The Go To Gals

After all of the wedding planning, on the day of the wedding I wanted to hand it all over to someone else and actually be able to enjoy the day and focus on what was important, not all the little details.

I knew from our first meeting that Karri Lucas was the right choice. She was very calming and very organized, with great ideas.
Even though we hired her for just Day of Coordination, Karri was always available to me for questions and concerns and gave very helpful advice and suggestions.

On the day of the wedding, Karri and Courtney were on top of everything - the decor, the schedule, the entertainment, etc. If I needed anything, all I needed to do was look around and one of them was right there to assist me. Everything went smoothly that night and they were a huge part of that.
I would highly recommend Karri and Courtney - they were one of the best wedding decisions that I made.

This is the hardest review to write. When I met with Karri I instantly loved her and my FI and I clicked with her. She was helpful in the beginning answering emails quickly suggesting vendors for me (she suggested my DJ whom I loved!).

About two months before my wedding Karri let me know that a family emergency came up and Courtney would be taking over as my doc but she would still be working with me on the timeline and everything else. (This is fine, I know what the emergency was, and I totally understand her not being able to do my wedding).

I met with Courtney so I could get to know her and I liked her. She seemed a little high strung but I thought they could be helpful on the day-of to get my vendors going. She said she’d work with my on a rental list, etc. I never received the rental list that she promised me.

When Karri and I were working on the timeline we’d send drafts back and forth to each other. Sometimes it took a long time in between drafts and sometimes I thought the timing was a bit off but we finally got it down to a version that worked beautifully.

When the timeline was done I was emailing with Courtney and she said that she’d be at the wedding around 1pm. (I was getting there at 9am and other vendors were arriving at 11am and noon). When I told her that I really wanted her there by 11am she said she had to work that morning but that she’d try. This really upset me since I was paying a lot of money for her to be there on the day-of and I expected her to be there the whole day-of. I spoke to Karri about it and she spoke to Courtney and Courtney was there by 11am.

Courtney picked up much of my wedding stuff the week of the wedding and stored it for me so I didn’t have to deal with it. I really appreciated that.

On our final walk-through Chris said he needed to speak to Courtney about something privately (a surprise for me I assumed). As I walked away so I wouldn’t hear Courtney said “Don’t worry, I won’t let him mess up your wedding.” I know she was trying to be funny but it made me mad that she referred to it as “my” wedding since I felt that it really was Chris’s wedding too.

On the day of everything flowed pretty smoothly considering that my florist ran late and I had a very difficult venue. There were just a few things that upset me. First of all, I had given Courtney reserved seating signs for family at the ceremony and written on the back of each one exactly what seat it was supposed to go on. I had even clarified which side I meant by “right side” etc. with her so she’d know exactly where they went. On the day of she switched the sides of them because (as she told my Mom) the brides family is supposed to sit on the same side as the bride. I didn’t want it this way because I wanted my family to sit on the opposite side of me so they could see my face and visa versa. When my Mom told her that I had done it the opposite was at rehearsal (I ran my own rehearsal because Courtney couldn’t be there) she said that that just wasn’t how it was done. This made me the most mad.

I had also given her my something blue (a pin my brother had bought me) and she said she’d make sure that it got onto my bustle after the ceremony. It never did and I found it in my leftover wedding supplies that I took home after the wedding.

I’m also not sure what happened to my piece of cake that was sitting on my sweetheart table but I never got to eat it and it was boxed up for me to take home in the box I provided to her. This could have been the caterer’s fault though.

I had gone over the order of the toasts several times with Karri on the timeline but on the day-of Courtney did them backwards. When she told my MOH that she was up first and my MOH said that she was supposed to be last (because of severe stage fright) Courtney told her that we were changing it. I had put them in that order for a reason and there was no reason to change it.

Lastly, at the end of the night we were loading up the shuttles with the stuff that needed to go back to the hotel Courtney complained to me about how the drivers of the shuttles didn’t want to work and they were arguing about who was going back to the hotel with me. I’m not sure what was going on but either way, I feel like the DOC should never complain to the bride. It stressed me out and I shouldn’t have had to hear about it.

All of that being said, I know that Courtney did a lot for me on the day-of. She kept the activities on time and I didn’t have to pay attention to what was coming up next. I know how hard day-of coordination is and I appreciate everything she did for me.

Do not even think about having any event without calling these gals. I hired them for Day of Wedding Services when my on-site facility was having a lot of personell turn-over. I would and will hire them to run any event I plan in the future. What a relief to be able to enjoy the most wonderful day of my life because I did not have to worry about anything. Courtney saw to it that we stood where we needed to stand. We entered when and where we needed to enter. We toasted, we danced and we partied exactly as Karri laid it out on paper and never had a care in the world that night. Imagine that...we got to relax and actually enjoy our Wedding. The gift of being able to be AT my Wedding instead of having to RUN my wedding was priceless. The Go To Gals are a necessity to any Wedding. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Jeff and I cannot thank Karri and Courtney enough. They made our wedding day an utterly unforgettable day. Everything was just perfect and beyond what we thought it was going to be.

