Cotton and Oak Events

ning my wedding was, "Hire Lidia!" It was a no-brainer! Lidia kept us on track with planning in the months leading up the the wedding, and then completely took over coordinating our vendors in the month before the wedding. It was so nice to be able to pass off the planning knowing it was in extremely capable hands (based on how wonderful she was for my sister's wedding). Lidia was professional, organized, and responsive throughout the process, and also kept the planning feeling happy and fun (it is a celebration after all!). We were able to relax and enjoy our wedding day without having to worry about vendors and timelines - Lidia made the whole day run smoothly. And when anything came up on the wedding day (like needing flat shoes when my heels gave me blisters), Lidia was immediately on it! Lidia was not only a first class coordinator, but she made it look effortless and did it all with a smile. She was such a warm and friendly presence to have at our wedding and the events leading up to it. Family and wedding party members commented on how wonderful she was. I can't imagine what would make a better coordinator. Do yourself a favor and hire Lidia, and then breath a sigh of relief knowing your wedding is in very capable hands.

useful AislePlanner tool which had a checklist and contracts section we used heavily. Lidia mostly managed uploading the contracts (even though most had already been signed at this point, this was helpful for payment due dates), we managed working through the VERY detailed checklist. It was great because we could add or delete tasks relevant or not relevant to us. Lidia was prompt in her responses back to us via email and text and prior to the big day we had two 1.5-2 hour calls with Lidia going through every detail. She met with us a couple weeks prior onsite at the venue for a final walkthrough with our venue manager and caterer. It built our excitement and also made us feel confident that everything would go smoothly and as we wanted. We also made use of the in-house decor rentals that C+O offers for a flat rate, which worked perfectly with our venue. I'll also say, we did not hear of any issues from our vendors after introducing Lidia- meaning, she took care of anything they had questions about or needed from introduction onward. On to the big weekend! Lidia coordinated set up (where we used friends and family as wedding set up muscle), led our rehearsal, decor set up/transitions, and took care of all vendor communication/tip handoffs so we didn't have to think about it. Many of our vendors mentioned how organized and thorough she was (a direct quote from a vendor "this isn't her [Lidia's] first rodeo." She also brought a couple assistants on the day of. This woman knows details! If all that wasn't enough, she even made sure my now husband and I had our signature cocktails and appetizers waiting for us when we came down from the ceremony site to the bridal suite area as we did an outfit change. We can't thank her enough for her hard work and would recommend her month-of coordinating/planning to any couple!

ss was very smooth and turned out to be the exact wedding that we have always wanted. We have been to tons of weddings recently and can honestly and unbiased-ly say that ours was the best I have attended. It was truly beautiful and the wedding transitioned seamlessly. Lidia always made sure I had drink in my hand and everyone was doing there job. If you are on the fence about getting a planner think no more. We had the best celebration we could have asked for and made a life long friend in Lidia along the way. Couldn't say more about perfect our wedding was and how much it meant to me, being such a worrier, to be able to just relax and be stress free on the biggest day of my life.

ding day stress free and fun. The day was flawless and one we will never forget. Lidia is extremely organized, fun and super sweet. Not only did Lidia execute our big day and coordinate all the vendors, she reminded me of all the small details I would have never thought about. She was a life saver! I would highly recommend Cotton and Oak for your wedding or next event!

ofessional people. Even a year later people are still saying that it's one of the best weddings they have ever been to! They made the reception barn look absolutely gorgeous with all of these different candles, just like I had envisioned. They also were working hard behind the scenes with the vendors trying to deal with the unexpected wind, I learned later it's why certain things weren't done as planned but I was never involved in the hassle or stress of trying to find solutions the day of, as they smoothed it all over on their own. It was so nice having them there to help set up the ceremony and reception site while the bridal party was getting ready and also to help usher the wedding day along, respond to vendor's needs/questions and give them their tips at the end of the night. All of this allowed us to just focus on the actual wedding and our family/friends instead of the logistics of it all! I wish I had just communicated some things better, such as giving Katie and Lidia some phone numbers of close family friends who would have been available for last minute driving/help. We provided alcohol for the wedding and our main drink was a margarita with a salted rim and we purchased a bunch of different types of salts/garnishes but somehow the salt could never be found. There were several people who would have been willing to make the quick drive to the deli to by some rock salt if asked, but it's possible this was realized too late and we should have made sure the accoutrements were there anyways. We had shared an outline of who we wanted to sit in the front rows of the ceremony and I shared it with Katie, Lidia, and our parents. My mom ended up sitting by herself on a bench at the ceremony; we should have done a better job communicating to our relatives where to sit so that our parents wouldn't end up sitting alone. We also printed off a informative alcohol list and I don't think it made it ever made it out on display. I later saw that in the photos, one bobby pin was awkwardly sticking out of my hair at the end of the night, I wish someone (anyone!) had noticed and pushed it back in. We also forgot to tell them where the iPad was located, as we had music download to continue the party after the DJ left. Most of the above things are rather minor and overall things went smoothly despite the wind disrupting certain visions. Everyone had a great time and we are so happy we had Lidia and Katie as our sounding board and intermediary. Would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for fun, dedicated, and professional Wedding Planners.

