Ohana Events Reviews
Reviews
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
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![Natalie]()
Natalie Sent on 08/14/2025Great experience with Ohana!
We had a great time working with Jenna! She is so friendly and personal, and took the time to get to know us and our style. She was so helpful throughout the entire process to help us book all of our vendors and made sure we thought through all of the little details. She made the entire process so easy, and was so supportive the day of. She took away all stress and handled everything so smoothly. Would highly recommend Ohana and Jenna! -
![Ayal]()
Ayal Sent on 06/20/2025Highly recommended!
We had an excellent experience working with Ohana Events for our wedding! Their service was top notch and had competitive pricing. Jenna, our planner, was a powerhouse- organized, personable, proactive, and very skilled. We especially appreciated her ability to capably simultaneously manage vendors, guest dynamics, and any surprises with confidence and respect. Thanks to her, our wedding day went perfect. Highly recommended! -
![Shelby]()
Shelby Sent on 12/26/2024Amazing!
The BEST wedding planning team we could have asked for!! From the first meeting we had with them, my husband & I were sold on working with Ohana Events. They are so easy to work with and did a phenomenal job bringing our vision to life. Wedding planning can be such a stressful time but I never felt any stress working with them - Danielle & Sonya stayed on top of every single details, and made sure our day went off without a single issue! Sonya was our day-of coordinator as well, and we could not have asked for a better person to be there for our big day. We had a very large wedding party, and Sonya kept everyone in line and on schedule! If you are on the fence at all, book with Ohana!!! You will be so happy you did! -
![Helen]()
Helen Sent on 12/01/2024The BEST decision we made
If you’re looking for a Wedding Planning vendor that you can trust and will put you at ease in the midst of your stressful wedding planning from beginning to the end (even after your wedding is over), please hire Ohana Events. Hiring Ohana Events was one of the best decisions we made during wedding planning and my husband I said these exact words from the moment we met Danielle at our initial consultation to as of today, a month after our wedding (and probably will say this forever!). Danielle was so kind and professional, and we knew in our gut that Ohana was the way to go. And we were 100% right. She assigned Emily to be our Day of Wedding Coordinator and we cannot thank Danielle enough for choosing the most perfect Coordinator that we could have ever asked for.
I don’t even know where to begin with the praises I have for Emily. She was absolutely the best Coordinator and went above and beyond to come up with the most detailed and organized schedule, which was the biggest task I was afraid of handling. Emily took care of communications with all of our vendors and guided us through everything we needed to plan. When planning your wedding, there’s a constant feeling that you’re forgetting something and Emily made sure nothing was forgotten. Her attention to detail and calming presence was such a joy and it was a relief to know that having an incredibly reliable Coordinator like Emily, would make our wedding go smoothly. On the day of, Emily memorized our entire schedule by heart and made sure not only we were comfortable but also our wedding party, family, and our guests. My dad came up to me during reception and asked where we found such an amazing coordinator because our family was just so impressed with everything about Emily!
We are so thankful for Emily, Danielle, and the Ohana Events Team. Our day truly could not have gone the way it did if it wasn’t for Emily. Choosing a vendor for your wedding can be overwhelming but if you’re looking for a Coordinator/Planner, please choose Ohana Events. You will be so happy that you made the right decision and your wedding will be seamless and magical! -
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Madeline Sent on 08/30/2024
Our best wedding decision!
HIRE OHANA! Working with Ohana was hands down the best decision we made when wedding planning and we continue to say it was the best money that we put towards our wedding. We ended up doing the 6-month package and were lucky enough to be paired with Emily. I cannot say enough how much of a dream Emily is to work with. She was a constant source of calm & resourcefulness for us in the hectic months leading up to the wedding. She understood our vision and helped us to execute everything perfectly. She is also just a wonderful and KIND person. If you are on the fence about working with Ohana, I can promise you that you will NOT regret it. If I could give this review more than 5 stars - I would. They are truly incredible. Thank you for everything Danielle and Emily! We adore your team! -
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![Lauren]()
Lauren Sent on 07/29/2024The BEST! Brides, you need Ohana!
I was a bride who knew very little about weddings and wedding planning before my big day, and was getting overwhelmed by all the various wedding planning tasks. But that changed once I had Ohana, Danielle, and Jenna on my team! Danielle was responsive, detailed and kind and paired my husband and I up perfectly with Jenna.
Jenna was available for every question I had during the process and is truly the sweetest! We got SO lucky and our wedding day went so smoothly because of her. We had to last minute pivot a lot of plans due to weather but Jenna did it all perfectly and my stress levels were nearly zero with her leading the charge. If she was stressed, you wouldn’t know it because she was always smiling. Our families and guests commented on how great she was too.
Thank you Ohana for making my day what it was and allowing me to focus on actually getting married the day of and enjoying the day. If there’s any vendor you NEED, it’s Ohana (and Jenna!!)
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![Carley]()
Carley Sent on 07/17/2024Ohana is a NEED!
