SO PROUD TO BE CERTIFIED BY HERE COMES THE GUIDE!

Within the wedding industry there are many different awards to be won and honors to be given but very few are as esteemed as being certified by Here Comes the Guide. Many years ago - at one of our very first weddings - I remember speaking with the DJs about being certified. They explained that they had been trying to get their company certified for years but that it was a very challenging process. I tucked that away in the back of my mind, knowing that one day it would be my turn to step up to the challenge and I made it a personal goal to do so as soon as Wish Wonder Dream was ready. Earlier this year I decided the time had come, so I gathered all the required materials and contacted Here Comes the Guide, requesting consideration for certification. The process was long and extensive, as they had to contact numerous past clients and numerous vendors who could speak for the quality of our work and for our professionalism.

Today I am unbelievably proud to announce that Wish Wonder Dream has been "Certified by The Guide." Our profile is now up and because we received such high marks we are even going to be featured on their home page for a couple of months!

Thank you SO MUCH to the past clients and vendors who made this possible. It is such an honor and I a sincerely appreciate your support and assistance in getting us through the certification process. I truly can't thank you all enough!

Here is some of the feedback that Here Comes the Guide shared with me:

Common Threads Among Clients:

1) Wish Wonder Dream has great relationship with the other vendors. 2) Customer service and communication is outstanding, way above most of the wedding planners her fellow vendors have worked with. Whitney has always keeps her vendor team in the loop for every wedding and they never feel they have to hunt her down for more information. They can trust she'll send me the information they need without asking and every mutual client tell them how thrilled they are to be working with her. 3)   Whitney puts together very detailed and cohesive timelines so every vendor knows where they need to be and when. This keeps everyone on the same page. Vendors look forward to working with Whitney and refer her to my clients whenever they can. 4) Wish Wonder Dream events are all different stylistically to match the tastes and dreams of the bride and groom, but Wish Wonder Dream weddings are sure to have timeless and elegant elements and details that heighten the look of the design and better the experience for the couple and their guests. 5) Whitney not only manages her assistants (along with the vendors), but vendor see her at the end of the night helping the with breakdown and/or family load things into their cars.  One vendor said that really stood out to them and it’s a pretty genuine act in their book. 6) Whitney has a great positive attitude. She remains calm in difficult situations while keeping the brides interest and wants in mind.

Common Threads Among Clients:

1) All of Whitney’s couples LOVED her and said they would recommend them to family, friends, even strangers on the street. 2) Brides chose Wish Wonder Dream was because of how easy Whitney was to talk to and she seemed to really get the vision of each of her clients weddings.  One bride said that after meeting with Whitney she cancelled the other meetings she scheduled with other coordinators because Whitney just got her and she knew she had found the best person to plan her wedding. Another mentioned that they choose to go with WWD because right off the bat they felt like Whitney really cared about their wedding. 3) Whitney is professional, knowledgeable, and reasonably priced. She offered the package clients were interested in for the price they wanted to spend. She also only recommended vendors to her clients that were within their budget. She was so helpful every step of the process and was easy to get in touch with by phone or email. Her responses to questions were always spot on and gave brides even more information than they expected. 4) Whitney's personality is a plus! She's so easy to talk and supportive of her brides. She also goes above what the fine print of her packages say. Brides felt that they were given individualized attention and never felt rushed. Whitney is more focused on making her clients and their families happy with the day and the experience, rather than getting paid and that was shown to us by how accommodating she was throughout the process. 5) Whitney has a great team and she is on top of everything at the wedding.  Brides feel ease knowing she was she was there taking care of all the little details. Whitney kept things running smoothly and if there were any issues, they were handled and her clients didn't even know about them. One bride said "I truly believe that if I didn't have Whitney by my side, my day wouldn't have been as wonderful and special as it was. 6) Whitney makes you feel like your wedding is the biggest, most important wedding they've done whether it cost $500 or $50,000.

Thank you again, most sincerely, to every single person who made this possible. Click here to see our profile.

Congratulations Veronica and Aaron!

What is not to love about this loving and adorable couple Veronica and Aaron? Veronica lit up our office about a year ago when she bounced in with her bubbly personality and her big ideas for her wedding day. Her eyes lit up when she described her navy blue and burnt orange color scheme and we were hooked right away. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Veronica, a lawyer for police officers and her amazing new husband Aaron, a brain surgeon. They complement each other amazingly well and it is obvious by the way they stare into each other's eyes that they just "get" each other and are madly in love. There just aren't enough words in the English language to describe how gorgeous and sparkly Veronica's dress was; all I can say is that jaws dropped. We loved being so involved in the creative process and we had a blast custom-designing their dinner menus, ceremony programs, and bar signage. We wanted to keep the designs formal but infused with a splash of fun. The ceremony was co-officiated by a Rabbi and a Priest, to represent Aaron and Veronica's different faiths. It was perfect that the Rabbi and Priest actually work together often and are good friends. Veronica's Hispanic heritage was also represented by the Mariachi band who came to play for cocktail hour. And how great is the groom's cake Veronica suprised Aaron with? It was a 3-piece cake, a Berkeley hat to represent his school, golf clubs to represent his love of golf, and a brain to represent his profession as a surgeon. It was a wonderful surprise and Aaron (and all the guests) loved it. It was also a fun surprise with the DJ turned out to have gone to high school with Veronica and a few of her bridesmaids. They didn't find out until that day but it was a perfect turn of events. Congratulations to Veronica and Aaron. It was fantastic working with you and I'll especially miss Veronica's wonderful smile in our office for planning meetings. It always made my day! Thank you to Erin Palos of Palos Studios for these breathtaking photos. Visit their website here.