count, but they were so on top of all of the small details and were an absolute pleasure to work with! They kept me smiling throughout the day with their positive, can-do attitude and rolled up their sleeves to take on any tasks as needed. I'd highly recommend hiring them to help plan your special day!

Katie came in about 45 days before the wedding to tie it all together, and to be on-site the day of our wedding to run the show. That said, Katie really acted as a partner to us in the planning process, and was available any time we had questions or needed guidance, well outside of the 45 day window. We hired Cotton and Oak because we wanted a coordinator who had experience with private estate weddings, and it was a bonus that she immediately understood our vision. Katie and her team are worth their weight in gold. After doing all the heavy lifting during our engagement to plan our day, we were excited to hand it over to Katie before the wedding. We knew our wedding would be incredible no matter what, but Katie and her team exceeded our expectations and made the event absolutely mind blowing for us, and for our guests. It was beautiful, largely in part to Katie, Patty and Sam flawlessly executing our vision with our other (incredible) vendors. Katie had my Dad and I hidden out of sight while our bridal party was walking in to the ceremony, and we got to watch as they entered. She said she we get everyone down the aisle, and come get us when it was our turn. When we saw the last of the bridal party get down the aisle, my Dad started to say "I wonder when Katie will come get us" and before he even finished the sentence, she burst through the door and said it was go time. She was two steps ahead of us the entire time, and we are so so grateful for her expertise. After the wedding, my (now!) husband and I kept saying "How did we move from cocktail hour to dinner? Who told us to meet the photographer for sunset photos?" and we agreed it was like Katie, Patty, and Sam picked us up and just floated us to wherever we needed to be next. The cliches are unfortunately very true, and your wedding day goes by unbelievably quickly. With Katie and her team running the show, my husband and I, and our families (who are eager to help) got to sit back and relax and take it all in. We don't feel like we missed anything, and we wouldn't change a single element of our wedding day. We can't recommend Cotton and Oak enough. They were more than just vendors, they were instrumental in putting together what would be the best day of our lives. We wish we could to it all over again!

actly that. My husband and I had the absolute best weekend of our entire lives thanks to Lidia and Katie and we will forever be grateful to them. We couldn’t have asked for a better wedding weekend and our guests are still raving about how the weekend and wedding day appeared flawless. We had constant help throughout the planning process leading up to the wedding, from words of encouragement to access to their preferred vendors list, to sweetly bumping us along at the end of the planning process when we were stressed out and over it. Katie is extremely organized. Katie’s decor selection available to clients was a life saver and her kindly worded emails kept my stress levels low. The weekend of the wedding would not have been as smooth without Lidia’s supervision. Logistics is her specialty and she went far above and beyond her contractual duties. Having Lidia on site flying around on her golf cart was a huge stress relief. I couldn’t imagine getting through the day without her, from managing the vendors, to setting up decorations, dealing with requests of our on site guests, picking up extra alcohol after the rehearsal dinner, and keeping the wedding party on schedule, etc. etc. Lidia was our superwoman that weekend. One thing I want to note specifically as a black bride getting married in wine country in Northern California, is that it can be very difficult to find makeup and hair artists who know how to properly work with darker skin tones and Afro textured hair. Lidia went way out of her way to find the perfect hair and makeup people for me which really meant the world to me. We highly recommend Cotton & Oak and plan to use them for any of our future event planning needs.

ions of complicated details, handled tons of vendors, and kept us sane when things seemed out of hand. They were also super flexible and worked around our busy work schedules to squeeze in conference calls whenever needed (including many times at 7am!). The wedding was completely beautiful, perfectly organized, and their presence on the day put us totally at ease. We're so grateful for their amazing work. Katie was able to completely get inside our vision for what the wedding should look like and she executed what we wanted to a complete T. We were also very budget-conscious, and never once did we feel like we were being up-sold or being made to feel like we weren't spending enough-- they were incredibly imaginative, creative, and flexible in making our wedding feel totally luxe while also not breaking our bank. There were also many times when we had mini-freak outs throughout the months and months of planning but Katie was always there to reassure us and to help us understand that we were right on track. At the end of our conversations, we would feel heard and we trusted that we were going to end up with a wedding that would make our guests and our families feel special. In the end, seeing our ceremony set-up and the reception space took our breath away. It was truly beyond our wildest dreams. It was our vision, but it was Katie and Lidia who made it a reality. Thank you, Katie and Lidia!

