Hiring Colleen/CCS Events for full-service wedding planning was the best decision we made related to our wedding! When interviewing planners, we selected Colleen because of her expertise and experience working with our church and unique reception venue. We would have been completely lost without her. She made planning our wedding an enjoyable experience rather than a stressful one.
Colleen quickly nailed our vision for our wedding and worked tirelessly to make sure everything was just perfect. She connected us with fabulous vendors and even secured us discounts! She kept us on schedule throughout the planning process and probably did so many more things behind-the-scenes that we did not even realize. As a “type A” couple, we appreciated Colleen’s attention to detail and honest recommendations throughout the planning process.
We would have never been able to pull off such an amazing day without Colleen and her team. We (and our parents) were able to enjoy our wedding day without having to worry about coordinating a single thing!
If you are considering hiring a wedding planner, we highly recommend Colleen and CCS Events. Colleen is kind, honest, professional, and gets the job done!
Sakura Sent on 09/28/2025
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Remarkable wedding event planning
Working with Colleen and the CCS Events team was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. From the very beginning, Colleen brought so much warmth, organization, and calm to the planning process. She listened to our vision, kept us grounded when things felt overwhelming, and anticipated needs before we even realized them.
On the wedding weekend itself, Colleen and her team were nothing short of miracle workers. Every detail was handled with such care and precision. They seamlessly orchestrated the flow of the day, troubleshooting behind the scenes, and made sure everything felt effortless for us and our guests. We were able to be fully present and enjoy ourselves knowing Colleen and her team had everything under control.
I often joked she was like a real-life wedding fairy godmother (Disney was definitely onto something!) - making magic happen while keeping us calm and smiling through it all. We truly could not have pulled off such a beautiful, joyful celebration for all our friends and family without Colleen and her incredible team.
If you’re looking for a planner who’s kind, professional, endlessly capable, and genuinely invested in making your day unforgettable, look no further than Colleen and CCS Events. They are phenomenal.
Hannah Sent on 09/25/2025
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Do yourself a favor and book CCS Events!
Hiring Colleen from CCS Events for partial wedding planning was easily one of the best decisions we made for our big day. From our first phone call, Colleen was incredibly knowledgeable and professional, yet welcoming and so easy to talk to. She took the time to really understand our vision and helped bring it to life!!
Throughout the planning process, Colleen was a calming and reassuring presence. She always knew exactly what needed to be done and when, and she was never more than an email or text away when I had a question! Her experience really showed as she thought of details that I would have completely overlooked, and it made such a difference. She had an answer to my questions before I even had a chance to ask!
Another aspect of CCS Events that stood out was how connected she is in the Northern Virginia wedding industry. She works with an amazing network of vendors who clearly love working with her! Every vendor she recommended and we chose to work with from photography and makeup, to florals and the shuttle bus service, it made the entire planning experience so smooth and helped calm my feelings of being overwhelmed.
On the day of the wedding, Colleen handled everything!! From timelines, coordination, setup, and even quietly fixing my bustle while I was on the dance floor! I didn’t have to worry about a single thing and was truly able to enjoy every moment, knowing she had it all under control. Our wedding was absolutely perfect, and I genuinely don’t think it would have been without her! Multiple family members made comments about how kind and helpful she was throughout the night!
We’re so grateful for choosing to work with Colleen and her team and she truly did everything under the sun to make our day unforgettable! I could never say thank you enough!
Are you interested?
Jessica Sent on 09/22/2025
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11/10 would recommend !!
If you want to survive wedding planning without losing your mind, Colleen is a miracle worker! She kept everything organized, handled all the chaos behind the scenes, and somehow made the whole process stress-free. Our wedding day went off perfectly, and we were able to enjoy every moment- she truly makes the impossible look effortless.
Sarah Sent on 09/01/2025
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Colleen Made Our Day SO Special!!
Working with Colleen was a dream. With over 20 years experience, she and her team have wedding planning down to a science. We utilized her full wedding planning service, so she was with us from the very beginning to help get everything organized and coordinated with her trusted vendors. She made herself fully available throughout the whole process for any one off question or concern that popped into my head. On the day of the wedding, she handled everything from timeline coordination to making sure my husband and I had plenty of food and drinks to enjoy. Having her there took away all stress because I knew everything would be handled efficiently and professionally (even if that meant her dealing with a group of high school seniors who were trying to take prom pictures at our venue right as our ceremony was starting lol). We’ll be forever grateful for Colleen and her team; they made our wedding the best day of our lives.
Lucy Sent on 04/06/2025
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CCS Events is phenomenal!
I can’t thank Colleen enough for the incredible job she did planning our wedding in less than six months! From the moment we hired her, she was a true professional, taking all the stress off our shoulders and turning our vision into reality. She worked tirelessly to ensure everything was perfect, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.
One of the most memorable touches she added was securing the dream tent I had always envisioned. The tent was absolutely stunning – elegant, spacious, and beautifully decorated. It was the perfect setting for our celebration, and it truly transformed the entire atmosphere of our big day.
Another highlight was the drone footage. Colleen went above and beyond to arrange for a drone to capture the wedding from breathtaking angles. The footage was beyond what we could have imagined, giving us unique memories to look back on for years to come.
She exceeded all expectations and truly made our wedding day unforgettable. If you’re looking for a wedding planner who is organized, creative, and dedicated, I wholeheartedly recommend Colleen!
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Mindi Sent on 12/31/2024
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Perfect Wedding Experience
As someone who is used to handling her own events and details I appreciated being able to turn my daughter’s wedding over to someone incredibly professional who listened to my daughter, understood her vision, coordinated all details and vendors, and allowed us to simply enjoy the entire process and special day. Colleen has relationships with many local vendors, making the process of choosing who we wanted to handle florals, DJs, photographers, etc much easier than trying to figure it out on our own. She has the knowledge and experience to make recommendations that gave us exactly what we wanted and kept us within our budget. She is calm in the face of panic You won’t find anyone else so perfectly suited to wedding event planning.
Carami Sent on 12/29/2024
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Hiring CCS was the best decision I have ever made
I'm an anxious person by nature and Colleen kept me sane through the entire planning process. I love 2 hours from the venue we got married at and she worked with my schedule to make sure there was constant communication.
Danielle Sent on 08/17/2024
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Ccs is amazing!
We hired CCS as our day of coordinator. Colleen stepped in a month before our wedding day and was so helpful and organized. She helped out with our timeline and dotting the i’s and crossing the T’s. During our wedding her team Amanda and Austin made everything go so smoothly! They set up our decor even better than I could have imagined it! They kept me and my husband right on time for everything we wanted to do during our wedding! Thank you guys so much!!!❤️
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Brooke Sent on 07/11/2024
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The best in the biz!!
In addition to her 20+ years of wedding planning experience, Colleen will be your confidant, shoulder to laugh (or cry) on, your biggest cheerleader and will help you save money with other vendors. Book her from the very start (before you start planning) and you won't regret it. Our wedding day was so seamless and it was all thanks to her! She's the best of the best and I highly recommend her to other brides in the Richmond and Charlottesville area(s).
Courtney Sent on 05/15/2024
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AMAZING Wedding Planner
CCS Events is AMAZING.
I was referred to Colleen by a family member who had used her. I had no idea how to plan a wedding, all I came to Colleen with was a million ideas in my head and a color palette I loved. From the venue, the flowers, the welcome drinks, the ceremony, the after party - she was there to help bring my vision to life. We had a few hiccups with vendors and she was able to rectify the issue within a few hours...her response time is IMPECCABLE. She has amazing working relationships with local vendors that helped create a seamless day.
I am forever thankful to Colleen & her team for making my vision and dreams come to life. Thanks to her it was the most PERFECT Day!
Amalia Sent on 05/07/2024
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Simply the BEST!!
CCS Events, specifically Colleen is the BEST wedding planner you can get in the RVA/DMV area! Don't think twice about it. She's calm, cool, collected, as excited for your wedding as you and SO incredibly helpful. She has a plan B, an answer, a recommendation for it all; knows everyone in the area, and made our wedding planning so easy. I am not an organized bride and despite this, she made everything come together SO PERFECTLY!! I don't know what we would've done without you; you're the dream wedding planner and friend! Everyone from our family, friends and other guests gushed over Colleen. We love you!! Thank you for making our wedding beautiful, fun, and unique!
Emily Sent on 11/06/2023
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Best Choice I Made for Our Wedding
CCS Events was a lifesaver! I am an extremely type A person and really thought I could plan my entire wedding myself. However, I quickly got overwhelmed and was thrilled to see that Colleen was still available for my date. She designed a beautiful wedding and always kept my vision and price-point in mind. She connected me with the best vendors in RVA and my wedding was a dream come true. She took away all of the stress of wedding planning and I enjoyed my day with no worries. She made it look effortless, even during a tropical storm! She delt with all of the vendors herself. She was in constant contact with me and I'm sad that my wedding is over because I don't get to hang out with her as much. Would recommend Colleen to anyone!
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Rachel Sent on 10/19/2023
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CCS Exceeded Expectations
There is no way our wedding would have been what it was without Colleen and CCS. She was there every step of the way offering her expertise and opinion, while still allowing us to make the day our own. As someone who is VERY Type-A, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find a coordinator who was as on top of things as I wanted, but Colleen never disappointed. My entire family was able to enjoy the day without an ounce of stress. Could not recommend CCS more!!
Loredana Sent on 10/19/2023
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Perfection
I wish I could rate more stars. Colleen was an absolute godsend. She was super responsive and helpful. Couple months before the wedding my husband was injured and out of work. So our budget went to negatives. Colleen was able to work her magic and work with our new budget. She was kind and honest, and very upfront. Day of the wedding she was fighting all our fires and making sure everything went off without a problem. She made sure our hands always had a drink in it and coordinated our night beautifully. This woman is my absolute favorite and I truly love her. She has a wonderful personality and not scared to use her voice (def needed it during the rehearsal lol). I could write a book about this beautiful soul. Wedding planning was so stressfull before her. Once she was hired all the stress melted away she would call and ask about A or B id give my opinion and we moved on. I am a type A person but Colleen made me feel so safe and secure passing my wedding planning off to her. She was the best thing ever to happen to our wedding. Money well spent. She is so worth it!
Catherine Sent on 09/17/2023
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CCS Events is the absolute BEST!!
