Testimonials
Hear what our clients are saying about Weddings by Darlene
We had an excellent experience working with Darlene, Jim and Judy throughout the entire planning process. They were very helpful throughout each step of the process, organized and easy to communicate with. They created a timeline for us that was updated along the way and a great tool to keep everybody on the same page. They accounted for all of the little things that we would not think of. All three came to the venue a couple of months prior to the wedding to walk through everything and paint the picture for us.
We worked with Judy for the rehearsal and the day-of. She kept everybody on schedule while remaining calm and collected. She handled every minor hiccup professionally and didn’t stress us with the issues during the ceremony or reception.
Everything went so smoothly and we’ve been told by countless guests about how perfectly organized and well planned everything was. My sister also used Darlene for her wedding and it was also perfect! Can’t recommend them enough, very professional and organized!
Darlene and Jim were exceptional!
On behalf of my wife and I, I must say that our day was perfect in every way and we couldnt have done it without this dynamic duo…
Darlene kept this special day on track and on pace from the moment the weekend started. Not a detail was missed and everything came out wonderful.
On another note and coming from the hospitality and business world I was impressed with how many people knew Jim and Darlene at the venue. Everyone from the grounds crew to the servers to the general managers and local wine reps stopped by to say hello to Jim and Darlene…
If you’re looking for experience and someone to truly take charge of your special day this is the team!!
We hired Darlene to be our Day of Coordinator and honestly could not have dreamed of a better person (or team because her husband Jim is also part of the package) to oversee the operations of our wedding! Our family is very vocal about everything, and from the very first meeting Darlene handled them with the appropriate tone and level set how this relationship would work. My father-in-law was very negative about hiring a planner in general and walked away from that meeting thrilled that I chose her and knew she was the perfect person to handle anything that came up. What I absolutely loved about working with Darlene and Jim was that they treated my husband and I like family. Jim’s level of detail for table layouts was spot on and they were open to other ideas that we felt suited us better. Darlene even suggested things that I wanted and worked it out with the venue so we could have and at no additional expense. She is a rock and a must have for a bride! They protected us from whatever issues were happening around us and they followed our wishes to make sure our day was perfect. I HIGHLY recommend Weddings by Darlene, you are getting way more with them than just a planner!
My husband and I signed up for the wedding package provided by V. Sattui Winery. Included in the package were Darlene and Jim Forbes. She, the day-of-wedding coordinator and he, the officiant.
From the moment we met them, we felt we were in good hands. Darlene and Jim are warm and easygoing 🙂
Darlene was sharp and very organized. She knew all the details of our wedding: the rehearsal, the caterers, music, wedding cake, flowers, and photographer etc.
She created a detailed wedding timeline and that made our wedding smooth and stress-free. The day of the wedding, neither my husband nor I worried about where everyone was supposed to be and if things would get done. Darlene made sure everyone did their job! She was there before the wedding and stayed until the end of the evening until the very last guest departed.
Jim was wonderful too. He provided us with sample ceremonies/vows. We chose one of the samples that Jim gave us and it was perfect for our wedding.
We appreciated the easy communication between us and the encouragement to ask them any questions.
They went far above and beyond what we expected, especially since we were told Darlene was a “day of the wedding” coordinator.
I really enjoyed working with Darlene. She is an expert on Napa weddings, works frequently with many of the caterers and at a variety of venues. She is super professional and has great ideas to resolve any issues you are working through. Her pricing and availability were excellent. She makes herself available whenever you need. She has been doing weddings for 20 years and is truly an expert in all kinds of weddings from super formal to very casual. I would recommend her to anyone.
Darlene & Jim are a dream team when it comes to wedding coordinating. I used them for my day-of coordination and they really helped to take all of the stress of off me and make sure everything ran smoothly that day. Darlene & Jim will even meet with you ahead of time to make sure you are thinking of everything when it comes to your wedding. They were much more reasonable than other wedding services in the Napa area and really great to work with!
Darlene was fantastic! She had everything ready to go and organized down to the smallest detail. If it weren’t for her and Jim I doubt the wedding would have gone so wonderfully! Darlene let me be the OCD bride until a point, and then she told me to relax and let her take over – she did and didn’t miss a beat! The wedding was flawless due to her amazing skills! It was also extremely neat to have her husband perform our ceremony! What a fun piece of symbolism 😉 Thanks Darlene! You made our day perfect! We are so thankful for you!
I would give this team of Darlene and Jim a ten-star rating if I could. The absolute best thing we ever did for our daughter’s wedding was to hire Darlene. We met her and her husband, Jim, by chance while visiting one of the wineries in St. Helena where they were preparing a wedding. Amidst all the hustle and bustle they were overseeing, they took the time to talk with us and we made an instant connection with them. We learned that Darlene has been connected to the wedding industry in the Napa Valley for years and, when her husband retired, he joined her. Her experience and knowledge of everything connected to wedding planning made the planning experience for us stress free and fun. Putting everything in their capable hands made our trips to the wine country a fun adventure and something we looked forward to. Her recommendations of vendors were also spot on, and we were so impressed with each.
We also felt so lucky to be getting two for the price of one because they work together like clockwork. Jim saved us tons of time by making phone calls and getting answers to our questions, while Darlene was busy with the planning and coordinating. Any questions we had were not only answered immediately, but in almost all cases, handled by them.
My husband and I agreed that the wisest money we ever spent was on hiring Darlene and Jim as our wedding planner.