estions. My hubby and I got engaged on 3/30/18 and married on 11/8/18. The venue we choose (thanks to Katie's expert scouting and listening skills) was a venue that hasn't done a TON of weddings and they were perfect in handling every single thing that came up. They shielded me from all of the back and forth with vendors, assured me that every detail was covered and always had my best interest at heart. They are friends, therapists, realists and I feel incredibly humbled and honored to have had them share in our special weekend. On the day of, they kept things moving, kept me laughing and always kept me hydrated! They created a weekend that dreams are made of and if I could do this whole thing all over again I would hire them. LOVE THEM TO PIECES !!!

r and how fantastic she was either. She took care not only of my husband and I, but she took care of our families as well. She is hands down the most dedicated, passionate, charismatic, helpful, savvy, and down-right wonderful wedding planner and person. She is truly a top notch planner. Lidia took my vision and made it come to life, turning our wedding into something beyond what we even dreamed of. The planning process was far easier and more enjoyable with her by our side. She made us feel like everything was under control, and it was thanks to her. There were things my husband and I completely missed but Lidia was so on top of it, she caught everything and made sure everything was absolutely perfect. We were actually able to truly enjoy our wedding day without having to worry about a thing. What was also really amazing, was that Lidia had a smile on her face every step of the way. We felt like she was a friend helping out (she is now), not a vendor we had hired. All of our friends and family cannot stop talking about our wedding, and have all said it was hands down the best wedding they have been to. We have Lidia to thank for that. I am incredibly picky and worry about every little detail and would chose Cotton & Oak and Lidia again and again, no questions asked. Thank you Lidia and Cotton & Oak, you are a gem!

ng us, guiding us and protecting our wedding day from anything that could have gone wrong. Katie is a design genius and has such an incredible eye for details. She is also able to handle any situation calmer than anyone I've ever met. She is meant for this job in more ways than one. Also I don't know how but I never saw her sit down or stop moving. Ever. Her team is flawless. Every time we turned around they were 10 steps ahead of us. They knew what we needed to do and where we needed to be before I even had time to process where I was going. They went above and beyond in setting up our entire day and even took over some tasks for vendors who were paid to do certain things but actually did not. We miss Katie and her team so much. Her heart is what's good about this world. We love you Katie - you are forever one of the best parts of our story.

he fence about hiring a planner because I plan large-scale events as part of my job. But as our wedding date approached, contracts were mounting. Vendors were slow and scattered in their replies and sometimes went completely radio-silent. My then-fiancé (and now husband) thankfully stepped in and gently encouraged me to let go and find someone who could lend a hand. Cotton & Oak did more than lend a hand – Katie and her team took over and allowed me to relax and truly enjoy the whole process. We started with a Skype meeting so that Katie (oh, the lovely Katie!!) could meet us and get a sense of what we wanted to accomplish. I can’t tell you how much my husband and I both loved her bubbly/organized/get-it-done vibe. From that first conversation on, Katie proved to be a reliable, fun and communicative partner through the whole planning process. Her studio assistant, Lydia, was an absolute all-star as well! I can’t say enough about this dynamic duo. If you are on the fence about moving forward, I want to touch on two main points: vendors and cost. Vendors: Vendor selection was a challenge for me before working with Cotton & Oak. Before Katie, I spent all of my free time (and let’s face it, several working hours) researching all the usual websites for reviews and pricing. I read horror stories about videographers taking a deposit and then disappearing. Or I’d glean pricing information from a website only to find out that it was no longer valid. Or I’d start an email chain with a vendor and then they’d totally ghost me. Katie has a great list of vendors to fit every budget, and best of all she has real experience worked with them so knows first-hand the quality of their work. This didn’t occur to me until after the wedding, but vendors actually have a vested interest in going above-and-beyond when working with a wedding planner because of repeat business. It is no longer a one-and-done situation for them. Cost: I have to say, I was skeptical that the cost of a planner would be justified since, in my mind, I could do the job myself and have that much more left within our budget to spend on other aspects of the wedding. I will tell you why this thinking is wrong. First off, Katie negotiated with our vendors and advised us in several instances to spend less in certain areas (whereas I would have just paid what the vendor told me). She ended up saving us a few thousand dollars with contracts. Second, buying and renting décor is costly and can get out of control quickly. Katie has a whole studio full of table numbers, vases, votives for candles, easels, specialty linen, etc. that you have access to when working with her. We could have easily spent a few thousand on décor alone. At the risk of sounding like an absolute cheeseball, now that it’s all over I am sad that Katie and Lydia are no longer in our lives!! With the wedding now behind us, my husband and I agree that Cotton & Oak was the best wedding-related decision we could have made. My only regret is that we didn’t engage them sooner!