Hiring Ohana and working with Sonya was easily the best decision we made while wedding planning. I was hesitant to hire an outside coordinator because we had a venue coordinator, but the venue coordinator does not do nearly the amount that Ohana does. Hiring Ohana is a NEED. I was first introduced to Danielle and we instantly connected. I felt she understood my vision and wanted to help create our dream wedding. We were lucky enough to be assigned to Sonya for the 90-day coordination package and she was the kindest, most patient, and organized planner. She responded quickly to emails and answered all of my questions, she took over communication with vendors and relieved much of the planning stress, she provided detailed checklists and kept me on track. She also created a detailed by the minute itinerary for the entire weekend for us, our vendors, and a shorthand version for our bridal party which was extremely helpful. Our wedding day was seamless with no hiccups and I can honestly thank Sonya for that. She made sure to keep the day moving on schedule, communicated with all of the vendors, and made sure to check in with me often. Even wedding guests and our parents gave raving reviews for Sonya. My husband and I agree that hiring Ohana and being able to work with Sonya was the best investment we would do all over again, and we recommend them to everyone. I wish I had hired Sonya sooner! Best wedding coordinator of all time. It is true, Ohana means family, and that is exactly how the team treats you. -
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![Aja]()
Aja Sent on 01/11/2024Incredible experience- do not wait to book!
Oh my gosh Ohana Events was absolutely amazing. Our planner Mara was responsive, attentive, and incredibly helpful every step of the way. We had no idea what we were doing and as soon as we were in Mara's hands we felt so taken care of. The wedding was an absolute day of our dreams and we could not have done it without Ohana and Mara. Do not waste more time researching other teams and planners, Ohana Events is amazing if you should be so lucky to get them!!! -
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Hayley Sent on 12/04/2023
A must hire!!
The best decision we made while wedding planning was hiring Ohana Events! We spent a year planning our wedding and I truly believe the reason I did not feel any stress was because of Danielle! Any question/thought/idea was answered quickly, honestly and thoroughly. Danielle was so communicative and made sure every vendor had what they needed and I was never worried something wasn't happening. Our wedding day ran so smooth and on time and I received so many compliments from guests on what a seamless day/night it was! Danielle completely captured our vision of our wedding and made it all come to life! On the wedding day, I felt so supported by Danielle and Sonya as they made sure my husband I felt comfortable, happy and stress-free. They made sure to check-in to see if we needed anything like food, a drink, and even help bustling my dress. I wish I could give more than five stars, we could not recommend Ohana Events enough! -
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![Rachel]()
Rachel Sent on 10/28/2023O'Hana Events is Incredible!
Our wedding was the best day ever and it was truly thanks to Mara and the O’hana events team. From the initial call to the 6 months to go meeting we knew we were in the best hands! Our other vendors remarked several times that they felt more prepared for our wedding than any other wedding in their career. Mara ensured my partner and I had an stress-free wedding. We truly were able to take in the day and enjoy it with our family and friends.
The timeline Mara made and level of communication was flawless. Family and friends cannot stop complimenting our wedding and we owe it all to Mara and O’hana! If you are able to we would highly recommend booking O’hana for your day of/planning needs, best decision we ever made! -
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![Carmen]()
Carmen Sent on 09/25/2023Best decision ever -
I’ve been looking for a wedding coordinator for months in the SW MI area and after an unfruitful search I looked on Instagram and found Ohana. Thankfully, while they were based in Chicago (and other cities), Emily lived in MI and was available to work with us. During the initial consultation call, Danielle and Emily took the time to patiently explain what they do, and asked me questions that I - a mostly DIY bride up to that point - did not even think to ask. They had the most positive vibes, while being incredibly professional. Immediately after hiring Emily, it was a heavy lift off my back. Emily was super sweet, kind, professional, efficient, and helpful to work with. She answered all of my questions and was very responsive and communicative. She helped us navigate the flow of the evening, brought in great ideas to help us build a successful wedding event, and was completely grounded and calm - allowing us (especially me) to feel better in otherwise very stressful situations. On our wedding weekend she not only was there to take on any tasks that came up effectively while volunteering to take on odd jobs, she also handled challenging conversations with family members with grace and professionalism. She was our rock throughout our time together, and we are forever grateful to have met and worked with Emily Kramer. Highly, highly, recommend! -
Lauren Sent on 08/16/2023
Rachel is the best!
We hired Ohana Events for the full wedding package and we can’t recommend it enough! Rachel was so amazing to work with. She really went above and beyond to help us with every single request we had, no matter how small. She’s a problem solver, super responsive, detail oriented, and somehow she remains positive and calm during what was a chaotic time!
Prior to our wedding, we didn’t know anything about event planning. Rachel had SO many resources and recommendations for us, and she made the entire process as easy and enjoyable as possible. We truly would have been lost without her.
We would gladly hire Rachel and Ohana Events for any future events! Thank you, Rachel!! -
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![Funmilola]()
Funmilola Sent on 08/08/2023Ohana Events Will DELIVER the Wedding of Your Dreams!
Where do I even begin. I was referred to Ohana Events by a friend who found them online based on reviews. But boy, I didn't know what a treat I was in for. Working with Danielle (full wedding package) was the highlight of my entire year (all things included). Every single meeting with her left me feeling optimistic and excited about the wedding. I had a creative vision for how our wedding would be executed, and also quite a few cultural additions for the day that would make Danielle's job more complex. Danielle was the epitome of "professional" and handled EVERY vendor flawlessly. She gave me ideas for the ceremony and reception, and always advocated for the best price with every vendor. She considered the big picture of how each piece of the day would flow together, and she also was extremely flexible when we added or changed things.
