Red Velvet Weddings Reviews
Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 rating
60 Reviews
100% recommend it
Awards
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Featured
![Emily]()
Emily Sent on 02/26/2024Ise Chaves and her team at Red Velvet are a Godsend!
I am so thankful I found Red Velvet Weddings! This team created a wedding that perfectly embodied my groom's and I's personality and vision. The type of experience that I could not have even imagined in my wildest dreams. Ise is super kind, professional, and gets the job done! She leaves no stone unturned and if she says she will do something, rest assured she will follow through. Of course it's scary planning an entire wedding from another country, but I knew I was in good hands the entire time with Ise. I honestly can't put into words how thoroughly and perfectly the team executed our wedding. If you want an authentic Costa Rican wedding polished off with luxury, grandeur, and absolute gorgeous perfection, hire Red Velvet Weddings! The genuine words "best wedding I've ever been to" came from the mouths of every single one of our guests. -
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![Tara]()
Tara K. Sent on 02/18/2024Simply The Best!
We cannot praise Ise and her Red Velvet Wedding team enough! They were with us every step of the way helping to ensure our special day was magical. They did not miss a beat. They helped us plan all of the logistics and identify the best vendors from how people were going to make it from the airport to the resort, when to hold various events such as the welcome dinner and sunset catamaran cruise, types of flowers, food, best way to decorate, and even helping to ensure the reception was cooled with outdoor AC units to keep us cool in unprecedented heat.
Throughout the day of the wedding, they had to coordinate so many vendors, wedding party, and all sorts of other mishaps (ask her about the resort maintenance guy falling through the roof), yet they always showed up just when we needed them to help with various preparation for us, the bride and groom. At no time during the wedding day were we stressed about anything. We knew Ise and the team had everything under control. We just needed to show up and enjoy ourselves. They even saved food for us from the cocktail hour while we were getting pictures as well as saving us an assortment of desserts from our dessert table. They are ON IT!
Red Velvet Weddings has the right experience, connections, and know-how to give you a stress-free, magical experience. You won’t regret it!
Much Love to Ise, Mariela, and Lola! -
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![Jessica]()
Jessica Sent on 01/02/2024Ise and her team will go to the ends of the earth to make your dreams come true!
It’s me. Hi. I’m the Bridezilla, it’s me.
My now-husband and I had a 3-day, event PACKED wedding at the Andaz in Costa Rica. Our wedding celebration exceeded my wildest dreams and has left our 140 closest family and friends with memories we will cherish for a lifetime.
Were we demanding? Yes. Did we ask for a horse, an ATV excursion, a catamaran to beach bbq event, over the top wedding reception, cocktail welcome party, and a million details to boot? Yes. Did Ise and her team come through for us and deliver? YES.
My husband and I are very grateful for Ise, Mariela, and Lola. We had some major issues with venue changes and after months of planning our wedding, we had to change course. They did triple the work and never asked for an extra cent. Ise has become a part of our life story and I am grateful that we chose her.
She is young, ambitious, and full of grit. She will fight for you and become more than a planner; she will be your friend. She will guide you on the best vendors and be honest with you and take charge. She changed my bouquet last minute without even asking me and I am so glad she did. She walked into the bridal suite with something totally different and so much better than the original. And I’m a control freak.
Most importantly, my wedding was awesomeee and all the events that accompanied were magical and beyond fabulous. Our guests have not stopped complimenting us.
Thank you for the wedding of our dreams!!!! I wish we could do it all over again.
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Amanda J. Sent on 12/15/2023
Red Velvet Weddings is a MUST for planning a wedding in Costa Rica
Words cannot begin to describe how much we loved working with Ise, Mariela, and Lola. Over the course of a year, we would receive a to do list at the beginning of the month along with a check in call. Never in the process did we feel rushed or overwhelmed. Everyone kept asking how the planning was going and every time they were so surprised when I said how little stressed I was. I knew every detail was taken care of and any issue was addressed. From the start, we knew we weren’t going to have a traditional type of wedding. Ise and her team made sure that we still got the “wedding” experience while still making it feel like us. All of the vendors she recommended were top notch. Our family and friends were blown away with how attentive the team was to fixing issues with room reservations, shuttle services to and from the airport, and just general questions. There is no way we could have planned a destination wedding in Costa Rica without the Red Velvet team. Every detail of our wedding exceed our expectations and we had the most amazing day. -
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Briana G. Sent on 07/18/2023
Worth every penny and then some! Great Experience.
