YOU MAKE THE DECISIONS.
WE MAKE SURE THEY ACTUALLY HAPPEN.
For couples who would prefer to enjoy their engagement instead of accidentally taking on a second unpaid full-time job.
We oversee every detail from venue selection to final send-off — design direction, production management, vendor communication, guest experience, logistics, timelines, and all the tiny details that somehow become enormous details.
OUR WEDDING PLANNING TEAM
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STEPHANIE COLE
FOUNDER | PRINCIPAL PLANNER
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COURTNEY BAILEY
LEAD ASSOCIATE PLANNER
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EMMA McNEILLY
ASSOCIATE PLANNER
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MEGAN WRIGHT
PRODUCTION MANAGER
WHERE YOU’VE SEEN US
OUR CLIENTS LOVE US ↓
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"Stephanie Cole, of Cole Drake Events, is the Beyonce of wedding planners. I don't know how I could possibly sum up in so few words what she means to me, after this long wedding journey together. Stephanie is a planning machine, a force of nature. From the biggest decisions to the smallest details, she is a master of execution. Our day-of timeline was nearly 20 pages long. So many little, and not so little, things went wrong over the months we were working with Stephanie, but you would never have known it, because she handled each challenge with grace and poise. She kept us holding our heads high through so many tears - a few bad (like when our wedding band unceremoniously disbanded several months post-contract), but so, so many more of them happy. Our wedding day was perfect, exactly as we dreamed, and it was because of her. Stephanie will surpass your every expectation, every time. I had never met Stephanie before hiring her as our planner, but I now proudly consider her my friend. Besides saying yes when my now-husband got down on one knee, hiring Stephanie is the single best decision I made with respect to my wedding. I urge you to make the same fantastic choice."
RISA
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"Can’t say enough great things about Cole Drake events and Stephanie! I watched my sister transform from anxious and stressed about planning her wedding to completely calm “Bride-chilla” once Cole Drake came into the picture. Stephanie’s professionalism, work ethic and communication skills made it so easy to just relax and enjoy the process and most importantly, the wedding day! She orchestrated the most beautiful and flawless day that went off without a hitch. She worked hand in hand with vendors to make sure every detail was in place, and gave recommendations where needed. As a wedding photographer myself, I’ve been to many, many weddings and wish they could all run as smoothly and stress free as this one. As the matron of honor, I’ll be forever grateful that my baby sister got to have the wedding of her dreams and actually enjoy every part of it, because she knew Stephanie had it handled. That is priceless! Thank you, thank you!"
MELISSA
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"Stephanie Cole from ColeDrake events was our wedding planner for our May 2019 wedding in Napa, CA and we recommend her with the highest regard. Stephanie is a true subject matter expert in wine country wedding planning. Working with her for over one year, Stephanie exhibited the following qualities that truly make her the best: Personable - Stephanie’s gregarious personality is contagious. She loves what she does and that made working with her all the more enjoyable. You will spend a lot of time with your wedding planner. Whether it’s corresponding over hundreds of emails or discussing details over hour long calls. With Stephanie’s can-do energetic attitude I don’t know how you can’t not love her. Meticulous - As to be expected, Stephanie pays attention to every detail. On your big day, her goal is for you to be stress free and that was truly the case with Stephanie. As my own mother said to me (who is extremely hard to please), “your wedding planner is incredible, she is always where she needs to be exactly when she needs to be there.” In addition, With her deep experience comes an intimate knowledge of every possible outcome and how to plan for it. Stephanie’s attention to detail and ability to plan for any mishap (i.e. rain) was incredible. Two thirds of our wedding was planned to be outdoors. When our wedding week rolled around, heavy rain was in the forecast for our big day. Within 5 days Stephanie put together an entire plan B that was executed without mishap. Our guests were none the wiser that the entire flow and the location of our wedding had changed 5 days before they arrived. Connected - Napa is a luxury destination wedding location filled with vendors that are difficult to navigate. As someone that lives and plans weddings in the Napa region, Stephanie is connected to the best of the best of wedding vendors. From florists to photographers Stephanie will ensure that you have an ample selection of the most talented people to bring your big day to life (within your budget). Honesty - We think one of the best qualities of Stephanie is her honesty. She will give you her true opinion and tell you what you need to hear, even when you don’t want to hear it. From telling you that those farm tables you want won’t add much and are not in budget, to delivering the tough news that we need to plan for rain, Stephanie ensures that her honesty is delivered with your best interest in mind. She really cares about her couples and this honesty is sometimes the thing you need the most. If you are planning a wedding or event in Wine Country (Napa/Sonoma), then we could not recommend more that you use Stephnie or ColeDrake events for your special day."
