Joy of Life Wedding and Event Design

We decided to get married in Grass Valley at the Empire Mine and have our reception at the Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City. Everywhere we went in the area (venues, vendors, etc.) told us to go with Donna Hoekstra at Joy of Life Events if we decided to use a coordinator. They were right. We live in Sacramento and it was great to have someone locally to guide us through each step of planning our wedding. We ended up with the best caterer (Antonio), best DJ (Greg, Mountain Events), best flowers (Foothill Flowers), and best of all Donna. There was no need to worry about a thing. She had great ideas we would have never thought of and she and her staff took care of everything, we just had to show up and enjoy. Hiring her was the best decision we made about our wedding. I can’t recommend her enough.

After a glowing recommendation from a very reputable DJ and videographer, my husband and I booked Donna and her planning company for our wedding in September 2015. We could not have been any happier.
Throughout the planning process, we were extremely impressed by her: (1) professionalism and organizational skills; (2) knowledge of the wedding industry; and (3) her ability to effectively manage vendors, guests, and the actual wedding party.
Taking our preferences from our initial consultation in mind, she gave multiple tasteful and thoughtful options for each stage of the process. Her timing was also immaculate, as she engaged us with impeccable timing — never too soon and never too late. We received many compliments from our guests regarding the décor Donna used — she has an eye for making a venue a beautiful and memorable site.
We were lucky to have Donna’s services, and would wholeheartedly recommend her for any event. She is easy to work with, a great communicator, and is able to take care of all the details and set-​up so we could enjoy our special day without stress.

Donna Hoekstra, owner of Joy of Life Events, is hands down the hardest working professional in our local wedding industry. I have had the pleasure and good fortune to work alongside Donna very many times over her ten years as a coordinator & designer. I know her both personally & professionally, giving me a unique insight into just how dedicated to her clients she truly is!
Donna has taken design training courses and studied her craft, she has developed a 5 star sense of style and flow and as her portfolio shows.
The bride and groom looking for a wedding with world class design, elegance and flow will be well-​served by hiring Donna as their Planner.
I think so highly of her that my wife and I made sure we reserved Donna for our own daughter’s wedding this coming September.
Please take the time to contact her and by all means– book her !!
I did– GW

I cannot recommend Donna enough — she is incredible. She is very talented, professional and patient! :) She really listened to what we wanted for our wedding and not only made great recommendations on vendors, but went above and beyond by providing ideas and products that helped us capture our theme and feel. It unexpectedly rained on our wedding day and she remained calm, called in extra resources and still made our outdoor themed wedding an absolute success — she even managed to calm me down and reminded me to enjoy every moment. I highly recommend working with Donna on weddings or any other special event you are planning.

Jan Roth
In need of the consummate WEDDING SPECIALIST? This would definitely be Donna Hoekstra of NC Weds! I’ve known Donna for a very long time — and she has been the wedding coordinator for several of my brides. ALL OF THEM love her and the exceptional wedding she helped them realize. In my opinion, there is no one else out there with her sense of dedication to detail. Every time she is involved in a wedding at my venue, she presents me, far in advance, schedules of «who does what and when» — so every detail is attended to, and every wedding held here has been both professionally exceptional and tons of fun! If you are lucky enough to get Donna, you will never regret it — she will make your day SPECIAL!
Jan Roth, The Roth Estate, Nevada City, CA

I was one picky bride! Donna not only fulfilled my high expectations but went even further! She gave amazing advice and provided so many ideas. I completely trusted her and was so happy that my mom was able to enjoy our wedding. She took care of everything on our special day. There were soooo many little details that she set up just how I wanted. She was early to direct vendors and was the last to leave. She spoke with all of the vendors ahead of time and made changes when needed. Our day was so smooth, in my eyes because of her :). Thank you Donna for an amazing day!

Donna was great; she listened to what we wanted for our daughter’s wedding, offered great suggestions but not in a bossy way. She worked her backside off, the Foundry looked gorgeous, she stayed all night to make sure there were no hiccups. She was still there at the end to offer us a ride home ! She is good natured and likeable and I would use her again for my other daughters. She took all the worry out of the day so we could relax and have fun. It was perfect.

Donna did a beautiful job on our wedding. We loved the whole thing! All of her suggestions were perfect for us! She made our wedding more than we every expected it could have been! Thank you!