I knew I needed to hire a wedding planner when planning a wedding in another country but I was very skeptical about doing so. I landed on Red Velvet Weddings after meeting Ise on Zoom and it was the easiest yes! Ise is very professional and very down to earth.
From the beginning I felt that she was just as invested in my wedding experience as I was and that was everything. She listened, took my ideas and requests about decor and a few extracurricular things I wanted, and brought everything to life.
I can sometimes be very type A but I decided before even hiring her that I wouldn't be that way for my wedding so I can just enjoy the experience however it all came together. On the day of the wedding Ise was a drill sergeant (a kind one) and I loved every bit of it! She was, so I didn't need to be. Get us together girl! It was great and I trusted her wholeheartedly the entire time.
She helped us put together a welcome party the day before the wedding. Helped us organize travel for all our guests flying in. And she helped us book a private boat for our party the day after the wedding which was the highlight of the trip outside of the actual wedding.
Our wedding was beautiful! Everyone had the best time.
I highly recommend Red Velvet Weddings! Ise and her team are amazing! They're worth every penny we paid them and more! -
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Kira O. Sent on 08/15/2023
The BEST planner in Costa Rica!!!
Getting married in Costa Rica but live abroad? Look no further & hire the Red Velvet Team. Ise & her team helped me take my wedding plans to the next level. Our wedding became a seamless production and left our friends and family wowed.
One of the most difficult components of planning a destination wedding for me was knowing if I was getting the best price for a service or if I was using reliable vendors. Ise and her team’s experience and relationships with vendors helped us not only plan, but also make strategic decisions to help us save money and get the most out of our vendors. Without her guidance, I would have missed out on enhancing details of the wedding that only an expert would know.
On the day of, Ise and her team allowed me to enjoy the day. Ise provided structure but also fluidity that reduced stressed for my wedding party, family, and me. Ise prioritized our happiness & well being (ie: I was able to enjoy a full dinner at the reception) throughout the entire wedding week.
If I could have done anything different for my wedding, it would have been hiring the Red Velvet team sooner during my planning. I’m so grateful for Ise & her team for helping me create my dream wedding and even more grateful for the new friendships I developed with Ise and her team.
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![Taylor]()
Taylor L. Sent on 07/05/2023Best wedding planner ever!
We had the pleasure of working with Red Velvet Weddings for our dream wedding in Costa Rica at the Andaz, and I couldn't be happier with the incredible experience they provided. From start to finish, they surpassed all expectations, creating a truly magical and unforgettable celebration.
Red Velvet Weddings exhibited exceptional professionalism, attention to detail, and a genuine passion for their craft, leaving us stress-free and confident in their abilities.
Every aspect of our wedding was flawlessly executed. Red Velvet Weddings thoughtfully incorporated our vision and preferences, transforming our ideas into a breathtaking reality. From the exquisite floral arrangements to the impeccable table settings, no detail was overlooked. Their meticulous planning ensured that every moment of our special day was picture-perfect.
The team's ability to anticipate our needs and seamlessly handle any unforeseen circumstances was truly remarkable. Their calm and composed demeanor reassured us at every turn, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the joyous celebration.
Furthermore, the professionalism and warmth exhibited by Red Velvet Weddings extended to their entire team. Their network of vendors and suppliers was top-notch, ensuring a seamless collaboration that resulted in an exceptional experience for all involved.
If you're seeking a wedding planner that will go above and beyond to create a wedding that exceeds your wildest dreams, Red Velvet Weddings is the epitome of excellence. They turned our vision into a reality and delivered a flawless celebration that will forever hold a special place in our hearts. -
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Sandeep D. Sent on 08/27/2023
Impeccable Wedding Planner!
I worked with Ise from Red Velvet Wedding for our wedding in March 2023. Since I was getting married to a man, I was nervous about finding someone who would be accepting in a foreign country. However, Ise was so wonderful and inclusive when she worked with us.
I was mainly looking for someone who was very organized and could give me a monthly to-do list and would have excellent communication skills. From my first meeting with Ise, I could tell that she would surpass my expectations in both organization and communication! I loved her style and wanting to get to know us as a couple first before we got into the design and details for our wedding.
