The absolute best in the business! We worked with Cathy and Angela for our 2.27.22 wedding in Palm Desert. From the moment we met them we knew they were going to make the wedding process a breeze - and they did just that. Dare I say - we even had FUN planning our wedding... simply because Angela removed every possible headache. They provided clear milestones from the beginning so we always knew where we were tracking during planning process, teed us up with vendors that fit our vibe/budget, ABSOLUTELY delivered on the day of, and SOOOO much more. Our entire wedding weekend went so smoothly, our guests had an absolute blast, and we were free and able to truly enjoy every single moment of our big day. Angela and COJ are truly the best wedding planners in the desert - they think of everything and will lock down all the details and moving pieces of your big day to ensure it is better than you could have even dreamed of. HIRE COJ AND YOU WILL BE SO GLAD YOU DID! read more

COJ Events - Photography by Brianna Broyles Photography (2.27.22 - Palm Desert, CA) - Wedding Planning Near Me - La Quinta, California

ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLY TALENTED GROUP OF AMAZING WOMEN! I just had my wedding 04.02.2022 at La Quinta Resort & Club and had the pleasure of working with Cathy, Nicole and Liz since August, when we chose the venue. They have been nothing but incredible!! Their acute attention to even the finest of details was outstanding! All three of their energies, positivity and dedication burst from them as you can tell they are all DAMN good at their job and love it too! Not a detail, moment, flower was missed. They worked seamlessly to get the best of the best and pulled everything together for me. As the Bride, it was effortless and 100% NOT stressful thanks to them. They came to me with everything I envisioned and all I had to do was say yes and no. They built a massive wooden tent full of unbelievable lights that made the night time pics like an instagramable haven! Everything was just stunning! They worked with the hotel to finalizing all the food, budgets, locations... to the point where I never had to deal with them once, it was incredible! Special shout out to LIZ, who was my point person, she was just amazing! Every detail had their t's crossed and i's dotted a hundred times over! Nothing was amiss. She was always there for me, always supportive and could literally make anything I thought of happen in what seemed like a blink of an eye! Cathy is extremely warm and inviting, she has a great heart and wears it on her sleeve. She knows love and how to celebrate it!! I could not be happier and more full of bliss right now! They made everything come together perfectly for all 3 events!! Love you all so much!! THANK YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK! read more

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Amazing team! Great response - amazing time. Everyone was super impressed and i am so happy they were part of my wedding team and were there on the special day. Anyone in the desert needing a planner i recommend using coj events read more

COJ Events - Wedding Planning Near Me - La Quinta, California

Cathy and her team are phenomenal! Our good friends had worked with Cathy for their wedding at the Avalon in Palm Springs in March 2017. We trust our friends and knew we needed lots of help because we live in SF, so we jumped into working with Cathy very enthusiastically for our April 2019 wedding at the Sands Hotel and Spa in Indian Wells. We benefited tremendously from the fact that the Cathy and Olivia at the Sands had worked together many times, and we felt incredibly taken care of throughout the wedding process. Although Cathy is very busy, she is responsive and very available for questions and advice. Her knowledge of the area is unbelievable, and her recommendations were very valuable. Her staff is amazing, and she even works with her wife who is a sculptor and made us a perfect sign for the photobooth on short notice. Everyone worked so hard to make our weekend go smoothly. We knew where to be and when, they gave us food early so that we wouldn't faint from exhaustion, and offered emotional support during stressful moments. Cathy listens to what you want, has a great eye, is incredibly creative and resourceful, and will help you throw an amazing party. read more

COJ Events - At the gorgeous Sands Hotel & Spa - Wedding Planning Near Me - La Quinta, California

We have worked with COJ Events company atleast 5-6 times these past 2 years. We worked with Cathy, Angela and Jessica, and their entire team are extremely professional and helpful . From working at over 400+ weddings I have seen my fair share of really bad planners/coordinators. COJ staff knows how to handle themselves in stressful situation and they are really nice to every vendors. Highly recommended  :) - Mint Bartending read more

