First Coast Weddings and Events

Hiring Laura and the First Coast team will be the best decision you make ahead of your wedding. Not only is Laura professional, thorough, and detail oriented, but she's also incredibly nice and caring. On our wedding day, it was a true 50/50 if we would be able to have the ceremony outside due to storms in the area. Watching Laura handle venue logistics, handle the bride and groom (plus family) and pull off giving us our outdoor dream wedding, was seeing a true professional in action. Laura is the type of planner you'd want to strategize with on the phone for an hour, but also talk about life with over a meal or drink. Lastly, she knows the Jax area extremely well (we got marries in Ponte Vedra) and had done several events at both our rehearsal and wedding venues, making the entire experience smooth and stress free. We encourage you to hire Laura as we did, you will be as thrilled as we are!

Heather and her team truly made our wedding come to life. I manage events professionally so I was very particular in finding the most qualified team to trust with one of the most special day. Heather is just spectacular- she is calm, insightful and truly in expert in her craft. We were truly able to be fully present and enjoy our wedding day because we knew we had Heather and her team. Working with First Coast Wedding and Events was one of the best decisions we made.

Heather Randall and the First Coast Weddings team did an exceptional job planning our Wedding! From the beginning planning phases to our Wedding Day, Heather’s attention to every detail was outstanding. As an out-of-state Bride, Heather’s vendor recommendations were top-notch; she put my mind at ease, knowing that she and her team were my local “boots on the grounds”, interacting with all our Jacksonville-area vendors. Our Wedding Day was everything we could have ever imagined, and so much more; simply put, it was MAGICAL! Thank you, Heather and First Coast Weddings!

What was in our hearts was love. What we wanted to share with our closets friends was the love we had for one another a for them to celebrate in that joy with us. We didn’t have a vision or story board or Pinterest to fully articulate what that would look like, but what we felt on our wedding day was exactly our hearts desire. What was felt that day could not be engineered or curated perfectly just for “the gram” Laura is just that good at what she does- and this is the why- she cared so deeply about understanding who we were as a couple. She is communicative, capable, organized, professional and has a great network of vendors. Her expertise allowed us to just be and enjoy every moment of the day! Not to mention, she is the kindest sweetest person and I know she also cares about our happily ever after- after we say “I do.” I’m happy she was there to celebrate with us on our wedding as our planner and also consider her a friend. Thank you and your team for all you do! The Udelhofen’s 💕

We recently had the pleasure of working with Laura Salmon as our wedding coordinator, and we cannot express enough gratitude for the exceptional service and expertise she provided. From the very beginning of our wedding planning journey until the last dance on our special day, Laura was there to assist with each step and made our lives easier! She guided us through every decision, from coordinating timelines to finalizing vendor discussions, and ensuring that every element of our wedding was flawlessly executed. Her experience and industry knowledge was invaluable, providing us with a sense of reassurance and confidence during what can often be a stressful time! On our wedding day, Laura and her assistant Savannah truly made our day the best. They orchestrated every aspect of the event, ensuring that everything flowed seamlessly. Their calm demeanor and ability to handle any unexpected situations allowed us and our families to relax and fully enjoy the day. We ultimately had to change our ceremony location at the last moment due to a rain storm, and luckily Laura and her team were there to help deliver the message to us and to ensure that we still had the best wedding we could've dreamed of. She made the necessary adjustments at the last minute, even utilizing table arrangements at the ceremony to still provide beautiful backdrop for our ceremony. Beyond Laura's organizational and creative talents, she was also an incredible source of support throughout the day. She provided guidance and a calming presence during moments of stress or nervousness with the weather changes throughout the day. In summary, we cannot recommend First Coast Weddings and Events and Laura enough! If you are looking for a wedding coordinator who goes above and beyond, Laura is who you need!

I recently worked with Laura and First Coast Wedding & Events for my special day, and I couldn't be happier with the results. From start to finish, Laura went above and beyond to ensure that our wedding day was everything we wanted and more. Everything ran smoothly and our guests had a memorable experience. The communication leading up to the event was clear and timely. Laura was always available to answer our questions and offer advice, and she made us feel confident and comfortable every step of the way. On the day of the wedding, everything was executed flawlessly, from the setup to the timing of the events. The attention to detail was impressive, and my wedding party and guests were blown away by the level of service provided. Laura and her team were professional, courteous, and went out of their way to make sure everyone was taken care of. Our wedding day was absolutely perfect. As the Bride, I was able to fully enjoy our wedding without any additional stress or worries. I have Laura to thank for that. Overall, I would highly recommend Laura and First Coast Wedding & Events to anyone looking for a stress-free and enjoyable experience. Thank you for making my special day one to remember!