Ise has been an excellent wedding planner from the start to the finish. She always kept her cool despite obstacles that came up during the planning process. Since I was a bit naive in the wedding planning, it was a relief that Ise always remained calm and was able to problem solve so easily.
Ise was very respectful and professional but she also genuinely cared about our happiness and became a friend through the process. She always listened to our ideas and was able to do exactly what we had envisioned and more!
In terms of the budget, we had given her a number, and she did an awesome job of keeping within that budget. I felt like I got what I had wanted without going over our first-agreed upon budget. Ise was able to do negotiations with all the vendors on our behalf and was able to get us discounts on various items. It was definitely worth the money to hire her as a full wedding planner since she saved us money throughout the process.
I truly loved our wedding experience when we finally got married in March. She was able to infuse my Indian culture with the Western ceremony, and I was so happy with the results. All of the guests felt well taken care of at El Mangroove in Guanacaste. They spoke so highly of the resort, the wedding, and the wedding planner. They were so impressed that Ise kept us all on time for each event!
I highly recommend Ise and Red Velvet Weddings team for anyone who is interested in getting married. Despite this being her first gay wedding, it did not phase her and she was able to tailor the wedding to our needs. She is so welcoming and inclusive that anyone would feel comfortable working with her. Thanks for doing such an awesome job and making our wedding experience memorable! -
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Amanda D. Sent on 06/19/2023
The Best Experience
Ise and Mariela are truly the best. My now husband and I reached out to Red Velvet Weddings in December 2022 with the hope of having our dream wedding in April 2023. We thought planning a wedding for our 40+ guests in 4 months was an impossible task, but we were SO wrong! Ise led us through the process so seamlessly. Everything was so well organized, decisions were made simple, vendors were recommended, we had weekly calls, and so much more. On our wedding day, Ise and Mariela were there from start to finish, managing and helping with every single aspect. Ise and Mariela have become family to us after this experience. Would highly recommend this team to plan your dream wedding with no hesitation. -
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Nicholas Sent on 03/28/2024
Dreamy Wedding, In our Budget
Working with Ise and her team was incredibly lovely and easy! We planned to have a small, second wedding in Guanacaste - since our first wedding was impacted by COVID - and we wanted it to be special and unique while also staying within budget. Ise helped guide us, find a venue, find vendors and places to stay, keep us on schedule and on budget. We were elated! Truly, Ise made this wedding perfect for us, we were so full of joy sharing the day with family and friends and didn’t even feel a moment’s stress throughout the weekend. We knew that everything was taken care of. Thank you! -
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Lisa C. Sent on 02/16/2023
The absolute best!
Red Velvet was the absolute best decision we made in helping with our dream wedding! From the start Isella listened to what our vision was and didn’t pressure any decision. In the end her and her team were so flexible with last minute changes and add-ons. On our wedding day I didn’t have a care in the world because Isella had everything taken care of down to the smallest detail. -
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![Lindsey]()
Lindsey L. Sent on 02/08/2023Made our dream beach wedding come to life!!
Ise and Mariela made our beach wedding dreams come true in Costa Rica and we couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out! Ise has excellent vendor relationships, and we absolutely loved every vendor she recommended—guitarist, florist, hair/makeup, lighting, furniture rentals, catering, bakery, DJ, fire show entertainment—they all were super professional and so nice to work with. My husband and I had never been to Costa Rica until two days before our wedding, so we took a huge leap of faith and trusted Ise to carry out our vision and she did not disappoint! The day of went so smoothly, Ise and her team handled everything and stuck totally to the timeline. She also recommended unique and fun elements such as the fire dancers on the beach, awesome engraved coconut drinks we used for our seating chart, and super cute personalized drink pouches for everyone to sip on during the ceremony. We were most impressed with how she was able to transform our fairly small beachfront venue into an intimate and breathtaking unique space. She truly understood our vision down to every last detail! We recommend Red Velvet Weddings to anyone looking to plan a wedding or event in Costa Rica. We’ll miss chatting with Ise and definitely plan to keep in touch! -
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![Carly]()
Carly H. Sent on 12/15/2022Magic Maker
My husband and I interviewed 5 different wedding planners in Costa Rica and we knew that Ise was the one within 5 minutes of speaking to her. Her professionalism, portfolio, experience and confidence just blew away the competition. I’m not your typical bride who has dreamed about her wedding since I was 5 so I didn’t come with a list of requests for our wedding. What we needed was someone who could get to know us and create a unique and tailored experience without burying us in questionnaires. Actually, what I needed was JLo from The Wedding Planner and that’s really who Ise is. No joke, she has that waist belt emergency kit and she can fix anything!