She made sure that every line item on the decor budget had been discussed and was charged as previously stated. She asked SUCH detailed questions from the venue and decorators that there was no room left for error. Towards the wedding day, she sent biweekly update emails reminding us of every last thing we needed to remember (including to write vows ahead of time).
We ended up needing to add day-of-coordination with Jenna for a traditional ceremony, and that was also a great decision. Jenna did TONS behind the scenes to make sure the ceremony went smoothly, even without having all the information she needed from the MC prior.
I'm almost certain she was up until 2am the night before wedding day coordinating last minute changes with the venue, but still was right on time to our getting-ready Airbnb. Danielle brought positive energy, shielded us from anything that wasn't going as planned while finding an alternative to keep things on track, and coordinated flawlessly with all vendors. For example, our wedding party trolley had major issues getting to us, and Danielle drove me to the first look in her own car so that we would stay on schedule!
She was able to handle boisterous guests with ease, and she came to us to check in about decisions needing to be made about increasing videography/photography duration based on prior conversations we had about deciding on day of. Danielle even checked prior with the photo/video team to ensure that the hourly cost to increase time on the day of was the regular rate without any penalty.
I could go on and on. Danielle and the Ohana team ensured that my DREAM wedding exceeded my wildest expectations. I will love and thank them forever!!! You will be so so glad you chose Ohana Events for the most important day of your life -
![Mollie]()
Mollie Sent on 07/24/2023Best wedding planner!
I had the pleasure of working with Sonya at Ohana Events as my "day of" coordinator. However, that title is quite misleading, as I texted with Sonya nearly daily for a month or two leading up to the wedding. She initially reached out around the 90 day mark prior to wedding. Sonya helped me maintain sanity in an otherwise insane time of my life (including wedding but also just in general). She was firm when she needed to be, herded all my MANY vendors, maintained professionalism when it was difficult to do so and acted as my advocate and vendor liaison. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Ohana Events (OE), but Sonya is truly a rockstar. As a type A bride, I had my doubts about truly needing a coordinator, but trust me when I say - you'll regret not enjoying your day to the fullest without the support of a "day of" coordinator - on site vendor coordinators are great, but not sufficient. -
Jenny Sent on 07/07/2023
Jenna is the best!
We simply could not have pulled off a wedding of the quality that we had without Jenna @ Ohana Events!
Wedding details:
Ohana's Services: We did the "In Between" package and added on a vendor search for catering.
Guests: 200 invited, 130 attended
Venue: Ovation Chicago
Hotel: Chicago Athletic Association
Photos: Chicago Exchange Building
Date: March 2023
Some of the many things Jenna did to make our wedding a success:
-Found a caterer within our budget that met our foodie tastes and could also source a number of kosher meals on a Saturday
-Wrote and executed the full wedding day timeline
-Coordinated with all of our vendors and took care of so many little details that we never had to worry or even think about
-Lead the set up and strike of our decor including hundreds of pillar candles, took them home with her at the end of the night, and dropped them off at our home a few days later at a coordinated time.
-Kept us on track in the Chicago St. Patricks day traffic and crowds from the hotel, to our photo location, and to the venue.
-Empathized with and alleviated all of our anxieties
Working with Ohana and Jenna was super easy from the start. Their packages and contracts are all very clear and reasonable, and they provide a lot of guides and great vendor recommendations to further help with the planning process.
We had some pretty complex catering needs, and asked Jenna to do a full catering vendor search for us. All of the options she came up with were very high quality, and she helped schedule all of the tastings for the ones we were most interested in. We did move forward with one that she found and had an amazing experience with them! This alone made it 100% worth working with Ohana and Jenna, as the caterer she found was not one that had come up in our own searching.
Throughout the whole planning process, Jenna was very communicative and helped make the process fun. It was incredible to see how she was able to take our scrambled ideas and pull them into a solid timeline that ended up being perfect on wedding day.
It's impossible to put into words everything that Jenna did for us, but she is a complete professional that we would absolutely choose again and again! Thank you Jenna for everything!!
**All photos shared with this post are by our amazing photographer King & Opal** -
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![Sarah]()
Sarah Sent on 01/24/2023Dream Team!!
We used Ohana Events for both our Seattle Wedding and Chicago reception, and we cannot say enough positive things about the team!!! Both Rachel and Danielle were so helpful, knowledgeable and on top of it all. They are two of the sweetest women ever and we quickly felt like they wanted to get to know us and showed a genuine interest in our story. They both connected on the side to make sure each one was aware of what was going on with the other event. These two made our wedding dreams and vision come true! This team went above and beyond. So many people after our wedding asked us if we could get married every single year because the parties were so great - and its all thanks to Ohana and our other wonderful vendors! We would hire them again and again, anyday!! -
![Molly]()
Molly Sent on 12/27/2022Ohana Events Means a Stress-Free Wedding Weekend!