Colleen and CCS Events made our dream wedding at Veritas come true! We hired Colleen about 8 months before our September 2023 wedding, and she was very responsive, helpful, organized, and provided so much knowledge. Colleen is so sweet and is so fun to work with. On our wedding day, she literally went above and beyond.
Kate Sent on 05/17/2023
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Unbeatable. Colleen is THE BEST!
I could not recommend Colleen Cook and her CCS Events team more highly. She is prompt, organized, and very responsive. She is a pleasure to work with and put my family at ease through the process! We had some last minute weather chaos, and Colleen could not have been more professional - she kept guests happy, me reassured, and the rest of the team moving to create a totally successful evening. She is completely stellar and you will not find anyone better.
Hannah Sent on 05/29/2022
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Took the stress away!
Colleen and the staff of CCS events were wonderful. They were added in as our day-of coordination just a few weeks before our wedding, and from the moment they came on board Colleen made us feel appreciated and well cared for. She helped us to put on a great ceremony, kept the night going on schedule, and helped us with whatever we needed. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a planner!
Leah Sent on 05/17/2022
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Pandemic Bride
We found Colleen through a coworker's recommendation. The original wedding date was in October 2020, but we had to reschedule it 3 different times due to the pandemic. Colleen was so understanding and flexible through the whole process. She contacted all the vendors each time for us to reschedule. She was very professional and responsive via email, text, or phone call. Our wedding would not have been possible without the CCS team. She was at the wedding with Alina 100% of the time to make sure that everything was lined up and went smoothly. We can't thank Colleen and her team enough, and would absolutely recommend CCS Events!
Grace Sent on 05/10/2022
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Don't wait, book Colleen and CCS Events!
Colleen and CCS events helped to take my dream wedding from dream to reality. Colleen was so communicative and responsive to all my questions and stressed-out moments during the 3 months leading up to my wedding. My mom and I had been taking charge of most of the planning up until January, and it was SO nice to be able to hand off "the controls" to Colleen once our contract started. She easily navigated changes with our team of vendors and kept me in to loop every step of the way. Colleen has an amazing can-do attitude and goes above and beyond to get you exactly what you want out of your wedding day. My only regret? not booking her first! She has extensive contacts with vendors across the RVA wedding spectrum, I'd definitely lean on her experience and use her contacts! Colleen's in house design team help to create both custom table numbers for my wedding as well as a beautiful ceremony program. That, plus her extensive collection of props (candle sticks, card boxes, easels, serving trays + more!) make her a "1-stop shop" for all those little details that really help to pull an event together for a more polished looking final product. Thank you Colleen!!
Madison Sent on 01/23/2022
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Truly the best!
Colleen & CCS were THE BEST. We live in NYC and had our wedding in Richmond and we could not have done it without her. Every detail was perfect and we honestly didn't have to worry about a single thing. If there was ever an issue or we wanted to change something, she made it so easy to do so and made sure we felt comfortable with everything, We truly cannot recommend Colleen and CCS enough!
Rebecca Sent on 01/06/2022
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The Dream Team You Need: Colleen and CCS events
Colleen and her team were amazing! From the very first time we met with Colleen, she made us feel at ease and excited about our big day, even in the face of the uncertainty that came with COVID. As a newly engaged couple, we went into wedding planning with lots of inspiration pictures and ideas that we were sure were well out of our reality and budget. However, Colleen immediately embraced our vision and convinced us that our ideas really weren’t out of reach at all. She truly helped us realize our dream wedding. Right away Colleen helped us pull together all the details we wanted into a cohesive plan, and then she helped us make smart decisions to see that vision through. For every roadblock or hiccup we encountered, Colleen always had a solution or inventive idea. Her expertise and skill on the day of were invaluable. I am so thankful we decided to work with Colleen. Our beautiful memories of that day wouldn’t be the same without Colleen’s amazing work.
Danielle Sent on 01/02/2022
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CCS' quality is unmatched! The absolute best!
Where do I even begin, Colleen and her team are simply the best! We booked with Colleen after hitting a few bumps in the road finding vendors for our wedding (especially during the busy wedding month of October). After meeting Colleen the first time, I felt immediately relieved and excited to get planning with her. We had a fairly small budget but with CCS it didn't feel that way. Colleen helped us to book some of the best vendors in the Richmond area and still remain within our budget. Her and her team also stepped up to serve food and drinks at our wedding when the catering team wasn't able to. Our wedding day was stress free and the best day ever! Beautifully organized, decorated, and was an absolute blast. We still have our friends and family talk about how amazing and fun our wedding was even 3 months later. Cant say enough good things about CCS. We are forever thankful for them making our wedding dreams a reality. Work with Colleen and her team and you wont be disappointed!
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Jessica Sent on 12/31/2021
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Best decision we made
Colleen & CCS Events are seriously the best. We used Colleen for Day of Coordination and she made everything a breeze. Colleen and her team made sure every need and request was met and went above and beyond during the pandemic. We were so relaxed on our day that we were able to breathe and enjoy every minute of it. It was honestly the best wedding decision we made.
Ben R. Sent on 12/30/2021
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Run, don't walk, to CCS!
Colleen made our wedding happen — simple as that. This was an incredibly stressful, chaotic year and a half, but every time we left a call with you, we felt calmer and more in control. Very few people could have done that. They say many people don’t remember their wedding day, but because of her and her team, so much just magically happened without us having to think about it — including a full Pittsburgh-style cookie table, which they dressed up and made the highlight of the event! As a result, we have memories of the day we just wouldn’t otherwise.
Kathryn Sent on 12/30/2021
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Best wedding planner you will find!
Colleen & CCS Events are simply the best! I couldn’t have asked for a better planner. Colleen is well organized and has so many connections throughout the Richmond area which made planning that much easier. She helped keep us organized with every detail. She made wedding planning fun and is so easy to work with! Our wedding was truly better than we could have imagined. Colleen took care of every and anything which really allowed us to fully enjoy our day. I don’t know what we would have done without her and her team. I 100% recommended CCS Events!
Jane Sent on 12/29/2021
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Colleen and Katrin…The Dream Team!
Colleen was absolutely an incredible addition to our wedding plans! She answered the questions before I even knew what I needed to ask! Colleen and Katrin, enabled us to truly enjoy the wedding and be present in every moment rather than stressing over timelines, dealing with other vendors, etc. Thanks to these two wonderful ladies, the only tears shed on the wedding day were tears of love and joy. CCS is a must when not only planning a wedding, but also enjoying the day!
Katie Sent on 12/16/2021
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Couldn't have done it without Colleen!
Colleen & CCS Events did an amazing job with our wedding! She has this down to a science so no detail is forgotten. During our reception, my husband said if it weren't for her, we would have eloped and I agree 100%. I initially just wanted a day of coordinator but I'm so glad we went with the full planning package, it made everything from finding a venue to postponing so much easier. Worth every penny!
Nicole Sent on 11/24/2021
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The real deal!
Where do I even begin? Our wedding was November 7, 2021. The months before our wedding was a whirlwind of one bad thing after another. It started with my makeup and hair team cancelling on me in September. Followed by an unexpected emergency surgery less than 4 weeks before the wedding. Lastly our Day of Planner cancelled two weeks before our wedding. To say I was stressed out was an understatement. Everything made a turn into a more positive direction after contacting Colleen. Litterally in tears after our converstation and willingness to help us with such short notice. Not only did Colleen step in her and her team stepped 110%. Colleen and her team are the REAL DEAL! We cannot thank her and her team enough for saving our day! We are forever grateful for their compassion, understanding and professionalisim! We highly reccommend them to anyone in search of planning team who genuinely cares and puts their clients first! Thank You ..Thank You..Thank You Colleen, Katrin and John!
Ashley Sent on 09/27/2021
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You need her
BEST WEDDING VENDOR YOU WILL EVER FIND. My wedding was perfect and above and beyond anything we expected. Friends and family are still talking about how it was the best wedding they have ever been to. Everything from the custom bourbon bar to the small detail for decorations was unbelievable. Colleen is determined and quick to respond. She's well connected in the Richmond area, which helped us find and work with other vendors. She basically planned our entire wedding, then replanned the whole wedding two weeks before the date when we switched venues due to covid. We had to find all new vendors except for a photographer and it turned out to be a day I will never forget. She did not forget a thing. AND my hair and make up team didn't show up the morning of the wedding. Colleen was able to get another team in within 30 minutes, and they did an even better job than my original hair and make up trial. I'm convinced she can fix anything. Colleen is worth her weight in gold, and trust me does not charge enough for the amount of work she puts into her weddings.
Jayne Sent on 07/21/2021
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Wonderful experience!
We can't thank Colleen enough for all the hard work and dedication that she showed us! We had to reschedule our wedding multiple times due to COVID-19 and she was there to help us every step of the way. She was a joy to work with despite all of the stress put on the wedding industry, her business and most importantly, her.
We told her what we were envisioning and through her excellent relationships with vendors, she made it happen beautifully.
Our wedding day was full of unexpected surprises... including a HUGE thunderstorm right in the middle of our ceremony! Before I knew it, chairs were all moved into the reception space indoors and Colleen was guiding me inside while simultaneously pinning up my dress to get the party started. I seriously don't know what I would have done without her (or her employees) during all the craziness! If any of our guests had any questions or concerns throughout the night, I honestly felt so comfortable knowing that Colleen was there to take care of ALL of them so we could enjoy our day and that's exactly what we did.
We 100% recommend Colleen and CCS Events!!!
Megan Sent on 05/11/2021
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Wedding Expert for RVA!
I was referred to Colleen with CCS Events by a friend who loved her from her own wedding. I was originally thinking I'd be able to handle things on my own, but I learned over the course of my engagement that this was not the case. Colleen was very helpful and straightforward from the start, giving me honest answers and clear guidance in the early planning stages and in choosing vendors. But then COVID hit and she truly outdid herself- we changed dates in 2020 then had to change venues about a month out from our new date. Colleen handled it in stride, showing me a hidden gem venue I loved and totally redoing our design from indoor ballroom to outdoor tent while keeping everything just as beautiful as I'd imagined! Truly, I think the final product was better than what I had even originally wanted pre-COVID, and I owe it all to her. The cost is easily justified by the use of her decor and props, and multiple vendors gave me discounts from Colleen being my planner. But really what blew me away was the day of the wedding- neither myself, my groom, bridal party or family members had a stress or worry the day of! They set everything up perfectly, take everything down and load up everything for us to take home. I honestly felt like I should've been doing more leading up to the wedding, but that really is how much she takes care of things and communicates with all vendors. We even ran out of vodka quicker than expected at the wedding and her assistant flew to the ABC store before anyone noticed :) I am not knowledgeable in any sense regarding design or anything wedding related, and Colleen really takes the reigns and gets it done. From the champagne Sip and Be Seated at the ceremony, bourbon bar during the reception, chandelier in the tent, all the details were perfect. Overall we were so pleased with our wedding and are still receiving so many compliments on how beautiful the wedding was!
