We had TWO weddings. Elderly family could not travel to L.A. for the BIG wedding; so we held a second tiny wedding/reception our of state. Dana & Joann ("Party & Be Married") helped us plan & execute the first but there was no one for the second and WOW did we learn so much by seeing the difference. -- GET THE PLANNING & COORDINATION HELP!! Worth every penny!

We saw so many little things show up for just a tiny reception; creating difficulty and noise. All of that was fully taken care of and invisible at our BIG reception, thanks to Dana & Joann.

We met several coordinator/planners; we asked, "what would you do if XYZ happened?" We found 3 types of answers:
1) "Yeah,... I'm not paid to solve problems, just facilitate the schedule,... "
2) "We could send someone to the store to get some supplies to solve it,... "
3) "We've seen that happen, so now we have a day-of "tool-kit;" so we already have what's needed solve that problem." full of the needed supplies to fix that, and several other issues we've seen... "

That was only Dana & Joann, and their tool-kit was exactly as promised; every bit as useful. Their knowledge & experience are worth it even at twice the price!

That's our story. I recommend both planning and day-of coordination, so you have a person that knows all the details thoroughly, or else YOU TWO will be the only source of answers; constantly pestered with questions; unable to enjoy your day and your moment. This will be on top of high expectations for the day itself. Oh yeah, now add alcohol. :) ...and then add, "family". An "explosive" potential. ...easily avoided.

Hire Dana & Joann; you'll never regret it.

One last tip, take several breaks from wedding prep work, every other day for the last two weeks -- get a massage together, see a show, anything for a couple hours to stop and just be together and de-stress. Then day-of, will have way less stress too.

Hiring Dana and Joanne was one of the best decisions we made. We knew from the start we needed to hire a coordinator. Our wedding was at a community center, and several of our key vendors had not done a wedding before. Our caterer had never done a large scale event before. Dana was able to seamlessly coordinate the many moving pieces together. If there were any problems on the day of, I was unaware of them. She took care of everything the month before the wedding. Instead of being a ball of stress trying to coordinate everything, my husband and I went into the wedding relaxed.

They had great vendor recommendations for us. For appetizers, we were looking for something really basic and simples - chips, dips, veggies, etc. I was getting quotes for $1000. I was getting ready to suck it up and just go to Costco the day before, but Joann recommended a personal chef who could do it for less than half. This chef also was able to make a vegan gluten-free lasagna that everyone raved about.

Her bridal emergency kit was a huge hit! The steamer was in high demand while getting ready and the eyelash glue was a life saver. I never would have thought to include eyelash glue, but half way through the reception I needed it!

I really liked that Dana wanted to hear what kind of wedding we were having before giving us a quote. Someone who is having a wedding at an all-inclusive venue is going to have significantly less coordinating needs than mine. This way there were no surprises about the level of help we needed.

Dana was wonderful!!! Could imagine our day with out her!

They were professional at all times. They kept everything running so smoothly. They were lovely to work with through the whole process.

Planning a wedding isn't easy, and can be both stressful and exhausting. Initially my fiancé and I thought that we could handle it on our own. We didn't really have the budget for a wedding planner so we didn't consider it to be an option. After a few weeks we gave up, it was extremely difficult with our work schedules and we didn't know the first thing about the process. We knew we were in over our heads and we desperately needed help.
From the moment we met both Dana and Joann we were put at ease. These ladies are the most personable, professional and well experienced ladies we have ever met. They instantly made us feel relaxed about the whole experience and we knew that we could trust them in planning the most important and expensive "day" of our entire lives. That day we drove home and knew that because we could finally sleep in peace now, we had to hire them! It was worth our sanity and it allowed us to enjoy the entire process instead of pulling our hair out. It's really hard to put into words how amazing these women are. When I think of them now I have nothing but love, admiration and so much appreciation for these two! This last year I became really ill and had a number of medical issues that I had never anticipated. I was emotionally drained and these ladies just went above and beyond! We truly believe that if it hadn't been for them we would have needed to cancel the wedding due to the unexpected issues that arose during the planning process. There are so many things to think about when planning for a wedding- so many details that we would have never thought about without these two ladies in our lives. Because of them we were able to have the most incredible, memorable and exciting day of our lives. Not to mention it went by so smoothly. No kidding, our timeline went without a hitch. They were on top of it. My fiancé and I were able to live on cloud 9 the entire day without a single worry in the world! All because of them! Trust us you will adore them!