ANDREW
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""Where to begin! From the initial meeting, to well timed follow-up calls/emails, coordination with vendors, and of the course the "you're about to get married, are you ready?" phone call during the week-of; Stephanie and her team at Cole Drake are unparalleled when it comes to professionalism and success with wedding planning. My wife and I initially interviewed 5-6 wedding planners, and Stephanie was a clear-cut favorite from the beginning, she was well prepared and very polished during our first phone call. At every turn, she was direct, but professional and cordial, all the while being fun to work with. Her connections and recommendations with vendors of all type were well-thought and perfectly paired. She was mindful of our budget, personality, preferred style, and wishes. Throughout the entire year of planning, Stephanie exceeded our expectations with each meeting and interaction. However, the day-of is where she and Emily really shined! They were constantly on the move in discreet manner at our wedding, ushering guests around, timing actions with the vendors, insuring events moved smoothly, directing, and just silently running the show in the background. Stephanie and her team were an integral part of making our dream wedding come true. Highest of recommendations to Cole Drake Events. If you want your wedding to be a fun, perfect, dream come true of an event; work with Stephanie and Cole Drake Events."
DARREN
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"Working with Cole Drake Events over the past year was absolutely incredible. They are a one-of-a-kind dream team. I started working with Stephanie a year in advance of our wedding. The first few weeks she helped us determine what we wanted out of our wedding day. She then helped us pick our venue and vendors. Cole Drake Events has incredible relationships with all of their vendors, so it was comforting to know we wouldn't go wrong with any of our decisions. Once all of that was determined we hit the ground running for the next year. Stephanie was incredibly patient since day one with not just me, but my family too. She understood there was a budget at hand and stayed within that amount, while still working towards my dream wedding day goals. Our wedding was absolutely perfect in my eyes and I owe all of that to Stephanie. She kept me calm, cool and collected. I was able to enjoy my entire wedding day and not worry about a thing. Stephanie truly made this process so fun. The hardest part was honestly saying goodbye to her and her team. If you are ever in need of an excellent event planner, without a single doubt, this is who you should choose!"
HALEY
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"Our daughter recently got married at Chalk Hill Estates Winery in Healdsburg. With Stephanie Cole as the wedding planner, everything went perfectly!! It was a large wedding (300 guests) and a venue which required a lot of set up and logistical planning. But Stephanie is very experienced and well connected with all the local vendors! She was able to negotiate great deals for us and often "worked her magic" on our behalf. All her recommendations were first class, and she gave us excellent choices to choose from, so that we had options, but not too many to be overwhelming. Stephanie's easy-going and fun loving personality makes her so easy to work with. Yet at the same time, she has excellent attention to detail and left no stone unturned. Her great experience helped us to stay on track throughout the planning, while never feeling stressed, because things were taken care of and addressed before the deadline. Pretty much all details were covered by the week before the wedding, so that the bride, groom and parents were all able to enjoy the pre-, during, and post-wedding festivities without a worry, as Stephanie directed the set-up, day of events and clean-up aspects of everything and everyone. Even with a last minute threat of rain necessitating a "Plan B," everything went smoothly and without a worry. From Stephanie's recommended list, we used Park Avenue Caterers, Meredith Law Design florals, Wine Country Entertainment for a string trio and DJ, and Elegant Cheesecakes for the best wedding cake ever! All the guests raved about the delicious food, beautiful florals and signs, and fun entertainment. And of course, the amazing cake! We cannot recommend Stephanie Cole enough. She helped to make a wonderful celebration for the bride, groom and all family and friends. It was an occasion we will all cherish for years and years."
LESLIE