Booking Ohana Events day-of package wedding planner package was one of the BEST decisions we made for our wedding on October 15, 2022 in Chicago at the Sculpture Garden at Bridgeport Art Center. When we first got engaged, everyone had the same advice: HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER. We had calls with about 7 different planning companies, but we immediately connected with Danielle. While our package didn’t start until 3 months before our wedding, Danielle was incredibly responsive and helpful. She gave her thoughtful POV on our vendor questions and was quick to help with anything we needed. 3 months out we started working with Mara!! Mara was incredibly, calm, confident and helpful our entire process. She was so on top of communication with all vendors, she made me feel so sure everything was covered. When I had concerns about some of the decor one week out, Mara jumped into action and got in touch with all vendors, formulated a plan and took all the stress away. She was incredibly responsive, easy to work with and such a joy. I was COMPLETELY STRESS-FREE on wedding day and I believe a lot of that has to do with Mara running the show. HIGHLY recommend working with Ohana Events for your wedding - they are experts, they are incredibly helpful and above all, they are GOOD, KIND HUMANS. We’re so grateful they helped make all of our wedding dreams come true! -
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![Sabrina]()
Sabrina Sent on 09/01/2022Hire Ohana!!
My husband and I booked the in-between package from Ohana for our 8/13/22 wedding since we didn’t feel the need for a full planner, and it was a great choice! We were paired with Jenna, and we loved her from the start. She is super nice, responsive, and makes sure you stay organized and have fun while planning!
The first meeting in the package we chose is 6 weeks before the wedding date, which is the perfect time to start getting into the details of planning. This is when you begin looking at a timeline for the wedding day together. And let me tell you - the timeline Jenna put together for us was absolutely indispensable! It helped us organize every single decision we needed to make for the wedding, and kept us on track on the actual day of our wedding. There were parts of the day Jenna asked about that we definitely never would have thought of ourselves before it was too late, and we are very grateful that we had the opportunity to really think through how our wedding day would unfold! Once we had our initial timeline meeting, Jenna was super helpful in answering any questions we had while ironing out loose details.
Everyone warns you that something will go wrong on your wedding day, and you should brush it off. I can tell you with confidence, nothing went wrong on our wedding day, and it was because of Jenna. She kept all of our wonderful vendors on top of things, and was at the venue early on the day of the wedding to make sure everything was set up properly. My bustle broke and she fixed it immediately, she helped us load up a car with gifts and decorations at the end of the night, and really went above and beyond to make sure we were calm and able to enjoy our wedding day. Do yourself a favor and book Ohana for your wedding! Thanks Jenna, for helping us plan and allowing us to enjoy, our dream wedding.
xoxo Sabrina and Brendan O’Brien -
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![Emily]()
Emily Sent on 08/10/2022Amazing wedding planner!
Ohana events are amazing! Our planner, Rachel, made the wedding planning process so easy. We booked a 90 day package and this was perfect for us. Rachel was available the entire time, and reached out to us almost daily. I canceled my hair and make-up artist a month before my wedding and Rachel answered all my questions about getting out of the contract and handled all communication with my artist. Rachel came to our rehearsal and helped answer any questions we had, as well as communicating with the venue coordinator for us. On the day of, Rachel kept us on schedule and everything went smoothly. Family photos were planned ahead of time, and went so quickly as a result. Both my fiancé and I felt we could enjoy our day without worrying about the logistics, we knew Rachel had it handled. I can’t imagine a better experience with a wedding planner, she truly made our wedding vision come to life. Hire Ohana, you won’t regret it!
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Hailey Sent on 08/05/2022
Partial planning package
Wow words cannot describe how wonderful It was working with Rachel. As a bride who has been to a ton of weddings I had a lot of ideas and a vision, but working in healthcare I had no idea how to execute a large event. We did the partial planning package and it was the best decision. Rachel was excited, kind, supportive and listened to every last detail and idea. She kept my fiancé engaged and excited during long planning meetings and had THE best to do lists and schedules to keep us on track. Without her we would have never been able to timely secure vendors in the craziness of 2022 and we felt so confident that she helped us choose high quality but cost effective vendors. Rachel was prompt in all communication and available for urgent questions and checkins as needed. Day of, she took care of every little detail with calmness and genuine desire to make sure it was the best day ever. Rachel was so fun to work with and i am happy to call her a friend now too! After working with Ohana for the past 10ish months it makes me emotional to think our planning is officially over, but we now have amazing memories to last a life time. Thank you Rachel and i would recommend every single future bride or groom I know to work with you!! -
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![Daniel]()
Daniel Sent on 08/02/2022*Destination wedding review* - Ohana was FANTASTIC!
We worked with Danielle and Rachel and they were absolutely fantastic! We got married at Villa Miani in Rome, Italy. They helped with our pre-planning, as well as the day of, and everything turned out perfectly. First off, finding the right vendors in a foreign country was a challenge and they were a massive help in finding the right people to work with. Working with our vendors' language & cultural barriers made planning more difficult, but Danielle & Rachel were incredibly helpful in working through these challenges, and we ultimately felt like we got the right services & prices.
They were extremely attentive to detail, and helped us think through many, many elements of our wedding that we had not even considered. This extended from timelines of different activities to complete leading up to the wedding, to budgetary guidance, and of course some fun ideas to make the wedding more memorable for our guests.
On the day of, Danielle and Rachel managed all communication & set up with our vendors which allowed us to fully focus on enjoying our special day - and everything went off without a hitch! Thank you, Ohana Events, for an unforgettable experience and wedding! -
![Alison]()
Alison Sent on 07/09/2022Best wedding day planner/coordinator in the market!
