Bona Fide Events Reviews
Reviews
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Awards
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![Clara]()
Clara Sent on 10/21/2025I had the perfect wedding
Working with Heather was a breeze. She's responsive, on top of everything and knows so many local vendors and venues; her relationships helped make the process so much easier and gave us tons of confidence. Heather was slightly more expensive than other coordinators we met with, but she also offers more support earlier than the average day-of coordinator and she was extremely attentive to our needs and our goals. It was fully worth the expense for us, and I would choose her again for any other event in a heartbeat. -
![Danielle]()
Danielle Sent on 10/02/2025Organized Fun Wedding Planner!
From the moment we hired Heather to the final Wedding day, she kept everything so organized & positive. I was like a deer in head lights & feeling overwhelmed with all the planning but Heather kept me grounded. She asked all the important questions & gave great advice on things I know nothing about. She was on top of all the little things. My biggest goal during the wedding was to bye able to enjoy every moment. Because Heather is so good, her hard work & attention to detail, gave me such a joyous experience & I got to really soak in time with my husband & family. I highly highly recommend Heather & her team including the Amazing Jamie! I cannot rave enough. She also recommended our DJ, Florist, Tent & Rental Company who all turned out amazing! And! She kept everything on time all evening!
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![Danielle]()
Danielle Sent on 06/06/2025Best wedding planner ever!
Heather was absolutely incredible to work with. She is so knowledgeable about all things Durham, excellent at letting you know what needs to be done and when, and making sure everything is running smoothly. It was such a huge stress relief to be able to work with her because we didn’t ever have to worry about what needs to be done and when - she does such a great job of keeping you on schedule! All of her vendor recommendations were excellent as well and she does such a good job getting to know you as a couple and making sure the day is perfectly built around you. We had the most wonderful time at our wedding and are beyond grateful for all of her help! -
Zoe Sent on 05/31/2025
Best Planner In Orange County, NC
Everyone at Bonafide Events made our wedding experience super special and worth while. My husband and I were apprehensive about having a larger event for our wedding, but my mother found Heather to be our planner and we couldn’t have done it without her and her other staff. I would not bat an eye to hire the Bonafide Events team again. Even if we would’ve had a smaller wedding at our farm, if we had gone that route, it would’ve been a million times better. Heather is so knowledgeable and personable. They made our wedding day and our guest’s experiences’ a million times better, from the best caterers to the best local flower farm around. Thank you Bonafide Events, from the bottom of our hearts. -
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Dale Sent on 11/20/2024
Perfect wedding.
Mark and I had hoped for a wedding to be simply elegant. Heather listened to our hopes and dreams. With that she guided us to make excellent decisions on everything from venue, wedding cake, flowers and much more. We could not have done it without her.Bona Fide Events's reply:
Thank you for the kind words, Dale! Nothing like planning a wedding in four months....we had some fun. And, the vendors I work with make me look good. Cheers to the holidays! -
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![Jennifer]()
Jennifer Sent on 11/11/2024Our Adventure Continues
A Bonafide Event and Heather Thomas was an absolutely crucial part of our wedding day. Heather made the day run smoothly, managing our busy and unique schedule of events from the outdoor garden ceremony to the butterfly house sanctuary to the live music patio cocktail hour to the dinner and dancing reception in the aerospace center of our unique museum venue. Heather was so organized and communicative, making sure everything was taken care of. As an anxious bride, she was so wonderful and reassuring. I would recommend Heather and Bona Fide Events over and over again! Thank you for making our vision come to life. -
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![Victoria]()
Victoria Sent on 05/19/2024There for us every step of the way...
My now husband and I were pretty lost when starting to plan our wedding. For two adults with adhd, it felt almost impossible to figure out how to plan a wedding for a 100 guest count. It was important to us to include as many family members and friends as possible, so a small wedding was not an option for us.
We couldn't have done it without Bona Fide Events as our wedding planning service. Heather and Jamie made it as easy as possible and helped to reduce stress and to think ahead about getting things in order. They shared numerous resources, provided timelines, set appointments well in advance, had a rain backup plan (that we ended up using!), supported our diy ideas while also providing realistic advice, worked well with all of our vendors (especially our venue owners/managers at The Colonial Inn), had a positive and encouraging attitude, and kept cool leading up to and on the day of our wedding. Heather and Jamie were rockstars on the day of the wedding. With having to adjust plans due to the rain, they were on it and didn't skip a beat. There are so many things to think about, and when you're stressed it's normal to forget something. Both planners brought in last minute supplies of their own to lend to us last minute. We are so grateful for that.
