Paradise Planning Reviews
Reviews
4.9 out of 5 rating
![WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner]()
4.9 out of 5 rating
129 Reviews
99% recommend it
Awards
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![Alison]()
Alison G. Sent on 04/24/2023A million stars
I want to cry writing this because Michelle & the Paradise Planning team were such a joy to work with and I don't want it to be over! Planning a wedding in St. John and living in Minnesota seemed like it was going to be overwhelming (especially for someone as type A as me)! But, Michelle made everything as stress free as possible, all while bringing (and enhancing) every idea I had to life!
I could not recommend Michelle & Paradise Planning more -- they are the absolute BEST! From working on the big and small details, to finding vendors, to making my dreams come true... they were above and beyond!
Michelle is the QUEEN! THANK YOU! -
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![Dakotah]()
Dakotah Sent on 04/24/2023Michelle was great, she is very organized & on top of things. Our wedding went so smoothly!! Seriously, everything was perfect.
Michelle was great, she is very organized & on top of things. Our wedding went so smoothly!! Seriously, everything was perfect.Paradise Planning's reply:
Koda!! Your wedding WAS perfect! You and Aaron are the sweetest and my team and I had so much fun! SO many glasses broke on that dance floor and it was a testament to the fun that was had--lol! Congratulations again to you both! -
![Gaby]()
Gaby G. Sent on 01/19/2023Amazing wedding, because of an amazing planner
Michelle was simple amazing from the time we schedule our first call to when we parted ways after the wedding reception. We have no complaints. I had brought some of my own decorations and her and her team put everything together better than I had even imagined. They made sure that my now husband and I were taken care of the whole day!! We love Michelle and her team!! -
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Taylor D. Sent on 01/13/2023
Our perfect wedding!
Michelle, Jason, and Mollee made our dreams come true! The ease in which Michelle coordinated with all our vendors really took the pressure off of us leading up to the big day. They were able to source tents, linens, lighting and chairs, and had everything set up beautifully the day of. Jason and Mollee helped everything run seamlessly during the ceremony and reception. Highly recommend!! -
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Elizabeth C. Sent on 07/28/2022
Paradise Planning = Paradise Wedding
If you are thinking of having a Destination wedding on St John I advise you to book Michelle Cawthron and Paradise Planning as soon as you know your bride's wedding date. I can not recommend her highly enough. Planning a wedding on a ST John is VERY difficult to plan by yourself from afar. Michelle has established relationships with all the top island vendors, from caterers , florists, photographers and bakers, chair rentals and musicians and more... Trust me when I say... Do not try to plan a ST John wedding without her help. Michelle is extremely organized and professional as well as fun and friendly to work with. My daughter got married on St John last weekend and Michelle handled every detail so that my husband and I could just show up to the wedding and enjoy every minute of our daughter's and now son in laws wedding without worrying...Would the chairs being ferried over from St Thomas make it on time?What barge would they be on? Would the flowers and bouquet be beautiful? Would the wedding venue be set up as hoped for? Yes yes and YES! Whether you are desiring a small beach wedding or a villa wedding or a restaurant/bigger venue wedding...Michelle can do it all and tailor your vision into the beautiful, stress free Caribbean wedding that you will not be able to do on your own from off island. The absolute BEST decision I made after my daughter got engaged and wanted a ST John wedding was to hire Michelle Cawthron and Paradise Planning to manage her wedding. On day of wedding, Michelle managed the set up of the wedding site (a bigger island wedding of 150+), the chair delivery and set up, the caterers, flower delivery, cake delivery and set up and so much more. She made sure the ceremony and toasts and first dances were paced in a timely manner and the caterer started food serving at the right time so that everything felt smooth and seamless and not forced or rushed. She even gathered up all the gifts and put them in my car. I literally did not have to worry about one thing "Day Of" except experience the joy of my daughter's wedding. Paradise Planning/Michelle Cawthron is your answer to a stress free, beautiful ST John wedding. -
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Julie G. Sent on 02/03/2023
Michelle helped us plan and execute our dream wedding on St. John!
Michelle was the planner for our wedding on St. John in April 2022. Planning a destination wedding and looking for vendors can be challenging, but Michelle made the whole process as easy and stress free as possible. We were sure we wanted Michelle to be our planner after our first introductory call with her. She was excited for us, and her experience and organization instantly put us at ease. Through the entire planning process she was responsive and communicative and was our liaison for all of our vendors.
