Dulce Dia Events Reviews
Reviews
4.6 out of 5 rating
4.6 out of 5 rating
18 Reviews
92% recommend it
-
![Jenny]()
Jenny D. Sent on 11/05/2023Awesome Wedding Planner!
Shawna was the first vendor I hired for my wedding and I'm so glad I did. She helped me through the various stages of wedding planning, providing helpful vendor suggestions and answering all my questions, big and small. I was mostly planning alone and whenever I would get overwhelmed, Shawna would calm my nerves and help me through any issue/obstacle. She's super funny, very knowledgeable, and will work with you to bring any of your ideas to life. Whenever my plans changed - which they always do when planning a wedding - she'd be right there to offer suggestions, talk through logistics, or brainstorm alternatives. As one would hope, where she really shined was on the day of our wedding. As soon as I got to the venue, any last minute nerves I had were immediately gone when I say how on top of it she was. I didn't have to lift a finger, she was in control of everything at all times. If there were any problems, I had no idea as she handled them without me ever knowing. Very happy I went with Dulce Dia Events! -
![Julia]()
Julia C. Sent on 06/10/2023A great team you can trust
Shawna and her team were awesome, I could not have gone through the wedding planning process without Shawna's help. She knows her stuff, has tons of experience, good relationships with other vendors, and guided me along the way whenever I had a question.
She took on a big challenge with my wedding. I chose a unique venue where we had to bring everything in. She had never coordinated a wedding at this particular venue so she made sure to go out with me multiple times to ensure a perfect day. Her team was incredible and easy to work with. This a cliche but the day really was a dream come true. -
Karissa H. Sent on 07/27/2021
Shawna is amazing!
My venue required a Wedding Coordinator and now I am so thankful they did because having one is a blessing. Shawna was great to work with and eased all my anxieties/stress wedding planning related. Leading up to the wedding and day of wedding she was so helpful with set up, coordinating all my vendors, assisted with break down and everything else in between. All her staff that helped the day of were great as well. Everyone was so nice and were always willing to help. I'm thankful for Shawna and her great staff. They are so professional, organized, sweet and hard workers. It was worth every penny! -
-
![Denise]()
Denise Sent on 08/21/2021Shawna is simply the best!!
When we were told that we needed to hire a wedding coordinator if we wanted our wedding at the Hilton SB, I did not think my life would change and it surely did for the better!!! Shawna and I clicked IMMEDIATELY and she understood exactly what I needed and what I was looking for. Shawna and her team were just simply spectacular!! They are professional but also so personable!! She was not only my wedding coordinator but also my friend!!! I talked to other coordinators and they all were just so stiff and corporate!! I did not want a coordinator like that as I am very personable! :) My hubby and I loved Shawna from the first time we talked! We had a destination wedding so we relied on her for her referrals and experience. Shawna was heaven sent. Her team ensured our wedding was the most perfect day for us and all of our family and friends LOVED our wedding. They said it was truly magical. We couldn't have pulled it off without Shawna and her amazing team!! We highly recommend her and if we were to do a vow renewal, we would hire her again in a heartbeat!! Thank you for making our dream wedding come true!! :) -
![Isabella]()
Isabella Sent on 05/16/2020Like Planning With Friends
Shawna and Kimberly planned and coordinated our wedding on 10/20/19 in Santa Barbara. Shawna was incredibly helpful throughout the whole process: recommending vendors, making a schedule for the ceremony, corralling guests for photos and food, etc. We could not have pulled off our wedding without them! I highly recommend Dulce Dia Events and will be forever thankful to them for making our wedding day one we will never forget. -
-
![ady]()
Ady Sent on 01/06/2021Fairy Godmothers to the Rescue
Shawna and Kimberly are a dynamic duo -
-
![Shy]()
Shy Sent on 04/06/2019The best decision we made!
I would not have survived the wedding planning process without Shawna of Dulce Dia Events. Although Shawna was technically hired as our "day-of-coordinator," she was more than happy to provide me guidance for planning my wedding for over a year. She was always quick to respond and always willing to provide me with support. She was flexible, caring, and extremely personable. I cannot imagine making it through my wedding day without her there! If you are on the fence about hiring a DoC, meeting with Shawna will convince you that her services are definitely worth the extra cost (and she is super affordable!). -
![Stacy]()
Stacy S. Sent on 09/14/2021Not what we expected
We booked Shawna a year+ ago as she was a preferred vendor from our venue and we wanted someone with knowledge of our venue. Unfortuntely, that is not what we received.
Found out as we got closer to the wedding that our day-of coordinator was NOT going to be Shawna and instead someone on her staff named Nicole.
We learned during the rehearsal the day before (and the day of) that Nicole was not up to speed with not only our wedding items, but with the details of the venue.
Ran into a laundry list of issues with Nicole. To keep it short - she failed to keep us on schedule, didn't ensure the groomsmen wore their boutonnieres, and lost our custom etched champagne flutes PLUS my bridal bouquet.