Being as organized and detail-oriented as I am, and this being the first and last time I will get married, there were many details that did not even occur to me. Lucky for us, Jo, Dana, and Dominique are amazing at what they do. They brought those missed details to our attention or already took care of them. They were there for everything throughout our entire engagement and on our wedding day. You know those situations where everything seems to go wrong at the wrong time? Yup. We had one of those. Ours was a flower crisis a few weeks before our wedding and I was in a panic. Before I knew it there was already a solution to our problem and my panic was gone. They helped us set up our reception hall and made it even more beautiful than I had imagined! On our wedding day, they went from being our wedding planners to our wedding day coordinators. What an amazing feeling it was to be able to completely relax and be in the moment throughout our entire day, knowing everything else was in very capable hands. We can not say thank you enough for helping us make such precious memories that day. You will not find harder working women, who are will to go the extra mile to make your day uniquely special for you, than Jo, Dana, or Dominque at Party and Be Married!

Party and be Married is simply amazing!
Our wedding location was a challenge as it was a park and EVERYTHING needed to be brought into the venue the morning of the wedding and then removed promptly following the end of the event. Dominique was so much fun to brainstorm with when it came to decor ideas! She had so many and she helped me come up with an idea for a large floral display to "soften" some of the red barn wood over the dance floor. Jojo was on point with her planning suggestions making sure all angles were considered. Dana was great at addressing all my random logistical concerns and timing everything in a logical order. They were all so helpful and supportive throughout the whole process of wedding planning up through the day of. They were fun to work with, flexible and they really came through for us on our wedding day. While Dom was coordinating our crew at the church for the ceremony, Dana and Jojo were at the reception location setting up. They completely transformed our outdoor picnic bench barn venue into a magical romantic dream come true. Not only was our venue beautiful but the whole day went seamless. Party and Be Married allowed me and my husband to be completely in the moment the whole day long without worrying about a thing! We couldn't have asked for a better team, they are all fantastic! Thank you Party and be Married! xo

Dana at 'Party and be married' went above and beyond for the Carrillo's wedding!! Before the wedding we met twice, one to go through the time line and the second one was for the rehersal. Of course we also kept In touch through e-mail, phone calls and texts answering any questions we might have and always offering to help with anything we might need help in!! Then finally the day off the wedding came, let me tell you... I didn't stress or worried about anything!!! My fiancé and I at the time didn't want to see each other before the ceremony and Dana made sure everyone respected our wishes! The ceremony went smoothly and wonderfully, she cued the DJ whenever the music needed to change, made sure my dress was perfect for when I walked down the isle, made sure the photographer was always taking pictures. Now, the reception area was above and beyond my expectations!! I mean Dana, Joanne and Dominique did such an amazing job, words couldn't express how appreciative I am for them for making our day a memorable one!! They took care of everything!! After our wedding my fiancé mentioned he was having a wardrobe malfunction the day off and that Dana came to the rescue!! Of course, that's what they do!! We love you 'Party and be married'!! The Carrillo's thank you for everything!

Omgosh! Let's begin when we first met... I was bit nervous to meet Laura at first as I didn't know what to expect. I was contemplating wether or not I should hired an event coordinator. The moment she arrived to my house I knew I had made the right decision, she greeted me with a hug and was extremely pleasant!!! She made me feel so comfortable that by the end of our first meeting I wasnt nervous any more. Her pricing was reasonable and made me feel more calm knowing someone was going to take care of the vendors, groom, myself, bridesmaids, grooms men's, every detail of my wedding, venue staff, guest, and everything else. Yes, is a lot and this is why I give them kudos for everything they did for us!! I can honestly say I would hire them again in a heart beat cause without them my wedding would have not been amazing and memorable. I thank Laura and her family from the bottom of my heart for going above and beyond for my family, guest and always checking on us during our big day!! Love you guys!! I will see you guys very soon!

How else do you say fantastic? If Event Planning had a super hero it would be Dana. We hired her and her team for day of wedding coordinator and we got so much more. They were all so professional and helpful, beyond belief. Absolutely amazing. They helped us with everything from negotiations to choosing linens all the way to "did you forget your sunglasses" and everything in between. We definitely would not have had our wedding turn out as spectacular as it did without them. It really did not feel like a business transaction as much as it felt like I had a sister on my side who really knew what she was doing.