For anyone looking for a planner in Palm Springs (or anywhere frankly), COJ was the best thing to happen to our wedding!!! From the beginning, Cathy embodied warmth, generosity of spirit/time, and love -- and her whole team is that way. Cathy is a talented project manager in a former life with a background in divinity, and together with her wife and a kick-ass team of ladies, they deliver an awesome product. Our wedding was pulled together in a few months, and they managed to make everything happen in the last few weeks seamlessly. They were well-oiled machine with incredible organization that kept us grounded. We also really, really appreciated their patience and adaptability. They got to know us as a couple (also navigating lots of family input), understood our vision, and enhanced it. We are SO thankful for that personalized vision, creativity, and thoughtfulness. We will be forever grateful to them and their contribution to our lives! Love you guys, COJ! read more

WONDERFUL team! COJ is a warm and and fabulous team to hire for your wedding planning. They are THE planning team for the desert. Every vendor we went to, they knew and loved them. They truly brought their A game when helping us plan a wedding in the middle of pandemic, and always kept such a great attitude. We worked with Cathy & Angela and they spent SO much time and energy and care to make sure we made our day happen. They were so patient when I would get stuck on making a decision! I love them both personally and appreciate the time they gave to us and our family through the whole process! We couldn't have done it without them. read more

We contracted with Cathy in August 2018 for our wedding at The Parker in Palm Springs on 3/2/2019. We are currently based in NYC. Cathy's expertise and knowledge in regards to The Parker, Palm Springs and the vendors who are most suited to an event like ours was invaluable. The event exceeded our expectations. Many of our guests stated that it was the best wedding they have ever attended. Wedding planning can be very stressful, but Cathy made it seem like a breeze for two busy professionals planning an event from 2500 miles away. If you're planning a wedding, especially at The Parker--you cannot go wrong with Cathy and her team at COJ Events. read more

COJ Events - Wedding Planning Near Me - La Quinta, California

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Cathy officiated our wedding during COVID.I can't say enough great things about her. We initially met with a variety of officiant's all the different price points, but we really loved the Cathy's warmth, kindness, and experience. My husband and I both work long hours and she was able to meet with us via zoom around our schedules. She provided a variety of resources that really helped us both in the planning and preparation for the wedding. She was willing to get Covid tested and quarantine the week prior for our 10 guest wedding. She both offered a variety of resources without pushing anything which was ideal for our small budget. We were running a bit late the day of and she was accommodating giving us those extra 15 minutes to finish getting ready. On the day of, she was excellent and her delivery so vibrant so positive and adaptive so all of the changes that happened with the unforeseen. We were doing a wedding live stream on Facebook and Kathy was wearing a microphone for us and she did great. My groom needed help with his boutonniere and Cathy helped him. She filed our wedding license the very next day to apply for the certificate. If you're weighing your options and considering who to hire this one is a no brainer. Hire Cathy she's absolutely fabulous. read more

COJ Events - Image of Cathy officiating our wedding - Wedding Planning Near Me - La Quinta, California

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My daughter had researched and looked into a number of wedding planners in early Fall, 2018 for her November, 2019 wedding. The majority of the venues we looked into had COJ Events as one of their "preferred vendors." I am having a hard time articulating how disappointed I am with COJ Events. Early warning signs were there but we kept telling ourselves that it was all ok and that on the day of the wedding it would all run smoothly. It did not. Despite the fact that COJ Events prides themselves on attention to detail, the owner ('til the end) consistently mis-spelled my first and last name and mispronounced our last name. Editing mistakes in the wedding invitation suite were missed and fortunately caught by the bride. I educated her on wording nuances for the invitation; such as when to use "honor of your presence" versus "pleasure of your company"...things a wedding planner should know. Budget--we worked with COJ Events to establish an appropriate budget for the venue; but, with the exception of the florist, every line item was over budget by 10-20%. When I expressed my frustration about this fact I was advised by the planner assigned to our wedding that COJ Events does not help in negotiating prices but merely sources vendors that they believe will meet our budget. They need to get a better handle on the actual cost of things. Execution--On the day of, our planner and her crew showed up without the promised walkies; no printed run of show and "day of staff" that was not prepared or coached as to how the event would run. We found ourselves valiantly hunting down the planner and/or her staff throughout the day and evening. Had the bride not been intimately familiar with the run of show it would have been even more stressful. On the day of, the planner seemed to not have any control of the event. Her worst mistake came when she completely botched the schedule of the shuttle vans that were to be transporting guests from the hotel to the wedding site and then back to the reception venue. Reading your client--my daughter and I are both very organized and thorough. My daughter was the one who added detail after detail to the day of run of show. Timing was critical to us and we had worked hard to ensure that the day would go off without a hitch. As guests were waiting at the reception venue to be shuttled to the ceremony and the shuttles were very late and no where in sight, Cathy said to my husband something to the effect that it's bad luck for weddings to start on time. Clearly, she had not paid attention to her clients....and this was her clueless attempt to make light of a serious problem. Design---COJ Events was pretty much little to no value added here. Our florist was phenomenal and did a fabulous job. The majority of the creative decisions came from the bride who literally provided COJ Events with photo after photo to source/implement. In short, if you are looking for a comprehensive, attentive and knowledgeable wedding planner I would not recommend COJ Events. read more

