talk about! Maryssa was one of the…read morefirst people we hired for our 08/18/18 wedding in Healdsburg, CA at a private estate. Maryssa was super responsive from beginning to end and went above and beyond to help us with every single question we had for her (and believe me, I had a lot - paragraph upon paragraph long emails lol). Communication was super quick and helpful, every single time. We initially hired Maryssa for the Standard Package but after an extremely busy season with my job, I was overstressed and needed to up the help I needed from Maryssa. Maryssa was super accommodating and helped work out a reasonable fee in addition to the package we had already signed on for. Our first venue meeting was easy and felt like we had it all figured out (even though there was still lots to do) Maryssa was super composed and took notes the whole time. Shortly after, I received an e-mail with all her notes and the next steps I needed to take on the planning journey and recommendations for things I had asked for. It was nice meeting with Maryssa at the venue and being able to discuss my vision and at no point did she try to pressure me in any which way, just gave me helpful advice when needed. She really works with you to make your wedding come to life. Maryssa was so on top of emails and contacting other vendors leading up to the wedding day, it gave us some time to focus on all the little details we had left to do. It was nice not to have to try and figure out all the schematics and check all the lists a million more times. Day of wedding...my husband and I have been married for all of a week and we keep talking about how perfectly smooth our wedding day ran if there was a hiccup we sure didn't know about it! And that's one of the main reasons for hiring a coordinator but, I doubt everyone is as blessed with a Maryssa on their side. Maryssa went above and beyond in every aspect and was constantly checking in on us during the day and making sure we had everything we needed and letting us know when we were gearing up for dances or cake cutting, etc. By the end of the night, Maryssa still had a smile on her face (despite running around in 93-degree weather all day back and forth from the ceremony and reception sites). She seriously did it all without one complaint about heat, exhaustion, etc. She's a rock star! If you're looking for someone you can put all your trust in, look no further, Maryssa is your person for your big day! I would recommend her a million times over!

Sharing a recent and disappointing experience when planning for our wedding in March 2019. We…read moreDecided to work with Maryssa from Hannah Smith Events. Before employing her services, we had already located a potential venue in Sonoma county that we were interested in. Fortunately, Maryssa had an existing relationship with the venue and accompanied us for our first meeting. All was good until we realized the venue was too small and location too far for family to travel so we requested Maryssa search for other venues in the Bay Area. From the very beginning we were clear the bay area was a preference but Sonoma/Napa was an option. In addition Hanna Smith events clearly advertise covering the Bay Area, however, from the moment we focused on viewing venues outside the wine country we felt an immediate disengagement from Maryssa. We were sent a few locations to view, but it seemed as though no thought was put into the selections. We were taking the lead, initiating meetings and basically doing a lot of the work we thought we were paying for. Our situation is a little unique. We had less than eight months to plan our wedding and currently we live in two separate counties, Australia and Northern California. We planned our visits so that we could both be here for wedding appointments. One particular scheduled appointment was to view a venue in Pleasanton. This turned out to be our venue of choice and although Maryssa sent us to a neighbouring site, we had In fact sourced the venue some time ago ourselves. The actual day of the appointment Maryssa did not call but emailed us saying she was sick and couldn't make it. What was most disappointing, is that Maryssa did not offer to send anyone in her place and was then leaving the next day on a personal trip for a week. We attended the meeting by ourselves and attempted to do the negotiating alone. We paid for a full service planning package and were left feeling unguided, frustrated and stressed after six weeks of no progress. After feeling we were initiating the majority of the work and ideas, we decided to part ways and employ another planner to help us. The difference in service is worlds apart and we now feel completely supported and on track with our new planner who is 100% invested and excited to help us plan on our journey. We understood the deposit was non refundable but we reached out to provide feedback to the business owner, just to be heard and express our feelings, and although she agreed to refund a token amount (less than a third of our payment) this was basically to make us go away. She completely sided with Maryssa without engaging us in any discussion to understand our point of view and to discover our experience with her business. Not what you would have expected by a business owner that should care about customer experience. There are always two sides to the story but in all honesty, as the paying customers, we felt completely ripped off and deeply regretting our decision to choose Hannah Smith events to plan our wedding.

The Bodega Bay Secret Gardens is simply the perfect place to get married. The space requires no…read moredecor because the beautiful ferns and redwoods do all the work for you. The space has such a seamless flow from the ceremony to cocktail hour to dinner and dancing. We had SO many guests ask us how we found this amazing venue. The venue comes with tables, chairs, heat lamps and fire pits and the management made sure that all vendors were taken care of during the event. We couldn't have been happier with how everything turned out! Not to mention, we will have the most gorgeous wedding photos :)

Absolutely gorgeous wedding venue. We had an amazing time having our wedding here. Every compliment…read morewe've gotten about the wedding includes just how incredibly beautiful the space was. While the space isn't too large for your elderly relatives to cross, there's a designated corner for every part of the wedding (ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, dancing, chilling). John, who manages the property, is so easy to reach over text or phone call. He laid out the (few) rules that there are and was there the whole wedding in case anything went wrong. Photo credit to Jordan Lennon Photo who really captured the beauty.

8/8/2025 First of all, I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Vanessa for helping us with our…read morewedding. We are so happy and grateful that our paths crossed. Vanessa is incredibly hardworking. She replies promptly, is friendly, approachable, and never made me feel hesitant about asking countless questions. She truly understands. She is very accomodating on my requests and open to what I would like. And on the day of the wedding, I saw her shift into full "work mode"--she was focused, confident, and clearly knew exactly what she was doing. Vanessa's timeline was perfect--everything made sense, everything flowed. I especially loved that my husband and I had our own intimate moment after the ceremony. The entire schedule was so organized and thoughtful. And after the wedding, so many of our guests reached out to tell us how relaxed, beautiful, and effortlessly smooth the whole day felt. Hearing their messages truly confirmed how amazing Vanessa and the entire team were. It was truly a successful wedding--one we really envisioned and one we will never forget.

Couldn't recommend Vanessa enough to help plan your wedding! From the moment we met her at Hans…read moreFahden, we knew she would do an incredible job. Not only is she very responsive, detail oriented, and incredibly knowledgeable in the industry, she is also just simply a kind and caring person and we truly enjoyed working with her over the year-long planning process. On the day of, everything was set up perfectly, and the day went by flawlessly. So grateful for everything she did to make our wedding day incredible!

From our first conversation with Preferred Sonoma Caterers, we knew we had made the right choice…read more Their team was attentive and clear throughout the entire planning process, taking time to understand exactly what we wanted for our big day. The personalized tasting they offered gave us confidence in their ability to deliver, and they were incredibly accommodating with our guests' dietary restrictions. On the wedding day, their staff stayed engaged and responsive, making sure everything ran smoothly from start to finish. Everyone raved about the food--guests with and without dietary restrictions all loved the flavors and quality of every dish. We can't thank Preferred Sonoma Caterers enough for making our wedding celebration so delicious and special.

Working with Amber from Preferred Sonoma Caterers was a breeze. We had a set budget I needed to…read morework with for a Celebration of Life gathering. We wanted all finger foods and nothing that had to be kept hot. Not only did Amber make solid food recommendations but she stayed within our budget. We served empanadas, bruschetta, ham & Swiss pinwheels and turkey & cheese wraps. Everything was delicious, beautifully presented and more than enough for our 25 or so guests. We had enough so no one walked away hungry. We kept hearing how good the food was throughout the event. I felt lucky to have found Preferred Sonoma Caterers as I am not from the area. They made the Celebration of Life event stress free and hassle free. Would absolutely use them again. Highly recommended. Thank you for everything Amber!