Creative Happens Events

Service levels: Full-service planning

Team size: 2 – 4

About Creative Happens Events

Creative Happens Events

Owner & Lead Wedding Planner

Creative Happens Events was founded in 2017 by Daniel DeSantis-Mallia. An experience Event Planner, Daniel's goal was to offer Wedding and Event Planning services that are both affordable and high quality. Our offerings are designed to ensure our clients can relax and enjoy their celebrations. We treat every event as though it is our client's most important day. The special moments in our lives also tend to be the most creative moments. That is where our tagline comes in, "When Life Happens, Creative Happens!"

Our team has Planned and/or Coordinated over 500+ weddings in Southern California, as well as destination weddings around the world. We have over 300+ Five Star reviews that all point to our incredible attention to customer service paired with quick and responsible communication with our clients.

Services by planning level

Service included in starting price
Service available for an extra cost
Full-service planningDestination weddingPartial planningDay-of coordination / wedding management
Description

We offer comprehensive Full Wedding Planning packages which include everything from researching and booking venues all the way through the creative process and Coordination of the Rehearsal and Wedding Day. This service is designed with the busy couple in mind, we work to ensure the process is as smooth, easy and fun as possible!

We offer comprehensive Full Wedding Planning packages for Destination Events which include everything from researching and booking venues all the way through the creative process and Coordination of the Rehearsal and Wedding Day. This service is designed with the busy couple in mind, we work to ensure the process is as smooth, easy and fun as possible! Destination Planning is the same price as our local planning with flat travel costs added.

We offer comprehensive Partial Wedding Planning packages which include all of our planning services except for finding the venue. This includes finding all additional vendors, creative layout planning , the creative decor planning process and Coordination of the Rehearsal and Wedding Day. This service is designed with the busy couple in mind, we work to ensure the process is as smooth, easy and fun as possible!

Our Day/Month of Wedding Coordination services are designed to ensure a smooth, easy wedding day. We work closely with couples to plan a detailed wedding schedule that we'll share with the venue and vendors to ensure everyone is prepared for an amazing wedding day. Coordination includes all prep calls, vendor prep, the wedding rehearsal and wedding day.

Planning begins9 Months out9 Months out9 Months out
Event Styling & Design
Budget Planning
Contract Review
RSVP Tracking
Wedding Website
Accommodation Coordination
Transportation Coordination
Venue Visits
Final Venue Walkthrough
Timeline Creation & Management
Onsite Event Management
Vendor Selection
Vendor Management
Invites & Stationery
Wedding Favors & Accessories
Venue Recommendations
PricingStarts at $6,000Starts at $6,000Starts at $4,950Starts at $1,250

Reviews

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4.4 out of 5

8 reviews

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  • Bride

    •Verified review
    •Sarah H.•Oct 29, 2025

    Me and my husband got married this past weekend and hired creative happens event We had Cindy, as our wedding coordinator. Unfortunately, it was brought to my attention and became very apparent on the day of our wedding she did not fulfill many of her responsibilities. The venue staff ended up setting up a significant amount of decor that were supposed to be handled by Cindy which she was made aware of before the wedding day. I received calls from other vendors asking about the timeline the day of the wedding as it was not properly communicated. Cindy repeatedly contacted me and my husband directly the day of the wedding, despite me clearly designating my maid of honor as the point of contact. My father had to arrive two hours early to help setup, which was entirely inappropriate given that this was part of Cindy’s role. If she was unable to complete certain tasks or lift items as discussed, that should have been communicated before the wedding day considering she was well aware of what we were bringing in. It’s extremely disheartening because, during multiple phone calls with both you and Cindy, I was reassured that everything would be managed seamlessly and felt as if my wedding day was taken care of. I’m disappointed with how things unfolded, I understand that unforeseen things occur on wedding days that may make things hectic but that’s why I hired a planner in the the first place and am disappointed that many of the things I was guaranteed fell short leaving my family, friends, and the venue to pick up the slack. we feel we were mislead with the promises of your services.