We worked with COJ to plan our wedding in Palm Springs and couldn't have asked for a better experience, from choosing a venue all the way to dancing at the reception. Cathy and Angela got to know us, understood our vision for the event, and were wonderful collaborators through the whole process (and were so much fun to work with!). The local stationary, decor, music, and dessert vendors that they recommended to us were all excellent. Throughout the wedding weekend, they made sure everything was executed flawlessly and we didn't have to worry about a thing. Thank you COJ for making our wedding weekend so special! read more

We've worked with Cathy and the COJ team, particularly Jessica, at many weddings over the years and their team are the best in the business in the desert and Palm Springs area. They pay attention to every detail and are very well respected in the business. And they are preferred vendors at the best venues in Palm Springs. It's always a breath of fresh air when we plan a catering with COJ involved. If you're considering they to handle your event, look no further, you've come to the right place! read more

Cathy, Jessica and Nicole were outstanding to work with! They made the entire process easy and enjoyable, and were always available for questions/check-ins. There is no doubt that our wedding wouldn't have been as amazing as it was without them. COJ is easily the best in the business, and it shows in the many great relationships they have with the areas top venues and vendors. Their reputation made the planning process with our venue and various vendors that much better. As a bonus, my husband and I now have friends for life in Cathy and her team! read more

Cathy is fantastic. We recently eloped in Palm Springs and had a very simple ceremony with just the two of us, photographers and Cathy as the officiant. With such a small crowd it was important for us to feel comfortable with everyone involved. From the start Cathy was warm and helpful. She offered great suggestions to help pull our day together (flowers, dinner, words for our ceremony). She was prompt to respond to emails and answered all of my questions. We totally trusted her and she was a huge part in making our day special. I highly recommend Celebrations of Joy and Cathy! read more

I was skeptical of hiring a wedding coordinator at first. As a working professional who manages a large team I figured I could handle planning a wedding. From the first moment we first met Cathy, I immediately understood and hired her to help plan our big event. We were having a destination wedding (we live in San Francisco), so having someone local to the area was absolutely the best. We engaged with her prior to even picking a location so right off the bat she suggested a number of different venues for us to explore to figure out what we liked (we settled on the Miramonte in Indian Wells - Fabulous!) Not only did Cathy know the area and venues, she knew and suggested fantastic vendors for evertyhing from flowers, to makeup, linens, cupcakes and the best DJ ever. Cathy and Dorry were absolutely fansastic to work with. They had great ideas, they were flexible and they took care of every detail that would have never crossed my mind. They really listened to the vision I had for the wedding and helped make it come to life. As we were not local, we only took a few trips to the area prior to the wedding. On the days I was there, my schedule was perfectly coordinated by Cathy and Dorry with appointments to meet vendors, have tastings and hair/makeup trials. Those days, which I know many people described as stressful, were completely enjoyable thanks to the team. There excellent service even extended beyond the wedding. They happend to have connections at the destination of our honeymoon (the One and Only Palmilla) and made a few phone calls to help us have an even better experience their. Without a doubt, I would recommend Celebrations of Joy to anyone who is thinking of getting married in any of the locations that Cathy and Dorry work. read more

It was great working with Cathy and her team! She is awesome at what she does. She recommended a great hotel for our guests, found us an awesome florist and worked with our budget, in addition to so many other things. Was a pleasure to work with! Always smiling and in great spirit. Made us feel at ease even when the stress kicked in. Organized, creative, on time and on fleek :) The event went smoothly thanks to her team. Would recommend her to anyone! Thanks Joy events! read more