When my partner and I began our wedding planning we had no idea where to start. During the initial research I happened to stumbled upon First Coast Wedding and Events. Their options for helping couples with planning were right in line with what I was looking for! I had my initial consultation with Laura Salmon and we immediately clicked! After the consult I immediately hired FCWE! Laura was able to suggest tons of high quality vendors which were all eager to be a part of our big day. She was there to provide a roadmap to what we wanted for our wedding. On the big day, she was coordinating with our vendors while my husband and I got to fully enjoy the day with no stress! Everyone is still talking about how great the event was! I can’t thank her enough for her help!

I cannot recommend First Coast Weddings and Events enough! Laura was our coordinator, and she made our day absolutely perfect!! Leading up to the big day, Laura was such a pleasure to work with and was beyond organized and on top of everything! Our wedding was more than I could ever imagine. If anything did go wrong at our wedding, I didn't even know! She handled everything and was behind the scenes making sure everything was perfect! She was so prepared and had an "emergency kit" with everything you could ever need! My dress ripped- She had a sewing kit. Had a stain- Tide to go! Lots of safety pins too! She played such a huge part in making sure everything ran smoothly and on time. I truly cannot thank First Coast Weddings and Events enough for making sure our wedding was the best day of our lives!!

Laura from First Coast Weddings was such a joy to work with. She helped me stay on track leading up to the big day and took care of EVERYTHING on the day of my wedding. She was so kind and caring throughout the whole process, and really wanted to make the day the best for us. The client portal from First Coast was also a huge help with navigating the to dos of wedding planning, thank you Laura and First Coast Weddings for making my wedding so stress free!

Laura from First Coast made wedding day easier than I ever imagined. From the start Laura was so helpful and was always available to help address any questions or concerns that we had and support us in making sure we were thinking about everything we needed to do. It was like talking to a good friend every time we talked with her too! On wedding day she took care of everything and did it just the way we had communicated with her. If there was anything people were unsure of Laura was always able to go above and beyond to help and get it taken care of on her own because she was prepared and had all the knowledge ready on the day. I cannot recommend Laura and First Coast Weddings team enough. We also enjoyed spending our day of with Dark who helped make a wonderful team with Laura.

I was required by my venue to have a day of wedding coordinator and Laura Salmon exceeded all expectations. I was hesitant at first but Laura kept everything organized, was readily available for phone calls and made sure everything was covered! I can’t recommend this company or Laura in particular enough. She’s so sweet and friendly. I felt like I was meeting with a friend discussing my wedding. She definitely made sure our day ran smoothly and kept me in the loop of any changes that needed to be made so I wouldn’t be upset or surprised. Completely affordable and money well spent. So glad I stumbled upon them and trusted them with my day!

All of my close friends kept telling me I needed to hire a day of wedding coordinator but I was hesitant to spend more money. It ended up being one of the best decisions I made for our wedding! Thanks to Laura Salmon at First Coast Weddings and Events my day flawless, and I was actually able to enjoy it. Laura was a professional throughout the process and a fun person to be around. Any small issues that popped up she was able to handle with grace. I would give them more stars if I could and highly recommend this company for your wedding/event!

Our wedding was held in April 2021 after postponing from Oct 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Emma was our coordinator with First Coast Weddings and was with us from the start of wedding planning (Nov 2019). She supported us through the decision to postpone, quickly helping us pull everything together for a new date where all of our previously hired vendors were available . As an out of state couple (which can be some added stress), Emma made sure our wedding day was exactly how we envisioned and SO much more. We could not have done it without her! I would recommend First Coast Weddings and Events. Thank you for all of your hard work and for always making us feel like family Emma!

Our coordinator, Laura Salmon, was the best. She was on top of every detail, both before and after the wedding. It was so nice to not worry about the flow of the event - it was taken care of beautifully by her. She was courteous, professional and fun to boot!