Karri and Courtney are awesome and they are very very professional. They are very organized so everything worked so seamlessly before and during our wedding. They organized all of our timelines and accomodated all of our little and very frequent changes... (Thank you Karri!!) They suggested great vendors for us and coordinated all of them throughout the process. When there were the inevitable glitches on the day-of and very close to the day of, they were very calm and handled everything so flawlessly that I did not even know about many of the things until after the wedding.

On top of everything, they are amazingly nice people. They definitely were the best vendor that we worked with and were worth every penny. They are very reasonably priced and they made suggestions for other very reasonably priced vendors. If you are thinking about hiring a coordinator, I would suggest Karri and Courtney in a heartbeat!

Thank you, Karri and Courtney for making the day of our wedding a day beyond what we could imagine!!

I met Karri and Courtney through a mutual friend. We were in the process of hiring a day of coordinator and their prices were the most affordable. They were a dream to work with. They helped us find vendors and always answered my emails. Karri also helped to keep me on task during the planning process as I tend to procrastinate. They took care of everything on my wedding day. I think there were some issues with the site on the day of, but I have no idea what they were. They were such a calming presence I was able to relax and just enjoy myself -- a big thing for a control freak like me! My guests had a great time and my other vendors couldn't stop talking about how great the coordinators were.

Karri and Courtney are my heroes! My fiance and I originally hired them to help us plan our August 2007 wedding. We were planning for 200 guests and had no idea where to start. They helped us find the photographer, florist, DJ, and location in a matter of months. It was so wonderful. Then, about three months before the wedding, we had a family emergency. It was the toughest decision we have ever had to make, but we knew we had to postpone the wedding. I was so afraid that Karri and Courtney would be upset, but they were extremely professional. They helped us contact all of the vendors we had lined up and got them to use our deposits that we had already given them for a new date. When we were ready to start planning again, they called all of the vendors again and set up the new date for us. It was such a stressful time for us, I don't know what we would have done without them.

On the day of the wedding, they took care of everything. One of the groomsmen lost a button and Courtney had a sewing kit and mended it for him. My sister got a stain on my dress and Courtney was right there with a clean wipe. When I was getting ready to walk down the aisle, I almost forgot my bouquet, but Courtney was right there to hand it to me. The reception went so smoothly because of all the planning they put into the schedule for the wedding. Like I said before, they are my heroes!

I found these Gals through www.labridezilla.com and I am SO glad I did! Karri set up all of the timelines, lists, and other necessary docs and Courtney was there to actually coordinate the event as my Day Of Coordinator. Courtney helped with my last minute issues with my location and also came through HUGE when our DJ wasn’t able to play the music that we gave him or play the slideshow. I’m sure that Courtney was doing a lot of things behind the scenes that we don’t even know about and I'm forever indebted to her. I loved The Go To Gals!

I cannot say enough about Karri. She is the best! Karri came in to the planning process about 3 months before my wedding. Originally I had not expected to hire a coordinator since I was trying to do everything way a head of time and have the wedding paid off by the time the wedding rolled around. Well I realized that I needed some help because I was so burnt out on wedding stuff. After my first meeting with Karri I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. She was so easy to get along with and is so darn sweet. She made it clear that her job was to take the stress off of me. She said she would deal with all my vendors. And if any problems were to arise on the day of the wedding, she would take care of it. Because that is the last thing a bride needs on her wedding day is for a vendor to approach her with a problem. She really impressed me. And like I said she so easy to get along with. She doesn’t take over your vision of your special day. She makes it happen. Never did she boss anyone around. She always showed the most utmost respect for who ever she was dealing with. All my other vendors raved about her! She was so on top of things. A lot of the comments I got from my bridal party and family was that Karri was very calming. She always had everything under control. If anyone were looking for full on coordinator or just day of coordinator, I would highly recommend Karri Lucas! I would hire her again in a heartbeat!

Karri and Courtney were awesome – they organized all of our timelines and items for the day of the wedding and coordinated all of our vendors flawlessly. Even when there were glitches on the day-of, they kept their cool, didn’t stress me out at all, and solved all of my problems – just like they’re supposed to. Plus, they’re really nice and easy to work with! They were the best vendor that I worked with and worth every penny (and they're very reasonably priced). I would hire them again in a heartbeat! Thanks so much, Karri and Courtney!!