assuring. I was living in Hawaii, my fiancé was living in California, and we were getting married in another location in California and Katie was great at making me feel comfortable and had lots of long distance planning experience. As soon as Lidia came on as our assigned planner she was on top of it and constantly amazed me with how organized she was. We hired C&O for a month of planning package, but honestly felt like we got so so much more!!! Lidia checked in with me every month leading up to the wedding asking how planning was going and making sure we had hit major milestones of planning at the right times. Almost all of our vendors were either C&O preferred vendors or their recommendations and we LOVED every single one of our vendors, which made our day that much more incredible! Whenever I had a question Lidia was there with a quick response to help me along the way. When it came to the actual month before the wedding Lidia was SO on top of everything and I had every faith in handing over the operation to her to run the show. She was upbeat and happy every time I talked to her on the phone or met up with her in person and did a great job of organizing everyone at our rehearsal. She took care of communicating all the important details to vendors and made sure no one had forgotten any important info. I gave Lidia a pretty detailed description of what I wanted for the decor, but gave her executive power to do what she though would look best and it was even more beautiful than I could have imagined! The day ran smoothly ALL because of Lidia there to set it up and to run the show. She was immensely helpful in planning the timeline and creating floorpans and the planning system C&O gives their clients access to is very very helpful with keeping track of payments and checklists and makes sure you don't forget anything! Lidia was our savior the day of and was so happy and up beat even when we were a little behind schedule and had to shift things around a bit. Everyone remarked how nice and energetic she was all night and she made the day enjoyable for us so we could actually relax and enjoy the day we had put so much planning into!!! Along the way it felt like we weren't just working with another vendor but with a friend. I could not recommend Lidia and Cotton & Oak enough!!!! They do incredible work, they are professional, inspiring, organized, on top of communication, and they know their way around a wedding!!! C&O were the best decision we made while wedding planning, they made it all come together!

wedding. She’s super positive and organized. And really quick to respond as well! The day of the wedding everything was executed wonderfully by Lidia and our guests even mentioned how great she was. I would definitely recommend her and Cotton & Oak! They also have decor inventory that you can borrow for your wedding day which saved us some money, every dollar counts!

age emails, so finding someone who was as in sync with my vision could not have been better! She instantly understood what I wanted, and seriously became more of a friend than a wedding planner! Living in the South and planning a "destination" wedding in SF was only possible with Lidia by my side! From my random 10 PM texts asking obscure questions, to the constant reassurance that everything was going to be perfect, and even the fact that she went out of her way to attend vendor meetings since I was out of town -- she was everything I needed and more! My friends and family could not stop raving about how amazing she was and I agree! I did not notice a single hiccup on our wedding day because I had some complete confidence in Lidia!! The biggest testament to the Cotton+Oak group and Lidia would probably be that my guests from every corner of the U.S. could not all stop raving about how it was one of the most fun and beautiful weddings they have been to! To say that I wish Lidia could just plan my entire life would be an understatement. Hiring Lidia and Cotton+Oak Events was probably the best investment we made in our wedding (besides marrying each other, of course) haha!

up with us, and wish us the best throughout the year. Would HIGHLY recommend Katie and her crew!!

sionate, optimistic, friendly, and loving. They weren't my vendor, they were my partner, my frien, and my advocate. I think the highest value they provided, in addition to actually making our wedding go off without a hitch (which is a big deal in and of itself!) was the constant support and guidance along the way. I really wanted our wedding to be all about the details - a really sweet sentiment, but sometimes it got overwhelming. Every time it did, there were Katie and Lidia, reassuring me that I could do it, that it was going to be wonderful, and that they couldn't wait for it to happen. They also let me run with wild ideas and were there to pick up the pieces if/when the ideas crashed and burned. Case in point: I was DETERMINED to calligraphy everyone's place settings in gold ink on magnolia leaves. We had a destination wedding, so I wasn't even able to start the process until 2 days before, and the leaves that we had carefully preserved just completely crumbled in the palm of my hand. I was so excited about this detail, because it was organic, brought in elements of nature, and added a really beautiful color to the tables, but there was no way it was going to happen. I gave up, let it go, and moved on.... until I walked out to our reception space the night of the wedding, and saw that EVERY. SINGLE. PLATE. had flowers, leaves, and/or rosemary. There were 150 plates! I don't even know how they found enough flora and fauna to decorate all of this, with virtually no time to do so. When the guests walked out to the reception, they said that they felt like they were in a magical fairy garden. (They also said it was the best wedding they'd ever been to, which was extra nice of them to say.) Our wedding weekend was everything we wanted it to be because Cotton&Oak gave us everything they had. And their everything is REALLY wonderful. I am so grateful to have found them and that they were willing to work with us. Thank you for making our dreams come true, Katie and Lidia!