Our wedding was August 22, 2020 and the day we decided to have Laura Salmon with First Coast Wedding and Events assist us as our wedding planner was the best decision we ever could have made. Our wedding date was originally scheduled for May, but due to the global pandemic it had to be rescheduled to August. Laura was right there for us through it all, from contacting our vendors to ensure all dates were rescheduled with no conflicts. She was so genuine and always took the time to reach out to us to make sure we were emotionally doing OK. Her organization with us really worked well with our personalities and we never had to follow up on anything. She always had it all covered. She ensured we had check in meetings to always ensure we were on track with things we needed to have done prior to the wedding date. Laura left no stone unturned and I am so grateful to have had her throughout this process and on our wedding day. She worked very well with our venue coordinator with a wedding day timeline which made everything flow seamlessly. Planning a wedding is beyond stressful but I can't even imagine how we could have ever done it all without Laura, she is definitely one of the best! Casandra and Charlie Jagusch

Like many brides-to-be, our daughter had to postpone her Spring 2020 wedding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Laura Salmon and the team at First Coast Weddings made this stressful time and process so much easier: In addition to providing us with the information needed to make the decision to reschedule the wedding, Laura notified all of the vendors of the new date and facilitated the signing of any contract addenda that were needed. Throughout the next four months, Laura stayed in touch with us, reassuring us that the wedding we had envisioned was still a possibility and offering her assistance with everything from venue signage to favors. On the day of the wedding itself, she and her assistant were invaluable: From the moment they arrived three hours before the ceremony until well after the reception had concluded, they made sure everything was set up and that all vendors and members of the bridal party arrived on time and knew where to go. They also made sure all gifts and personal family items were packed up and delivered to us during their final sweep of the venue late that evening. Laura's calm demeanor and attention to every detail allowed us to relax, breathe and enjoy the day for which we had waited so long. Securing Laura's services was the best investment we made in planning our daughter's wedding and we highly recommend her services.

Heather did a WONDERFUL job coordinating everything for the day of our wedding! I was not stressed leading up to our big day due to her flawless attention to detail and ability to manage anything that came up. She was efficient, timely and organized which is just what I needed to make me feel confident in allowing her to take the reins. If any mishaps came up on the day of our wedding I didn't know about it because she was there to take care of it :) Our guests are still talking about how wonderful the wedding was down to the last detail and we are on cloud nine remembering the perfection of that day. I highly recommend First Coast Weddings and Events for any bride and/or groom looking to make their day flow easily.

Heather was AMAZING- extremely helpful in every possible way, responds to emails ASAP and takes care of everything addressed with the catering manager. Even day of when we had last minute changes- she handled them perfectly and made everything seamless! I can’t say enough great things about this team- you will be well taken care of with them!!

We used Heather as a day of coordinator and could not have been happier! She truly took away any worries we may have had on the day of the wedding and she was so helpful in getting everything together for us at the end of the night. She was very organized and kept us up to date weeks prior to the wedding.

Kari was so incredible!! She made my entire wedding experience so stress free, and everything turned out exactly as I had imagined. I highly recommend her for any event. She is a pleasure to work with, organized and prompt. Exactly what you need on a wedding day :)

First Coast Weddings was the way to go for wedding planning! We worked closely with Heather and we were so glad we did. We are from Boston and had our wedding in Florida along with the fact that we've only been to 3 weddings ourselves. Heather answered the many questions we had, quickly replied to emails and pricing was great. In everything that Heather helped us with- she made our wedding a wedding without worries! Thanks so much!

Everything from the first inquiry until after the wedding has been just wonderful. When dealing with this company, I have always been treated with kindness and respect as well as timeliness with communication. David and Gary both were always available for questions and concerns throughout the entire process. I got the chance to meet with our DJ, Gary, personally about a week before the wedding (when my schedule finally cleared up haha), and he was so helpful with details that we were unsure of. We got so many compliments on how awesome our wedding DJ was, and we couldn't agree more! Gary was perfect. I would recommend anyone looking for a DJ for their wedding to chose First Coast Events, and to request Gary Mallory. As I stated, everything he did was just perfect. He was able to use his own skills and experience, paired with our requests and reading of the crowd to deliver an epic night of entertainment! However, our favorite thing Gary recommended was a private last dance for my new husband and myself. I had never even heard of this. When he first mentioned it, we loved it because it was a great way to get guests to leave the reception to head outside for our grand exit! And they did just that. When the guests were all outside, Gary played the song we requested for our last dance. The experience was simply amazing. I will never forget that moment. When the dance was over, Gary was so respectful of how precious that last dance and that quiet moment between us truly was. I will always remember that. My husband, Andy and I, were so happy with Gary and First Coast Entertainment! Words can't describe or adequately thank Gary and First Coast Entertainment for providing their high quality of service on the most special day in our lives! Thank you!!!