I have had the pleasure of working with Cathy for the past few years. I am a calligrapher, and am usually contacted to print names on place cards for the wedding reception...and that sort of thing. Cathy is so creative....the last two projects I have had from her show such immagination and thought..........no "plain Jane" little cards..........unusual and clever ideas for me to work with! She also gives me plenty of time....no last minute rushing. Her instructions are clear and concise, and I look forward to hearing from this great group for their next function........if you use them.....it will be special! read more

Oh. My. Goodness. We are currently in the middle (well, two months away) from planning our wedding and Cathy has been absolutely flawless. My fiancé and I wanted a very low-key but classy wedding of around 50 people. We really didn't want to "give in" to all of the wedding traps of doing everything grand and over the top. From the beginning, Cathy not only understood out vision, but has been bringing it to life. Picture a modern day version of the fairy godmother from Cinderella (but much more stylish). It truly feels as though she waves a magic wand to put the perfect vendor in place. We look forward to our wedding in March without all of the drama, fuss, and stress that we feared before meeting Cathy. read more

Celebrations of Joy handled everything from vendors, set-up, planning and really helped our decision making. The process was completely smooth and pain-free. I can remember lots of people warning me about how difficult and stressful the task of planning a wedding can become... but it never happened. Cathy and her crew helped my wife and I get married in May 2011. We will never forgot her hard work and professional attitude. I recommend Cathy to all of my friends and would recommend her to anyone. read more

Cathy O'Connell owner of COJ was contracted Jan 2018 for our daughters wedding 10mos in advance of the big day Nov 2018. Cathy was excited and convincing in her initial interview and her social media shows well. I had even attended a wedding she "planned". Further investigation would have revealed that social media pictures of COJ events don't reflect Cathy's work but that of vendors who were contacted directly by the client outside Cathy's limited resources and referrals . 6mos into planning I contacted the bride from the wedding I had attended directly and she stated to me "oh I wish you had contacted me sooner - I would never recommend COJ" Cathy does not extend herself to assist her clients. she was uncooperative when working with vendors outside her recommendations. She rests on a limited few vendors from her backyard. She contracts too many events without the trained staff available to cover her commitments. Clearly the positive reviews are from her early years. Our disappointment with COJ is comprehensive from the lack creative knowledge, limited vendor recommendations, lack of professional timely responsiveness, minimal energy put forth in every area, poor attention to detail & follow through and day of execution. Staff for day of details is not trained to perform there duties. If you are looking for a professional wedding planner with creative talent and expertise look elsewhere. Your wedding is a once in a lifetimes event. No "do overs" Cathy's byline -- 'the bride and groom are so happy the day of they don't notice what's missing ' should have been a red flag! I have personal experience w 3 professional planners - Cathy & COJ was NOT a JOYFUL experience. This is the first time I have ever written a yelp review- but if it helps another family in their decision process I'm glad I took the time to provide Note - the Positive Reviews are from 2012-2016 COJ is resting on past performance read more

Cathy, Dorry, Angela, were just amazing and we cannot thank them enough for all of the hours and hours and hours of planning and organizing for our absolutely Magical Day. We worked together so well for this day during the months ahead, it was such a wonderful experience. We had no idea just how many moving parts and work went into the actual week of and weekend of the actual wedding, Cathy, Dorry, Angela with Jeni and Mandy and team really pulled it all together and made it absolutely PERFECT!! We LOVED our Wedding, we cannot stop looking at our photos and our families are still getting messages from our guests saying it was absolutely stunning and beautiful and so well planned and organized. We will miss Cathy and Angela and our times communicating, really enjoyed our emailing and telephone conferences-- they really are THE BEST EVER when it comes to planning an event!! All of our vendors- the band, decor team, rental companies, etc that we used all love working with them and mentioned that to us many times prior to the wedding. All of their guidance, suggestions and work on our special day are so much appreciated!!!! read more

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As a wedding caterer the coordinator is an important part of our success. The team at COJ Events is amazing. They pay close attention to detail to ensure each wedding runs seamlessly from the planning process to the end of the event. I highly recommend them if you are looking for a professional planning squad for your big day! read more

