VanBee & Co. Reviews
Reviews
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Awards
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![Cassie]()
Cassie Sent on 10/01/2023Best Decision We Made!!
We said it 100 times to each other, but let me say it here: hiring Katy and her team was easily the best decision we made during our planning process. We set out thinking we could do it all ourselves and just needed a week of planner. Vanbee offered us a great solution. We met once a month to discuss progress and to-dos for the upcoming month. Katy kept us organized, on top of things, and was an invaluable sounding board. Having her insight throughout the process without having to break the bank was AMAZING!
Could go on for an hour, but here are a few main reasons we loved working with Katy
1) She knows the area: she knows every vendor, venue, and staff member. This means she can come up with recommendations or chat directly with the venue/staff on our behalf. Can't stress how valuable that is if you are not local
2) Shes very organized and fast to respond: we worked using shared google docs. Katy helped us buildout a timeline and to-dos. She kept everything organized enabling us to move through tasks efficiently.
3) Calming presence: throughout the process and especially during the big weekend, Katy ensured everything ran smoothly. She was just so on top of things and able to reassure us (which most couples need at some point)
Pricing is reasonable and they will flex up/down to your needs. If you are getting married in Saranac/Lake Placid, just make the smart call and hire Vanbee -
![Rosemary]()
Rosemary Sent on 09/09/2023Hire katy!
Katy planned us our DREAM wedding (& Friday night welcome dinner/party). I always knew I wanted a wedding planner and Katy far surpassed my expectations. We worked with Katy for 18+ months and she recommended an A+ wedding team, kept us on schedule, and even made our escort board (going as far as matching the board color to our wedding invite). On our wedding day and the night before, she made sure we did not worry about a single thing (coordinating all our vendors and the venue) – she kept us calm during the rain and continuously came up with solutions in the event we had to move due to the rain. After our wedding, we continuously had guests remark on how wonderful Katy was. I cannot recommend a better wedding planner. Hire katy – you will not regret it. -
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Tia A. Sent on 11/02/2022
Best team around
Words don't express how grateful I am to have hired Katy and her team. My husband and I grew up in Saranac Lake but have relocated to Maine. Since we were planning our wedding from a different state and we knew it was important to have a planner. From monthly calls to emails back and forth her team always made me feel relaxed and stressed free. We had the most wonderful wedding due to them. All of our guest have said it was one of the best weddings they have been to. They absolutely killed it and I hope to book them again in the future! -
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![Lisa]()
Lisa Sent on 07/14/2022Incredible!
Katy is the best! Highly recommend hiring her. She is extremely thorough. We had scheduled calls leading up to our wedding day and she thought of everything. She made sure we were on track with things, answered all of our questions and made great recommendations. She was INCREDIBLE the weekend of our wedding. She set up for our rehearsal dinner, decorated our venue on our wedding day and coordinated with our vendors to make sure everything ran smoothly. She was even able to make adjustments on the fly the day of our wedding and still make it seamless. I can't imagine what it would have been like without her. She is also just a very kind and easygoing person and made the process fun! Definitely hire her for your wedding!! -
![Heather]()
Heather Sent on 11/22/2021Amazing Adirondack Wedding Planner!!
Katy was so helpful as we were planning our wedding weekend! We got married at a summer camp in the Adirondacks which comes with just about as many quirks as one could possibly imagine. But from start to finish, Katy was a creative problem solver, taking control of challenging situations and making it possible for us to focus on our family and friends in attendance. She was a friend and advisor throughout the entire planning process, culminating with the wedding weekend where she navigated working alongside the venue while still being our advocate. She and her team decorated the reception, managed vendors, answered a million questions on our behalf, made sure we were pulled out at just the right time for golden hour photos, & so much more! We are so grateful! -
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Juli Sent on 09/25/2021
Kind, patient and professional planner, HIGHLY recommend!
We booked Katy's services pre-pandemic and could not have possibly navigated the shut downs, cancellations, restrictions and vendor changes without her. She was constantly positive, super responsive and incredibly easy to work with, like a friend you trust to make decisions with your best interests in mind. VanBee offers reasonably priced a la carte planning services and day of support, we were so happy with our experience and can't recommend Katy and her team enough! -
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Chelsea Sent on 12/23/2020
Best planner you could ask for!
Katy is the most amazing wedding planner and person! Despite the craziness of planning a wedding in 2020 during the Covid pandemic - Katy made the whole process seamless and fun. Katy is incredibly organized, knowledgeable about local vendors and an absolute pleasure to work with! Would recommend Katy to anyone planning any event - she's the best! -
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Alison Sent on 12/19/2020
Our Most Important Vendor!