Alex Sent on 02/18/2021
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Looking for a workhorse who gets sh** done? Get Colleen
Planning a wedding is stressful, no doubt about it. There are days where you want to break down and cry because things aren't going your way. In steps Colleen who cures all woes, settles your anxiety, and gets sh** done. Colleen is incredibly strong, fun, powerful, and exerts a level of confidence you rarely feel. She made our special day happen in the toughest of circumstances and I can't thank her enough. 10/10 would recommend.
Catherine Sent on 12/31/2020
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I can't say good enough things!
Where to begin? Colleen was fantastic to work with. Anyone who compliments my wedding, I automatically give Colleen all of the credit. We started working with her in May and the only thing I came to her with was 1) we will be getting married October of this year 2) the dog has to be involved 3) I want simple and elegant.... other than already having my dress and hair stylist... she gave me all of the vendors and did pretty much everything. Worth every penny to just have someone go “here’s your options, that won’t work but this will, already handled that, here’s a drink” for your sanity, do it. I didn’t have to worry about running around Facebook marketplace to try to find décor (she has a ton of décor you can use which is included with her costs), or researching a ton of vendors... truly she’s great and I highly recommend her. She made sure I didn't feel like a "covid" bride. My wedding was just as beautiful, filled with love, and exceeded any and all expectations. Thank you so much Colleen and CCS events.
Sacha Sent on 11/01/2020
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Best Decision Ever!
Colleen and CCS Events are AMAZING! Our venue CANCELLED our wedding the Thursday before the event. The venue was to provide the location, catering, shuttles and liquor. Within 30 min of our cancellation discussion, Colleen had lined up catering, outside shuttle, and outlined the steps on how to get our own liquor license and what to buy. We ended up using the venue for only the location, and Colleen ended up doing most of the venue’s responsibilities, so that we could have our wedding. Her team had to be the set-up staff, servers, bussers, trash pick-up, plus everything else a planner is supposed to do! She pulled off the greatest feat ever. For the guests that knew of our challenges, they were so impressed by Colleen and her team.
Even before the cancellation, Colleen made the planning so easy. The week heading into the wedding weekend, I even asked if I had anything to do. All I was doing was making sure our vendors were paid. She took care of everything!
CCS Events is worth the money and so much more for the following reasons:
Saves you money
Colleens has amazing relationships with vendors in the Richmond/Charlottesville/Central VA (and probably more areas) at all different price points
I saved so much using her recommended vendors rather than trying to search on my own
Plus, she has tons of gratis items that she brings to the ceremony and reception so you do not need to buy anything like vases, candles, cake stands, corn hole, etc.
She provides recommendations such as re-using flowers from the ceremony as reception table centerpieces
Saves you time
She coordinates with all of your vendors and creates the timeline.
I signed the contract with the vendors, gave our preferences and paid them. Colleen did everything else.
Since she recommends vendors, your list is narrowed down, so you are not starting with a blank slate and going through hundreds of vendors to select.
Eliminates (or maybe just reduces) your wedding planning stress
She provides guidance on what your tasks are and when they need to be done. Colleen takes care of everything else
I have no idea what I would have done without Colleen on our side. I highly recommend Colleen for any type of wedding or event.
Kaitlin Sent on 10/30/2020
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Don’t wait- hire Colleen! Best choice of our whole wedding!
Colleen literally is the best thing to happen to us (besides each other of course!). We hired Colleen 16 months before our wedding. We were plugging along nicely in the planning department and then CoVid hit. There is absolutely no way we could have made it without her!! She kept me calm, cool, and , collected.I’m sure was not so calm but we would never know it! Her sense of humor carried us through! The end result- a dream!!! Everything was perfection! More than we had hoped for or thought up! She entertained all my out there, push the envelope decor ideas and made them even better! The only thing I wish was different would be that we had more time together! Colleen not only planned the best wedding ever (people are still talking about it months later), she taught me to not sweat the small stuff and to take things as they come! We love you so much Colleen!
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Nasim Sent on 10/21/2020
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Colleen is the goat
Colleen knows how to throw a PARTY! When we met her 2 years before our wedding we wanted a wedding by the water near the Richmond area, after lots of planning and discussion we ended up getting married at the Virginia house and reception at the Jefferson hotel and it was seriously soo extravagant and truly such an amazing day! She knows the RVA wedding scene in and out. She knew all the event coordinators at the majority of the venues we looked at and she gave us her honest opinion. She has great props you can use gratis, she packs up your car with cake, flowers, all your decor, and always has a drink or food ready for you when you need it the most. She is truly great at what she does and very detail oriented, I would recommend her 1000x over again.
Jenna Sent on 10/06/2020
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Unmatched Service & Talent!
Colleen and her team made our wedding day more perfect than we could have imagined! We had to cancel our original plans in Pennsylvania due to COVID-19 and were dreaming of a smaller arrangement in VA. Colleen stepped in and helped us plan a ceremony and reception within 8 weeks. She seamlessly naviagated previous vendor contracts and hiring new vendors, multiple meetings over the phone, and beautifully planning/designing/decorating our wedding day. I do not know how we would have survived without her. The time, effort and talent she puts into your wedding day is unmatched!
Michelle Sent on 10/04/2020
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Top notch, A+ wedding guru of the century!!
Seriously, where do I even start? Colleen is THE REAL DEAL. From start to finish, she made planning a wedding from several states away, a total breeze! I’m a very laid back and (let’s be real...) disorganized person, so having Colleen there to keep me on a timeline, consider things I’ve never thought of, and help with facilitating communication with vendors was EXACTLY what I needed. A true godsend when attempting to plan a wedding during the Covid era!
Not only do you get Colleen’s superior industry expertise and knowledge, but also included in her packages are gratis props you are able to use when thinking about decorating/your wedding day aesthetic. A nice surprise that saved us some money!
It truly was a pleasure working with Colleen and her staff. The peace of mind I had throughout the whole process (and ESPECIALLY on the day of!) was priceless.
Without hesitation, hiring CCS Events was the best decision and money spent!!
Stop your search and book this superwoman of a planner/fantastic human being immediately!
Amanda Sent on 09/17/2020
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Do yourself a favor, book CCS Events
The number one thing we were looking for in planning our wedding, was to make sure our friends and family (and us!) had a stress-free and fun experience (especially the day of!). I was definitely one of those people that felt like I didn't "NEED" a wedding planner. But, I also didn't want to have friends and family running around the day of, dealing with my own stress of coordinating everyone, so we took the plunge and hired CCS. We could NOT be happier with the decision. Every moment of planning was stress-free (even considering we were in the middle of a pandemic!). More importantly, I can honestly say that we were able to enjoy the day of without ever having to worry or think about a single thing, because we knew it was being handled. We (and our friends and family) were able to just be present and enjoy the day, which is by far the best gift you can get on the day of your wedding. Colleen helped give us our dream wedding (albeit with more masks and less guests), and we had the best day thanks to her. Do yourself a favor, and make booking CCS events the first thing you do.
Morgan Sent on 06/21/2020
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Best Wedding Planner in the Game!
CCS Events…. where do we even start?! Colleen is by far one of the BEST wedding planners in the business. Colleen’s knowledge and long-standing relationships with vendors in the Charlottesville/Richmond made the vendor selection process easy! Our 120+ person wedding in March 2020 turned into an intimate family only ceremony that turned out more beautiful then we could have ever imagined. I cannot recommend Collen enough.
Colleen is the type of planner that will stick by you through thick and thin to make sure your day is exactly what you want it to be. She will advocate for you to make sure you are getting what you want for the best price possible. With the crowd restrictions and business closures starting to take place, our bakery unexpectedly closed the day before our wedding. After some tears and calling Colleen, this was no problem. Within 15 minutes Colleen had a bakery lined up to make our cake that she brought up to Charlottesville the morning of our wedding.
The day of Colleen and Noah truly took care of everything from with the utmost professionalism, kindness and support. I can 100% say our day wouldn’t have happen without her and we’re forever thankful for having her by our side throughout the planning process. If you are in the market for a planner, CCS Events is the best there is.
Kelsey Sent on 05/28/2020
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Perfect Pi Day Wedding
When I say our wedding day was perfect, it was 100% because of Colleen! Literally everything looked amazing, better than I had envisioned in my head. (I'm a designer so that's hard to beat!) We had zero issues! I was so amazed at how smooth everything ran throughout the whole day.
We got married on March 14th, right before the crowd restrictions, and stay at home orders were enforced. Colleen did such a fantastic job of making everyone feel comfortable being at our wedding. She kept the bridal party calm and most importantly me calm! It was incredible, for one night everyone at our wedding completely forgot about the craziness that was happing in our world. Colleen played a huge part in helping everyone feel comfortable and enjoy our wedding.
When first planning our wedding, I totally thought that I could do everything myself. Being a designer and planning many large parties before I thought I knew what I was doing. Man, I was wrong. Colleen would bring up details that I never would have thought of in a million years. She is totally a "learn from mistakes" gal and it reflects in her work. She does everything possible to make your wedding day tailored to you and run seamlessly. Just her vendor recommendations alone were worth working with Colleen but she brought so much more than we ever knew to the table.
If you are considering a wedding planner I would highly recommend Colleen! She's a straight shooter, fun-loving gal that gets it done! We were so excited that we ending up selecting Colleen to help with our big day.
