Cole Drake Events

Address:	829 Jefferson St, Napa, CA 94559, USA
Phone:	+1 707-304-5921
Site:	coledrake.com
Rating:	5
Working:	8AM–6PM 8AM–6PM 8AM–6PM 8AM–6PM 8AM–6PM 8AM–6PM Closed

Location

Photos 14

Reviews 5

Xiao Wei

My husband and I got to know Stephanie really well during the one-year planning process for our wine country Sonoma wedding (St. Francis Winery, 10/18/14), and she was a wedding-planner-dream-come-true every step of the way! It’s hard to describe everything that Stephanie did for us in just a few words, but looking back, we wanted to highlight several things that really stood out. 1. Personality. Stephanie has an amazingly calm demeanor. Given how stressful the entire process could be, she made it reassuringly easy every step of the way. She was genuinely on our side. We felt that she was a loyal friend who was watching out for our best interests at every point. 2. Flexibility. We had a specific idea of how we wanted several parts of our wedding to be. Although Stephanie’s initial recommendations for a few vendors were not what we initially had in mind, when we discussed our ideas with her, she was always understanding and offered other options that we loved. For example, we requested a Steinway grand piano to be placed in the tasting room at the winery for our after-dinner program. It was difficult to locate a piano that met all of our needs, but Stephanie made it happen! 3. Timeliness. Stephanie was quick to do everything for us, starting with the very first phone conversation we had. From her past experience, she had a great sense of when everything needed to be in place, so that we didnt have any last-minute worries. For example, for our outdoor courtyard dinner in October, Stephanie arranged to have extra heaters available months in advance, knowing that they may not be available closer to the event date. 4. Detail-oriented. This speaks to both Stephanie’s personality as well as her extensive experience. There were so many things that we wouldn’t have thought of, and she was always on top of those details. When we talked to her about the placecards for our guests, she even considered whether they would catch in the wind, and recommended ways to stabilize them. On our wedding day, Stephanie was there at all of the important moments: guiding our families before the processional, being there for us immediately after our ceremony, and helping us transition smoothly to the evening events. 5. Connections. Because of how well-connected Stephanie was, we felt like we had the perfect team. Stephanie had already worked closely with our officiant, florist, caterer, musicians, and more, which made the whole process truly seamless. If you are looking for a wedding planner for a Sonoma or Napa wedding, calling Stephanie may just be the best decision you will make!

M Kadaba

I got married to my husband this past summer at The Carneros Inn. Stephanie from Cole Drake Events, along with Jules from TCI, were our wedding planners. Stephanie stepped in to help the TCI team when their lead wedding staff person went on maternity leave a few months after we signed on to the venue. My mother-in-law, with whom I was planning the wedding, and I were understandably a little nervous about having someone we hadnt met coordinate the day, but she quickly quelled our anxieties with her prompt communication and graceful confidence. She oversaw all aspects of our day, was super collaborative and prompt, and saw no detail as too small. Her strong organizational skills and just how likable she was again came through when we met with her for tasting. We had a great time with her talking over the day as it was finally coming together, and she balanced helping us make decisions quickly while keeping us relaxed and enjoying ourselves. Not a small task for a type A bride and mother-in-law pair just a couple of months before the big day! Her talent shone through the most on my big day. The real magic of her work is that she makes the day run without ever intruding with her own presence. I felt like there was a genie who was with me all day, appearing just when I needed something or to make a gentle reminder and disappearing just as quickly and gracefully as she came. Her calm and firm energy again helped us stay grounded. More than anything, I knew I didnt have to worry about anything else other than being present with my family and friends and enjoying the day - the rest was in her very competent hands. With her work, Stephanie helped me be with my day in a way that was was as deep and meaningful as I could ever have hoped, and Im grateful to have worked with such a wonderful and caring professional!

Paul Koulogeorge

We had an amazing experience working with Cole Drake Events. Our team at Cole Drake, led by Stephanie Cole, exceeded all of our expectations. For 11 months we worked with Stephanie to create our 3 day Napa Valley wedding experience. We live in Philadelphia so, other than 3 planning trips, we had to rely on the expertise of our "team on the ground" in Napa...we were never let down. The Cole Drake team was so easy to work with! They were always friendly, enthusiastic, professional, fun and always a joy to work with! They kept very detailed documents and spreadsheets on DropBox to keep us on track, they would respond to e-mails within hours, they had the most amazing ideas and suggestions. More importantly, we gave them a vision "Mad Men In Napa" of a 1960s wine weekend in Napa, and they RAN WITH IT! They came up with clever ideas from food, music, settings, clothing, invitations, etc... that turned our vision into a reality. They didnt give us a "turn-key" wedding, but designed a one of a kind event that blew the minds of our 180 guests! They created 7 unique events over our 3 day wedding (Family Lunch, Wine Blending Competition, Cooking School, Mixology Class, Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding and Champagne Brunch) that were all unique but linked together thematically. I would not change one thing about our wedding, truly, it was perfect! I would happily talk to anyone who is considering Cole Drake to share photos, videos, documents/spreadsheets, and anecdotes about our experience! COLE DRAKE MAKES DREAMS COME TRUE!

Paul Dimalanta

Stephanie worked with us on our dream Napa wedding. The wedding was a huge success, flawlessly executed, and reflected our personalities effortlessly. Throughout the planning process she kept us on task and helped us prioritize our to-do list. The wedding day went exactly as planned and we stayed right on the timeline that was provided for us. As a couple we didnt worry about anything except making sure we could say our vows and spending time with our 220 guests. When we returned to our room after the wedding our gifts were displayed neatly with a few momentos Stephanie knew we would wanted from the wedding, all topped off with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, to help us wind down. She went beyond what was expected, she paid attention to all the little details, like making sure the brides mother ate dinner, all of which made our the wedding spectacular. I am sad that we wont get to work with her on anything again - unless we throw a huge anniversary party in the future!

Leo Griggs

We hired Stephanie Cole for our daughters wedding in Oakville California. She was absolutely AMAZING! Stephanie spent hours consulting with our daughter BEFORE we even hired her. From the first day of planning, to many meetings and appointments with us and vendors, the scheduling leading up to and all weekend, the set up, and overseeing the entire day of events….everything was totally perfect! Everyone raved over our beautiful wedding. We could not have done this without Stephanies personalized professional service. I highly recommend Cole Drake Events for any event! This was definitely, without a doubt, the best money I have ever spent!!