Though Shawna refunded us for the waste of boutonnieres, our irreplaceble glasses and my bridal bouquet remain lost.
If Nicole remains with the company, I would not recommend Dulca Dia Events. -
![Laurie]()
Laurie Sent on 06/06/2024Do not use shawna/dulce dia! The worst!
I STRONGLY advise against using Shawna of Dulce Dia Events for any event planning services. My experience with her was extremely disappointing and unprofessional. Despite her initial promises to assist with vendors and maintain regular communication leading up to my wedding, she failed to deliver on every commitment.
From the start, Shawna assured me she would handle various aspects of my wedding planning. However, she did nothing to fulfill these promises and instead retained my deposit, which she refuses to refund. Her lack of engagement was evident as she provided excuses related to a family issue that predated our contract and took multiple vacations, leaving her unavailable and unresponsive during critical planning periods. Her limited office hours and minimal communication further exacerbated the situation.
Despite my repeated attempts to discuss my wedding plans with her, Shawna remained elusive. With only five days remaining before the event, she had not provided a timeline or any necessary details, leaving my vendors and me in a state of confusion and stress. This was my first time planning a wedding, and I was unaware of the typical expectations, but my vendors were shocked at the lack of organization and communication from Shawna.
I never managed to schedule a meeting with her because she was unavailable; therefore, she had no grasp of the details of my wedding. Her plan to manage the event appeared to be entirely improvised, which is unacceptable for a ‘professional wedding planner.’ Additionally, her claim of being the top wedding planner in Santa Barbara and her alleged connections with my venue turned out to be false, as the venue staff did not recognize her.
I requested an account of the time she spent on my wedding planning, but she was unable to provide any documentation, likely because no effort was made on her part. Despite this, she still refuses to return my substantial deposit.
Shawna's conduct is deeply unethical, and her business practices are deceitful. I strongly urge anyone considering her services to reconsider. Save your money, time, and avoid the unnecessary stress that comes with her unreliable and dishonest approach.Dulce Dia Events's reply:
We are saddened & disappointed in the handling of your dispute despite all the information that was presented to you. It’s unfortunate your feeling of our services weren’t met although all efforts of communication (emails & texts) were logged.
As per our contract, I was hired a your coordinator. We were not contracted as full service planning or partial planning partnership. Planning and Coordination are two different contracts/services. Referrals were given upon request and support with any questions were answered. It’s extremely disheartening & beyond humanly to use an immediate family members passing as a reason I was away from the office. Your emails, during the most difficult time in my family’s life, were answered. I clearly remember emailing and texting you from the hospital waiting room.
(Dates of emails are logged for support)
90 day documents had been emailed to you upon our initial contract. Several emails were sent to set a time and day to speak about your wedding & they all went unanswered. The dates in question were emailed to you confirming I had reached out to you with unanswered emails. This went out 45 days before your first reply. The delay became stressful as I was now in a position to expedite the coordination processes – with not one document to support the details I needed to do my job & generate a timeline for the team. I expressed the importance of these documents as they are a huge hub of my coordination process/timeline service. I wasn’t able to complete my portion due to the lack of communication on your end to reply to my emails and send the documentation I had requested months back. In addition, I finally received an email from you 3 weeks before your wedding requesting a time to speak. Despite the failed attempts to contact you, some dates/times were offered to set a meeting. You were unable to make those times work, which is understandable. However, you requested to speak during a time I was away from my office or working a wedding. At that point, it became impossible to bring understanding to the situation based on your absence of communication. A final attempt was offered to hop on a call, generate the timeline and wrap up all of the details for your wedding. Because of my experience & the fact I'm extremely seasoned, it would be an easy turn-around for me to do in less than an hour! You declined my service at this point.
To clarify once again, all attempted email dates were sent to you.
(All emails are logged for support)
(Referring to the paragraph above). We, Dulce Dia Events, remain on the venues referral list as per my conversation with the venue managers. Unfortunately, there seems to be a difference in outcomes. Our conversation was pleasant & my sharing of the situation was understood. I will remain as a preferred coordinator & have many upcoming events/weddings on property.
A $500 non-refundable retainer is standard with all/most vendors in the industry. This commits our services and declines other inquiries on that day. It also begins communication, support and referral services. All of which were honored and serviced by Dulce Dia Events. Retainers remain non-refundable. A request to cancel contract was honored & approved. I waived the remaining balance owed as a courtesy. Since the contract was terminated, you’ve continued to harass, threaten and verbally abuse the situation using personal family passings as a subject to your concerns.
I’ve been in the industry for 20 years. I've never experienced such an abusive and dissappointing outcome with any of my clients. We average 50-70 weddings a year and have an outstanding reputation in the wedding industry here in Santa Barbara. We will continue to exceed our clients expectations and put all of our hearts into what we do best. All of our reviews show exactly who we are & the services we will continue to provide.
Wishing you the best,
Shawna Andrade
Owner of Dulce Dia Events -
Are you interested?
Send a message
Are you interested?
Send a message