Alexa Sent on 01/30/2020
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Goes ABOVE & beyond for her couples :)
WHAT to say about Colleen?! From start to finish she brought our vision to life for a perfect wedding day!! Throughout the planning process, even with hectic holidays (January wedding), she was ALWAYS available even for the smallest/most ridiculous questions I would have. Her experience speaks for itself and she knows EVERYONE. With her experience she is able to tell you exactly what to expect and provide ideas/options that you may not have thought about. The week prior to the day of the wedding is definitely Colleen's "shine time". Noah was so great as well helping with last minute graphic design and on wedding day! We felt so relieved and at ease about EVERYTHING because of them... even with 80% of our wedding being out of town guests!! Highly recommend and couldn't thank CCS enough for everything they did for us :)
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Kathryn Sent on 12/09/2019
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The Best Wedding Planner
CCS Events is the best wedding planning business. I'd been gushing about Colleen and her team in the months leading up to my wedding, but now that it has happened, I just can't stop talking about how amazing they are.
Colleen thinks of absolutely everything - from getting flowers delivered to the hotel for photos to making sure our friends and family were taken care of to checking us into our wedding night hotel room/arranging transport, I didn't have to think about anything other than enjoying my wedding. At the end of the night, Colleen packed up all of our personal items and loaded my mom's car with them.
Her and her team truly took care of everything with the utmost professionalism and kindness. The depth of her experience is clearly seen in how she handles planning meetings and the questions she asks. She was instrumental in helping me achieve the look I wanted while staying on budget.
If you are looking for a wedding planner who will cover absolutely every contingency for you and prioritize only you and your spouse, you cannot do better than CCS Events.
CCS Events's reply:
Thank you so much Kathryn...you and Tom are such wonderful people and it was a pleasure to work for you and your sweet families! I loved the special touch in your bouquet and I have never seen so many lawyers have a good time LOL! Take care of each other...and I can't WAIT to see the pics!
Mara Sent on 11/10/2019
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CCS Events was outstanding!
Working with Colleen was a great experience! She gave us excellent advice on all of our issues. We had some problems with our venue, and Colleen stepped in and communicated to the venue for us. That was such a relief! She also recommended wonderful vendors, such as our DJ and florist. She was upbeat, patient, organized, and professional. She selflessly arranged her schedule to accommodate ours. She sent two assistants to help on our day of the wedding, and they were equally professional and helpful. Colleen comes prepared with many props at your disposal including the opportunity to test out many rentals before you purchase. We highly recommend Colleen and CCS Events to everyone!
Catie Sent on 11/06/2019
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Extremely Helpful
Let me start by stating that a wedding is not something one should tackle alone. If we had not had Colleen helping us through the process we would not have had the most incredible day of our lives and the perfect start to our marriage. We were not at all prepared for the onslaught of details to decide on, not even the slightest clue to what we wanted, but Colleen made it all a task that we could and did tackle successfully. We are extremely grateful for her expertise through the planning of our wedding.
Katie Sent on 10/30/2019
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The best!
I TRULY don’t even know where to start. Colleen helped us to enjoy our engagement period by her organization and prompting when it was time to make wedding decisions. Colleen talked us through EVERYTHING. She also helped talk with my parents and explain and communicate everything! When it came to the wedding week/day there was honestly no stress at all and it allowed us to feel so much love and joy! While we were with the ones we loved the most, Colleen was working endlessly to give us the wedding we had always pictured. And when we saw the final details it was everything and more!!! She has AWESOME relationships with all the vendors that made it so much easier. We are so blessed to have had her and her whole entire team! I can not say enough great things about her and her team. You HAVE to have her as a part of your wedding day/planning to be able to relax and enjoy every single second of this precious time!
Courtney Sent on 10/24/2019
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CCS EVENTS helped us plan the perfect weekend
I have nothing but rave reviews to give about CCS EVENTS. We had planned to do everything ourselves, but a month into planning, I realized how overwhelming all of the details were and how miserable I was going to be as a high-stress, type A personality trying to plan a wedding for 175 guests. We reached out to ask about month-of coordinator prices and ended up hiring CCS for full wedding planning services.
Colleen has honed her craft to perfection. Her passion for clients and within the wedding industry as a whole is obvious, and she clearly cares about each couple she works with. She is meticulous when it comes to the finer details (there seriously must have been at least 87 things I never would have thought of) and will not settle for less than the absolute best for her clients, but she also manages to make you feel completely comfortable with everything and it seems like you have known her forever. Basically, she is super high-key in a low key way.
I truly cannot say enough good things about our wedding weekend. Everything went off without a hitch, I (bride) was 99% stress free, and her day-of staff was just as wonderful as she had promised. Every single person who worked on our wedding went so far above and beyond what we could have expected. It was truly the perfect weekend. If you are looking for help, Colleen and her team can absolutely provide what you need.
If links are allowed, our photographer has posted a short teaser where you can see the vision CCS EVENTS helped bring to life.
http://www.melissabrughphotography.com/blog-post/courtney-and-jack-maymont-wedding?fbclid=IwAR2zb_S8rF9_u-zIf8mLNvtH8QptAeexv0IuVwvmBg6KS8RPaSwLdviAo20
Bridget Sent on 10/21/2019
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CCS Events is the BEST wedding planner!!
I HIGHLY recommend CCS to plan your special day! We cannot thank her enough for all of the amazing things she helped us put together. Planning a wedding is soooo super stressful, and CCS took care of EVERYTHING that we needed from decorations, seating arrangements, vendors, and even suggested having things that never even crossed our minds! I ALWAYS recommend CCS events. If you use CCS you will have a stress-free wedding day, that's for sure! My fiance and I had NO idea what we were doing. Because of CCS events, we had a GORGEOUS wedding, and our friends and family are STILL talking about how much fun it was and that it was the best wedding they had ever been to! Thank you CCS for making our wedding dreams come true!
Mara Sent on 10/19/2019
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Wedding savior
Cannot recommend CCS enough. I went into wedding planning intending to do everything myself and then life intervened and it became impossible to do much planning for several months. Eventually I found myself about six months out and with so much left to do. Enter Colleen. She saved my wedding. I now firmly believe that having a wedding planner is essential. Colleen is great at what she does. She’s knows exactly what she’s doing, knows a lot of great vendors (who all speak glowingly of her), she’s so sweet, she’s a delight to work with. Her rates are EXTREMELY reasonable and honestly looking back considering everything she did I’m shocked she didn’t charge me more; she a great value. I don’t intend on getting married again but if I had to I know exactly who to call!
Emma Sent on 10/13/2019
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Makes wedding planning easy
Colleen made wedding planning feel easy. Seriously - when anyone asked me, my husband, or my mother if wedding planning was stressful for any of us... we all said no!! Colleen had everything handled from the start. We came to her with very few requirements and really had no idea what we wanted other than an outdoor wedding with vegan food. Colleen basically set up a timeline for when we needed to do things and took all of the guess work out of it. We are from out of town, but she made it easy to find our vendors and was also so flexible with our meetings, scheduling us in when we were in town or hopping on a phone call when we couldn’t be. She helped us figure out what we wanted our wedding to be and how we could bring to life something that was perfect for us.
On the day of our wedding, (remember, June... Richmond... outside... hot) Colleen and her team were outside all day leading up to the cermony at 6 pm, setting up, making sure everything was perfect, and taking on so much responsibility so that we could focus on getting ready and enjoy that time with our wedding party, knowing everything was in good hands.
It is so obvious that Colleen is passionate about her job and that she has been doing this for a long time. She had great connections with other vendors, she knows your questions and concerns before you even ask them, and she’s there to help you make your wedding day be exactly how you want it. We are so thankful for Colleen and how she made wedding planning SO EASY for us. Our wedding was perfect for us and our guests had so much fun! Thank you Colleen!
Jen Sent on 08/20/2019
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Our wedding day lifesaver
Oh Colleen, where would Sean & I be without you! Colleen of CCS has knowledge, experience and sass that helped make our wedding day an absolute dream come true. I remember speaking with Colleen before we booked with her and she told us she could make our wedding day what we want WITHIN OUR BUDGET and she kept to her word. She had props that we used and went above and beyond every step of the way. Her expertise and honesty helped us choose things that were worth keeping or removing to stick with our firm budget and we were so fortunate for that. She sorted through dessert fiascos (without me even knowing just to save me the stress) and picked up (and delivered) our florals and desserts!!! She (and her team) even loaded our cars at the end of our wedding night so neither us or our family members would have to worry about it and could continue to enjoy our night. Our family members were so impressed with Colleen and her entire CCS team for each and every one of their efforts. And the results absolutely showed on our wedding day (through not one, but even TWO ceremonies). Colleen, we are so incredibly thankful for you. Love, Jen & Sean
Samantha Sent on 06/12/2019
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Best decision we could have made!
Oh, where to even begin with my girl Colleen?! She literally turned my dreams into reality. From the moment my fiance and I sat down , Colleen was full of ideas that I never even fathomed (and I had a Pinterest board packed)! She catered to us from day one and on our actual wedding day we never had to worry about one thing. She made sure we ate, that our guests were comfortable, and even threw in a surprise that our guests will never forget! Colleen, from the bottom on our hearts, thank you. We could not have done it without you. I could not have asked for more in a wedding planner. Booking you was the best decision we ever made!
Allison Sent on 01/17/2019
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Highly recommend!
Colleen was wonderful and I highly recommend her! Colleen helped us navigate through the whole wedding planning process and then was invaluable to keep things running smoothly on the wedding day! Her knowledge and expertise of the industry helped us to find the best vendors for us, and her organizational skills kept us on a timeline so we never felt behind in the planning process. I'm so glad that we hired her!
Molly Sent on 01/08/2019
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Do you want the best? Choose CCS Events!!
I feel so grateful that I had the chance to work with Colleen. She was our day-of coordinator and was amazing! From the start, she was organized & straight forward, with a fun, "can-do" attitude. To have Colleen to support you throughout the planning process is priceless. She goes above and beyond for her brides and it shows. She helps you to think about details that are so important, but that you may have over-looked. She keeps things running smoothly and in-line the whole day and days leading up to. Colleen is very responsive and is ALWAYS willing to help or lend a listening ear. If you're debating on whether or not to hire a wedding planner, either for the whole planning process or just for "day-of" like me, please look no further than CCS events. To have Colleen and a team like hers to be your cheerleaders and support is truly one of a kind and so helpful. I could not be more grateful to Colleen for all that she did to make our big day the ultimate success!! Thank you CCS Events!!
