Risa James Events

Risa was a complete life saver. My husband and I were a different case since we live full time in Scotland. Risa was professional, had wonderful advice and a spectacular eye for detail. When we were planning, the wedding timeline was invaluable. She also kept me on track and made sure everything was ready for the wedding day because we only had 2 days from us landing in California to the wedding day. I sometimes struggle with making decisions, and Risa's experience and advice really helped me make decisions I was very happy with for the wedding.I don't think our day would have run as smoothly if it weren't for her. She was flexible and willing wanted to chat even if we were 8 hours ahead. She kept me, and my husband on track which helped us relax for the wedding. Seriously, there aren't enough stars for Risa! She deserves at least 100! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I truly don't know what I would have done without you. I loved my wedding and it was thanks to you! Aside from all the caos you managed to make my day enjoyable and special. I was not worried about a single thing throughout the whole day and that is greatest gift on the most important day of our lives. I could not thank you enough! You are the best! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

When I booked Risa for a day-of-coordinator for my wedding in late July I was expecting someone who just works the day of the wedding but that was not the case with Risa. I was immediately impressed by the amount of time she dedicated to make my day special months in advance. She was extremely flexible and willing to work with our schedules and needs in a kind, thoughtful, and professional manner. Risa brought things to my attention that without her I would have completely overlooked and would have made my wedding 10 times more stressful. On the actually day of the event I didn't have to worry about one single thing because Risa was there to manage everything. From decor set-up, contacting vendors, organizing guest arrival, managing our first look and so much more my day was so enjoyable because I didn't have to worry about one single thing. She even went as far as gathered up all of my belongings at the end of the night, boxed them all up, and placed them in a safe location for me to grab the next day. If anyone is on the fence about hiring Risa I would say no doubt this was the best decision I ever made while planning the wedding. I would easily recommend her to anyone and guarantee that they would not be disappointed in their choice to work with Risa. I cannot thank her enough for all the work that she did to ensure that my wedding was magical and stress-free and that was all made possible by Risa. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

When I booked Risa for a day-of-coordinator for my wedding in late July I was expecting someone who just works the day of the wedding but that was not the case with Risa. I was immediately impressed by the amount of time she dedicated to make my day special months in advance. She was extremely flexible and willing to work with our schedules and needs in a kind, thoughtful, and professional manner. Risa brought things to my attention that without her I would have completely overlooked and would have made my wedding 10 times more stressful. On the actually day of the event I didn't have to worry about one single thing because Risa was there to manage everything. From decor set-up, contacting vendors, organizing guest arrival, managing our first look and so much more my day was so enjoyable because I didn't have to worry about one single thing. She even went as far as gathered up all of my belongings at the end of the night, boxed them all up, and placed them in a safe location for me to grab the next day. If anyone is on the fence about hiring Risa I would say no doubt this was the best decision I ever made while planning the wedding. I would easily recommend her to anyone and guarantee that they would not be disappointed in their choice to work with Risa. I cannot thank her enough for all the work that she did to ensure that my wedding was magical and stress-free and that was all made possible by Risa. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Excellent, meticulous and detail oriented! She's the best! Risa stays on top of everything for you if you want her to do this.

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa is an amazing wedding planner and I highly recommend her for anyone that wants their wedding day to be perfectly coordinated and smoothly executed! We wanted a memorable day that was stress free and fun and Risa made that happen. She is very knowledgeable about vendors, costs, and is tech savvy creating spreadsheets, budgets and timelines, all necessary to planning a perfect day. Risa is meticulous and will keep you on track for appointments and payments along the way. Thank you Risa for making our beautiful wedding so stress-free! We love you! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Risa has superb attention to detail and was wonderful to work with. We clicked instantly and she made sure every part of our wedding ran smoothly. Our only regret was that we only hired her for coordination services. If it's in your budget (and even if it's not), hire her as soon as you start planning! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa James Events was a must for my wedding! She was always on time, prepared, happy, hard working, and always so kind. Without her and my family I don’t think anything on my wedding day would have went as smoothly as it did. It was one of the best days of my life and thanks to he, she made it all about me and made everything happen. If you are unsure about if a wedding planner is worth it...it is extremely worth every penny and Risa is the best there is out there and also at a reasonable price. Thank you again Risa for everything you did to make our day perfect! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I simply cannot say enough about the value of working with Risa James Events for my daughter's recent wedding. From our initial meeting, to the months leading up to our beautiful day, Risa was always available for questions and advice and kept us on track with details of which we would have been completely unaware without her steady guidance. As the mother of the bride, my intention in hiring a coordinator was to be able to completely enjoy the day as my daughter married her one true love, and from the moment Risa arrived onsite at the venue, I was 'off duty'. I did not have to attend to another single detail other than to answer an occasional question, because the necessary groundwork and communication had been laid. Risa, you truly made the day a joy, and I'm so very grateful for your poise, professionalism and competence. Thank you! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

