Services
Wish you knew someone who could direct you to the wedding venues and vendors in the Monterey Bay Area who’d be the perfect fit for your style and budget? The Couture House can help!
Fill out a simple questionnaire and a personal event concierge will put a package of recommendations together based on your unique needs. Enjoy a comfortable setting, champagne and cake bites as you peruse videos and photographers’ albums. During the two-hour private appointment, your wedding planning will be streamlined—think of The Couture House as a one-stop shop to find the ideal venue and vendor team for your wedding.
By appointment only. Gift certificates also available—the perfect engagement gift!
Certified By The Guide Reviews
(What does this mean?)
These Reviews are from real brides who have used this vendor's services—pulled straight from their Certified by The Guide reference check. We only post reviews that we have collected, so we can feel confident that they are the real deal. Yes, we know. We're control freaks.
“Heidi caringly answered every panicked phone call and fielded all kinds of silly questions with ease. Heidi was exactly what I was looking for: a very professional, experienced, perceptive, warm and friendly event planner/coordinator who can efficiently manage all aspects of the wedding planning and day-of process.”
“Karissa made everything happen. She decorated the room so beautifully and I didn’t have to worry about anything at all.”
“Heidi was respectful of our budget, gave good advice, had great connections and was very flexible. She did a brilliant job with family members who barely get along.”
“Karissa was just so caring and always there to listen when I was having issues and getting completely stressed out.”
“It was a beautiful experience working with Heidi. She did a wonderful job; we were 100% satisfied.”
“I was so happy when we arrived at the reception site to see that everything was perfect, which was pretty amazing considering I had a very specific way that I wanted everything. Coastside Couture made it look EXACTLY how I had envisioned it.
“I was a long-distance bride and Karissa was always available and willing to get things done without my being there.”
“Heidi made us feel like she was just a close friend helping us plan our wedding and never let us get too stressed out. She had a very calming presence and were right-on with all of her vendor recommendations.”
Questions and Answers
What 3 words describe your work? Passionate. Professional. Fun.
Tell us about your company name. Coastside Couture derives from Karissa's original business, Coastside Weddings and Events and Heidi's original business, Couture Celebrations, both started separately in 2004. Once Heidi and Karissa decided to partner in 2009, they thought that keeping part of their identities were a must since both businesses were well-established. When trying to come up with a name they Googled Coastside Couture and got Heidi's website, Karissa's website, and a picture of the two of them. They knew it was a sign and the rest is history!
What are the common misconceptions about your services? That we are a luxury instead of a necessity.
What have weddings taught you? Not to sweat the small stuff and to hire the best professional vendor team possible.
What is the best advice you give to a couple when planning their wedding? Make your event to reflect your personalities and don't forget guest comfort.
What are 3 words that describe your personalities? Heidi: Creative, focused and detailed-oriented.
Karissa: Bubbly, caring, and hard-working.
What are your favorite books/movies? Heidi: Book, Eat Pray Love and Kitchen Confidential (tied). Movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Karissa: Book, Catcher in the Rye and The Alchemist. Movie, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and Heathers.
What are your favorite quotes? Karissa: "Everything I touch is a success"—Unknown
Heidi: "I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles."—Audrey Hepburn
Extracurricular activities: Karissa loves to mountain bike, run with her doggies, camp, hike, kayak, garden spend time with wonderful husband and cook. Heidi spends her free time with her beautiful family, shopping for shoes, cooking, browsing the farmers market and watching every movie she can find.
If you weren't in your current profession, what would you do instead? Karissa would be a professional mountain biker and Heidi would be a racecar driver. Both would be happy traveling the world writing food and wine and resort reviews.
Tell us about your pets, if you have any. Karissa's "babies" are an Australian Shepherd who loves to run along when she is mountain biking and whose whole life revolves around catching a Frisbee, and a Chihuahua who loves to run four miles a day and gives high-fives like no other! Heidi has two Lab-mix littermates (which were a wedding gift from her husband).
What are some of your favorite places to eat—either everyday spots or special occasion splurges? Heidi loves Ad Hoc in Yountville and Karissa is a huge fan of Hula's in Downtown Santa Cruz, Caffe Sport in San Francisco, and The Farmhouse Restaurant in Forestville.
About This Company
Heidi and Karissa’s multifaceted experiences in the hospitality industry give them a wealth of resources and invaluable insight into event planning.
After many years as a chef, restaurant manager, and a Food and Beverage Manager in a variety of premier hotels and restaurants, one of Heidi’s strong suits is as a problem solver—and she sure knows how to fix things in a pinch. She’s also got flair. From modern sleek to shabby chic, she reflects her clients styles in the events she puts together. She is designated by the ABC as a Professional Bridal Consultant.
Karissa knows first-hand that the Coast is an amazing place to host an event: she has worked in the service and hospitality industries for over a decade and started her own event-planning business in 2004. Sweet but spunky and focused, Karissa prides herself on solid, old-fashioned customer service and her ability to take care of all the little details.
As one local catering manger told us, this background puts them one step ahead. Together, Heidi and Karissa have “great connections to almost every vendor in the Monterey Bay, which is a very valuable asset to have on your side.”
Coastside Couture - The Couture House Covers These Areas:
Northern California
- Monterey and Carmel
- Santa Cruz
- And other areas by special arrangement.
(What's this?)
This is a list of the areas that Coastside Couture - The Couture House normally serves. However, be sure to ask them if they’ll be able to work at your particular location.
In Business Since 2004
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