Monica Sent on 10/24/2018
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VA October Wedding
We chose to get married at a crazy time of year and Colleen and team made that happen despite the rush of Oct weddings in VA. It was absolutely beautiful, wonderful day, thanks to them. Everyone had a fun time! Many of our guests said it was the best wedding they’d ever been to! We had a great experience with the vendors she recommended especially the florist, DJ, and photographer. The day of coordinator kept the event on track and directed the wedding party to where they needed to be for the ceremony and us for our entrance. The photographer was incredibly talented and on top of things. I was able to craft up decor and table items that I wanted there and they set them up for us ahead of the event. They also picked up our choices for desserts and the flowers, allowing us to focus on getting ready. My husband and I live in a different state and work full time but were able to stay in touch with Colleen long distance and when I could visit she made time to meet in person. They kept us on track. I highly recommend CCS Events.
Kathleen Sent on 10/22/2018
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AMAZING! Would absolutely hire her again!
I cannot even begin to explain how glad I was that we went with Colleen and her staff for our wedding. She guided us through the entire process with laughter, kindness and was unbelievably helpful. She talked us through each piece and was so fun to work with. On the actual day, she kept me in the loop about the weather all day and even worked with my caterer and my venue until the 11th hour to make sure I had the wedding outside, which was the only thing I truly hoped for. She made sure we ate something, ran interference with vendors, worked with us to make sure we felt comfortable when the plan had to change because of potential rain. She created three distinct plans and worked to make sure that we had everything we needed and more. If you at all are hesitating, know that she was the single best choice I made throughout this entire process and I cannot recommend her enough! Her staff are fun, professional and know this business inside and out.
Kim Sent on 10/21/2018
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Step 1: Engagement, Step 2: Hire CCS Events
When I started the wedding planning process I had hesitations and didn't think I need a full wedding planner, boy was I wrong. CCS Events (owned by Colleen) was the cornerstone to our wedding and the entire planning process.
We started working with Colleen about 9 months before our wedding after we had already decided on a venue (wish I would have had her for that part) and booked her full-service package. For the price and value, I wouldn't recommend anything else.
Some of the other wedding planners out there have insane rates and I was so thankful to find Colleen. Not only is she reasonable but the money she helped us save with her vendor relationships and negotiating with vendors on our behalf more than paid for itself. She is worth more than her weight in gold.
I truly felt Colleen was the best advocate for my vision for the wedding and never felt pushed into certain vendors or decisions. She did a great job interpreting my vision, supporting it and helping me make decisions. When I felt overwhelmed I knew she had my back and I could trust her to take over if needed.
There's no question Collen is busy with lots of brides and you may have concerns with her availability but don't worry she will always make time for you. Especially when it's getting close to your wedding and big decisions need to be made.
All of the upfront planning and conversations made my wedding day a piece of cake. I knew I could relax with my friends and family while Colleen (and her amazing assistant Anna) handled the small details and guests. She even told me to give guest her cell phone number if there were ay day-of questions so I (or anyone else in my family) wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. After the ceremony, she made sure that my husband and I always had something to eat and drinks in our hands which doesn't seem like a big deal but it was huge.
Colleen went above and beyond in so many ways and even helped sew my mom into her dress when her zipper broke 20 min before the ceremony was supposed to start. When I met up with her the week after, she gave me the full download and told me about all the small hiccups she took care of throughout the day. In my eyes, thanks to Colleen & Anna the day went off with a hitch and that’s the way it should be!
I was in my friends wedding a few weeks after mine who didn't have a wedding planner. It was disorganized, to say the least, and I found myself thinking WWCD - what would Colleen do? I was organizing photographs, lining up the bridal party, and making sure the bride and groom and drinks and food.
TLDR: You need a wedding planner & you should hire Colleen!
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Victoria Sent on 10/18/2018
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Forever grateful for CCS Events!
If you're second guessing whether a planner or coordinator is worth it, I can say without it doubt that you won't regret it! Perhaps we feel so strongly because we had the best experience with CCS Events. Colleen is simply the best out there. She is so incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and professional. We always felt such relief after meeting with her (which we did almost on a weekly basis in the 3 months leading up to the big day). She was always accessible via text, call or e-mail no matter what time of day. She also took care of a lot of the details, such as rentals, transportation, even printing materials, so that we would have less to worry about. As wonderful as Colleen was during the planning leading up to the wedding, she was extraordinary on the day of!! On a day where it is easy to become stressed and overwhelmed, we never felt that way once and truly, it is because Colleen orchestrated a perfect day. We cannot imagine pulling together our wedding without her and her team and we are forever grateful!!
Jennifer Sent on 10/10/2018
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Colleen is absolutely amazing. My husband and I had talked with multiple wedding planners in the Richmond/Charlottesville area for our wedding in Louisa. Colleen was engaging, enthusiastic, and supported all our ideas. She has over 16 years of experience, an eye for what looks great and has done it all. Colleen makes sure to educate us on all the options available and lets us make the final decision, never pushing us toward the more expensive option. In fact, she is constantly suggesting ways to save money. Our wedding was a Chinese-fusion farm wedding, on the private farm my husband grew up on. She recommended a number of vendors to us that were perfect, and some who gave us discounts for coming through Colleen. For example, she and our caterer (Mosaic) worked together to implement our 8 course family-style Chinese-fusion dinner that we fantasized about but they made into reality. Coming from New York, we were able to plan our wedding with her in 3 visits to Richmond (plus many phone calls) which was essential since we don’t get much time off from our jobs. Colleen also totally has your back throughout the process: for example, when we ended up deciding not to get floors for our tent, our tent/floor guy upcharged us a ton for tents alone and Colleen went ahead and found the same tents for much less with another vendor so we didn’t even get a chance to worry about that. On the day of our wedding, Colleen was very organized and everything went flawlessly. We wanted to incorporate a Chinese tea ceremony and even though Colleen wasn’t as familiar with those, she got us everything we needed to make it happen and look beautiful. In case of weather, Colleen had contingency plans. We had such a blast that we wanted to extend our wedding by an hour. We told this to her and she got all the vendors on board. With her positive energy, creativity, and professionalism, having Colleen was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. Five stars just aren’t enough.
Niki Sent on 09/18/2018
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Colleen helped us plan our Richmond wedding in just 5 months - including a week-of venue change due to a hurricane that almost requires us to postpone our wedding - resulting in a beautiful ceremony and reception that exceeded our expectations. She helped us pick vendors who aligned with our vision including a first class caterer who delighted our guests, a DJ who rocked the dance floor all night, a talented photographer who captured our personalities and energies, a florist who grew orchids special for my bouquet — all who flexed and supported us in the new venue. All the vendors love Colleen and worked really well together to deliver for us.
We saw first hand how Colleen gives 200% to her couples. She worked with us as we planned the wedding from San Francisco - taking calls well into the evening her time. She supported not only us, but all of our guests with cross-country travel advice, answering individual questions and addressing all of their needs while making it look effortless and allowing us to be fully in the moment.
We cannot speak highly enough of Colleen and her team. Her can do attitude, high energy spirit, capable and straight talking approach set her apart. She is a total pro and we are forever grateful! Thank you, Colleen, for making our day unforgettable and perfect.
Melissa Sent on 06/14/2018
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Let me tell you...Colleen is truly heaven-sent!! When looking for a day-of coordinator for my June 8, 2018 wedding, I was really determined to find someone who was affordable (!!), personable, and would actually help me a little along the way. CCS events did more than I ever could have imagined. Colleen truly loves what she does and it shows - she kept me on track, in budget, and ever so lovingly gave me a kick in the tush when I was being indecisive and decisions needed to be made! Not only did she offer great advice, but she was responsive, extremely knowledgeable, and super organized. Without getting into details, Colleen and her staff (thank you Amanda!!) truly worked through tremendous unforeseen circumstances to ensure my day was perfect. My guests raved at how well executed the wedding was...not one hiccup. I could go on and on, but she and her staff are wonderful and any bride is lucky to have her on board. :)
Tracey Sent on 05/30/2018
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CCS Events did an amazing job making our daughter's wedding a magical event. Colleen and her staff were efficient, thorough, respectful and fun to work with. Colleen's communication was wonderful. She is a great organizer and very resourceful. She thought of everything and made the wedding a stress free celebration for this mother of the bride. I highly recommend CCS event and their stellar service!
Crista Sent on 05/22/2018
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"I don't need a wedding coordinator, do I?" was an original thought I had too. "But how will the photobooth girl know where to set up? Or the DJ? How do I know what kind of tent layout works best? Tents are expensive, I'm sure the weather will be sunny. Professional lighting is expensive, I bet I could just do it myself." Ladies, these questions & more are ones that were all taken care of for me. I shudder at what could have happened if left to my own devices. Colleen was actually the only coordinator I interviewed, but that was all I needed. After our first phone call, I hung up feeling like I had known her forever. Living in Indiana but planning a wedding hundreds of miles away in Virginia was not something I felt comfortable doing myself. I didn't know any vendors, I didn't know what companies had outstanding or poor reputations, I didn't know anything. Colleen knows the business inside and out. She can answer any & all of your questions, and while simultaneously putting your mind at ease! We had a May 5 Cinco de Mayo wedding & I can truly say that because of Colleen it was SUCH a huge success! CCS set up all the chairs, rows, set up all the table runners...I was actually short a few table runners & wanted to have a kids table with coloring books and toys, etc. When i walked into the reception I saw that Colleen had strewn some of the extra Mexican blankets across the table, making a darling "runner" & improvised, actually making it cuter than it originally was. I got so many compliments on that alone, & that's just a one example of another pleasant surprise I got because of CCS. All of my guests left talking about they had never had so much fun at a wedding. Literal music to my ears. Colleen directed the rehearsal the night before which was absolutely necessary. Think about it; 30+/- of your family members & friends standing around and you're trying to direct traffic? No thanks, let the pro handle it so you can focus on your fiance & where you're supposed to be!
Elizabeth Sent on 05/21/2018
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There is NOBODY BETTER. Trust me when I tell you Colleen & CCS Events is the smartest decision you and your significant other can make as you start planning your big day.
Before I found Colleen I had searched and interviewed multiple planners in Richmond, Virginia and I left each one feeling like something was missing, we didn’t connect, or the price was WAY out of my budget. I remember my first encounter at her beautiful studio in the heart of Richmond and felt like I could sit with her FOR HOURS (if she would let me). She knew/knows EVERYTHING and EVERYONE there is to know in the wedding business and I knew instantly she would be the key to executing our big day.