I cannot express enough gratitude for how much I loved working with Ohana Events for my wedding. I worked with Danielle (the owner) and Sonya, the senior planner, for over 3 months leading up to my wedding day. Sonya is an expert in wedding planning and a fantastic day of coordinator. Leading up to the big day, Sonya was readily accessible and always available to answer any questions, iron out the timeline, coordinate with vendors, organize wedding day logistics and so much more. Not to mention, she is so personable and brings such great energy to make wedding planning a smooth and seamless experience for the bride.
She paid attention to every wedding design detail when bringing my wedding day vision to a reality on the big day. She is patient and genuinely wants to support you in any way possible. My family and the bridal party still rave about how she was a total rock star and is the real-life Jennifer Lopez wedding planner! I highly recommend working with Ohana Events and can promise you will love working with Danielle and her team! -
![McKenna]()
Mckenna Sent on 05/22/2022Thorough and Organized!
Rachel was an absolute ROCKSTAR! We hired her for the in-between package and the six months leading up to the wedding were smooth sailing because of her professionalism, organization and responsiveness. She had our day-of timeline laid out down to twenty minute intervals and even sprinted across the venue to grab my bouquet I forgot right before walking down the aisle. Overall, we cannot recommend Ohana Events enough for the thoroughness and creativity they provide throughout the wedding planning process. -
![Danielle]()
Danielle Sent on 01/25/2022Hire ohana!
HIRE OHANA!! I'm typically one of those people who never writes reviews, just reads them, but these ladies deserve one and I'm excited to write one! I worked with Danielle and Jenna and they were the absolute best! One of the best wedding decisions I made!
First off, they're the sweetest people ever. They're so kind, fun, and easy going that it made this process so comfortable and fun. I felt like I was hanging out with friends during our timeline call :) Second, besides being amazing humans, they are so professional and excellent at what they do. Their knowledge of the industry, tips, advice, and the way they handle themselves and conduct business it top notch. The level of organization and thoughtfulness put into every aspect of the wedding planning was incredible. I had so many other vendors tell me how impressive their schedule and timeline for the day was. And the wedding day could not have gone smoother. Even guests were complimenting me on them and how great they were and how smooth everything was!
If you're on the fence of hiring any sort of wedding planner or coordinator, just do it. You will not regret it. And if you need help in choosing, CHOOSE OHANA! You won't be disappointed. I love these girls and hope you do too!! -
![Maggie]()
Maggie Sent on 11/17/2021Day of Coordination
Choosing Ohana Events was one of the best decisions we made regarding our wedding. I was hesitant to hire a coordinator, because I am sort of a control freak and had almost everything planned out already. We hired Ohana Events for a day of coordinator, but it was really several weeks of assistance we received leading up to wedding day. Their help with the timeline and all the other resources provided made everything so much easier. Day of, I didn't have to worry about a thing. I had full trust in my vendors and especially knowing we had Jenna and our extensive timeline to coordinate everyone, we were confident everything was going to run smoothly, and it did. Everything looked and happened just how we had envisioned it. They are super kind and very responsive. We HIGHLY recommend. -
![Ann]()
Ann B. Sent on 10/12/2021Professional & Personable
Danielle was wonderful. I got married in the middle of COVID pandemic and had to downsize my wedding from 50 guests to 20 and later to 10 of our closest family. My mom passed away a few months prior but always wanted me to get married. I had to change my venue to my home and backyard. During all of this, Danielle made this entire process doable and I felt so very supported. I could always reach her for questions and concerns. My family absolutely loved her on the day of the wedding and she blew us away as she rolled up her sleeves and made my wedding day literally the happiest day of my life! Please consider her for your future wedding planning! You won’t be disappointed! I’m lucky she was my planner! -
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![Diana]()
Diana Sent on 09/20/2021Definitely Hire
Such an excellent experience with Danielle and her team. Was not convinced a coordinator was necessary, but would entirely recommend to future couples. Danielle kept any issues from becoming our issues. The day was that much more enjoyable. Thank you! -
![Liz]()
Liz C. Sent on 09/20/2021Just Say YES to Ohana Events
SAY YES to working with Danielle!! I can't say enough how supportive, intelligent and helpful Danielle and her team are. She knows the industry through and through. In a situation where you don't know what you don't know, Danielle KNOWS what's normal and what's not and will help you make decisions that fit your desires. There were so many times I thought "I guess that's just a wedding fee" and Danielle was quick to explain if it normal/expected or something we should negotiate/change with vendors. She has great relationships with many, many Chicago vendors who equally adore her which made the whole process of planning enjoyable with very minimal stress. She's incredibly detailed and thorough with every step. She's hands-on and willing to help not only via email and her detailed documents (wedding timeline, venue comparison sheet, 3 month to do list, 1 month to do list, tipping etiquette etc.), but also in person to visit venues, have a timeline meeting, and food tastings. Investing in Danielle was the best money we spent on our wedding and I would do it 100 times over again. -
![Sarah]()
Sarah Sent on 11/18/2020Words Cannot Describe How Wonderful They Are!!
