Holliday Weddings

Heather truly MADE my wedding!! It couldn't have happened without her. She is so awesome to work with and it shows. I already knew I made the right choice, but it was confirmed when every time I talked to a new vendor, all they could do was gush about how amazing she was. If you are looking for an event planner, look no further than Holliday Weddings!!

My husband and I cannot say enough good things about Heather from Holliday Weddings! Heather helped us coordinate our destination wedding at a vineyard in Sonoma, 2500 miles away from home, and we couldn't have been happier with her services. We could not have done it without her! Her recommendations for vendors were spot on, which was very important since we did not have the opportunity to do any meetings or tastings being that we were so far away. She was always quick to respond to our emails and phone calls and made us feel totally confident and at ease that things were always taken care of. It was clear that she has wonderful standing relationships with many vendors in the Sonoma area. The day of the wedding my husband and I were able to relax and enjoy ourselves, and everything went off without a hitch! She had managed to created the exact atmosphere we described in our phone conversations and photographs, and all the vendors she had recommended were fantastic! We jokingly call Heather our "wedding ninja," because she seemed to be handling everything the day of the wedding with ease and while hardly being noticed :) Out of all the decisions that went into planning our special day, choosing Heather was by far the best decision we made. Not only is she a talented wedding planner, but she is a great person who we feel so lucky to have met. We would recommend her with 100% confidence.

Heather was amazing.... Our wedding was all we imagined and more!!!!

Heather was absolutely fantastic!! She acted as my "day of" planner, but she was so much more. She worked with me over the months leading up to the wedding, answering my questions, talking me through the process, and sometimes talking me off a ledge...LOL!! When the day finally came, she was extremely organized and efficient. She wrangled my wedding party and made sure that everyone was where they were supposed to be (not an easy feat!), and most importantly I had confidence in her. I didn't have to worry about anything, and that really made my day special. I am usually a control freak, but knowing that Heather was leading the team, I could let it all go and just be a bride.

My day was simply perfect, and it was in large part due to Heather and her team. They really know their stuff!! Thank you Heather for making my wedding day the best day of my life. I will forever be grateful!

wasn't planning on writing any reviews about our experience with Holliday Weddings, until Heather Holliday promoted our May 2011 wedding on her business's Facebook page. As you will read, it's odd (bizarre, in fact) that she would promote a wedding that went quite awry. We worked with a lot of skilled professionals on our wedding day; Heather Holliday was not one of them.

Heather Holliday has a great personality and, initially, my husband and I were charmed by her cheerful, outgoing nature and enthusiasm. But when it came to handling our wedding, Heather was a total amateur.

The night prior to the wedding, we had a welcome reception for all of our guests; it was a destination wedding, so everyone was from out of town. My husband's wedding-day suit needed to be pressed, so Heather decided to drive into San Francisco with her co-planner & have dinner & drinks while they waited for the suit to be pressed. Given that both Heather & her co-planner went out of town to deal with the suit, there was no support person from Holliday Weddings at our welcome reception. Therefore, my mother & mother-in-law scrambled around handing out welcome totes to our guests; Heather didn't show up until the last few minutes of the reception. This, it turns out, was an omen of things to come.

I say this as someone who spent well over a decade in the hospitality industry: the ability to manage crises & handle unexpected events is what being an event planner is all about. Anyone can plan a party; a professional event planner is hired to make the event run smoothly for the clients, no matter what. TO BE CLEAR: My husband and I were NOT upset with Heather Holliday because the weather on our wedding day was poor. We were upset with Heather because she was completely out of her element when it came to handling the unexpected.

Despite our countless inquiries with her as to contingency plans in the event of inclement weather, when the weather took a turn for the unpleasant on our wedding day, Heather was a total deer in the headlights & absent throughout the day.

My husband & I saw Heather before the ceremony & didn't see her again until after the photos and cocktail hour, when she arrived to tell us that our "back-up plan," an indoor bungalow, wasn't an option after all. Despite 6 mos. of clarifying our Plan B with Heather, the fact that the kitchen would've needed HOURS to move the dinner site was, amazingly, news to her. Instead, our dinner had to be moved into the wine cave at the last minute, which took well over an hour. This delay meant that our guests were left to mill around aimlessly for a seemingly interminable length of time, and our dinner was very late, with dessert served within the final 20 minutes of the reception. As a result, there were no toasts. No speeches. There was no dancing. Furthermore, a couple of our guests wound up handing out all the gift bags, because yet again, Heather was nowhere to be found.

Had Heather been better informed/more honest about the realities of executing our back-up plan, this could all have been avoided. Instead, she told us she had been checking weather websites online & was simply "shocked" that the wind hadn't died down; it seemed as though she actually thought she could will the weather into cooperating.

