Katharine brings the magic - it's as simple as that!
I knew going into wedding planning that, at the very least, I wanted to hire someone to manage the day-of details so that my husband and I could fully experience and enjoy the day. But when I first met with Katharine, I knew she would be so much more than that for us!
Her incredible eye for design made her a partner in my wedding design vision.
Her attention to detail and styling made me confident that she would bring to life the most beautiful version of my vision.
And her tireless work ethic and passion for what she does allowed us to truly feel at ease and relaxed going into what, for some, can be a very overwhelming day.
She made us feel all of these things from our very first meeting, and so I hired Katharine for her services in the months leading up to our wedding day. She played a pivotal role during these months; she was a liaison between vendors I had already selected, she helped tremendously in securing vendors I still needed, she helped me think through various design elements of the day, she kept us on task with her own checklist of things we would have never thought to do, the list goes on and on when it comes to Katharine's immense help with management, logistics, and planning. BUT, it didn't stop there...
Her real magic is in the details - the parts of the wedding weekend where you need some unexpected help and the moments where she seamlessly coordinates and makes things happen, without you even noticing. Let me give you a few examples:
- As of the week of my wedding, we still didn't have a wedding cake vendor. We weren't planning on serving cake to our guests for dessert; I really just wanted a beautiful cutting cake (for the photo op) ;-) That said, I just hadn't prioritized it, and I really wasn't looking to spend an arm and a leg on a cake for this purpose. Katharine immediately took control of the situation and not only found someone available to make my dream cake super last minute from an amazing local bakery (at an insanely reasonable cost), but also picked it up herself and transported it to the venue. A godsend!
- The venue for our reception was very simple and open-concept with minimal decor (part of why we chose it, we knew we could set up the space from scratch!) While I was excited about this opportunity to design a blank slate, I was also totally overwhelmed. How do I source and coordinate my dream tables, chairs, linens, table settings, flatware, candles, and florals, when they are all coming from different vendors (some outside of Buffalo)?! Not to worry, Katharine had it covered. She literally coordinated all delivery times, storage of items at the venue in advance, day-of setup, which vendors need to arrive at what times, and cleanup and return of all rental items! She even is there herself (or her assistant) during setup, to ensure everything is laid out the way YOU envisioned it. She is an extension of your brain, and it is a beautiful thing!
A few other magic moments:
- When we got into town for the weekend, the last big task I had to do was assemble 'Welcome Bags' for our guests. Katharine drove out to my parents' house to get the bags from us and distributed them at the hotel before our guests arrived!
- We wanted there to be beverages for our guests in the party bus and in our limo for the ride from ceremony to reception; Katharine saved us a major trip and picked up the drinks to bring to the limo company the night before!
- When I got to the church for our ceremony, I realized I didn't have my comfy shoes for reception! Not a problem, her assistant, Erin, went back to my hotel room to get them for me (they were waiting for me at the reception!)
- At the reception, we truly did ZERO hosting or corralling of guests at any point in time. She did it all behind the scenes. The night just flowed perfectly, and we were able to be guests at our own wedding - it was amazing.
- When we got back to our hotel suite that night, she had set up our room with our reception Welcome sign, chocolate strawberries, champagne on ice, and our wedding florals! (We were mind-boggled by how she got this done so seamlessly without us knowing, since she was at the reception so late with us!) I am honestly tearing up writing this because it was just such a heartfelt, unexpected gesture that capped off an incredible day with such a feeling of gratitude.
I could go on....
Katharine was the design partner, the logistics coordinator, the lifesaver, the realist and optimist, the wedding magic-maker that we never realized we needed...until we did. We are so grateful for her!