When our wedding plans changed due to COVID, we were stressed, overwhelmed and didn't even know where to begin. Then we met Danielle and Emily and our minds were IMMEDIATELY put at ease. As someone who is also V organized, I thought I would never meet someone who met my standards. BOY was I wrong! From the start, Danielle and Emily asked us all the right questions, put together a game plan and gladly took over all of the things that were stressing us out. Not only that, but they were SO nice, approachable and we actually wanted to stay on our Zoom call with them LONGER than 2 hours! They went above and beyond in every aspect of their service and never made us feel annoying for all the questions we had. The day of our wedding they showed up early, coordinated everything with our vendors, set up last minute things and handled any hiccups (I honestly don't even know if there were any). If you are looking for a wedding planner in the Chicago area, PLEASE hire Danielle and Emily. I seriously cannot say enough how wonderful they were - not just at getting stuff done and staying organized, but at making us feel so loved on our big day! -
Allison Sent on 10/22/2020
Do yourself a favor and book with ohana!
Do yourself a favor and BOOK WITH OHANA!! We went back and forth about having a day-of coordinator and I am SO thankful that in the end we decided to have one! We first met Rachel when we were looking at venues and although we didn’t love the venue she worked at, we couldn't get Rachel out of our head! From our very first impression she was SO put together and organized and knew everything there is to know about a wedding!! We were thrilled to learn she also did wedding planning and we decided to hire her as our day-of coordinator! She was an absolutely incredible resource for us throughout our wedding planning process whenever we needed advice or vendor recommendations. She especially went above and beyond helping us navigate changing our wedding plans during the pandemic! I’ll never forget coming home to an Ohana events card with a cheerful message encouraging us when we had to postpone our wedding, it was the kindest gesture. Rachel put together the most detailed timeline for our day and then on our actual wedding day Danielle was there to make sure it all ran seamlessly!! Danielle was absolutely incredible on our wedding day, making sure things were on time and people were in the right places! She was SO sweet to all our guests (I know in the past sometimes I've seen wedding planners get a bad reputation with the guests because they are too pushy, but let me assure you that Danielle is SO kind and genuine and would never make your guests feel uncomfortable). She went above and beyond on our actual day and the times she saved the day included (but were not limited) to the following: scrubbing mud out of my wedding dress minutes before I walked down the aisle, sending her assistant to go get eyelash glue when I needed it, sewing my wedding dress sleeve mid reception (yep she had her own little sewing kit), supplying me and my bridesmaids with spray on deodorant whenever we needed it and lastly packing up everything at the end of the night and making sure my husband and I had all our belongings. THOSE REASONS are why it is SO beneficial to have a day of coordinator! Danielle truly had everything I could possibly need and it was so wonderful to have a go-to person on my wedding day so that I didn't have to bother my mom or someone in my bridal party!! I will forever appreciate those day-saving acts of kindness/preparedness. Overall I cannot recommend Ohana events enough!! My sister has already booked them for her wedding in the spring- that is how much we love and trust them!! THANK YOU OHANA!!!!
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![Samantha]()
Samantha Sent on 08/28/2020Stellar! Made my microwedding amazing
I had no intention of ever utilizing a wedding planner, but then the pandemic hit and suddenly I had under 3 months to adjust all my plans, including finding a new reception venue. This is where Danielle came in and really saved the day. She helped us research a list of venues and ended up getting us an amazing deal with a location she had a prior relationship with. It was the perfect spot and met all of our needs – the right vibe, a beautiful space, outdoors, spacious yet intimate – all within our budget. Securing the venue alone was well worth the money spent to connect with Danielle, but even more she was an amazing help on the day of the wedding as well. Several of my family members and friends mentioned how helpful and on top of things she was. A pandemic microwedding might have been our Plan B, but with Danielle’s help, it felt like Plan A. I HIGHLY recommend working with Danielle and her team 😊 -
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![Timothy]()
Timothy Sent on 03/18/2020Worth Every Penny AND SOME.
Easily the best money we spent on our entire wedding. If anything went wrong at our wedding (which was a month ago) we still don't know about it because Rachel HANDLED.HER.BUSINESS. She's an absolute boss. We hired Ohana as a "day-of" coordinator about a month before our wedding because we were starting to feel overwhelmed by the stress and the details. Within a day of booking, Rachel came to our apartment and sat down with us for several hours to get to know us and learn about our vision. From there, she was armed with all of the information she needed to take over all of the worrying. She was amazing. I HIGHLY recommend Ohana. I want Rachel to plan every day of my life. She's amazing. -
![Susan]()
Susan Sent on 03/04/2020Day of Coordinator
Wow! I don't know where to begin with Danielle from Ohana Events. We were planning our wedding in Chicago from out of town and Danielle was so helpful there were little to no stress! She is incredibly organized, kind, responsive, and knowledgeable about the everything wedding! My friends were all so impressive with how organized and well thought everything was (especially her detailed timeline). She put my mind at ease on my wedding day, I was able to enjoy the day with my family and bridesmaids without worrying about a thing. It was perfect! She was very attentive to us during the whole process and during the wedding. She made our dream wedding come true! I would 100% recommend Danielle to a friend. -
![Tori]()
Tori Sent on 02/17/2020Above and Beyond!
We are so lucky to have worked with Danielle at Ohana Events! We reached out to Danielle about our destination wedding about 10 months before our wedding date. We knew that we were going to need a lot of help planning a wedding without ever seeing the destination (Playa Del Carmen, Mexico) and planning the biggest and best days of our lives! Danielle stepped up to make sure that every detail we could think of and beyond was perfected for our wedding day! She was there to make the whole process go smoothly from planning vendors to the day of and so on. We are so impressed with how organized and knowledgeable she was with planning a wedding so far away but she helped us tremendously! Danielle was able to keep us on track with hiring vendors, finishing timelines for events and meeting budget. She is amazing at what she does and we couldn’t have done it without her! Five stars! -
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![Dene]()
Dene Sent on 01/27/2020A True Wedding Love Story
This may sound strange but I remember our first conversation like it was yesterday. It was an immediate connection and unfortunately, I had been with other “frogs” to know this was the real deal! Our first conversation just flowed so seamlessly, it was an instant connection. Everything I had been looking for I had finally found! Often when I tell this story people thinking I’m talking about my new husband but I’m actually talking about our wedding planner Rachel!