We absolutely loved working with Risa! She's helped us in so many ways for our wedding last year even though we only hired her as a day-of coordinator. She was very accommodating of any changes we threw her way. I remember having to change the timeline at least 4 times but Risa still made it all happen. She sent all of our vendors a timeline of the wedding day to follow, then she revised and re-sent them again when needed. When we felt like we need to move our Father/Daughter dance earlier that when it was supposed to happen on the day of, Risa was all smiles and took care of it, no problem! She even stayed and cleaned up after the reception to help us organize what we brought and what the venue provided. This goes above and beyond what we expected from her!!!Honestly, she is THE BEST at her job. You will definitely not regret it if you decide to work with her. :) More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Risa is undoubtedly the one person you cannot be without when planning a wedding and have present on your daughter’s wedding day. She is creative, proactive, quick to solve a problem, professional, keeps everyone on a sensible timeline, helpful, honorable and just a pure delightful person. Love her work, interaction with vendors and the overall support system she brings. Our entire wedding party and family just loved her. I was extremely skeptical of hiring a wedding planner and thought I would be able to do it all on my own. Risa however, made it possible for me to enjoy it all to the fullest. She is by far the best ever!!!!Ann C. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Risa is amazing at what she does! From the moment we first spoke she put me at ease because she is friendly and experienced. I had no idea how many tiny details had to be hammered out before the wedding and Risa made every step organized and simple to work through. She is extremely responsive and flexible. She stepped in so many times where I was feeling swamped.

On our wedding day everything went off without a hitch! The timing, flow, and vibe of the wedding were all exactly how I wanted them. Risa does a great job of understanding what you want and helping to execute it. During the wedding she was able to anticipate and be attentive to the needs of my husband and I. She developed great relationships with our vendors and helped to create a wonderful day for us we will never forget!

I would highly recommend Risa for anyone looking for support with coordinating or planning their wedding. She will not disappoint! Happy planning! :) More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I can’t say enough amazing things about Risa! She was by far the best decision we made for our wedding! We hired her for day of coordination but she was SO much more than that. I kept in touch with her through the whole planning process and she was quick to respond with advice and recommendations. We dealt with a very difficult venue and contract issues and Risa was there to help us every step of the way. The month of the wedding she seemlessly took over contacting the vendors, building the day of timeline and ensuring I wasn’t forgetting anything. Our wedding day was perfect and we owe it to her! It makes me want to get married again just to work with her again! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We hired Risa as our day-of coordinator and I cannot say enough good things. Even though we hired her for the day of, she started working with us more than a month before the wedding, putting together timelines and coordinating with our vendors. Because of this I had very little stress leading up to the wedding day. In fact I was so chill, that everyone kept asking me how the heck I was so relaxed that close to my wedding! Her timeline was organized down to the smallest detail. Everyone in my wedding party and family was super impressed with Risa's attention to detail. She even got a few compliments from our vendors. On the day of she made sure everything ran according to schedule and it all went off without a hitch. In addition to working with the vendors, she was reloading Polaroid cameras, restocking our dessert bar, and paying attention to every little detail so I didn't have to. If there is one piece of advice I would pass along to brides it's GET A DAY-OF COORDINATOR! And if you are in the Sacramento area, WORK WITH RISA! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Having Risa coordinate our wedding was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day. We hired Risa as a day-of coordinator but she was working with us a month prior to the wedding. Our wedding was at Park Winters, CA and even though she is based in Sacramento, she met us twice before the wedding to walk through the venue and to guide us through the rehearsal at no extra charge.
Risa is incredibly well-organized; she reached out to all vendors and created a in-depth timeline that allowed the day to go by smoothly. She has a great attention to detail, and caught on to some potential mishaps throughout the day. My goal was to avoid putting our family members to work on our wedding day, so Risa took care of all decorations, set up and tear down. She was very pleasant to work with and easy to communicate with. Months prior to the wedding, I believed that a coordinator would not be necessary since my husband and I planned our wedding entirely and we had very reliable vendors. However, I cannot stress enough how important it was to have Risa maintain an overall picture of the day. It took immense stress off me and my husband and allowed us to enjoy our special day! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Wedding planning is no easy feat. Risa helped my fiance and I make our special day perfect. She answered my emails and questions right away and brought up many questions, ideas and scenarios that I never considered during the planning process. Risa is very experienced with weddings and is even able to help answer a legal question or two. It was extremely helpful having her coordinate with all the venders and provide final checks with them. She braved the triple digit Sacramento heat on our wedding day to help decorate our wedding arch as well as placed the flowers on top of our wedding cake. And they both looked great! We were so happy we hired Risa to help us coordinate our wedding. You blew us away :) More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We absolutely loved working with Risa! She's helped us in so many ways even though we only hired her as our day-of coordinator. She was very accommodating of any changes we threw her way. I remember having to change the timeline at least 4 times but Risa still made it all happen. She sent all of our vendors a timeline of the wedding day to follow and revised and re-sent them again when needed. When we felt like we need to move our Father/Daughter dance earlier that when it was supposed to happen on the day of, Risa was all smiles and took care of it, no problem! She even stayed and cleaned up after the reception to help us organize what we brought to and what the venue provided. This goes above and beyond what we expected from her.

