ZahZoom Weddings & Parties

It has been 2 years since my husband and I got married. I am now finally getting around to writing a review. Had it not been for Nelle and her amazing powers of organization, we would probably still be hemming and hawing over flowers or table linens. Planning a wedding did not come naturally to us. Nelle made the experience as smooth and problem free as possible. She was a champ the day of the wedding. She managed to be in 10 places at once. Everything was perfect. She was able to take our very vague ideas and turn them into something real and beautiful. If you are interested in having a stress free wedding, I would highly recommend hiring Nelle as your wedding coordinator.

I truly cannot say enough about Nelle at ZahZoom Weddings and Parties. She was our coordinator for our wedding and she handled everything with professionalism, humor and fun.
Going into the wedding planning process I wasn’t sure if our budget would allow for a coordinator but I can honestly say it was by far the best decision we made. Our wedding day was truly relaxing and we were able to enjoy every minute of it knowing that Nelle had all of the details (big and small) taken care of. Her organization and attention to detail is incredible (she also did our floral arrangements which were fabulous!). Her dedication to engaging in «green» practices wherever possible was wonderful and important to us. She is completely flexible and willing and able to work with you to help you craft a wedding day that suits your style and budget. She was truly a delight and I cannot recommend her highly enough!

Well, I can say that for my husband me, getting a wedding planner was essential. This is because neither of us wanted to deal with details and behind-​the-​scenes stuff for our wedding. No one ever tells you how many decisions you have to make in order to throw a wedding. We knew we’d have the choose the guest list, but we had no idea what linens to choose for the dining tables or when we needed to tell the baker to send the cake to reception…
That is where Nelle came in. We opted for the full service package, which meant Nelle was with us every step of the way. She recommended vendors and coordinated details with them so we didn’t have to. She created an entire timeline for our special day to indicate where everyone (us, attendants, family, vendors) needed to be and when. She made sure everything ran on time and smoothly — most importantly, without consulting us if there were any hiccups. If any problems arose at the ceremony or reception, we did not hear about them. This really allowed us to just enjoy the day and spend time with our family and friends.
Nelle took the time to get to know us, and it really showed in that our wedding was very indicative of who we are as a couple. She made careful notes of what we liked and did not like. She would update her notes with every meeting we had. Thus, Nelle was able to accurately guage our tastes. This was key since we asked Nelle to create the décor and flowers for us. She made sure that her creations were much more cost effective than if we had hired a florist as an additional vendor. She made the bouquets for me and my bridesmaids, and she pulled together a gorgeous table spread based off a vague suggestion we gave her («we like the idea of lanterns»). Nelle keeps a great portfolio, and can show you pictures of the different things she’s done.
Most importantly, she’s a total team player. Nelle will be as involved as you want her to be. She works well with other vendors (our reception site included a planner that handled the logistics of the site and rentals… there was never any sort of power struggle or disagreement between the two of them). She touches base regularly, and has an excellent memory. She kept us on task with the decisions or items we were responsible for (without being a drill sargent). And she made sure that everything was out of our hands by the week of the wedding, so we didn’t have to worry about any last-​minute tasks, other than memorizing our vows and picking up my dress!
Finally, Nelle absolutely considers the environment in her party planning. She’s a big proponent of using natural elements in the décor, organic and/​or local ingredients in the food that’s served, and she also made sure all our leftover food and cake were delivered to a local foodbank for use.
HIGHLY recommend. She’s a classy dame.

Thank goodness for Nelle! My husband and I had no idea what kind of wedding we wanted when started our planning process… only that we wanted to make environmentally-​conscious and conscientious decisions every step of the way.
Enter ZahZoom Weddings and Parties. With Nelle’s encyclopedic knowledge of Bay area eco-​minded wedding vendors, to her expert ability to create (and help us stick to) a schedule, to her creative wedding brainstorming sessions, to her grace and professionalism on the big day, Nelle helped us design and execute an unforgettably beautiful, unique and meaningful wedding weekend.
I can’t imagine the wedding without her help. She gave us so many indispensable pieces of advice during the planning stages, and by the time the gorgeous weekend rolled around, she was a steadying, friendly and comforting presence, putting everyone at ease so we could enjoy the party. Our family and friends gave us glowing feedback about her; they all loved her as much as we did.
She’s a pro. She goes far above and beyond the typical green wedding advice to help you devise a personalized expression of your hearts, minds and values.
Thank you Nelle for helping to make our wedding such a smashing success!

We were thrilled with the work that Nelle Johnston did to make our wedding wonderful! Nelle proved to be an invaluable resource, deftly guiding us through all stages of planning our wedding, and truly shining as an on-​site coordinator throughout our ceremony and reception.
Nelle worked closely with us to refine and realize our wedding vision — one that fit our style, budget, needs, wishes, and those of our family and friends. She listened carefully, asking important questions that helped us imagine and produce the kind of celebration we wanted. Nelle was thoughtful, patient, and creative, and diligently kept us on track throughout the planning process. Fully understanding our priorities and desires, she presented us with unique options and solutions that greatly enhanced our celebration without overextending us financially.
Nelle exhibited superb follow through and professionalism throughout our experience with her. Significantly, this fact was not lost on our vendors, friends and family, who remarked on Nelle’s calm and professional demeanor again and again. Neither pushy nor overbearing, Nelle nevertheless conducted the wedding day activities of our site coordinator, caterer, photographer, florist, and the countless friend and family «volunteers» that were assisting us. With Nelle in charge, we were simply able to relax and enjoy our celebration with family and friends.
Going off without a hitch, our wedding proved beautiful, fun and incredibly meaningful for us. Without Nelle’s energy, commitment and creativity, it could not have happened as smoothly. We wholeheartedly endorse Nelle and ZahZoom and recommend her to anyone planning a Bay Area wedding or event.
Jessica Zenk and Kevin Armstrong