I should add that my husband and I were also supposed to have a few private minutes alone together immediately after our ceremony. At that point, Heather Holliday was nowhere to be found, so IMMEDIATELY after saying our vows and being pronounced husband & wife, my husband & I had to spring into "crisis mode." My husband began working with the caterer to move the cocktail hour indoors & get our guests out of the chilly winds. I was corralling family members in an attempt to get the photos taken. Where was Heather? Finally, Heather appeared; she was clearly nervous & out of her depth, telling us she'd been absent because she was trying to keep the place settings on the outdoor tables from blowing away. She later told us that she had inadequate staff support the day of our wedding (not surprising considering that her "staff" consists of her mother & husband).

Also, I'd spent hours (& a fair amount of money) on wedding programs and personalized tissues for our guests during the ceremony. NOT ONE GUEST received them, because Heather placed them at the bar (far from the ceremony location) instead of passing them out to our guests. Adding insult to injury, she didn't even realize that the guests didn't get the programs until I pointed it out to her a couple of days after the wedding.

Heather came to our hotel at our request a couple of days later to discuss everything. She cried & made everything about herself, telling us repeatedly how sad SHE was that our wedding day was so chaotic. To her credit, she did refund us 2/3 of her fee, which we appreciated. What she couldn't give us back was the smoothly-run wedding we trusted her to handle.

Where do I start to describe the services provided by Holliday Weddings? I first met Heather at a bridal faire when I was unsure if I needed a wedding planner or not, but I am so glad that my fiance (now husband) told me I needed one. She not only provided the professional support that I needed throughout the wedding planning process, but she has also become one of my closest friends.

She totally got my vision of the perfect fairy tale wedding and was able to create that in ten-fold! She made sure my wedding day was so stress-free that I was able to enjoy all the little moments. When she pulled me aside so that I could be the first to view my reception site all set up, I started to cry because it was everything I had dreamed of since I was a little girl. Later on in the evening when there was a minor snag with some guests she made sure everything was handled with such professionalism that half of our guests didn't even know what was going on. She kept everything flowing at the reception and made sure everyone had a great time.

Heather's mom, Phyllis, who is one of her assistants, was such a great help with our wedding as well. She took care of all the alterations of my wedding gown, which included lifting and re-attaching hand appliqued lace and beading. She was able to figure out the bustle in advance so, come my wedding day, Heather was able to bustle me in less than 5 minutes and it stayed the entire night.

If you are considering whether or not you need a wedding planner... YOU DO! It makes everything so much easier. And when you realize you need a planner, you should definitely choose Holliday Weddings!

I could not have had my wedding without Holliday Weddings. Heather, the lead planner, was always just a phone call away and often had an answer for me right away, if she didn?t she got me the answer swiftly. She helped me with vendor suggestions and briefed the vendors on what I was looking for and my budget so that I really felt like the vendors I visited knew what I was looking for when I met with them. She often accompanied me to visits with vendors that were new to her as well, which made me feel very comfortable. She fielded all my vendor calls and answered all their questions so I wouldn?t get stressed.

Heather dealt 100% with my caterer during their staffing change and was instrumental in getting the additional charges they tried to add on during this time reversed so that there would not be over $1,500 in additional fees two weeks before my wedding. She kept me calm in the days leading up the wedding, so that I would be able to enjoy my out of town family. On the day of Heather and her staff were great, they were always one step ahead of everything and made sure that all of our needs were taken care of.

Throughout the whole process Heather was always there for me and I truly believe that my wedding would not have been as great without her there to help me see it through.

I always saw myself as a “hands on” kind of bride – until I got engaged. Heather worked endlessly to see my vision become a reality. She booked my appointments, screened vendors before I met with them, and was careful to include key family members in on the planning when it was necessary. She was responsive to all my crazy phone calls, last minute changes, and silly questions. I truly could not have had the day I dreamed of without her.

Holliday Weddings is exceptional to work with!
I would recommend them to any bride wanting the perfect wedding, Heather is a complete...

It is amazing how much time and effort goes into planning a wedding. As you look at the year ahead, you think to yourself, I can do this... and decision after decision is made. The details, the appointments, the phone calls... and all at once it hits you, and you are instantly in tears and overwhelmed! Planning your wedding should be exciting and fun! Don't let all the anticipation and dreams of your wedding day get clouded with the anxiety and stress of the planning. Entrust your wedding planning to a professional wedding and design coordinator! No one will work harder for you to plan your day than Heather from Holliday Weddings. Heather is absolutely the best in the industry and is highly recommended!

Heather Holliday at Holliday Weddings is fabulous. She is so easy to work with, stays on top of all the details without getting ruffled, and ensures that your wedding day is perfect. I highly recommend Holliday Weddings.

Heather Holliday runs a top-notch program, from beginning to end! Her event planning style is organized and caring. She takes the time to plan every fine detail which makes the wedding rehearsal and wedding day run smoothly! Her positive energy is a blessing for the wedding party and vendors alike.