Honestly, she is THE BEST at her job. You will definitely not regret it if you decide to work with her. :) More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

My fiancé and I just got married this past weekend, we used Risa day of coordinator services. I can not imagine a more professional, detail oriented person. Risa was personable, friendly and above all else extremely great at pulling information together to make your wedding day stress free. Risa's Day of services are by no means just the day of, she must have kept in constant contact with my fiancé constantly making sure that she had everything correct. We also had a home visit with her a couple of weeks before the wedding just to go over details that we might have not thought of, she was there coordinating our rehersal. She took care of our wedding timeline, she contacted all our vendors and was in constant contact with our venue. Rita also set up all our wedding decor, mind you we did not have that much of a put together theme, but when Risa was done with decorating, it was perfect. We got way more then we expected with Risa, if your looking for someone that is hardworking, highly educated, and detail oriented, she is your best option. She is worth every penny and we ever have another major event that needs coordinating we would hire her, not just for the day but for the entire event. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Working with Risa was great! She is very professional, organized and reliable. Risa listened to every single detail that we wanted and made sure we had the wedding of our dreams. Anytime we had a question, Risa responded quickly. There were some cultural traditions that we wanted to include at our reception that Risa wasn't familiar with, she looked them up online to make sure she knew exactly what would be happening and how much time she needed to fit them in our timeline. I am still on cloud nine, thinking about my wedding and how perfect it was. I know for sure it wouldn't have been so great without Risa's help! If you are getting married and are looking for someone to make your dream wedding come true, we highly recommend Risa! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I reached out to Risa 10 months before my wedding already completely overwhelmed and right away she was there for me! From multiple events, to traditional rituals, to accommodating out of state guests and then to be sure the events are a hoot themselves, was not an easy task! She kept me sane and organized throughout the planning process and the day of the actual wedding Risa was at the venue early and kept me updated on which vendors had arrived, showing me photos of the decor (while I was getting hair and makeup done and having my photoshoot). From delays to any other issues that came up, Risa was always there--She even packed us a to-go bag of our wedding food because we did not have time to sit and eat properly.
I would recommend Risa to anyone planning a wedding big or small! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Hiring Risa as our coordinator was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. We hired her only 4 weeks before our wedding (which had 175 guests) when all the logistical planning was getting stressful, and she was a God send! She helped us create the timeline, communicated with all our vendors to double check any potential problems or discrepancies, and finalize all the details. On the day of our wedding, I didn't have worry about anything for setup or how things would be executed because I knew we were in good hands. We had DIY centerpieces for 19 tables that had to be set up with water, floating candles, and flowers that the catering set-up crew couldn't do, so both her and her assistant took care of it and made them look beautiful! Risa had also planned the timeline very well and made sure we were able to get through our program so the photographer could capture everything before she left (an hour before the reception was over). She also was extremely helpful at the end of the night when we had to clean up the venue and pack everything up in separate cars, and she even stayed with us until all of it was taken care of. Her prices were super reasonable and she was worth every penny to have her to coordinate our wedding! I would highly recommend her to any other couples planning their wedding in the Sacramento area. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I never would have survived the wedding planning experience without Risa. Risa was extremely responsive, thoughtful, and engaged in the planning process, and helped us sort out our complex venue and schedule. She's extremely detail oriented, but she doesn't lose sight of the big picture. Thanks to her advice, our day went off flawlessly, and we couldn't recommend her more. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa was, by far, the all-star, MVP (most valuable planner) of our wedding vendor team. Anyone can help you pick out this or that, or tell you what you can easily find on the internet with 10 minutes of searching. Risa goes above-and-beyond; she actually provides GREAT ADVICE and COUNSEL to you. She has an opinion about things; and she's right. We had numerous times where we would explain to a vendor that "well our wedding planner suggested . . . " and they would glow with happiness and praise because they had the exact same opinion (whether it was timing of the event, indoor vs outdoor, band vs DJ, sequence of photos, etc.). Risa has unparalleled tastes for helping you create the perfect event that your guests will never forget (and that will give you a lifetime of memories). We will, without hesitation, hire Risa again in the future for our next event! I can't say enough great things about her foresight, steady planing, and consistency when dealing with other vendors. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa was amazing to work with. She was so attentive and detail oriented. During the more stressful moments of wedding planning, she helped us to stay calm and provided us with the most helpful advice. I cannot recommend her enough!