Due to the rain, there were a couple of things we had planned that couldn't happen at the ceremony such as bubble girls using handheld blowers when walking down the aisle in leu of throwing flowers. I had hand painted each blower and attached flowers to match the decor. Heather and Jamie asked the bubble girls to use them during our send off outside instead. It was perfect and something that we wouldn't think of on our wedding day when we are experiencing a dream with our family and friends. Bona Fide Events were there every step of the way and helped to make our special day the best of our lives.Bona Fide Events's reply:
Jamie & I loved working with the two of you! Weather is a thing in NC, and we try our darndest to make things happen and somehow include all of your special moments in the day despite the forecast. Your guests had a great time; what a night, and I hope to see you around the Borough!
Cheers, Heather -
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![Courtney]()
Courtney Sent on 12/19/2023Great experience with Heather at Haw River Ballroom
Heather was recommended to us by the event manager at the Haw River Ballroom and it was so helpful to have someone who knew the venue so well, was an old pro at running weddings, and could recommend local vendors who also knew the venue. Her signature timeline is also remarkable and the entire wedding party was incredibly thankful to have a detailed understanding of all the moving parts. It was also wonderful to have Heather at our American Party Rentals meeting, to help us understand the more opaque parts of wedding planning, and to take SO MUCH STRESS off of my husband, my family, and I on the big day. Looking back I can't imagine coordinating all the day-of details without Heather and her team. -
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![Kasey]()
Kasey Sent on 10/14/2022We love Heather!
We simply cannot say enough good things about working with Heather. From a by-the-minute timeline to detailed questionnaires for ceremony and reception planning, she was on top of things from the time we hired her. Although she was a "month of" coordinator for us, she graciously answered my zillion questions much further than a month out. We really appreciated her working closely with us to make all of our intentional details come together (like bringing in our own craft beer from all over and having our dogs around for pictures), and we equally appreciated her taking charge the day of so we didn't have to worry about anything. Special shoutout to Debra (assistant wedding planner) too...we hadn't met her before our wedding day and she fit seamlessly into everything and helped our day go so smoothly. They also PERFECTLY orchestrated end-of-night breakdown...my mom went to get her car and by the time she pulled it around, they had everything ready to load in her trunk. If you're looking for someone who will work with you to get your vision for your wedding exactly right while also being able to take over when things get crazy, we can't recommend Heather and Bona Fide enough. Thank you! -
![Eross]()
Eross Sent on 09/19/2022Amazing Wedding Coordinator For Our Wedding!
Heather was wonderful to work with! She was super responsive and communication extended earlier beyond the "month-of" coordinator duties to provide the best plan for us. She was very collaborative and lined up our day exactly to our liking. Her catering background shined as the logistics and workflow aspects were seamless throughout the progression of the wedding. Thee ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, dancing (most important part for us), and the exit went as planned thanks to her and her assistant tirelessly working in the background. I would most definitely recommend Heather, she's simply amazing to work with! -
![Mckenzie]()
Mckenzie Sent on 06/18/2022Heather is the absolute best!
Heather has been with us since we were originally planning our wedding for June 6, 2020. We were unable to have the planned date due to covid, but Heather stuck with us for two more date changes. Throughout the whole planning process, Heather was a source of reassurance and comfort. She was able to answer any question I had promptly and was always patient with us when we hadn't made up our minds about some things. When our wedding finally happened she made it go seamlessly from the rehearsal to the last send off. If you want a highly qualified, no non-sense planner, Bona Fide events is for you! -
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![Trisha]()
Trisha Sent on 05/20/2022Could not have done this without her!