mmit themselves to you and your wedding, they are ALL IN! I immediately felt comfortable with her and her ability to design my wedding and ensure it was to our taste and aesthetic. The outcome was flawless and I felt SO much better throughout the planning process knowing that Katie and her team were handling everything. I can't recommend them enough!!! Do yourself a favor and hire them... just do it.

tie herself: Katie is a great listener, she took her time to get to know us and our style. She knows when to ask us for our approvals and when to just run with it. She is never overbearing, she never add any stress to the process, she only takes away stress. She truly cares about her clients, she really has your back! She is REALLY hard working but never complains. She is organized, efficient, and has amazing taste. My bridesmaid + groomsman were all really impressed with Katie as well. It is hard to summarize how much I love Katie. Planning service: We did Cotton & Oak's partial planning option. We did the primary research on our venue and vendors, but we also went with a lot of Katie's recommended vendors (which are all top notch). Katie was there to consult with us along the way, and she met with our venue point of contact. She made sure we had hire all the vendors we needed, our floor plans made sense, our rentals are correct, etc etc. When it came closer to the wedding, Katie sends us a long document to fill out. After that she took over and told us that we don't have to do any more planning, and that we should just focus on relaxing and having fun! On the day of the wedding, Katie and her team got the rental equipment and set up everything. She later revealed that there were a lot of unforeseen issues with the rental, but when we showed up to the venue, everything was perfect and we had no idea that any issues had happened earlier. Katie took care of all the complications, and didn't show an ounce of tiredness. Katie was super organized, kept everybody in line and made sure we stayed on schedule. Everything was perfect. Floral + design service: We gave Katie our style and vision and she just ran with it. A lot of our guest complimented on how stylish the wedding was, and it was 100% Katie and team. The bridal bouquet that she put together was beautiful and unique. The center pieces looked effortlessly stylish. We were so impressed, Katie is amazingly talented. Thank you Katie and Cotton & Oak team! We appreciate everything that you do!

ay something we could do again and again. Thankful to now call them friends.

or someone to really take care of you. She made our wedding so special, from ideating to planning to execution, and we'd pick her ten times over again.

incredible lady would change our lives. Katie and her team took care of us beyond words during our entire full planning experience. I wish all of our vendors and wedding services had even half the amount of passion, heart, drive and honesty she has. There wasn't a single second where we had to think for ourselves or wonder if anything was missing or wrong. If it was, which with our complicated vendors I can only imagine what the poor KRE team had to deal with, they never showed any signs of distress. So many design surprises were waiting for us around every corner the entire day. I know for a fact I didn't pay for them and to know that she would take it out of her own pocket to make our day even better or make us happy with such personal touches only we would know about is a gift I will never be able to repay. I am proud and loud over here happy to share our story and make everyone aware of this very special team. Thank you so much Katie, you are the sister I never knew I needed. Besides marrying my sweetheart and love of my life you are my favorite wedding memory. You gave us such a gift that day and we will always adore and love you.

dding and despite a few hurdles, it went off without a hitch! Katie was with me every step of the way, and saw my vision from start to finish. She was highly accessible by phone, email, ect. and went above and beyond to help me. I feel that through this experience I can now call Katie my friend as well. At the wedding she was extremely professional and took charge of everything. She successfully navigated vendors, family, and wedding party to the appropriate places and did all of this with a smile on her face. She made my dream come true. I never thought I would have a beautiful wedding, and I have no doubt in my mind that I was blessed to have a spectacular wedding because of Katie. All of my family and friends loved her and by the end of the weekend, it felt weird that she was leaving! Katie is not only a great planner, creative designer, and wonderful person, she is the most important of all these things for a bride: She is trustworthy. You can trust her with the most important day of your life and she will have your back no matter what. What is important to you, is important to her. Katie is the best, you will regret it if you don't go with her!