Blue Sapphire Events Reviews
Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 rating
![WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner]()
5.0 out of 5 rating
37 Reviews
100% recommend it
Awards
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Juliana L. Sent on 03/10/2024
Kolena is the best of the best -- HIGHLY recommend!
Hiring Kolena (for full wedding planning and design) was the first and best decision I made after I got engaged, and I could not recommend her more! I'm very type-A, so when I was initially interviewing wedding planners I wondered if I really needed a full planner/if it was worth the money, but after my first call with Kolena those thoughts evaporated--she is truly such a pro and hiring her was worth every penny!! And in retrospect, I could NEVER have done this myself, period.
Truly, from day one she was a wealth of knowledge, providing invaluable expertise and advice as she guided us through the daunting and expensive process that is wedding planning in Washington, DC. From touring venues, to generating a realistic budget for us (and then continuously working to ensure we stayed as close as possible to that budget), to coordinating with our vendors and creating the timeline, to taking diligent notes at the catering tasting, and helping us plan the rehearsal dinner, she was amazing. Kolena is experienced, professional, detail-oriented, personable, organized, well-connected in the DC metropolitan area, and has an incredible eye for design. I leaned on her a lot for guidance and opinions regarding the design portion of planning (e.g., the reception tables and floral design, as that is not my skillset), and I could not have been more thrilled with what she created--she brought my dream wedding to life.
She is super responsive to emails and messages, and was so accommodating in meeting us virtually/via phone and after 5:30 PM on work days. Also, she used AislePlanner as her planning platform, which I loved; the site allowed us to collaborate, provided me with very user-friendly tools for vendor info, RSVP tracking, creating the seating chart, etc., and her site was generally just a wonderful resource full of helpful lists and information. Other vendors remarked on how organized and on top of things she was, and many guests (of varying ages) remarked it was the best wedding they had ever attended. And while this wasn't the reason I hired her, she also was such a calming presence on the day-of.
Kolena was an indispensable part of our wedding. Because of her and her team, my family, my fiance, and I were all able to be stress-free and fully enjoy the week leading up to my wedding and the whole wedding weekend. Our wedding was a magical and flawless day, and I cannot thank the Blue Sapphire Events team enough. We loved working with Kolena!Blue Sapphire Events's reply:
Thank you Juliana and George! It was such a pleasure working with you both and I am so happy with how everything went for your beautiful wedding day! So sad we can't do it again! -
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Si Sent on 12/10/2023Highly Recommend Hiring Kolena!
Kolena was an expert in planning our wedding and made our multi-day celebration absolutely enjoyable and seamless. She was attentive to our vision, easily accessible through emails and video call, and experienced in choosing dependable vendors from the Baltimore/DC area. She helped us to design our beautiful ceremony and reception layouts and all of the table settings. We looked at many different vendors and really appreciated that she had worked well with young professionals who work full time. She was accommodating and able to meet with us after 5 or 6PM during the work week and she also participated with us on vendor calls to offer her insight. She was excited to help us plan a mixed Pakistani-Chinese-American wedding with unique cultural practices. We are so grateful to have hired her and we encourage others to do the same before she's all booked out!Blue Sapphire Events's reply:
Thank you Lesley & Munim for this review! I had the best time working with the two of you and your wedding weekend was such an amazing celebration for the two of you! -
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Danielle F. Sent on 02/08/2024Perfect day conductors
Kolena is simply the best in the business for northern Virginia and DC weddings! We found her through a recommendation from our caterer, and after meeting her, we knew there was no turning back. She is extremely organized and knowledgeable about vendors, rentals, venues, and even has relationships with staff across many vendor categories in the area. She and her assistant, Nikki supported us with partial planning and design. They helped us navigate difficult decisions around budget and took all of the stress away when we had to order heaters 3 days before the wedding due to drastic changes in the forecast. A member of our bridal party uses a wheelchair and they coordinated thoroughly with the venue and made us feel comfortable about accessibility for all of our guests.
Nikki helped us deal with a guest who was seated at the wrong table in the middle of the reception discreetly and swiftly. Her assistant even helped our grandparents get up and down a long flight of stairs, which is far beyond the expectations of her role and made us smile.
We could go on and on… in summary, everything went off without a hitch, and we could not have done it without them. If you want to enjoy your day stress free, hire them!!
-Danielle and BrendanBlue Sapphire Events's reply:
Hi Danielle! Thank you so much for this amazing review. We absolutely loved working with you and are so grateful you choose us for your big day! -
![Amanda]()
Amanda Sent on 08/11/2023Wedding perfection!