We hired Heather to be out "Day of "Co-ordinator. We planed much of our home wedding but needed her to be 'US' on the day. Heather was amazing. She provided more so much help and support and recommendations before the big day, offering advise and support way beyond what we thought we had contracted for. We could not have done this without her.Bona Fide Events's reply:
Thanks for the wonderful review, Trisha! I pride myself on being resourceful. It was a pleasure working with you and Jay on your very special day. Glad to help! -
![Paula]()
Paula Sent on 05/06/2022Highly recommended
We appreciated Heather going above and beyond to help after the wedding with 3rd party issues. She also went above and beyond at the wedding, jumping in to help with things that weren't even her job. Her assistant Jamie did as well. She is very professional. She was also very flexible in working with us when we had to make a lot of changes along the way due to COVID safety concerns. She was always quick to respond as well. Thank you, Heather and Jamie!Bona Fide Events's reply:
Thank you, Paula Rosine! If we see something to take care of, we take care of it. We plan for a smooth day but are ready to take the helm if need be. So happy that you and Simon had a wonderful wedding day! -
![Emily]()
Emily Sent on 04/30/2022Heather is the BEST
Heather is absolutely wonderful to work with! She was always available to answer questions, provide recommendations and calm my nerves. She went above and beyond to make sure our day went smoothly and matched our vision, including helping set up tables and decor when the caterer fell through and working with the lighting vendor to get a proposal within our budget. I cannot say recommend her enough!!Bona Fide Events's reply:
Thank you, Emily! The gardens looked beautiful with your guest table vision. I hope that you and Mike had a blast on your amazing honeymoon! -
![Shelby]()
Shelby Sent on 11/19/2021Trust in Heather
So many times throughout the process we've said to each other, "Thank God for Heather!" Planning a wedding can be stressful but having Heather on your team means you can trust that one of the most important days of your life will be one of the happiest days of your life. Heather is super detail-oriented and makes every consideration of how to make your wedding uniquely your own. We also just loved chatting with her and enjoying her company. We got to meet her associate Debra on the day of the wedding who was also very kind and helpful. We're so happy that we had Bona Fide Events helping us along the way.Bona Fide Events's reply:
Wow! Thank you, Shelby! You and Aaron were both such a pleasure to work with throughout the process. I loved your warmth, adventurous spirit, and kindness. I appreciate all of your kind words and hope to bump into you two running around our favorite little hometown soon! Cheers, Heather -
![Lisa]()
Lisa Sent on 06/22/2021Delivered more than expected.
When we started planning the wedding, we didn't think we needed a wedding planner, but Heather quickly demonstrated her worth by navigating us through the process until the big day. Since we were a "Covid" wedding, we were faced with many challenges that weren't part of the normal planning process. Heather always stepped up to the challenge and exceeded our expectations, devoting more hours and never asking for more money. It was one of the few times in my life that I paid someone more than I was billed, which is a true testament of the outstanding job she did for us. -
Jason Sent on 03/21/2021
Top notch!
Heather was amazing from day 1. We used Heather for our 25 year wedding vow renewal. We did a full wedding and Heather was outstanding. Heather was there every step of the way day or night and missed nothing. Heather has a vast array of vendors to ensure your day goes off without a hitch. You won’t find a better value.Bona Fide Events's reply:
Thanks, Jason! Working with you and Becca was so much fun. It was so good to be creating beautiful events again, and planning my first wedding (okay....vow renewal!) at The Colonial Inn was extra special!
That picture of you two says it all! -
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![Becca]()
Becca Sent on 12/30/2020Full Service Wedding Planner
Heather Thomas was an absolute god send for my mom and me during planning my wedding. As a wedding professional myself, I had a tendency to get too involved in the details that were stressing me out, and she was able to gently pull me back and made the entire process not only seamless and stress-free, but fun and enjoyable. She charmed my mom with her warm personality and ability to tame her frazzled daughter!Bona Fide Events's reply:
Thank you, Becca! I enjoyed working with you on your special day. And, it was fun to work in Chapel Hill with so many wonderful vendors and friends to boot! -
![Josh]()
Josh Sent on 12/12/2019Made our wedding seamless
My wife and I loved working with Heather to plan our wedding. She was organized, accommodating, attentive to details, and had great ideas. On the day of, she was there to run the show; we just enjoyed the moment and didn't think for a second about logistics, knowing that Heather had it all covered. That was priceless. I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone planning a wedding. Well worth the investment! -
Mark Sent on 06/02/2019
Top Notch Wedding Day Help
Heather is awesome! She was a great help with everything on the day of the wedding. She took charge and we didn't have to worry about anything. Leading up to the wedding she was a great help getting in contact with all our vendors to make sure everything was set for the wedding day. She was also a great help when our bakery closed down 4 weeks before the wedding. Whenever we had a question she was really quick to respond and offer advice and solutions.Bona Fide Events's reply:
Working with you both was so much fun! And, the rain stayed away so we got in the rooftop ceremony. Win. Win! -
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![Melissa]()
Melissa Sent on 12/22/2021Well coordinated stress free wedding
Heather was instrumental in helping to coordinate the events of our wedding in October 2021. Because our venue necessitated hiring vendors for almost all aspects (food, linens, place settings, bar ware, flowers, tents, lighting, sound, etc) we relied heavily upon Heather’s expertise and networks within the industry. Always optimistic, energetic and organized, Heather seamlessly arranged the details, timelines, and full oversight of the vendors exactly as we imagined. The planning meetings we had were well timed and productive, and always conveyed a sense of accomplishment. Heather ensured all the details came together and even helped with contingency planning at the last minute! We’d absolutely recommend Heather and Bonafide Events to anyone seeking full service coordination, or even specific services tailored to your individual needs. -
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