"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 and Kayla & the whole team at Karissa Paxton Events is nothing short of extraordinary. They are easy to work with, responsive, super collaborative, go above and beyond to find the right "fit" for everything (design, rentals, timeline) and most importantly: a BLAST to work with. They made what would have been a very daunting wedding planning experience (especially for two non-traditional Santa Cruz weirdos like myself and my husband) whimsical, inspired, funky, silly, and just the right ratio of camp to meaningful. My husband and I legitimately looked forward to our chats with Karissa and felt a connection almost instantly.

I think what Karissa and Kayla do so well is they really spend time getting to know you, before they dive deeper into vision and how it will all play out (and it absolutely will if you're working with this team). They spent time with us, and let us be our weird selves, and then came up with countless ideas and ways we could let our personalities and relationship shine through.

I don't think I realized just how much a wedding weekend can become an opportunity to let your loved ones in on how you see the world -- but thanks to Kayla and Karissa, I think we sure did

We truly could not have survived the wedding planning process without Karissa Paxton Events! Karissa was our saving grace throughout the entire planning process. People would often ask, “How is wedding planning going?” with a grim look on their faces, and we would quickly respond, “Honestly, great… we have a Karissa!” And we meant every word of it.

From solving problems before they ever reached our radar to thinking of details we didn’t even know needed to be handled, Karissa and her team (shoutout Kayla!) were always one step ahead. And trust me, staying one step ahead of a Type A, eldest daughter is no easy feat! 😂 Thank you, Karissa, for putting up with my late-night texts about the exact shades of table linens, florals, and glassware, answering every question, and somehow making me feel completely at ease through it all. You took away the stress and allowed me to actually ENJOY the process, which is something I will forever be grateful for.

Karissa helped turn our dream beach wedding at Seascape Beach Resort in Santa Cruz into a reality, and we truly couldn’t have imagined a more beautiful, seamless, or special day. Her talent, organization, attention to detail, and genuine care for her couples are unmatched. If you’re looking for a wedding planner who will go above and beyond, anticipate your needs before you even know you have them, and make you feel like you have a trusted friend in your corner, look no further. Hiring Karissa was one of the best decisions we made throughout our entire wedding journey. We will be forever grateful to her and her incredible team for making our dream wedding everything we hoped it would be and more!

Karissa and her team brought our dream wedding to life! Karissa and her team thought of every detail and made our entire planning process easy and stress free. During the week of the wedding, Karissa and team made the process seamless. It was a perfect event that our family and friends are still talking about! It was everything we wanted and more!

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.