Our Clients
Juan & Katrina
This amazing couple got married at Sylmar's breathtaking Reptacular Ranch, and it was an absolute privilege to help them have the special day they deserved.
"Stephen was wonderful! He is very approachable, friendly, and communicated with us very effectively leading up to the wedding. He listened attentively to our ideas for our wedding, was helpful in providing tips/suggestions, and respectful in our final decisions. As our day approached, he was available for meetings and for a visit to the venue beforehand.
The weekend of our wedding, the nearest freeway to our venue was closed due to fires. Stephen stayed on top of the latest information, sending us updates and route options to take. Our wedding was outdoors and very DIY. Stephen took charge from the morning of the wedding, leading the setup preparation with a clear understanding of the nuances and details we had planned to showcase. Sadly, an unexpected rainstorm (after majority of the setup was completed) put a halt on the preparations, causing all the tablecloths, chairs and some décor to get wet. Nevertheless, Stephen was unfazed, quickly finding solutions to the issues we were dealing with, and making sure everything went on as planned.
With the ceremony and reception continuing as scheduled, the caterers we hired came late without an explanation. Through it all, Stephen continued to keep calm and worked very hard to make sure that our guests (and us) had a great time. He made sure we ate, that we had fun, and that we didn't shoulder any of the stress that the catering delay caused. We were going to skip the cake cutting, so our guests could simply eat and enjoy the dessert without interrupting the dancing and celebration going on. However, Stephen immediately helped us realize we may regret that spur-of-the-moment decision, and offered a smart solution to cut the cake without the eyes of the guests on us. He quickly called over the photographer and we took some fast shots to catch that memory.Despite the chaos and unpredictability of our wedding day, everyone had a wonderful time, and we have Stephen to thank for that. We definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a wedding coordinator who can stay on top of all the small details of your wedding day so you can focus on the important things. He is also someone who will problem solve and remain calm as we saw firsthand. We are very glad that we hired Stephen to share in our special day!"
Elizabeth & Roy
The stunning Falkner Winery in Temecula played host to this wonderful couple's long-awaited wedding. I enjoyed every part of the planning and execution of a day that I'm sure will live long in the memories of all who attended.
"Our wedding was perfect, and we owe it all to my wedding planner, Stephen. He made the entire process so simple and easy to deal with. From selecting the venue to all the vendors, Stephen made the process seamless and without stress. Each of the vendors that Stephen found were professional and top notch. Another great thing was that he was able to negotiate many of the rates down from what was quoted. This helped us stay on budget while also receiving high quality service. Also, the day of was seamless. If there was a problem, we did not know and everything just seemed to move flawlessly. I would recommend Stephen to every bride and groom. Without him, my wedding would not have been as magical."
Venue: Falkner Winery, Temecula
Photographer: The Everlasting Photo
Hair & Makeup: Knight & Veil
Flowers: A Family Tree
Ana & David
Diamond View Summit is one of Southern California's most unique and spectacular wedding venues, and was a fitting venue for the marriage of a unique couple.
"I cannot say enough good things about Stephen from Thistle & Rose Weddings! He was communicative from the get-go and laid out a plan for the day of wedding coordination. He made sure I sent him the list of vendors beforehand and communicated with all my vendors to get some familiarity with them and set out a plan. A week before my wedding my ordained minister advised me he would not be able to perform our rehearsal, I was freaking out as I had already told my bridal party to be there the day before, and many had either come from out of town or if not took the time off. I let Stephen know of this predicament, and without hesitation he advised he would coordinate it. He was able to handle my big wedding party of 10 groomsmen and bridesmaids, my parents and in-laws, our godparents and all the nieces and nephews that were either flower girls, ring bearers or readers! My wedding was on a 2,500ft elevation on top of a hill, and on the day of the wedding there was an unexpected gust of high winds. My vendors were unable to set up and my decorator who had put up the draping the day before was freaking out, but Stephen was able to handle it. I literally told him they are calling me can you handle this and i did not hear a peep out of them after that! All was saved! During the reception we had this traditional Oaxacan Mezcal toast in which we round up all the guests and form a circle to take shots but my now husband is caucasian and I wanted to make sure that we incorporated the american culture along with my Mexican culture, Stephen recommended a mix of the two in which we would do the traditional bridal party entrance and continued with my culture and it was a hit! The wedding went smooth, and we stayed on schedule and one thing that I did not account for was the cake cutting. As my wedding cake vendor only dropped off the cake, we had no one to cut the cake, somehow Stephen made it work and the caterers cut all the cake and served them all!
He made sure we ate, he made sure we drank, he made sure we enjoyed ourselves! Our wedding was all DIY from the ceremony which was at a park, to the venue that only provided the space and restrooms, Stephen dealt with about 10+ vendors and honestly I don't know how he did it but he did! He started early in the morning the day of the wedding, and stayed until almost midnight. He even made sure that my mom was ok with him leaving, because he wanted to make sure i made it home safe, which definitely gave him brownie points with my mom! He followed up the day after to see how I was doing and we had a chat on all the wedding detail I didn't know about! Thank you Stephen, I couldn't have had such a successful wedding without you!"
Nairy & Michael
A beautiful church wedding was followed by a lavish reception at Burbank's opulent Castaway, as this charming couple celebrated their union.
"I think if you were tasked with building the perfect wedding coordinator Stephen would be your blueprint. My wife and I first met with Stephen about 1 year before our wedding day (we were married September 28, 2019). He was polite, experienced, patient, and knew all the right questions to ask.
My wife is an extremely organized person, and loves schedules, planners, and to-do lists. When we met with Stephen there was a mutual admiration of each other's processes. It was clear to me, almost immediately, that Stephen was someone we could trust. When we met, he commented on how my fiance was ahead of the game. We had a venue, photographer, DJ, and we were close to picking a florist. What impressed me most in that moment was that after he pointed out our solid organization, he still had great questions for us that we hadn't thought of!
In that first meeting, I admit I was not sold on the idea of a day-of-coordinator. I believed a wedding planner for us was overkill and too pricey, and I couldn't envision how a day-of coordinator would be of much benefit to us. But I could not have been more wrong. Stephen was so attentive, helpful, and polite - he was exactly what our wedding day needed. Most people don't have a ton of experience planning weddings, and it was becoming apparently that having someone like Stephen to share his wealth of knowledge was very helpful in reducing stress and feeling prepared.
About a week to two weeks before the Big Day, we met with Stephen to go over the final details and ensure everything went according to plan (or at least, as much as it can with an event this long that involved this many people). Once again I felt safe, because even with my wife's careful attention to detail, he managed to have a couple of great suggestions for us. It was a relief to be able to put our heads together, brainstorm possible scenarios, and guard against anything bad happening.
On the day of the wedding, he was a major support and was there to make sure everything went smoothly. He coordinated with the vendors, provided gentle reminders to our team regarding the next items on our timeline, and he was instrumental in modifying our floorplan to make it more elegant and easy to navigate. He only came to us with questions when absolutely necessary (and to make sure we were well hydrated - big help!) , and he was constantly on the move making sure everything went off without a hitch. If there were any disasters that day, we fortunately didn't know about it as Stephen took care of everything. Our sometimes hard-to-please family and friends also noticed how helpful he was and made their lives much easier by helping out until the last minute of the event.
Trust me, it helps so much to have a wedding coordinator that knows what they are doing and speaks from experience. Both my wife and I felt more comfortable and more relaxed that day, knowing that Stephen was there to put out any fires, both literal and figurative."