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We hired Risa at the strong recommendation of a friend to be the "day-of" wedding coordinator for our daughter's wedding on October 29, 2016. Thank goodness we listened to our friend! Risa was so much more than a "day-of" coordinator. She was full of wise counsel and always available for consult during the weeks before the wedding. At the rehearsal, wedding ceremony and reception, Risa managed a rather complicated venue complete with tents and structures, herded our large crowd into each place flawlessly, and coordinated all the vendors. If you want a smart, extremely capable, positive, efficient, relaxed wedding coordinator, then Risa is your woman! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa was absolutely lovely to work with! Calm under the pressure and detail-oriented, she wrangled family members and vendors, set-up escort cards, family photos, etc. , AND helped with our DIY flower arrangements. She kept the first look on schedule when our photographer got a little confused and probably handled a few other unknown-to-me snafus. We hired Risa to be our day-of-coordinator, but she went above and beyond day-of duties. Her monthly check-ins kept us on track and her on-point questions in the weeks leading up to the wedding ensured that nothing fell through the cracks. There are so many moving parts to a wedding (even our 120-person, relatively chill, outdoor BBQ affair had 10+ vendors), and it was invaluable to have Risa there to coordinate the day so our families could enjoy themselves. Her fee was reasonable too! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa is wonderful. Risa is responsive, flexible, very detailed and result oriented. She works with you from the day you book through the wedding day. She makes you feel comfortable and will be as hands on and off as much as you need and is always there to provide an opinion or guidance when needed. She thinks of things that you wouldn't think of and asks the right questions and always has your best interest in mind.

She came to us during the wedding only when she needed us to be somewhere, to provide us updates or when anything major came up. She was always calm and helpful during the wedding. Risa goes above and beyond and worked with our last minute changes during the wedding and still kept everything on track. On the day of the wedding, we had a lot of decor for her to setup and she delivered.