On our wedding day Michelle was so organized and efficient, which really allowed us to fully embrace the day and not think about any of the logistics. Michelle was completely flexible and creative as we had to navigate a lot of changes due to rain. (It rained more on our wedding day than was forecasted for the entire month of April!) Our planned ceremony venue and outdoor reception were forced indoors and under covered patios, but Michelle executed the change so well that none of our friends even knew it was a plan B.
Michelle was a huge part of making our wedding day everything we hoped it would be, and we are so appreciative. We highly recommend her and would 100% hire her again if we were to do it all over. Thank you Michelle! -
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![Erika]()
Erika K. Sent on 06/27/2022Flawless Execution
Had I been left to my own devices - there is no way that I could have pulled off a 160+ person wedding in St. Thomas in just over five months! Hiring Michelle and the team at Paradise Planning was the best decision I made, other than marrying my husband, of course ;). This woman is an organizational dynamo. Shortly after our first meeting, I emailed her a list of suggested vendors and a bunch of Pinterest pictures and said "This is what I would like! Can you get this done in 5 months?" Michelle nailed every single detail utilizing a wide network of fantastic and professional vendors who all made sure that our wedding weekend was perfect. I don't know who else could have managed to get 100 off-island guests from 7 different hotels and resorts to 4 different venues over the course of the weekend. Her attention to detail ensured that the wedding venue looked exactly as I had imagined it. But it's not just Michelle's flawless execution that earns her my highest recommendation - it was also her intuitive nature - knowing when I needed a nudge in the right direction when making decisions, knowing how to bring my stress levels down and making sure that I enjoyed every single minute of every event. Everyone in attendance raved about our wedding - and that is due in large part to all of the work Michelle and the Paradise Planning team put into it. I am so grateful that I was able to work with her and benefit from her expertise.Paradise Planning's reply:
Thank you for your words, Erika! Your wedding was so special and I was truly honored to be a part of it. -
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![Madeline]()
Madeline S. Sent on 04/28/2022A truly wonderful wedding planning experience
Paradise Planning (& Michelle Cawthron specifically) helped my husband and I host our dream wedding weekend in St. John, USVI in March of 2022. First and foremost, when it came to planning a destination wedding, I knew it would be crucial to hire a wedding planner that knew the island of St. John and the vendors we would most likely be working with - after meeting with a few potential planners, my husband and I decided to move forward working with Michelle because of her kindness, confidence, and knowledge in the planning process.
Michelle listened to our wedding wants and needs and spent time understanding our vision and goals for the wedding weekend. Planning a destination wedding during the peak of COVID was not an easy task, but Michelle guided us through the entire process and made us feel informed on all of our options and potential roadblocks we could face down the road due to changing government regulations. Her communication process is wonderful - she is extremely responsive with emails, communicates her availability and working hours to all brides and grooms, and was always prepared for our planning calls which made each one extremely productive!
Michelle's knowledge of vendors (which I believe are the best of the best) in the USVI was also an amazing benefit of having her as our wedding planner. She was always in communication with vendors on our behalf to secure dates, planned & communicated with vendors wedding changes and updates, and also ensured my husband & I were introduced and connected to vendors prior to our wedding weekend. There are only so many vendors on St. John that are able to accommodate larger destination weddings, and Michelle was able to ensure we had the best booked for our wedding.
Paradise Planning & Michelle's talent as a wedding planner truly shone on our wedding weekend. My husband and I felt extremely informed and calm leading up to wedding weekend, all thanks to Michelle's amazing communication and how organized and prepared she was for all of our events. Most importantly, me and my husband did not have to worry about a single thing on our wedding day, besides enjoying all of the love and moments with friends and family. Michelle facilitated the wedding day from start to finish, and everything went flawlessly thanks to her hard work. She expertly handled all vendors, ensured set-up was executed exactly to our vision, managed all transportation needs, kept the entire day moving timely, and truly took care of everything which allowed my husband and I to just enjoy our newlywed bliss.
It is hard to put into words how valuable Paradise Planning was to our wedding weekend, but it truly was the best weekend of our lives. For any bride or groom looking for the best St. John/St. Thomas/USVI wedding planner, I sincerely recommend Paradise Planning. Working with Michelle was such a wonderful experience, and our wedding weekend is truly a testament to how much she cares about her clients and the effort she puts forth to ensure everything is as perfect as can be. -
![Anna]()
Anna B. Sent on 12/10/2020BEST Experience!!