    Response from vendor•Oct 30, 2025
    Hello Sarah, thank you for sharing your feedback and thoughts. While your feedback is disheartening, we do learn from every client’s experience, and grow from it as we continue to Coordinate amazing celebrations. From our conversation after posting your review, we agreed you had a fantastic wedding day that went very well in terms of the actual ceremony, reception and your time celebrating with loved ones. We’re so glad you had an amazing time! Cindy is one of our highest rated Coordinators, and she works herself tirelessly with a smile at every event to make sure each and every couple is taken care of. As we discussed, your venue reduced our setup time from 5 hours to only 2 hours the day before the event. Despite that major last minute hurdle, Cindy came in early and setup the hard way, taking things the long way around the building without elevator or venue support, only asking for help with the heaviest items. And when the venue did finally allow her to setup, like any experienced Coordinator, she knew to accept help when needed to overcome the delay. The venue gladly offered Cindy help knowing they had caused the delayed setup, and Cindy accepted that help from them and few of your wedding party to make sure your ceremony went off without a hitch, which it did. It is never our goal to ask for help on a wedding day, but as Coordinators our job is to solve issues when they arise, and with the venue closing off access to setup so last minute, Cindy used her experience and her best efforts to solve those issues with as minimal interruption to you and your husband as possible. With the major last minute shift in timing from the venue, a couple questions were necessary, and we apologize for having to reach out. Over time we hope you are able to reflect back on Cindy’s hard work and decision to incorporate some help to overcome the venue’s last minute change that so heavily impacted her ability to setup the event as planned, and her hard work throughout the day to ensure you had the best time ever. Wishing you both all the very best for a lifetime of happiness!

  • Best Coordinator Ever

    •Verified review
    •Alexis B.•Oct 27, 2025

    Dan was my day of coordinator for my wedding in Valencia about 2 weeks ago, but he was there throughout the wedding planning journey whenever I needed him or had questions. He guided me on best practices and even attended a meeting with the venue, in which he worked with the venue coordinator- taking a lot of stress off my shoulders. He is confident and incredibly experienced in his craft. On the day of the wedding he created timelines for all of the vendors, set up the decor, and kept the wedding on schedule. I don’t know how he does it, but without Dan/ his team/Creative Happens, I know my wedding wouldn’t have been as beautiful and organized without him. I could keep going about how great this company is, and if I could give them 1 million stars, I would. They made the wedding a success with 0 issues.

  • BEST decision to hire CH!

    •Verified review
    •K and J.•Aug 22, 2025

    Dan was the first person that I talked to when I inquired about their day-of coordination services. They're also the first vendor I inquired so I needed to research more with other vendors that fits our needs, but eventually I went back to Dan and see if they're still available. And it's like it's meant to be because they still have our date open and after speaking with him the 2nd time, I knew that they fit what we're looking for. It was so easy and straightforward to work with Dan. He is open and honest, always responds to text or email, flexible, and open to give suggestions when you ask, He and Cindy (2nd coord) are prompt and on time. They really care about the couple and making sure they are taken care of, they make sure the timeline go as planned. We got so many compliments on how much the wedding from hotel to church to the reception venue is well organized - maybe we didn't know the hiccups behind the scenes but we didn't feel any major issues at all. They also worked well with the venue coordinators. The only reason for bumping 1 star was because of the hand off to the 2nd coordinator and there was some missed moments by the end and almost lost the gifts we had for the groom and bride box toss. There was also some delay or lack of communication with the DJ or venue coordinator, plus accidentally brought home the venue decor rentals, it was not a big deal though, but good to note to really work together on decors and planning. overall, it was a joy and truly grateful for finding this gem of a wedding planning company. they also have decor rentals so thats a huge bonus too . I hope more couples find them!!

  • Chris and Dan are the BEST

    •Verified review
    •Niki K.•Jun 20, 2025

    We are beyond grateful for everything Chris did to make our wedding day truly exceptional. From start to finish, he went above and beyond—far exceeding our expectations in every way. His professionalism, calm demeanor, and incredible attention to detail gave us complete confidence from the moment we started working together. Every part of the day came together beautifully, and it was clear that Chris's behind-the-scenes dedication made all the difference. Guests were literally raving about him—comments like “Where did you find Chris?! I’ve never seen a planner hustle like that” and “I saw him run up and down those stairs a dozen times before the ceremony!” were just a few of the compliments we heard. Several couples even asked for his contact info on the spot, which speaks volumes. A personal highlight: the care Chris showed my sister before her speech meant the world to us. He went out of his way to reassure her and help her feel confident—his kindness and thoughtfulness truly stood out. He also handled last-minute hiccups (including a DJ situation and a centerpiece mix-up) with total grace and professionalism, allowing us to stay fully present and enjoy the celebration without stress. Chris is experienced, compassionate, and incredibly dependable. He made our wedding not only beautiful, but seamless and stress-free. On top of that, his rates are more than fair—honestly, he could charge more and still be an amazing value for the caliber of service he delivers. If you're lucky enough to have Chris on your wedding team, you're in the best possible hands.

Preferred vendors of Creative Happens Events

Florist
Oceanic Flowers
Huntington Beach, CA
Band/DJ
DJ Charlie
Riverside, CA
Photographer
Max Aria Photography
Los Angeles, CA
Videographer
Attis Photo and Film
Los Angeles, CA

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