"Karissa and Kayla are two of the hardest working women in the wedding planning business. My daughter was married at our home on October 14, 2023. The wedding was 16 months in the making as we had many events, venues, crazy food requests, musical acts,...the list went on and on. Every request was handled with honesty, professionalism and execution. The team KPE assembled was amazing, Monterey county is small yet somehow Karissa has a team of vendors who love to work with her and execute flawlessly.
The weekend was a fantastic. Our daughter and her now husband smiled and laughed the whole way through. KPE created the wedding of their dreams. I will leave you with one thought "listen to Karissa..she knows"

Karissa is simply the best of the best. She planned my sister’s wedding a few years ago, so when I got engaged, she was my very first email! At this point, she truly feels like part of our family — if there were a third sibling, Karissa would absolutely be their wedding planner too.
From start to finish, she brought so much creativity and joy to the process. Every detail, from fun touches like using our photobooth as our seating chart and guest book to the big necessary decisions, reflected her thoughtful ideas and deep knowledge of the industry. She’s incredibly well connected and respected, which gave us access to the best vendors and made every step seamless.
Planning a wedding can be stressful, but with Karissa and her team, it never felt that way. She listened to every idea and request, made everything easy to navigate, and handled challenges with grace. When our original venue canceled just eight months before the wedding, she immediately came to the table with solutions — and ended up finding us a venue that was just as perfect (if not better!) than the original.
Karissa and her entire team are not only true professionals, they’re amazing people to work with. I can’t imagine our wedding without them, and I can’t recommend them enough!

Working with Karissa and Kayla was one of the best decisions we made during our wedding planning process. They were on top of every detail and kept everything running smoothly from start to finish.

Additionally, knowing that Karissa and Kayla have strong relationships in the industry made everything run so smoothly. Karissa connected us with the perfect vendors—from hair and makeup, to the florist and an amazing DJ. Every single vendor was professional, talented, and a perfect fit for our style and vision.

Beyond the logistics, she offered so many creative ideas that truly elevated the entire experience. From unique reception details to thoughtful ways to personalize the day, Karissa brought fresh perspectives that made our wedding feel uniquely ours. And knowing that Kayla was working hand-in-hand just as hard to tie up all the logistics was such a blessing.

To top it all off, as we interacted with her for our biweekly check-ins, we saw that Karissa's personality is just wonderful—warm, calm, upbeat, and always just the sweetest and most bubbly.

Planning a wedding can be stressful, but Karissa and Kayla made it enjoyable and even fun. As perfectionists, we can honestly say that the day was flawless. Every detail was perfect. Transitions from cocktail hour to dinner to dancing were seamless. Transitioning between two different types of music: equally seamless. We were able to spend every second focused on celebrating our wedding and didn't have to think about anything else on our wedding day.

We can't recommend KPE highly enough.

I hired Karissa and her team to help plan a large, unexpected celebration that I will forever cherish. When I first reached out, I didn’t know where to start, but I knew of Karissa’s reputation for being, tasteful, creative, and deeply experienced. I trusted her completely to guide me.
Karissa listened carefully to my initial ideas, then took over so I could focus on other matters. She was flawless and 100% reliable. I don’t say this lightly, as I’m typically a very hands-on planner. She and her team brought a unique mix of enthusiasm, humor, and professionalism, making the whole experience feel effortless.
Karissa took charge and offered thoughtful suggestions while honoring my vision. She handled everything—rentals, reservations, sound, seating, food, drinks, clean-up—you name it. She kept everything running smoothly with regular check-ins and made sure nothing fell through the cracks, even taking care of last-minute details like freshening up floral arrangements.
Thanks to Karissa, the celebration was beautiful and seamless. I couldn’t have done it without her and her team, and I look forward to working with her again in the future.

If you're looking for the best wedding planner out there who is also the best human being, then you should absolutely choose Karissa and her amazing team at Karissa Paxtons Events (KPE). My wife and I had no idea how much work went into planning a wedding, and Karissa majorly alleviated that burden while making it a fun experience. From our first video call with Karissa, we knew we were in the best hands possible and the thoughtfulness, care, and love that she brought is impossible to beat. From venue coordination, to vendor selection, to amazing design details - Karissa & team masterfully executed it all and we had the most beautiful & fun wedding far beyond what we could have ever imagined. Her amazing team member Kayla also deserves a major shout out - her attention to detail and understated excellence gave us peace of mind that not even the smallest of details would be missed. Similar to Karissa, she is also such a good person. Not only did we have a perfect wedding, but we have also gained friends for life in Karissa & Kayla.

Karissa and Kayla are just salt of the earth people that you want in your life, and it just so happens that they are phenomenal at their job. They care deeply; they strive relentlessly to represent you as a couple and execute to perfection; they are always there for you. Karissa is the lead, with whom you'll interact the most; she's the creative, fun, warm point-person (and owner, with years of experience), who has an endless rolodex of vendors to meet your every desire. No idea is too out of the box. Kayla is the behind-the-scenes ninja who is attuned to every single detail. Also, she is the most kind, caring soul. My wife and I cannot recommend this team more highly. So much love!

Karissa and her team brought our event to life. They are the most thoughtful, attentive, fun, and wonderful team that I could have ever imagined working with. We had the pleasure of planning with them for a year and a half and from start to finish they brought their A-game. If you are getting married in Carmel/Monterey/Santa Cruz, I cannot recommend this team enough. They accommodated every idea we had and brought the best and the brightest venders to help make our day a success.

Karissa sets the highest standards for creating and executing the most beautiful and welcoming wedding weekends! My daughter and her bride worked, and they were relocating as they planned their wedding. Karissa and her team worked tirelessly and collaboratively to help them make great choices of superb vendors, without missing a beat, to create the wedding vision that the brides dreamed about. Karissa and Kayla, her right hand detail lady, were knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and fun to work with. Their love of what they do was evident from start to finish. As a second time MOB, I cannot recommend Karissa and team more enthusiastically!!

Karissa and her team made the joy of the wedding last a full year, not just the one day. The planning itself was so much fun, which I Know most people don't say. Now that we're post-wedding, I wouldn't mind keeping up our Thursday calls just to hang out. Karissa is patient, creative, and thorough, and she made sure that everything I had in my head somehow got translated to real life. Everyone in the business knows her and loves working with her (so they want to work with you). She stepped in to do as much or as little as I wanted. Her team (hi Kayla!) is so detail oriented. The result was a weekend that felt one-of-a-kind, fun, and (basically) stress-free! When we arrived at the venue, my (then-)fiance said "oh I get it now." We could have never had the event we envisioned without her help. I can't recommend Karissa Paxton Events enough. Hire her!

Karissa and her team were not only super professional but after months of planning and helping us get through some major challenges, she became our friend. We will be forever grateful for her expertise, humor and grace.