I couldn't have imagined our day without Risa. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a DOC (and already have to my friends). She was one of my favorite and easiest wedding vendors to work with! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Phenomenal! Absolutely phenomenal! The best choice we made for our wedding. Risa is everything you could ask for in a wedding coordinator- organized, professional, detail-oriented and overall a great person. Risa put together a timeline for us and took care of all the details...all of them. Our wedding ran smoothly because of Risa. She also made the day of our wedding less stressful because she did everything- set up decor, organized vendors, arranged the wedding party, kept us on time, and helped with the clean up. Because of all her hard work both before and the day of our wedding, we were able to enjoy our day. Risa did such a great job, she deserves ten stars! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa is wonderful! Highly recommend her to any bride who wants to be sure the big day will run seamlessly. She managed multiple vendors and did not need much from me the day-of- exactly what you want. She checked in with me whenever something important came up, and was a pleasure to work with. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa was fantastic. I can't imagine how we could have pulled off the wedding without Risa's help. They say the wedding day goes by quickly, and it's so true. There are so many things going on around you the day of, it would have been impossible for me to enjoy the day without Risa taking care of all of the logistics. Risa was also great keeping in touch with me through out the 9 months leading up to the wedding, and giving me prompt suggestions and answering any concerns that I may had. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa was absolutely amazing! We booked her very last minute to do day-of coordinating for the wedding. I talked to a few planners before finding Risa, and they all made me feel stressed talking to them-- saying how little time was left for them to get organized, how soon the wedding was, how their prices would be MUCH steeper due to the fact that the wedding was so soon, etc. Not Risa! She was chill as a cucumber but still on top of every detail. I literally don't know what we would have done without her. She was authoritative and quick to make decisions but never came off as pushy and was extremely accommodating to my ideas and making sure my vision came through. My sister, who was my MOH, is getting married in a few months, asked me 5 times during my wedding to find out if Risa was available her date! LOVE LOVE LOVE. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa! She is incredible - I don't know what I would've done without her the day of my wedding. I didn't need her at the ceremony (it was at a church and there was a church coordinator there), so she helped set up everything at the brunch wedding reception I was having. Yes, it was a fairly simple given many of the weddings with huge budgets that I've seen, but still, I never imagined there would be so many details that I'd have to think or worry about on the "day of." I could not be in two places at once, and that's the main reason I hired her. She made my brunch look absolutely elegant, using the decor I had given her to lay out (the name cards, the decorations, the centerpieces, the favors, etc.). To be honest, I wasn't sure how my reception would come together since I basically planned/ordered everything on my own, but Risa gave everything her special touch and it really came together.

That being said, it's not all about the help the "day of." It's the talking to the vendors. And by that I mean one vendor in my case, that was both the venue and the catering. And they were a total pain in the ass in terms of communication and trying to sneak in costs hoping we wouldn't notice. Ugh, it was awful. Anyway, Risa was cc'ed on everything and while she didn't address the issues to them directly it was great to have her as an advocate, and she made sure everything went smoothly the "day of" with the vendor. Thank goodness - because it did, and it was wonderful, and a huge part of that was her overseeing the reception.

Okay this is starting to get rambly but RISA I LOVE YOU and I will be recommending you to other friends.

Oh, and I gave her a "4" on responsiveness only because she's a superhero who does this and also has a full-time job so sometimes she can't get to you right away or until later in the day. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I booked Risa for a last minute emergency with my hotel wedding planner. She was an amazing help for my day of wedding planning needs. She also spent a good amount of time communicating with me the weeks up the to wedding to make sure everything was on track. She pays attention to detail, is quick to adjust to changes, responsive, and a *very* considerate wedding coordinator. She also has good taste!

She communicated with all my bridal party with ease. She was also very flexible with our situation.

We asked a lot of her and she delivered. While because of the few reviews we saw of her services we were hesitant in the beginning, after talking to her, and after our wedding, we were very glad to have found her and recommend her without hesitation. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa is creative, organized and attentive to detail, as all event planners should be. What sets Risa apart from others, however, is that she is pragmatic and results-oriented. So many event planners focus on frills with high price tags that won't necessarily make your event any more fun or beautiful or memorable. For both my wedding and another wedding that I attended as a guest, I saw Risa's creative solutions successfully come to life. Risa can help you allocate your event budget efficiently to make your dream event a reality. She is also attentive and will work with your personal preferences, rather than encouraging a cookie-cutter event model.

Risa was instrumental in helping me identify wedding vendors that delivered the highest quality at surprisingly reasonable prices. In particular, her guidance in choosing a florist and DJ was exceptional. Since my wedding last fall, I have received multiple inquiries regarding these vendors, and I would not have known about them without Risa's guidance. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Risa has the knowledge, experience and initiative to coordinate any event from start to finish. Besides being endlessly helpful, she also has the negotiating skills you want for the extras that can enhance your event.

Reviewed on WeddingWire