Although this review is LONG overdue, the Go To Gals were fantastic. Karri and Courtney handled everything on the day of with such professionalism that I even got compliments from guests about how helpful they were. I hired them for day-of coordination only, but met with Karri several times (and exchanged too many emails to count) to get guidance and support while planning my event and towards the end while dealing with a couple difficult vendors. Being the control-freak that I am, I didn't have Karri get too involved with vendors, but she made sure I knew she was available, should I need the help. After the event, I found out that several things sort of "went wrong" on the wedding day, and I never knew about it because Karri and Courtney solve the "issues" immediately. This was one of my best wedding decisions and I would recommend these ladies to anyone. If you'd like more info, feel free to email me at saigehasel (at) gmail (dot) com. HTH! :D

I booked with Karri and Courtney about a year before my wedding. I interviewed many different coordinators, and decided I wanted the joy (and subsequently, the pain) of planning my own wedding, but wanted help for the day-of. Since we were having it at the Ritz, we needed someone who was familiar with various wedding procedures, etiquette, and so forth, because unlike a church wedding, there’s no coordinator at the hotel weddings to take charge during rehearsal with this stuff. Since I booked so far ahead of time, we went a while without contact, but I knew they were available if I needed them! Boy did I ever – a week before my wedding, I found out that my original officiant (Reverent Bob) had booked a wedding just before mine and would likely be late. I was on a desperate hunt to find a new officiant and Karri really came through. Within the day, she had a new officiant for me and made lots of phone calls and basically just kept me calm. During the rehearsal, Courtney came and whipped everyone into shape. Same with the wedding day, both Karri and Courtney were there and kept everything rolling smoothly. I didn’t have to do a THING – which was crazy considering how picky I can be! They made these amazing organizational lists and the best timeline -- I was a stickler about the timeline. I wanted everything to run like clockwork. Best of all, my family and friends just enjoyed the day and didn’t have to run around dealing with vendors or anything. The day was already a blur, I can’t imagine having to field questions from everyone and trying to coordinate everyone. All of my stuff, including gifts, were packed up nicely and placed in our suite for us as well. They were brisk, efficient, hard-working, and so nice. They’re really open to anything you may want, and very reasonably priced. I would HIGHLY recommend them – they were a treasure, and my best wedding expense. :D

I hired the Go to Gals as my day of coordinator because I was going absolutely nuts thinking about all the details I would have to handle during my wedding. I was totally blown away by their affordability as well as their performance. They were great on the day of the wedding as well as the months leading up to my wedding. Karri was a great resource for Vendor advice, coordination, and just making sure that every detail was handled for the big day. They were organized and Karri kept insisting on taking loads off my plate to help me out.

On the day of the wedding Karri and Courtney worked extremely hard, helping set up doing whatever it took to make sure the reception and ceremonies were gorgeous. She even improvised when there was no string to hang my lanterns with some ribbon she had in her emergency kit. They put in a good 12 hour day and wouldn't leave my wedding until every last guest was out of there so they could make sure the reception area was spotless. We would've gotten fined $500 if there were any cigarette butts on the ground so they went through with a flashlight and picked every cigarette butt and bottle of beer they could find. Really, I felt like I was so fortunate to find not only a professional coordinator but a very sweet one to boot!

We also used The Go To Gals (Karri Lucas) for our wedding in August at the Skirball Center. The day was AMAZING and mainly because I hired the BEST vendors. The Go To Gals included.

They made everything so easy and I didn't have to worry about a thing. Everything ran very smoothly and they were so professional. We met wtih them several times and they were always willing to send us suggestions on vendors / do additional research for us.

On the day of the wedding they went the extra mile! They even disassembled our chuppah for us so that we could display it for the guests. I was so impressed with their work and was even more impressed by the fact that to me they were everywhere, but the guests didn't even notice them. They were so out of the spotlight that the guests thought I did it all by myself. NO CHANCE I could have pulled it off without them.

I have nothing but praise for The Go To Gals.

Karri coordinated my Oct. 1, 2005 wedding at Calamigos Ranch & did an AMAZING job! I hadn't originally planned on hiring a wedding coordinator since I considered myself a fairly buttoned up person & figured I could handle (or deligate) most of the details/logistics myself. After reading review after review about all of the little things that can (& often do) go wrong on one's wedding day, I decided that I wanted to alleviate as much stress as possible for myself as well as my friends & family members & just focus on enjoying the day itself.