From then on it was like clockwork and no stress whatsoever. Colleen and her team handles literally everything. I mean everything. My favorite line of planning our wedding when people would ask is “I’m not sure, but Colleen will” AND SHE ALWAYS DID. I am still in awe five months after my wedding at how knowledgeable, professional, kind, and smart she is and how lucky my husband and I were to find her.
She has the most reasonable prices for all brides of all backgrounds as well. CCS Events can flawlessly execute a very large grand wedding or a smaller intimate event, whatever you and your significant other need— trust me, SHE CAN DO IT.
I simply can’t urge you to call and set up a meeting fast enough!! Being one of her 2018 brides was honestly one of the best parts during our whole wedding planning process, I hope you get the same experience!
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Karen Sent on 05/01/2018
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Wow! Colleen and her crew saved the day! I booked Collen using a partial planning plan and should have goen with the full service. I had booked a couple of outside vendors on my own thnking i could save some money. Wrong! When the day came we had a couple of problems with my vendors. Collen and her crew were so professional that they took control and never let us know what was going on until afterwards. Letting us enjoy the evening! Any one on the fence about booking CCS Events do it NOW before they are booked by some one else! I would glady do this all over again but use their FULL Service Plan and not have to worry about a thing!
They are the best! Thank you Colleen and Crew!
Jenna Sent on 12/03/2017
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I met with Colleen not too long after our engagement. I initially was looking to have a day of coordinator, but after meeting with Colleen and discussing wedding ideas, my fiance and I quickly realized we needed all the help we could get. Colleen was quick to answer emails and set us up with some amazing vendors. we did not have a large wedding, but we greatly benefited from hiring Colleen and CCS Events. When it came to the day of the wedding, everything went so smoothly. It was incredibly nice (and worth) not having to worry if chairs arrived on time to the ceremony site, or who would be cleaning up everything and making sure items got back to the right people. Colleen and CCS Events did all this and more for us. Even better, CCS events lets you use their props as part of the whole deal! I highly recommend Colleen Cook and CCS Events for any and all of your event planning needs. She and her crew will make your dreams reality! Thank you all so much! -Mr and Mrs Koehler
Beth Sent on 11/15/2017
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Colleen was absolute incredible from the very first moment I spoke with her on the phone for a consultation. She was personable and caring, and instantly felt like a friend. We were initially going to hire her as our Day'Of Coordinator, but after talking to her we realized we needed her help! Our wedding was an out of state wedding, and she made planning long distance really easy and fun. The day of the wedding, everything was stress free. The ceremony and reception sites were absolutely beautiful, more so than I could have imagined. she did an amazing job decorating. She also got us some good deals with her vendors. She was our advocate when one of our vendors was jerking us around, and went to bat for us. My husband and I loved working with her so much.
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Kira Sent on 11/13/2017
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I am SO thankful we hired Colleen for full service planning- she was there for us every step of the way, from start to finish. We hired her before we had even booked our first vendor- so we were lucky we got to spend a full year with her planning our day and building a relationship with her. (I truly miss her now that wedding planning is over!) The relationship she has with her vendors is worth its weight in gold - she was able to get us amazing vendors using her connections. When we did have a issue with one vendor (one we had chosen ourselves…big mistake!) she handled the entire situation for me and had found us a replacement vendor- all within a few hours!
I looked forward to every planning meeting we had because if I had any concerns about planning or details - I had none by the time we left the meeting. The day of the wedding I did not have a single concern- because i knew she was taking care of everything. My husband and I and our families were able to just enjoy ourselves and not worry about a single detail. I was able to leave a lot of decisions to her because I trusted her and knew she would make it happen. My husband and I never imagined we would have the wedding we did - and it would not have been possible without the love, hard work and attention that Colleen poured into our wedding. We love her!
Kim Sent on 11/11/2017
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Weddings are a monumental – both in their significance and execution. There is too much room for drama, mistakes, and stress for not only the bride, but also the groom, family, and friends. That is why you need a wedding planner like Colleen and her team at CCS. Colleen is an incredible individual. She is kind, caring, patient, and most importantly, informative. She has seen it all. She will make your dreams come true, and she will even help you figure out what those dreams are. She treats you like a member of her family. We used her to plan an out of state wedding that required mixing Persian and Catholic traditions. Yet she somehow meshed these distinct cultures and our unique families together for an incredible event about which we constantly receive compliments. She helped us navigate every step of the way – not a detail was missed. Admittedly, my husband and I entered the wedding planning game with no intention of hiring one, thinking it would be a waste of money. Frankly, you will waste more time and money without one, particularly without one like Colleen and her team. Moral of the story is this: hire Colleen and her team at CCS. She is wonderful and a true gem. You will not be sorry.
Chloe Sent on 10/17/2017
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I hired Colleen as a full service planner and I literally could not have done it without her! I was living in Boston when I began planning my Richmond wedding and she was so accommodating to my schedule. Whenever I was home we would have marathon planning sessions in order to get the most out of my trips home. She was so responsive to all my emails and late night texts. Colleen knows all the little ins and outs of Richmond, its wedding venues, and its vendors. Without her I would have never found my amazing band or photographer! I'm so indecisive and she helped me weigh the pros and cons of each decision while keeping in mind what I truly wanted. The day of, my maid of honor and Colleen became fast friends and helped to ensure everything went smoothly. Colleen is exactly who you need to stay sane through the madness of wedding planning!
Rachel Sent on 06/02/2017
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Colleen is so amazing!! She was so organized and professional. I did not have to worry about anything. She took care of every detail! When we got to the wedding she set up and tore down everything. She even had safety pins for my dress, and came to fix it without me realizing. She packed all the cars with presents which was really nice. Then my husband went to ask her to perhaps some cake to go since we didn't get to eat any... and she said "it's already in the car". She truly thought of every detail to make our night perfect. She was definitely the best use of money we spent in addition to the venue. I am forever gratefull we chose her and her team!
Ali Sent on 06/01/2017
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I cannot say enough amazing things about Colleen and her crew. Not only did they help me with everything I had ever envisioned for our wedding, but it went off without a hitch. My family and I had ZERO anxiety or stress leading up to the wedding and the day of because of Colleen. She is professional, extremely knowledgeable since she has been in the industry for so long, and just wants your day to be perfect. There were a few things at the wedding that had happened that Colleen and her crew immediately took care of and it was never even brought to my attention or made its way to me which allowed me to relax, enjoy, and remember our special day. I HIGHLY recommend Colleen’s services to every bride who wants to make sure they have the wedding of their dreams.
Kim Sent on 05/31/2017
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Recommend, without reservation!!!!!
Colleen and CCS Events are Godsends! They were able to pull off an outdoor wedding with just two months notice. We were especially impressed with Colleen’s ability to present options while at the same time being totally comfortable with whatever my daughter and son-in-law chose. It was their dream wedding.
The afternoon in Libby Hill Park was elegant but relaxed. A perfect time for family and friends to celebrate with the happy couple. The day-of staff was incredible with everything being decorated and set-up when we arrived. The flowers cascading in the fountain deserve special mention. The staff stayed on hand into the evening, keeping everything running smoothly. If there were any glitches, they were handled without knowledge on our part. What a blessing!!! And two bonuses - they totally cleaned up everything and Colleen’s expert advice saved us money.
I highly recommend, without reservation, Colleen and CCS events.
Olivia Sent on 04/05/2017
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I would have never had the wedding of my DREAMS without CCS events and Colleen Cook. She goes above and beyond for her clients. From the first meeting with her to the wedding day she was professional, organized, and had the best advice. She works with vendors to give you the very best price and quality. All of her tips and advice was invaluable. She organized and ran the entire rehearsal, did absolutely nothing to stress me out on the wedding day (she made the day flawless)! On the wedding day she made the reception look amazing, made sure everyone was where they needed to be, was on time and again professional, and even had my parents car completely packed up and ready to go at the end of the night- no one had to lift a finger! I can say with confidence my wedding would have never been as amazing or perfect without the amazing Colleen. 1000 percent recommend her to anyone planning a wedding in the Richmond Va area, you will not regret it!
Lindsey Sent on 04/03/2017
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I decided to hire a wedding planner when I realized I did not have the time or the patience to plan a wedding. After interviewing a few people on the phone, I selected CCS events because of Colleen’s experience, wonderful reviews and her very “take charge” attitude It was absolutely the best decision I have made regarding my wedding (besides my husband).
Colleen made wedding planning easy and enjoyable. Throughout the course of planning, Colleen helped us choose a new venue and coordinate catering, a DJ, photo booth, lighting, rentals and numerous other things while staying under budget. We were able to use décor from Colleen’s enormous collection for free to borrow props. Between the decorations and many vendor discounts, Colleen saved us her wedding planning fee.
Colleen was able to get everyone in my wedding party on the same page at the rehearsal and truly took charge. The day of execution was flawless. Because of CCS events I (as well as my husband and my parents) was able to truly enjoy my wedding. I spent hours talking to guests and dancing while Colleen and her team managed multiple different vendors, getting set up and tear down completed on time.
I could not have been happier with how our wedding turned out, due largely in part to Colleen, Colvin and the rest of CCS events.
Michele Sent on 01/24/2017
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First let me say I wish I could give CCS Events and Colleen more than a 5 Star rating!! She is FABULOUS!! When my daughter and Carter got engaged I knew I needed a wedding planner who was knowledgeable of the RVA area. Colleen came highly recommended from a friend of mine whose daughter just got married and had Colleen as their wedding planner. Meredith and Carter wanted to be married in January which left us limited choices for the venue. Colleen immediately called The Women's Club and set us up for site visit that day. She had us HOOKED immediately!!! She was able to take us from early planning to the day of our wedding flawlessly and seamlessly like a well-oiled machined. Her knowledge within her industry is impeccable from the table lines to the flowers to the caterer. She is hands down the best Wedding Planner in RVA!! We had many guests tell us it was the best wedding they had ever attended. We can't thank Colleen enough for all their help through the whole process! I would encourage anyone looking for a wedding planner to call her. She does beautiful work, and you will be AMAZED by her outstanding personal touches and creativity. But more than that, she will keep you calm and sane, even during those awkward family mishaps everyone has and you’ll feel like you have a real friend working with you.