Kolena was our day of coordinator for our June wedding. From the very first meeting, Kolena was incredibly detail oriented. She helped us create a realistic timeline, coordinate with our other vendors (DJ, photographer, florist, venue, etc) and finalized our bus transportation timeline. Her communication throughout the planning process was amazing - she would reply to each and every one of my emails promptly! On the day of the event, Kolena and her team were incredibly professional and took care of all the little details. We had an amazing time at our wedding which was only possible because of Kolena and her team. I cannot recommend Blue Sapphire Events enough!!Blue Sapphire Events's reply:
Thank you so much for this review, Amanda! I had so much fun working with you and Cam and I could not be happier with how your big day turned out! I hope you and Cameron are doing well! -
![Caroline]()
Caroline T. Sent on 12/20/2022Fantastic Day-Of Wedding Coordinator!
Kolena and her team at Blue Sapphire Events was the perfect choice for our Day-Of Coordinator! We had a church wedding with a reception at Meridian House in downtown Washington DC, and Kolena helped handle the complicated transitions and timeline with ease. Whenever we had questions about the wedding planning process, budget, vendor recommendations or cohesiveness of the day, Kolena was there to immediately steer us in the right direction. Her calm demeanor is most welcome, and we genuinely appreciated the professionalism she brought to our wedding planning journey. If your hope is to have a beautiful, seamless day and not stress about how it will all come together, we would highly recommend Kolena and Blue Sapphire Events! -
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Trish M. Sent on 10/30/2022
The best planner!
Hiring Kolena was the best decision we made for our wedding! She was there from start to finish- from helping us choose a venue to dropping off our items at our hotel room at the end of the night, she was outstanding. She was friendly, professional, and efficient. Any questions we had, we knew she'd be able to find an answer or solution. We got to completely enjoy the day because Kolena and her team had everything covered. She was the best planner! I couldn't imagine planning our wedding without her! -
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Honeywood R. Sent on 07/07/2023She is the planner that you need!
Where do we even begin? Working with Kolena from Blue Sapphire Events was an absolute dream! We had provided the tent and rentals for her client's wedding and leading up to the event, she was nothing short of amazing. She is super communicative, organized, and easy going. It takes someone special to be able to manage multiple vendors and create a backyard wedding from the ground up, and Kolena did just that. Thank you for being so great to work with! -
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Casey H. Sent on 11/24/2021Responsive, supportive, and amazing month of coordinator!
Kolena was an absolute pleasure to work with - she went above and beyond in her role as the month-of-coordinator for us. She had great advice, and even before the 'month-of' she was accessible and happy to answer any questions or do proactive outreach to other vendors. She did the walk-through with us, and was able to help paint a picture of what decor would look good with our space (she was a huge help to me here). Kolena uses a planning platform where I did a lot of my organization, like a seating chart and RSVP tracking, which was a game changer for me. On the day, Kolena was critical to the success of the day. We had a lot of DIY decorations and setup, and she handled it all. I told her the general vision, and she took care of it and actually had better ideas for where things should be than I even envisioned. When it came time to pack up for the night, she had already done all of the hard work, which was a huge relief for me and my family! I will HIGHLY recommend Kolena to my friends! -
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Raeana E. Sent on 10/13/2021Kolena kept our day on track!
Kolena was excellent at keeping our day on track and making it one to remember! She even helped us navigate the COVID postponement and argued in our defense with the venue when they tried to charge us a rebooking fee. Kolena went out of her way to help us in the months and days leading up to the wedding even though we only hired her for "day of" services. I would (and have) highly recommend her services! -
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Lynaya M. Sent on 10/10/2021Great to work with!
Kolena is very professional and excellent at communicating with our other vendors. The scheduling, ceremony, and reception all went smoothly thanks to her and her team. All of our guests commented on the beauty of the ceremony, the organization and they had a wonderful time. Kolena was also patient with my many questions the week of the wedding.Blue Sapphire Events's reply:
Thank you for this wonderful review Lynaya! It was my pleasure working with you and Luke over the last couple of years! -
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Bridget C. Sent on 12/10/2021Perfect Choice for our Rural Wedding
Deciding to work with Kolena was the best decision we made in our wedding planning. We hosted our wedding reception at a very rustic family summer camp and it was no easy feat turning it into a beautiful wedding venue. From our first phone call with Kolena I felt like she understood exactly what we needed help with and was up to the challenge of working in a non-traditional wedding location in rural Virginia. We hired Kolena for Day of Management and logistics planning, but she did so much more than that. Our first walk through at the venue was in March for our September wedding. Kolena was always responsive to emails, even in the midst of planning her own wedding! She made sure to be present for meetings with other vendors and worked closely with the catering team to make sure everything went smoothly. Kolena’s calm demeanor throughout the planning process was reassuring to me, my fiancé, and our parents. When the day finally arrived, I felt confident that Kolena and her team would be able to execute everything perfectly and handle any unexpected situations. We could not have been happier with how Blue Sapphire Events made our wedding vision into the most perfect day. I would recommend their services to anyone. -
Monika Z. Sent on 10/04/2021
More than 5 stars
I can’t say enough great things about Kolena. My husband and I originally had booked our planner through the venue where we were getting married. A variety of things led to us canceling that and going out to find a separate wedding planner. From the moment we booked Kolena, we felt like a priority. She made us comfortable, understood exactly what I was looking for, and walked us through her whole process.