I met Karri 3-4 months before my wedding, & she knocked my socks off with how "on it" she was. In our initial meeting she took & ran with a bunch of my ideas giving me tons of input/suggestions. She also helped
give me a clearer idea of where I should be focusing my energy during the upcoming months/weeks. During the walk-through of my site, Karri ran circles around me with her organization & thinking of things I would have never thought of on my own (again, this is coming from somebody who considers herself pretty organized/on top of things!) Karri was always SUPER responsive every time I emailed her, never got annoyed (even when I emailed her a ton of times) & always came through for me. Two weeks before my wedding my hair stylist cancelled on me & Karri calmed me down & told me not to worry, we'd find somebody. The next day she sent me a huge list of stylists along with their prices & told me if I needed help she'd be more than happy to call around. A few days before my wedding (during the "crunch time") she'd check up on me & offer to help me out with little things (like my seating chart, programs, etc.) if I was in a bind. I almost forgot to add that she did a day-of schedule that was so thorough that the photographer as well as site-coordinator told me that it was one of the best they had seen (& they wished all of their brides could write one as detailed as mine!)

The day of my wedding, Karri & Courtney ran the show like pros, keeping everything & everyone running smoothly. They were friendly & helpful without being pushy (even friends & family were commenting AFTER the wedding about how great they were! :)

I was & am SO GRATEFUL for Karri's help. I can't imagine my wedding without Karri & Courtney (I shudder to think what a nervous wreck I would've been had I not had them there but, thankfully, they took all of that stress off of my shoulders & allowed me to just enjoy the day I worked so hard to plan.)

In hindsight, I can honestly say that Karri was one of my favorite vendors to work with. From our first meeting all the way through the big day, Karri went above & beyond & did a fabulous job!

If you need any more information, feel free to send me an email at cattaurus@yahoo.com

:) Catherine

We hired Karri and Courtney for full coordination of our wedding. We originally had only planned on doing day of coordination, but the price of full coordination was so reasonable, that we decided to go for the full package.

During the months leading up to the wedding, Karri and Courtney were available to answer any questions, meet with us, and attend vendor meetings. They always went out of their way to help us with anything we needed, which we really appreciated.

The week before the wedding, they were constantly in touch, making sure that all of the details were ready to go. We also dropped off a couple carloads of drinks, decorations, and miscellaneous items. They took everything up to the site for us.

On the day of the wedding, everything ran very smoothy. Karri and Courtney were everywhere, tending to everything that arose. They stayed until the very end and helped clean up. Even after the wedding, they were available to answer questions and make sure deposits were returned.

Overall, we highly recommend Karri and Courtney. It would be difficult to find a harder working team that truly cares about your wedding and help you realize your vision!

My only regret about Karri and Courtney is that I didn't hire them sooner. I was one of those girls who thought I could do it all for my wedding. I'd been a bridesmaid seven times, so I thought I was an expert. But as my wedding day loomed closer, my friends convinced me that I should at least consider hiring a day-of coordinator. So I interviewed a few people, but I wasn't really stoked on the idea until I met Karri. Once I've made my mind up about something, it's hard to change it. However, after being around Karri for only five minutes, I knew I wanted her to help me with my wedding - hell, I wanted her to be my FRIEND!

Karri and Courtney were always available whenever I needed them, via email or phone call. They were extremely organized and while they were SO FRIENDLY, I knew I wouldn't have to worry about them getting tough with some of my crazy vendors. They made sure everything ran perfectly (and there were lots of random things that could have derailed everything) and right on schedule. I am quite certain that, if given the option, my mother would adopt both of them. That's how great they are.

Karri and Courtney made sure my husband and I had the wedding of our dreams. I want to hire them for everything, be it a birthday party, a baby shower, or just to help me pick out some paint for my dining room. They do everything with confidence, professionalism, and a smile. If I could give them more stars, I would! If you want to actually enjoy your wedding, you would be remiss not to hire The Go To Gals.

I planned my LA wedding from Northern California so I needed someone I could trust to help me out and answer questions along the way. I hired Karri because of all the coordinators I talked to she was by far the most organized, dedicated, and genuine. I wanted someone that would understand me and speak up, but also ease my nerves.

My wedding was at a private club so Karri never had worked at it before, but when she went through for the site visit she was like a pro. She asked the site manager all the tough questions and pulled me aside to make sure everything I wanted to know was answered. She stood up for my point of view, but she also backed off if I wanted something my way. She was very easy to work with and very professional.

On the day of the wedding she was amazing! She worked with Courtney to make everything run perfectly smoothly. I didn't have to think, I could just have a good time. My mom was worried about having someone that didn't know our family help out, but Karri was so professional that I can't imagine what my day would have been like without her. There was a small seating chart disaster on the day of the wedding, and I didn't know there was any problem until after the wedding because she took care of it and made it perfect.

I would hire her again in a second. Of all my vendors, she was by far the best.

If you don't think you need a day of coordinator think twice. I almost didn't hire anyone, but it was worth every penny. Just think if you had to attend the party of your life and worry about timing everything, eating, and every detail--you wouldn't have fun.