She was everything we could’ve hoped for and more. After planning my wedding with another planner for a few months I started realizing I was stressed, doing way too much, coordinating with all the vendors, reviewing all the contracts, etc. I knew it was time for me to part ways. Unfortunately, that was only two months before my wedding and I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to find anyone. Rachel and Danielle are an absolute joy! Though I specifically worked with Rachel, I had the pleasure of meeting Danielle on my wedding day. Even though, it was Danielle’s fiance’s birthday she came to help support our wedding! That’s the level of service you’ll get through Ohana!
As Jay-z once rapped “Now, back to my Beyonce…”, which in this case is Rachel! I mentally coined Rachel as the Beyonce of wedding planning! She’s a star! She works hard! She gives great recommendations! She’s always present and she always looks so stylish doing it! 😊 Before hiring Ohana Events my inbox was full of communications from vendors. I was managing so much and my stress was through the roof! After hiring Rachel there was so much peace and WAYYY fewer emails! Rachel knew what was important to me and made decisions that kept our wedding visions and values in place. There were things, the day of the wedding that Rachel took care of and I was relieved that she didn’t ask my opinion on and just handled it. Literally, during the wedding, my mom came up to me and said “you have an amazing planner! She’s really taking care of everything!” There were some hiccups along the way like any wedding day will have but I will promise you that there is no one else in this world you’ll want handling those hiccups but Rachel and Danielle!
So if you don’t read anything else, here are some highlights:
•She’s the bow on a great gift: At the end of the night, we were able to return to our room and Rachel had nicely packed everything up for us in there. (our hotel was literally 7 steps away from our reception so I’m not sure how that would work out if you are far away)
•She makes decisions: I could list countless examples
•She advocates: There were two things that came up 2 weeks before our wedding that she handled for us. I don’t know what she did or how she did it but the stuff got HANDLED!
•She makes quality recommendations
The Good:
•The timeline! OMG coming from a person who loves organization- that document is GOLD!
The Bad:
•I told Rachel often the thing I didn’t like about her the most is that I didn’t meet her sooner. And now that my wedding is over it’s that we don’t have another event to plan together!
The Bottom Line:
•When I first started planning my wedding, I tried cutting corners to save money on a wedding planner but take it from me – don’t do that! Find cheaper chargers, different floral arrangements, maybe even a different dress, like that’s how important it is to hire a quality planner!
As Lilo said on Lilo & Stitch “Ohana means family” and truly Danielle and Rachel felt like family throughout this process. Our wedding couldn’t have been the magical wedding of the decade that it was without Rachel. -
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![Bertel]()
Bertel Sent on 01/17/2020Fantastic Planning and Excellent Execution Throughout!
The first thing you need to know about Danielle is her level of commitment to you as a client and your event. Danielle met my (then) fiancé and I for our introductory meeting at a nearby Starbucks during last year’s Polar Vortex, when it was -20 degrees outside. If that doesn’t prove her level of commitment, I don’t know what will. Danielle was extremely friendly, welcoming and energetic about our event. She first wanted to know more about us, how we met, the proposal, and our ‘vision’ for the wedding, rather than immediately describing her services. When it came time to understand her process, Danielle took time to explain her experience as an events coordinator, even before launching Ohana Events, and then walked us through the various services offered within each package. We knew immediately after meeting with Danielle, that we wanted Ohana Events for our wedding.
Danielle pays attention to details and reviewed every single one of our vendor contracts. She also provided a few recommendations, such as, what vendors to pursue and those we might want to reconsider. Given Danielle’s growing business, she has worked with a number of venues, florists, bands, transportation companies, etc. and helped us through the decision making process for each. In that vein, Danielle caught a number of errors within multiple contracts and helped us navigate those conversations with our vendors.
On the day of our wedding, Danielle was an absolute rockstar! She knew exactly where everyone was to be, at what moment and in what location. Danielle was operating at another level, committing every detail to memory; this kept us (and more importantly) our parents calm throughout the entire day. For example, when it came time to take pictures after the ceremony, Danielle commanded the room, calling out the names of friends and family who would be in the next picture; this expedited the process and allowed us to get to the reception on time.
In short, our wedding weekend was executed flawlessly. No mistakes, no errors, no last minute changes…all because of Danielle. I highly recommend Danielle to anyone who desires peace of mind, appreciates attention to detail, and who wants a professional who understands how a wedding weekend should be structured and executed. When you meet with Danielle, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
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![Kimberly]()
Kimberly Sent on 10/30/2019Having Danielle Day-Of is a MUST!
After working with Danielle, I am positive that a day of coordinator is the BEST wedding gift you can give yourself (or someone else). Danielle is so organized, pragmatic, thoughtful, attentive, and kind.