We were one of the couples who had to postpone their wedding due to COVID, but working with Kolena made the process so much easier. She communicated with us regularly due to our extra months of planning, helped us put out fires that popped up due to poor communication from our venue, and was open and honest with me when I asked her opinion on adding specific items to our wedding. Not to mention, she did this while also planning her own postponed wedding. Her calm demeanor made us feel so much better, and really helped ease our stress during what may have been an overly stressful time to plan a wedding.
One of the biggest benefits to working with a wedding planner, especially someone who is independent from any venue, is that they will work in YOUR best interest, not in the interest of the venue. Additionally, Kolena’s extensive contacts helped us fill the gap with vendors that we still needed- all of her suggestions were great and she worked within the budget parameters that we gave her.
The day of our wedding, Kolena and her team worked super hard, and I can truly say she executed my vision exactly. We literally got to have our dream wedding- everything was exactly how we wanted it.
If we could give Kolena and Blue Sapphire Events more than 5 stars, we absolutely would. I will never NOT recommend BSE to anyone I know who is going through the wedding planning process. People often say no one cares more about your wedding than you do, but I can promise you that Kolena cares, and it shows up in everything she does.Blue Sapphire Events's reply:
Ahhhh! Thank you so much Monika and Michael! I had the best time getting to know you both and helping you all have the wedding you envisioned! Thank you so much for trusting me with your big day! -
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![Maddie]()
Maddie M. Sent on 07/24/2021Best of the best!
We hired Kolena the owner and lead coordinator at Blue Sapphire Events in 2019 as we were planning for our 2020 wedding. COVID had other plans for us and we ended up getting married in 2021. Kolena was amazing during the entire process and went above and beyond to help us make sure everything was squared away with our postponement. She took the time to reach out to us during the really hard times and we appreciate that more than we can say. She was amazing handling all of our vendors and just making sure everything ran perfectly on the day of our wedding. There was not one single moment where we felt stressed out or as though things weren't being taken care of. Thank you, Kolena for taking care of us and making sure our dream wedding came to life. It surely did and we could not recommended Kolena and Blue Sapphire events more if you're looking for an awesome planner for you big day! -
![Jennifer]()
Jennifer L. Sent on 11/28/2020Yes to Blue Sapphire Events!
Kolena Thomas and Blue Sapphire Events were incredible. Kolena was so organized and on the ball. She took care of so many logistics, such as coordinating with all the vendors, so we could focus on the joy of our wedding.
Kolena went above and beyond to make our wedding happen. She was flexible as we had to make big changes during the pandemic. She was also creative in helping us maintain the spirit of the wedding we want, even as it had to be downsized.
Her expertise, organization, and kindness helped make our wedding a day we'll always remember. We highly recommend!Blue Sapphire Events's reply:
Thank you so much! It was so fun working with you both! It was my pleasure helping you have the best day ever and navigate covid. Congratulations! -
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Morgan H. Sent on 10/04/2020Hire Her Immediately
We hired Kolena for day-of coordination and I will forever be grateful that we did. She was so incredibly easy to work with and was incredible at her job. Everyone, including the hotel and other vendors, was incredibly impressed with her timeline and management of all of the details for the day.
I will forever be grateful to have the peace of mind during my wedding day that someone had all of the details and setup managed - my mom and bridesmaids were all shocked at how calm I was during the day, and I think that is due, in large part, to Kolena and her calming presence. While I know a friend could have helped coordinate a part of things in a pinch, I am so glad that we hired a professional to manage the day-of.
She helped manage timeline, setup, tear down, and everything in between. Would highly recommend, she’s incredible!!!Blue Sapphire Events's reply:
Thank you so much, Morgan and Paul! Your wedding was beautiful and perfect and I am so happy I was able to play a role in your special day!
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