I loved working with Michelle so much! There are not enough good things to say! Michelle and the rest of Paradise Planning made planning our wedding as easy and stress free as possible. She was so responsive, helpful, and prepared. The wedding was even better than I dreamed of- thank you so much!Paradise Planning's reply:
Awe, Anna! Thanks so much for this review. Working with you was so fun and your wedding day was one we will always remember! -
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Brier W. Sent on 01/10/2022
Would hands down recommend Michelle to any bride!
Michelle was so awesome to work with! From the very start of planning up until the end I felt very much at ease (which is very rare for a Covid bride). She was very responsive, very professional, and did everything she could to made sure we had a perfect day!Paradise Planning's reply:
Awe---thanks, Brier! It was so fun working with you and Chase on your St. John Wedding! Wishing you a wonderful 2022!! -
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Andrew F. Sent on 11/22/2021
Amazing Wedding Weekend in St John
Michelle and paradise planning were amazing. We could not imagine planning a wedding in St John without Michelle and her team. Planning the wedding was stress free, and we were able to have the wedding we had always dreamed of, even during Covid. Michelle executed our vision flawlessly, and throughout the weekend had everything perfectly planned out, allowing us to enjoy our wedding weekend without worrying about any small details.
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Elizabeth A. Sent on 07/03/2021
The Wedding of our Dreams
Michelle from Paradise Planning was an amazing wedding planner who helped make the wedding of our dreams come to life! She was extremely organized and responsive and knew every available vendor on the island of St. John. I could not have imagined putting together our special day without the help of Michelle and her counterpart Kwana!Paradise Planning's reply:
Thank you so much, Lizzie! We LOVED your wedding day and just are so honored that we got to be a part of it! -
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![Kimberly]()
Kimberly S. Sent on 02/25/2022Michelle planned the most perfect wedding in paradise!
When my daughter and her now husband decided to get married in St. John, USVI last year, we didn't know where start with the long distance planning. Michelle came highly recommended and she truly created an absolutely magical and perfect day for my daughter and son-in-law and our families. Michelle was very accessible during the planning process and made it really easy for us to do long distance. She quickly understood what we wanted to do and made it happen. Everything from the flowers, the music, the decor, the catering, the cake, the photography and even the smaller but important details such as hair and makeup, steaming the veil, timing, transportation, etc were all planned precisely and executed perfectly. Michelle is very professional, knowledgable, personable and exceptional at what she does.Paradise Planning's reply:
Oh Kimberly--thanks so much for this sweet review. Caroline and Nate's wedding was such a magical night and getting to know you and your family was an added bonus. Cheers to seeing you next time you are on St. John! -
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![Alexis]()
Alexis M. Sent on 07/02/2021Worth every penny
Paradise Planning was great to work with. I would highly recommend Michelle and her team. My questions were answered in a timely manner during the planning process, and it was easy to schedule a conference call when necessary. She took the stress out of our day so we were able to enjoy it without worrying about the details.Paradise Planning's reply:
Thanks so much, Alexis, for having us be a part of your amazing wedding day! It was magical and we will always remember your fun officiant. Wishing you and Grant all the best! -
Brittany Sent on 01/26/2022
Best Planner in the Virgin Islands - Hands down!
If you’re planning a wedding on St. John, don’t even think about doing it without Michelle’s help! Consider this your sign from the universe to go ahead and hire Paradise Planning. You’ll be thankful you did.
My husband and I had an intimate wedding on St. John in January of 2022. The entire day, evening, and week leading up to the event went flawlessly thanks to Michelle and her team. It was the greatest gift to be able to sit back and just enjoy our special day together without having to worry about a thing.
As someone who’s lived and worked in the Virgin Islands seasonally for the past 2 years, I considered planning it myself and I am SO happy I hired Michelle instead. She was with us every step of the way for many months leading up to the wedding. She’s on top of communication, extremely well organized, understanding, professional and dependable. She delivered a perfect wedding experience in every aspect and went above and beyond in many ways. She even helped my in-laws plan our rehearsal dinner at a local restaurant, which was key in planning from afar. Her team of vendors were fabulous, from the caterer and the florist, to the shuttle drivers and decor providers.
10/10 recommend Paradise Planning for your St. John wedding. Michelle, thank you again for making our day better than we dreamt it could be. We’ll cherish the memories forever. -
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