Allison Sent on 01/04/2017
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Colleen and her team were absolute saviors! When we booked our venue, we were told that we didn't need to hire an outside DOC because the venue team handled everything. Throughout our two year engagement this was the assumption we were working off of. Three weeks before our wedding the venue asked me for my planner's info. That's how I found out there wasn't ANYBODY that was really running the show. In a panic, I found Colleen. Despite the fact that we were three weeks away, she repeatedly told me to take my time before hiring her to really think it through; she didn't want me to feel pressured to make a spur of the moment decision. After two days, one long phone call and an in person meeting she was booked, and I could not be happier with my decision. She had one other wedding the day of ours, so she immediately brought Nicole on board to execute everything on the day of and to be involved in all of our discussions leading up to the wedding. I cannot accurately put into words how much these two women saved our day. Throughout the final days of planning, Colleen went above and beyond to make sure every details was accounted for. She offered to pick up our napkins for us, and when she got there they were the wrong color. I told her not to worry about it, they would have to be close enough and I'd get over it. She didn't tell me until after she'd done it (because she knew I'd tell her not to), but she drove an hour away to get napkins that were the correct color. Who does that?! Nicole took over running our rehearsal, which went very smoothly thanks to her, and making sure everything was going exactly as planned on the day of. If there were any bumps in the road during our wedding, I had no idea. That's the mark of a great planner. I could go on and on, but in short - the ONLY thing I regret about hiring Colleen and Nicole is that we didn't do it sooner. I would have loved to spend my entire two years of planning with their help, guidance, and friendship.
Christine Sent on 12/23/2016
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Our wedding would NOT have been the same without CCS events. Planning a wedding involved more details that I ever cared to spend time googling or doing myself (and when I did start google tips of how to do wedding planning, it just made me more stressed). She made the planning process as easy as possible and I felt like I was involved as much as I wanted to be, when I wanted to be. I told her my vision for the day and our budget, and she was able to navigate us to the big day easily by fitting all of the many decisions we had to make into a perfect manageable timeline. I have a busy job and was nervous that I would not be able to coordinate schedules with a planner, but CCS events made sure that they could fit me in whenever I had a free window. I appreciated her knowledge of other vendors in the business, and truly felt like she gave me great insight into my options so that I could make the ultimate decision for our big day. LASTLY - her day of coordination help was amazing and I do not know how we could have pulled off the day without her. I decided last minute that I wanted guest favors but had no time to pick them up...so Colleen did. I had plans for an outdoor wedding during one of the rainiest weekends of the year which changed most of our set-up plans but CCS events went above and beyond to make all of the necessary changes for a smooth day for the bride, the groom, our families the wedding party, as well as our guests. She even got my mothers car at the end of the night and drove it (Valet style) from the parking lot to the venue doorstep so that she did not have to walk in the torrential downpour after our wedding night. My husband (!!) and I are very grateful to have had CCS events as our planner and would recommend her to anyone at ANY stage of the wedding process to help make your big day be the most fun you have ever had
Kara Sent on 09/26/2016
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My husband and I were SO lucky to find Colleen, she is the BEST!!! Colleen’s creativity, organization, patience and energy make her the AMAZING and I can’t imagine our wedding day without her. She listened to our overall vision and helped make our wedding day the relaxed, joyous, beautiful party that we always imagined. When we started, we didn’t realize how overwhelming planning a wedding could be and how much time it would take. We felt so much relief when we decided to hire Colleen, we were so lucky to have her experience, resources, and attention to detail to guide us through and coordinate the day. She made the whole process so much less stressful, saved me so much time and money and helped create a perfect, unique day that I will always be thankful for.
I can’t express how incredible it was to have her there to coordinate the day of the wedding. My family, friends, husband and I were all able to simply enjoy and celebrate with our guests. We didn’t have to worry about setting up, decorating, timing, communicating with vendors or cleaning up afterwards. We were able to be completely present and soak up the day. She made everything feel like magic when I arrived to the reception area and everything looked even more special than we had planned. She put so much thought into the timeline and organization of the day and everything went so smoothly.
I can’t imagine how the day would have gone without Colleen’s hard work, enthusiasm, thoughtfulness and dedication. She is such a professional and went above and beyond in every way! It is a great feeling to work with someone who loves what she does and takes such pride in her work. I’m so happy that I had her by my side during the planning process and behind the scenes on the day of the wedding. I will be thanking her for years to come! Working with Colleen was one of the best decisions we made and we recommend her to everyone!
User2903923 Sent on 09/24/2016
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Colleen is simply the best. From the very first conversation we had on the phone until the wedding weekend, she was a pleasure to work with. After attempting to plan the wedding from California, with help from my family in Richmond, we quickly realized we were going to need help pulling it all together. Colleen immediately put me (and my mom) at ease. Colleen is incredibly well-connected, knows all of the vendors, and has a wealth of experience in the wedding industry. She is no nonsense, and makes herself available at crazy hours of the day/night, which was huge since I was on the west coast. Our wedding day/weekend wouldn't have been possible without her tireless efforts througout the entire process. Colleen has a gift for taking on what seems like a big challenge (to the bride!), and in seconds, resolving it and improving upon the finished product. Anyone who gets to work with her should consider themselves lucky. She is committed to making each wedding total perfection, and we got to see that first hand. I know we'll be talking about Colleen Cook for years to come, and anyone who asks for a recommendation for a Virginia wedding will get our full endorsement of CCS Events.
Aaron Sent on 09/16/2016
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I simply can't say enough about Colleen. We wavered on having a wedding planner, but after the incredible amount of things Colleen made possible for us, I can't imagine what our day would've been like. Her attention to detail and recommendations (not sales pitches or things foisted upon us) made our wedding what it was. And simply put, the level of work she put forth on the day of was incredible. Again, I just can't recommend her highly enough.
User2765109 Sent on 09/12/2016
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Colleen was so helpful!!! We told her what price range we were trying to stay in and the feel/vibe we wanted for the wedding and she was able to suggest vendors based on that. She made it super easy by setting up the vendor appointments and always having helpful suggestions. Nicole was our day of coordinator and she was amazing! She was always there when I needed something and everything went very smoothly. We couldn't have asked for a better wedding experience and it was all thanks to CCS Events!
Ginger Sent on 07/16/2016
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Colleen is extraordinary - she helped so much with my wedding! I was having a hard time pulling details together, and her experience was invaluable as we navigated catering, rentals, lighting, one day liquor license, room layout, etc. She saved me a lot of money too! She had also worked at my venue a lot so she was very familiar with all the rules & guidelines. I just loved everything she did to make my wedding day absolutely perfect. She helped in ways I didn't even know a coordinator could take care of! The wedding day was carefree because I knew Colleen was taking care of the logistics. Her staff was wonderful too. Thank you, Colleen, for being so wonderful on the wedding day and also all the meetings that led up to that day! I had such a fun and happy time working with her to make my wedding day perfect.
Mary Sent on 04/19/2016
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I just got married this past Saturday, and am SO happy that I booked Colleen of CCS events. Colleen gave me so many useful tips to plan this wedding and helped me every step of the way. I was able to use so much of her beautiful decor and felt so comfortable leaving my wedding in her hands. She made my day so special and was my shoulder to lean on when I was stressed and was my ear to complain to when I was upset about something at the wedding. We ran out of liquor about 2 hours into the event, and Colleen sent an assistant out to get it and the bars were able to make drinks again within about 15 minutes. I would highly highly recommend Colleen. She has a huge personality that makes you feel very comfortable on the day of and she is very very affordable!
Maria Sent on 02/05/2016
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Hiring Colleen was the best decision we made! My mom and I were so overwhelmed and indecisive in the first month or so and decided to find a planner so we could make it through the planning alive. Colleen clicked so well with us -- she doesn't sugar coat things and will hook you up with all the details. When she tells you to do your homework.. do it! It helps the planning process move along quickly. The timeline she put together was incredible.. every detail of your day will be planned so you can RELAX. We didn't worry about an ounce of anything on the wedding day except for having fun... Colleen keeps things moving and if there's an issue, I promise you won't know it ever happened until after the fact. We can't say enough fabulous things about Colleen and CCS Events.. she knows her stuff. Thank you, Colleen, for making our day way more than we could've imagined!
Ashley Sent on 01/13/2016
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Colleen is the best! We used her for Day of services, but she provided much more. She designed our floorplan, created our timeline, contacted all vendors, rehearsal, made the day of perfect, and lots more! She knows the industry and best practices and answers any questions you think of (or don't think of). We definitely could not have done it without her!!
User2497063 Sent on 01/07/2016
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Colleen is the best wedding planner in Richmond by FAR! If you're looking for a wedding coordinator... look no further. Being a very nervous/anxious bride, she totally put my mind and worries at ease. She has years of experience, lots of connections (she practically knows everyone!), and is very organized. Needless to say, the wedding day was more perfect than I could have ever dreamed of... thanks to Colleen and her team! I highly recommend CCS Events!
Allyson Sent on 10/21/2015
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Hired CCS for day of. Most of our vendors were in place, but I was concerned about final logistics. I contacted Colleen 6 weeks out and was instantly confident in her ability. We met regularly, and she took over herding all vendors. Colleen made it easy and FUN. In the long run, we saved time and money. She got our vision and budget and merged them into a fabulous scheme, complete with timelines and layouts. She advised me which add-ons were unnecessary. She offered use of her props so we didn't have to purchase/rent. We were so calm going into our wedding week.
Monday prior to the (outdoor) wedding, it had been raining for a week with no end in sight and a hurricane was forecast. My family was at a loss for what to do. Colleen researched and explain our options. She secured a new tent with walls and negotiated with the venue to get it installed early to protect the ground from further saturation. She addressed the caterer's needs so they serve dinner for 111 people outside. She had heaters and generators on stand by. CCS's job quadrupled because of the conditions and extra work required to pull off a cocktail party, ceremony, seated dinner, and live band ... all outdoors. Nicole was amazing and took care of everything behind the scenes. I never worried about the logistics that day, because she was always ahead of me. I have heard nothing but the highest compliments at how we were able to pull off an outdoor wedding in those conditions - and make it charming, sophisticated, and fun.
NO WAY we could have executed it ourselves, even on a sunny day. When it looked all doom and gloom, we probably would have cancelled the party and gone to the courthouse. In the end, our wedding was oh so much better than we ever dreamed. It was full of rain and mud and magic -- and I wouldn't have it any other way. The perfection was in the beautiful spirit, which we had because of Colleen and Nicole and CCS!