We worked with Cathy and the COJ team for the past year. Cathy and her team are fantastic. Our wedding was everything we dreamed of and more. The team went above and beyond in every way. At every venue/floral/decor meeting.. even photography/videographer phone calls, Cathy & Angela were present. They helped us execute our vision perfectly and organize the day without a hitch. I have been asked what advice I would give to a new bride and my first advice is to get a good planner. The time leading up to a wedding is extremely busy & stressful, leave the organization and execution of your wedding vision to a skilled team. At first the price seems high but after a year of planning, 500+ emails, 20+ conference calls and an absolutely stress-free wedding day, I can honestly say the money is worth it. read more

My husband and I got married a little over a month ago at the La Quinta Resort & Club and the entire wedding weekend was perfection thanks to Cathy and Dorry of Celebrations of Joy. They assisted us with everything from choosing vendors to stuffing welcome bags. They were so accommodating, giving my mom and I as much time as we needed to talk through ideas, negotiate vendor contracts, etc. They never once made us feel like we were wasting their time, and always made us feel like we were the only clients in the world (even though I know they had at least 6 weddings back-to-back the weekends prior to our wedding). I'm a controlfreak so I did not need that much direction from them in terms of vision, but I know that they can be much more hands-on if that's what you need. They have done and seen it all, and make it look easy! Most importantly, they are wonderful people to interact with on a weekly, and oftentimes daily basis. They made the process of wedding planning relaxing, and when the actual wedding day came, they kept all of the vendors on track without breaking a sweat. You need people like Cathy and Dorry, who have never-ending patience and positive energy, to surround you during the wedding process. read more

Cathy O'Connell is very creative. She is a master of celebration. Such joy in every detail. No wonder that her company is called Celebrations of Joy. Thank you Cathy! read more

My wife and I got married at La Quinta Resort and hired Cathy as our wedding planner. Being that we lived up in Oregon we were hoping for a top notch coordinator to help us down in Palm Springs. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Between paperwork errors (names being misspelled, math errors) and poor communication we felt she could have done much better. On the day of the wedding two unforgivable things happened - they failed to pick up my 86 year old mother from her room at the resort and they spelled my last name wrong on the wedding signage at the event. In addition, Cathy was a no-show at a scheduled pre-event meeting with my fiancé! Post wedding I set her an email letting her know our disappointment and we have yet to hear a response. Do yourself a favor and don't take any chances with this company. read more

We travelled from Australia to have our elopement on our private patio at the La Quinta Resort and Spa. After much research we decided to ask Cathy O'Connell from COJ Events to be our officiant. Cathy was lovely from start to finish. She met with us before our big day and we felt totally at ease with her friendly and sweet nature. Her communication in planning our ceremony was excellent and she gave us so much information and helpful suggestions. It was only the two of us and no guests so it was a very intimate ceremony. Cathy was even kind enough to help me into my wedding dress which was very sweet and something I will forever be grateful for. Cathy delivered our ceremony with so much warmth and made it really special. We can't thank Cathy enough for a wonderful experience. We know Cathy plans large and lavish weddings and we were really grateful that she took the time to cater for our very small ceremony. We are so happy that Cathy was the one to marry us and we highly recommend her not only as a professional but as a sweet and lovely person. Thanks Cathy xx read more

COJ Events - Wedding Planning Near Me - La Quinta, California

Wedding planning doesn't get any better than Celebrations of Joy! This team is absolutely wonderful - creative, responsive, fun to work with and make it all happen - in a great way! I would highly recommend them to any bride who wants to enjoy the planning process, and better yet her big day. Also, Cathy officiates weddings - and does a remarkable job!!! read more

After visiting several desert venues for my daughter's wedding, I called Cathy of Celebrations of Joy, Wedding Planners because she was the same name suggested by every venue. I left her a panicky message on a Sunday morning, and to my total surprise, she called me back that morning. She gave me some seasoned advice about the venues. I was very impressed that she would take the time to do that and her advice showed that she really knew what she was talking about. She even emailed a bunch of photos of the venues to help in the decision. My daughter ultimately decided to get married out of the area so we will be looking for a local planner, but I was really impressed with Cathy. read more