Whitney Wing Drake answers "What is Your Forecast for Upcoming Trends?"

The next video from our from our series based on conversations with the Owner and Lead Coordinator of Wish Wonder Dream, Whitney Wing Drake. Hopefully these will answer some of your most important questions as well as help you get to know us as a company a bit better.

Congratulations to Jennifer and Joe!

It was such a pleasure coordinating Jennifer and Joe's beautiful wedding at Maravilla Gardens. First of all, what a spectacular couple! I truly enjoyed every moment I spent with the lovely Jennifer and Joe. They were so kind, fun, silly, and thoroughly involved. This day meant a great deal to them and it showed down to the smallest detail. I loved Jennifer's weekly "check in" meetings and as a fellow type A personality I understood perfectly and we really got along well. All you have to do is spend two minutes with Jennifer and Joe and you'll know why they decided to become husband and wife and a train ride to work brought them together. And I am still touched by the adorable outfit Jennifer and Joe sent when Avery was born. How incredibly thoughtful! Second of all, what a spectacular venue. Maravilla Gardens in Camarillo is such a pleasant place to work (if you can call it work). There is such an abundance of flowers you really don't need to bring much at all. There are charming little signs and decor around every corner and when you're there you feel as if you're a million miles away. I especially love the putting green set up on the way to the ceremony. Their coordinator Erin helped immensely on the wedding day and we really appreciated her genuine concern for making sure Jennifer and Joe's day was perfect. And it goes without saying (once you see the pictures below) that you'd be hard-pressed to find a more perfect venue for photos. The day began at The Four Seasons Westlake Village, which holds particular sentimental value for me, as it's where I got ready on my wedding day almost 4 years ago. The day ended with a beautiful sparkler send-off, which made for some beautiful memories and gorgeous pictures. Jennifer and Joe, I hope this day was everything you dreamed it would be and then some. You were SO MUCH FUN to work with and I know we'll stay in touch. Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day!

Here are a few favorite photos from the always fantastic Heidi Ryder. See more at her blog.

Congratulations to Scott and Elisa!

We had a wonderful time this past Saturday coordinating a home wedding for Scott and Elisa. We've been working together since last September and from the moment I walked into their fantastic home I could see why they chose to use it as the venue for their special day. In fact, when the home was on sale earlier that year the previous owner had several interested buyers. So Scott and Elisa wrote a personal note, explaining that they planned to be married there. Well, who could say no to that? Scott and Elisa got the house and less than a year later, they were married there. Elisa had always dreamed of being married on the anniversary of her grandparents' wedding and - as if it had been written in the stars - that date happened to fall on a Saturday this year. Elisa and Scott invited 50 fun and lively friends and family and they (literally) partied the night away. Chef Greg and Adeline from Maison Catering provided the AMAZING Tuscan-inspired meals, followed by the most amazing Italian cookies anyone has ever tasted. The meals and desserts were all prepared onsite in Scott and Elisa's kitchen, so guests could watch and enjoy the fun as each course was prepared beautifully. Music was provided by Todd Buteaux of Feet First Entertainment and he did a fabulous job of keeping everyone on the dance floor, with the help of two very talented servers/dancers from Maison Catering who couldn't resist joining in the fun. Photography was provided by Jihan Photography and we are bursting to see the photos she took. Videography was provided by Jeff Roy and Sherry from Visioneer Media and we are so excited to see how some of the very creative setups came out on video. We're confident from past experience it will be amazing. Mocha Kiss arrived later in the evening with a full-service coffee cart and we're certain the large amounts of espresso consumed kept the party going into the wee hours of the morning. All in all it was a beautiful wedding for a fabulous couple and we couldn't be happier for them. And I have to thank them once again for the adorable Easter Bunny they gave me to bring home to Avery since their wedding was the night before Easter. It says a lot about a couple when they remember and have time to go out and buy a gift for their coordinator's daughter during such an incredibly busy time. Thank you so much!

Here are a few preview snapshots. The first three are from Jeff Roy, their videographer from Visioneer Media. The others are snapshots we took. We'll post the photos from their photographer, Jihan Photography as soon as they're ready so please stay tuned.

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