One star is more than generous. MEETINGS: Heather prefers email. When we had a face to face she was in a hurry to get out of town for thanksgiving so we were rushed. NOTHING was discussed about the wedding day or how it would play out. I was trusting her time line, and i realize now that was foolish and i should have demanded a second meeting. but i trusted this "professional" REHEARSAL: chaos. Heather suggested the bridesmaids walk into the garden/ ceremony the way SHE thought they should walk in.(which was not what i wanted) but why ask the bride? she didnt expalin to the ushers who they were walking with (family members or guests, and when she was asked to show the ushers how they should escort someone she looked at us like that wasnt her job. WEDDING DAY: when we got to the venue she had me walk right past the groom to get to the ceremony. we locked eyes but he turned his head because HE knew it was important. CEREMONY: when i walked down the aisle i noticed MY FAMILY sitting in the LAST AISLES!!!! she forgot to reserve the family section! and, if it was my job, then i wish she would have reminded me because i would have told my friends to move! family that traveled from Texas, Korea, Massachusetts..... WHAT WAS SHE THINKING, or , not thinking!!! again, one of the many things i would have covered if she would have put a little more time into our meeting. RECEPTION: once the ceremony was over, coordinating pictures was a nightmare. i had nobody to help me, and my photographer was from France so his English wasn't good enough to wrangle the cattle, so to speak. after pictures, i was escorted through the reception, to get back to the brides room. i smiled but was extremely upset that i wasn't taken in a more discreet way. TEA CEREMONY: my husband is half Korean, so i wore a traditional Korean bridal gown for our tea ceremony. the Korean gown was a gift and custom made....... after we finished Heather actually said that i need to hurry up and change because "people need to eat". side note: we had 2 hours of hors de ourves to prevent having to rush and to keep people fed. when it came time to announce the bridal party heather chose the worst possible way to do it, so last minute my maid honor changed it. i just found out, and im grateful she did change it. when we sat down to dinner, i noticed the tables had round table cloths instead of square. Heather was in charge of putting that order in. my garter wasnt in the brides room when i got there, so when i asked for it at dinner it was the wrong one. to this day, i have no clue whose garter i was wearing. the one i was supposed to wear was the garter i caught at our best friends wedding, i had been saving it for years (heather was given that item at rehearsal) THE PART I CRIED: end of the wedding, my dad asked me why didnt he get to dance with the bride!? my biggest fear was i'd forget something, and nobody would remind me. i had forgotten one of the most precious parts of a wedding for a bride. if my dj dropped the ball, then heather shouldve walked up to me and said "we can fit it in". I have been married 1 month, and i still get upset when i think about these things. do yourself a favor, dont take the chance of missing a dance with the father of the bride because your coordinator is bad at what she does.

We hired First Coast Weddings for day-of coordination and it was the best decision we made. Emma, our coordinator, kept track of all of our vendor details and had a team of people there on the day to carry out our decoration vision. Having someone local for an out-of-town bride was very comforting and her team executed with perfection.

Heather was my coordinator and assisted in every aspect of the planning and execution of my vision. She attended all of our vendor selection meetings, minded our budget and directed us to vendors who she knew would satisfy our style and our wallets!! Heather even went to bat for us in getting our wedding site to "allow" our Boston Terrier to be on site as the ring bearer. Most of what she does is low profile and behind the scenes so that you can simply enjoy. My mom still raves about how (during the family photo session on the beach) Heather made sure a tray of food from the cocktail reception was brought to where we were since we would miss it. Little things are big things to her! A great service--I paid for but did not utilize some of the service like seating chart creation and assembly and addressing of invitations etc...that was my choice but I had that option. I read the other post and I truly think that if you are looking for a professional service, First Coast Weddings and Events is outstanding. If you are looking for someone to keep a beer in your hand and you head out of the toilet on your wedding day, call a friend--Heather and her staff take great pride in their professional services.

Heather was my wedding coordinator and she did a wonderful job until the day of the wedding. During the wedding she was in charge of my bag and purse at some point while it was in possession I have over $250 stolen. Also, I was unable to find her during the reception. In our contract she was supposed to make sure I had a drink in my hand at all times and not once did she bring or offer to bring me a drink. At the end of the night she was supposed to pack us a meal since we knew we would not eat during the reception. What she considered a meal was a nasty chocolate basket. Also my husband misplaced his keys during our crazy day and instead of coming up with a back up plan of where to put our gifts and keepsakes she totally flaked out on us. Adding a lot of unneeded stress to the best day of my life. When we went back to pick up our stuff the next day she had thrown away my bouquet and other keepsakes and I found my veil balled up on the floor in the bathroom. When we called her that day to ask what happened she was unapologetic. My husband and I made our intentions very clear of what to expect from us that night. We were excited to have all of friends and family in one place and we were going to be celebrating- big time. She acted disgusted when we smashed cake in each others face and that some of our friends were intoxicated. I was extremely disappointed that I wasted over $2000 on her "services". I could have handled the stuff she did prior to the wedding and had a bridesmaid handle the rest easily!