meet the team
meet the team
We love every minute of living on the Sunshine Coast and it would be our honour to help you plan your awesome Sunshine Coast Wedding. You chose the Sunshine Coast or are thinking about the coast for your wedding for the same reasons we love living here. With amazing outdoor views, proximity to nature, amazing beaches, gorgeous forests and a relaxed coastal vibe, it is a fantastic choice for your intimate wedding! Your wedding will be a little different from many you may have been to, we don’t need to transform a ballroom into a space or make a space something it is not. The scenery, venues and beaches are already breathtaking, add the relaxed coastal vibe and your wedding will be one people are talking about for years.
If you want a no stress, well-run, beautiful wedding that ties your love story into the gorgeous surroundings then you are in the right place. We only plan weddings on the Sunshine Coast (including Powell River!), we know and love this special place and after years of planning weddings, we know the wedding industry here inside and out.
After a successful 10 + year career in the event industry in Vancouver, Melissa Tripp founded Coastal Weddings & Events after returning to the beautiful Sunshine Coast community where both herself and her husband were born and raised. While their main focus is weddings, Melissa and her team have extensive experience with events that range from elopements, proposals, multi-day conferences, gala dinners, sporting events, community celebrations, Christmas parties, real estate openings, tours, reunions, family and children’s events, magic shows, meetings, fundraisers and of course, full service wedding planning & intimate micro weddings, too.
Melissa has had a passion for events for more than 25 years, first discovering her love for planning while still in high school. After completing a degree in Public Relations, she began her career in the corporate event planning world. Melissa spent 10 years living and working in the Vancouver area, refining her skills and organizing just about every type of event imaginable before she and her husband returned to the Sunshine Coast shortly after their son Owen was born in 2008. Their family later grew again when they welcomed their son Jeremiah in 2013.
Coastal Weddings was founded in 2010 and has since grown into a small team of planners who together have helped bring more than 500 weddings to life. Melissa’s clients consistently rave about her calm and reassuring presence, her natural sense of style, and her ability to seamlessly bring all the moving pieces of a wedding together with ease and a little humour when it’s needed most.
Melissa lives in West Sechelt with her husband, their two boys, two cats, and their dogs Bob and her adorable bulldog Betsy. When she’s not planning weddings, you can usually find the family out on the water during the summer, at the arena cheering on hockey through the winter, or out in the garden tending to flowers and plants that often inspire her floral designs.
Instagram: #melissatrippcoastalweddings
Before her move to the Sunshine Coast of BC in 2001 with her husband, Kori ran a cosmetic counter in a popular retail chain. It is there where she fell in love with the event planning side of her job. In 2007 Kori had her first child and it was while taking part in various children’s activities on the Sunshine Coast that she met Melissa and her family. She joined Melissa and the team at Coastal Weddings and Events in 2010.
Kori has been with Coastal weddings since the beginning. She started as a wedding assistant but quickly became a wedding planner. Her up front and realistic approach to wedding planning as well as her energetic and can-do attitude are qualities both clients and colleges appreciate. Her professional manner and calm demeanor allow for any unexpected problems to be handled with ease. Clients can relax and enjoy their special day knowing that she has everything under control.
When she is not working you can find her relaxing at her favorite beach with her kids or at the rink watching her son play hockey.
Instagram: #koricoastalweddings