One of the things I discovered on my wedding day was that you care about the details... until you don’t. Danielle does an amazing job of the balancing act between bringing things to my attention when a decision needed my input, but just taking care of everything else without me needing to know.
She made the entire week of my wedding so much smoother and less stressful. Highly recommend! -
![Cassidy]()
Cassidy Sent on 09/09/2019The Perfect Wedding Coordinator
Our day would not have been what it was without Danielle and Ohana Events. We feel so lucky that we were able to have Danielle as our wedding planner. From the very beginning we knew that we could trust her with our wedding and vision. She is professional, kind, organized, driven and dedicated. The day would not have come together like it did without her. The detail of our wedding timeline was perfection and covered everything we could think of. On the day of not only did she keep us "on time" but she kept us calm (and me sane). We wouldn't of trusted anyone else with the biggest day of our lives! -
![Andrea]()
Andrea Sent on 08/24/2019Absolutely everything we were hoping for and more...
We, our family, and everyone at the wedding was blown away by Danielle and her team. We partnered with Ohana Events for Day-Of Planning and she was absolutely incredible. We had reservations in the beginning, wondering if it would even be necessary to have the help of a planner. In the end, I'm so glad we did and I don't think we could have done it without her. I had planned a very elaborate setup with a lot of our own decorations, complete with fully-stocked bathroom trays, countless candles, floral arrangements, and candy bar jars and scoops. I completely underestimated how much work it would be to unload, set up, breakdown, and reload everything at the end of the night (our venue didn't allow overnight storage of any kind). In addition, many of our floral arrangements and our ceremony arch was re-purposed for centerpieces or reception decorations. Working around guests during cocktail hour to do so, Danielle was seen everywhere, constantly moving, and making sure everything and everyone was where they needed to be when. Danielle never batted an eye when we told her all that we needed her to take care of. All of those countless candles, huge ferns, and decorations magically ended up back in their boxes and in our vehicle at the end of the night. We rushed out of our reception to meet our limo, and simply handed our keys over to Danielle, who arranged to have it delivered back to the hotel that so it would be waiting for us in the morning, packed and ready to go. Her get-to-know-you meeting in the weeks leading up to the wedding was so thorough. You could tell that she was looking to make the day as special to us as we imagined it. She showed up to our hotel the morning of the wedding with something like 8 umbrellas (it was unexpectedly raining) for all of our family to use as we headed out to our venue. She set up our candy bar table, cleaned up our bridal suite (more than a couple of times during the evening), set up the guest party favor table, orchestrated our rehearsal, wrangled family for post-ceremony pictures, etc., etc., and was just a complete ROCKSTAR. I can't sing her praises enough. Even weeks after the wedding we were still getting comments from friends and family about "that amazing planner". We would recommend Danielle and Ohana to anyone looking for an event planner in Chicago, the surrounding areas, and beyond. Thank you, Ohana! -
![Jessica]()
Jessica Sent on 03/20/2019Great attention to detail, above and beyond expectations
Working with Danielle was an absolute pleasure. She was there for me every step of the way, going above and beyond what I expected. She answered all my questions quickly and thoughtfully and even helped me brainstorm unique ideas for my wedding. She also had amazing attention to detail, every detail of my day went smoothly. She even helped to pull off a surprise performance for the MOH speech! Thank you Ohana Events for making our wedding day so special! -
Alison Sent on 02/18/2019
Highly Recommend!! Made our planning effortless!
Danielle and her team were absolutely incredible to work with! I used Danielle as a day of planner, but she went above and beyond what I expected that to entail. Danielle's experience in the industry and with vendor's in the industry made the planning process 200 times easier. Danielle is excellent at handling adversity and guiding you through the more delicate negotiations and conversations of wedding planning. Danielle will be there for you with whatever you need, and does it all with a smile on her face! She answers questions you wouldn't even think to ask and isn't afraid to give her professional opinion when you need the help. Our day went off without a hitch and we owe that to Danielle and Ohana Events!! -
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![Katherine]()
Katherine Sent on 01/05/2019She was fabulous!
Danielle is wonderful! Her kindness goes a long way. She was incredibly helpful in making all the details of our wedding fall into place. We had many props that needed to be set up because we were throwing a 1920's wedding and she placed everything exactly how we wanted. She was very organized and it made the wedding day go like clockwork. She was really fast in responding to emails and texts and had an answer to everything! I'm really thankful to her for all the details she reminded us of that we hadn't considered. Her suggestions were perfect and we couldn't have pulled it off without her. Would recommend her in a heart beat! She really is the perfect person for this job! I hope to have a reason to work with her again in the future. -
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Joe Sent on 07/25/2018Danielle went above and beyond for our wedding at the end of June. Not only did she help us plan everything prior to the big day amazingly, the day of she was just spectacular. Some background on our wedding day: It was the hottest day ever. The heat index was 110 and it was an all outdoor wedding. My wife is a worrier which of course also gets me anxious, especially with something this big. Danielle on the other hand, was cool, calm and collected. She along with her assistant ran all over making sure everything was perfect. She was everywhere at once and had complete control of the hectic environment. The result of her hard work was by far one of the most spectacular days of my wife's life, my life, and our families' lives. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you Danielle. Without your amazing abilities in your field we could not have accomplished everything that came to pass. If you are looking for a Wedding Planner/Coordinator please look no further than Ohana Events. You will most certainly not be disappointed!
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