Throughout the 1.5 year planning process (we delayed once) Ise made it really easy for us to stay in communication and on schedule, using easy scheduling and organizational technology. We both work full time so flexibility and punctuality are very important to us. Ise strikes the perfect balance of giving you space when you’re tied up and she’ll crack the whip when you’ll regret staying on track with high-priority deadlines, which I really appreciated/needed.
She brought us the best vendors and we really trusted her to advocate on our behalf when it came time for negotiations and edits. We were also able to see flowers, tablescapes and fabrics in person, which was so important to us because we’re both really visual people.
We planned a 4-night event in Manual Antonio and our family flew in from all over the world. As you can imagine, there were a lot of last minute questions and requests from people and Ise and her team did a wonderful job at providing a buffer between us and a few high maintenance guests (sorry mom) as we approached the big day. What we really wanted was to go into the wedding with as little stress as possible so that we could really enjoy the experience. Let me just say, my husband and I had THE BEST TIME EVERRRRR!!! If anything went wrong, we didn’t see it and we felt confident the whole time that whatever was happening behind the scenes was handled by Ise and her team (shoutout to Magui!).
We really couldn’t have asked for more out of this experience. Ise even surprised us with a special guest when we walked out of the ceremony (see pics). If I could do it all over again, we would 100% choose Red Velvet Weddings. -
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![Anitha]()
Anitha U. Sent on 12/10/2022MUST HAVE Costa Rican Wedding Planner
My husband and I planned a 4 day long Indian wedding in Costa Rica. Ise and her team were VITAL to the success of our wedding. Our guests kept exclaiming at how amazing everything was from the food, decor, logistics, venues, and the fact that nothing went wrong. I am forever indebted to the Red Velvet Weddings team. From day one, they helped us negotiate with our hotel (even reaching out to our previous venue in Bali to get our money back due to COVID cancelling our wedding) and all of our vendors. Ise had such a beautiful vision and she made all of our dreams come true from the tiniest details. She is BEYOND communicative. I endlessly texted her and she always responded immediately and was so helpful. I could setup as many meetings with her as I wanted and I found that to be so important to our experience (and my anxiety). Throughout the entire experience she and I were always on the same page. On the days of the events, Ise was VITAL. She made sure nothing went wrong, she managed our guests, she made sure we always ate and had fresh cocktails. Honestly, I felt so taken care of that I actually got to enjoy our wedding and be present and experience it with our friends and family. I felt so much relief knowing she and her team were there. Planning a destination wedding is tough. Planning an Indian wedding is tough. She makes planning an Indian destination wedding look easy. And the best part is that after the wedding is over, you've now made a friend. 10/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND. If you're planning an Indian Wedding in Costa Rica....seriously, look no further. -
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![Lindsay]()
Lindsay L. Sent on 12/18/2022The wedding of our dreams!
If you're getting married in Costa Rica, you HAVE to hire Ise! We got married on 12/9/22 at the Andaz, and everything was absolutely perfect... couldn't have asked for a better planner!
When I met Ise for the first time, I was visiting for venue touring and I showed up with my little wedding planning binder - Ise asked me why I had a binder because SHE was my wedding binder ... and she totally was! Everything was so organized and the level of detail was impeccable.
Through the process, Ise provided excellent recommendations for vendors (her A team is truly A+++!), negotiated great rates for us, guided us to stunning design and delicious food, coordinated a Catamaran excursions for our guests, and even helped us plan our honeymoon afterward at Origins (great recommendation!). Everything turned out even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined! Our guests were amazed by the beauty of the wedding, some saying it was the best wedding they have ever been to!
We truly do believe it was the best wedding ever!!! Thank you Ise & team for the most amazing and memorable wedding weekend!! -
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![Kasie]()
Kasie K. Sent on 11/14/2022Ise and her team are the best!
Planning a wedding in another country is daunting, but Ise made every decision seem easy. She was patient even when I was indecisive. She delivered on every detail and vision we had for our wedding. And when it came to the day of, she gets it DONE! She took care of everything, kept everyone where they needed to be, and we were able to actually enjoy the day. 10/10, worth every penny -
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