Ohana Events Reviews
Reviews
5.0 out of 5 rating
![WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner]()
5.0 out of 5 rating
77 Reviews
99% recommend it
Awards
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![Carmen]()
Carmen L. 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! -
![Rachel]()
Rachel P. 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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![Funmilola]()
Funmilola O. 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 K. 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. -
Hayley T. 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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Lauren H. 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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Jenny J. 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 F. 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!! -
![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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![Molly]()
Molly S. 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 V. 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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Hailey B. 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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![Emily]()
Emily N. 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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![Daniel]()
Daniel P. 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!
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