Olivia Sent on 10/20/2015
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The three things you need to know about Colleen Cook at CCS Events: 1) She is a master of her craft and can create a wedding that’s exactly what you wanted but also a thousand times better than you could have dreamed. 2) She will be your most calming and reassuring presence during all the stressful planning times. 3) She and her team ARE who you want to hire to plan your wedding, and no, it isn’t too late to call, not even if you only have a month or less left (like we did)! My now husband and I, like I’m sure a ton of couples do, had WAY too much on our plates while we were trying to plan our wedding. Not only was I not enjoying wedding planning, I was seriously hating it. We had all these pieces but I had no idea how to put them together. We chose a lot of things to please my mom, our families, and our guests, and I was feeling like we were going to be attending someone else’s wedding. I got in touch with Colleen a month before the big day. From the first meeting, I could tell that she had “the vision”. She knew what we wanted and she could make it happen. Colleen took a huge weight off my shoulders, and I finally started looking forward to our wedding because I wasn’t bogged down with worrying about it. She was worth every single penny, and I only wish we would have found her sooner. I could write pages about all the things Colleen did for us that we could have never done ourselves, including finding amazing replacements for the florist and makeup artist (that we booked before finding her) when they fell through 2 weeks before our wedding. I would encourage anyone reading this to look no further and call her. She does beautiful work, and you will be blown away by the pinterest perfect, and very personal, space she creates for you. But more than that, she will keep you calm and sane, and you’ll feel like you have a real friend working with you to create the day that will hold so many wonderful memories for you and your husband.
Justine Sent on 06/09/2015
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Those who know me, know that I am the type of person who prefers to do everything myself. Almost a year and a half before our wedding, when my husband and I began planning, I never in a million years would have thought that a planner was something we needed. Honestly, we considered having a planner a luxury, and we could use that money towards other things we wanted. We were introduced to Colleen at a bridal expo through our caterer, and I have to admit, I was very resistant to the idea. But after just one meeting with Colleen, our personalities instantaneously clicked, and we knew that not only did we need a planner, but we needed her. Colleen helped us plan our wedding for nearly 15 months, and I cannot imagine what we would have done without her. My husband and I actually enjoyed the planning process because we knew we had Colleen by our side to keep us on track and to take care of all the details that you would never ever think of. A hugely important thing for us was keeping both sets of parents involved in many of the decisions. Colleen would gladly hold meetings with ALL of us in the office, would take the time to answer everyone's questions, and made sure that everyone's opinions were heard. I'm sure we drove her nuts sometimes! :) But she felt like family to us, and we are all so grateful to have had such a wonderful woman come into our lives, putting all of her heart and soul into our wedding. Looking back at everything, Colleen's expertise, willingness, passion and love that she puts into her work was worth lightyears beyond any dollar amount, and hiring her was hands-down one of the best decisions we ever made.
User2119280 Sent on 05/04/2015
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Colleen made, what seemed like an impossible dream, a reality, with her organization, talent, knowledge, and experience.
User2119271 Sent on 05/04/2015
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Colleen made, what seemed like an impossible dream, a reality, with her organization, talent, knowledge, and experience.
Melissa Sent on 04/21/2015
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My husband and I were absolutely blown away by the incredible service we received from Colleen at CCS! We hired Colleen about 8 months before our wedding day after hiring only a couple of vendors ourselves. At the very first meeting with Colleen, she made an entire roadmap of what we needed to do, how everything would fit into our budget, and the timeline as we progressed towards our wedding day. I simply could not have done this without Colleen. She kept us on budget the whole time, and made everything with vendors so incredibly simple for us. I know that if I had done this on my own, there is no way we would have stayed on budget and not gone crazy trying to find vendors! Colleen delivered the best of the best for everything, and our wedding day turned out perfectly. We were able to have a stress-free and relaxing day with our family and friends! Everything went off without a hitch—all of our vendors were on time and extremely professional, Colleen had everything coordinated so that the wedding was all on time, and she took care of helping send home gifts, leftover food, and ensuring everything was squared away with the venue. Throughout the entire process, Colleen was in touch with vendors, responsive to my emails and texts, and was one step ahead of me on answering every question I had. When I momentarily panicked a few days before my wedding thinking that the florist wouldn’t be at the venue with my flowers in time for our first look, Colleen answered my email immediately to let me know she had scheduled the florist to be there a full hour ahead of when we were scheduled to arrive. Every time I thought of something that might potentially be a stressful situation, Colleen already had it under control. Ladies, do not plan your wedding yourself! Hire Colleen and enjoy your day stress-free! She is an incredible value, even for my fellow brides who are working on a tight budget! She is the best money we spent out of everything in the wedding!
Katie Sent on 11/24/2014
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I had decided I could do everything myself for the our October wedding (reception at the Science Museum of VA) when we starting planning in December. Come June - I was STRESSED about every little detail and needed help. I had read about CCS Events and had called to get a quote. My first conversation with Colleen confirmed that she would make my life 100 times less stressful. I asked her every single question that I had on my mind from June to October and she answered them and didn't make me feel like a loon for asking all these questions (like 'is it okay to have a goldish table cloth and silver frames?!'
Colleen and Melissa made every meeting super fun and most importantly - made my wedding day go off without a hitch. Every bridesmaids (and even some groomsmen) said that 'Colleen was so amazing and so organized - how would you have done all that without her?' And I couldn't agree more.
Stacy Sent on 11/04/2014
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CCS Events is the best! I cannot even count the number of times when I've said to myself, to my husband, to family and friends, even to strangers on the street, how thankful I was to have CCS as our wedding planner. We decided early on that we were going to get married in Richmond. But being that we live in New York, we knew that to maintain our sanity we needed a planner. Colleen and I clicked immediately when we first met, but besides being super easy to get along with, here is a list of other reasons she was a great planner:
1) Responsive- from the get go, Colleen and her office manager, Melissa, were super responsive to all of my emails. When you are a crazy bride and have a random thought jump into your head at some odd hour of the day, it's wonderful to get an answer or feedback right away.
2) Organized- They always knew what was going on when we met with vendors. Me... not so much.
3) Expert- When your time is money and there are a million wedding vendors out there, its crucial to have a planner who knows the business, has the connections, and will share her expertise. Not only did this save us from major headaches, but we never had to question whether or not we were getting a fair deal.
4) Patient- Colleen was so patient with us. I was incredibly indecisive throughout the planning process and would be adamant about something one second, then change my mind the next. I never felt pressured or perceived annoyance from her.
I truly believe, seriously, that had Colleen not entered our lives, we would not have had our dream wedding. We would have freaked out when picking a venue and eloped in Vegas. So, really, we owe Colleen (or Melissa) our first born... if they want it, lol.
User1960113 Sent on 11/03/2014
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I was attempting to plan my wedding long distance and I had every intention of doing it by myself. After a very discouraging first attempt at booking a venue I realized there was no way I could do it and still be a sane person 10 months later. I had always thought a wedding planner was an unnecessary luxury that I couldn't afford, but I decided to look into it out of pure desperation. Sitting in an airport on my way out of VA, I found Colleen in a wedding magazine, saw she was well rated and gave her a call. After a 15 minute conversation with her I knew I was going to enjoy every minute of working with her...she immediately helped calm my nerves and gave me advice on what direction we should head. I felt very confident that this was the best wedding-planning decision I would make, and boy was I right! Colleen made everything so easy and stress-free. Honestly, I've seen a lot of girls go crazy the 2 weeks leading up to their weddings; I on the other hand had nothing to do...everything was done already or being taken care of for me. On top of that, Colleen helped me pull off the best wedding I've ever been to (maybe I'm a bit biased!) for extremely close to my initial budget - I would have spent double that if I had kept trying to do things alone. Wedding day went off without a hitch and it was so nice to not have to worry about anything. My mom loved the fact that she didn't have to do anything for set-up and clean-up..she got to be a guest and enjoy the day too. I could keep writing forever about how much I love CCS and giving examples of how she helped me, but I think the point has been made. Bottom line: you CAN afford a wedding planner (Colleen's cost was way less than others I've seen) and CCS should be your first phone call so that you can actually enjoy the months leading up to your big day and not turn into a crazy person like I was for the first month!
Kristie Sent on 11/01/2014
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CCS Events went above and beyond in planning the wedding of my dreams. Colleen and Melissa are just pure Angels with the gifts of planning events. They did full event plannig for me from being to end. I live in MD and was planning a wedding in VA, with lots of details and moving parts!! Colleen was so flexible and accommodating when it came to meetings to work with my travel schedule! During the 10 months we worked together we developed an amazing relationship; and I'm so sad not to have her in my daily life (we still
Email even though my wedding is over). There was honestly no limit on emails, phone calls, and face to face meetings. If I sent an email it was literally replied to with in minutes no matter the day or time. CCS Events took all the worrying and hassle of planning a wedding out of the equation. Due to the hard work they put in I was able to enjoy the journey to my wedding day. My wedding was outside at a historic VA plantation, the Berkeley plantation. It rained on my wedding day and Colleen made sure that myself and my guest had the time of our lives. No one even really knew it was raining and actually we had fun embracing the rain and dancing it! Colleen approached every aspect of the event with ease and pure professionalism. She is the very very beat at what she does and I honestly can't find the appropriate way to thank her for all she did for us. I shout it from the mountain top if you need an event planner you have to go to CCS Events! I can't wait to plan my wedding anniversary party with these fine ladies in the future!!
Nakita Sent on 10/09/2014
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Colleen and the whole CCS event team is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Hiring CCS event for my special day was by far the BEST investment i made for my wedding. Colleen is simply Phenomenal!! She is incredibly organized, flexible, creative, and such a wonderful person in general. She helped a "snail bride" like me stay on track, and get things done. She introduced us to amazing vendors, organized visits, attended every vendor meeting, and above all ran everything perfectly the day of my wedding. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for Colleen. She is so much more than a planner to me.... I ended up with a new friend. I would recommend her to everyone and trust her with anything. YES, She is that AMAZING!!!
Jane Sent on 09/21/2014
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Value
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
We used Colleen and Nicole as "Day Of" coordinators. They were great from the first phone call to end of the wedding day! Colleen made us feel so relaxed before the "big" day working out all the details and the time line. Nicole made sure everything on the wedding day went as planned, we got to enjoy the party without a worry. They lived up to the slogan "tying the knot ...not being one"!