To think that working with a wedding coordinator seemed like a "bonus" when we were initially considering vendors now seems like a completely ludicrous thought. Katy was THE most important human involved in supporting our wedding and by far the vendor we were most grateful for as we reflected post-wedding.
Having a coordinator allowed my partner and me to enjoy the day. I know right now you're looking at your budget thinking, "Can we afford this?" "Do we really need this?" - I was there. But Katy and her team will allow you to actually experience your wedding day, instead of managing it. This was so crucial for us.
Katy not only made the planning process less stressful, she made it fun! My partner and I would look forward to our conversations with her. She kept us on track, made sure our bases were covered, offered valuable insight and resources, and always made us feel like a priority. And on top of all of that, she's a delightful human to be around. Organized, empathetic, responsible, resourceful, enthusiastic, calm under pressure - I could go on.
Having Katy there on our wedding day amplified the amount of fun we had, increased the bandwidth I had to connect with guests, and took the weight of keeping things on track off my and my guests' shoulders. Katy was an absolute gift and I would highly recommend working with her. -
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![Monica]()
Monica Sent on 12/19/2020VanBee & Co. was our best decision!
We had the very best experience with Katy. She was attentive, thoughtful, and well aware of all
Of our needs prior to us even asking! She was on task and beyond accommodating. Katy and staff were such a warm welcome upon our arrival, and brought our dreams to life.
Katy was by our side through our the entire wedding weekend. As we exited from the venue and walked into unexpected rain- she was there waiting with a sheek umbrella. She’s beyond the best, incredibly Reasonable, and if you’re wondering if you could benefit from the help of a planner- trust me, it is worth it! -
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Gretchen Sent on 12/15/2020
Our Best Decision
Katy tirelessly worked to ensure my husband and I had our dream wedding, even more once we were all faced with the challenges surrounding the pandemic. Her exceptional care and attention to the smallest details allowed our weekend to go off without a hitch. Even if it included moments where Katy transported our cake in her lap or ran out for smore ingredients for our evening following the reception. Katy certainly has a superpower when it comes to planning and executing a wedding, and maintains the utmost joy and excitement throughout the entire process. We truly do not know where we would've been without Katy's professional guidance and evident years of experience. Her husband and team work seamlessly to bring you a seemingly effortless wedding weekend because of their talent and skill in the business. Hire Katy and you'll never look back! She and her team are worth their weight in gold! -
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![AGNewYork]()
Alethea Sent on 04/04/2020Run! Don’t walk! And hire Katy!
Katy and the team at VanBee were one of my favorite parts of wedding planning. Katy has amazing energy, is organized, transparent and experienced, and wants to help you have the wedding you want. As a bride planning a wedding in upstate New York from elsewhere, it was great to have Katy local on the ground who could provide insider tips and suggestions, as well as leverage relationships she had with local vendors and my venue. Katy is fun and energetic, but can be no-nonsense and play the bad cop when you need her to.
Katy and her team will do as much or as little as you want them to do of your wedding planning. Want her to do it all from start to finish? Done! Want to do most of it yourself but want some help staying on track plus a pro to be in charge of the day of your wedding (the route I mostly went with)? Done! I had a monthly call with Katy (that got more frequent as we got closer to the wedding) for status checks and instructions on what I should be doing during the next month. After our wedding, I realized I missed those monthly calls!
On the day of our rehearsal, Katy and Collette ran a tight ship and got us out of there quick with everyone knowing what to do. The day of the wedding, all my husband I had to do was show up. Katy and Collette had everything organized, knew where everything was, and just told us where to be when. We were able to completely enjoy our wedding day with our family and friends because we had complete trust in Katy. As someone who has a hard time giving up control, it was a relief for me to find someone like Katy to entrust with one of the biggest day of our lives. Can’t thank her enough!
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Kara Sent on 04/02/2020
Best experience, hands down!
If you have been looking for a wedding planner, your search should end here, with VanBee & Co. Katy is very knowledgeable, organized, friendly, and accommodating. She is someone you've felt like you've known your whole life, helping to plan your wedding.
From our initial contact Katy was collaborative and open to what we were looking for in a wedding planner. As time passed it was clear Katy knew what she was doing and was a very experienced professional. Each month she made sure we both executed what we decided on our list and things needed to do to keep on schedule. Her communication is prompt and clear, and couldn't have been easier. Her relationships with many vendors in the area allowed for easy contact and details to be handled between all involved.
Closer to our day, we met and discussed specifics, as if we were drinking coffee with an old friend, we felt reassured things were going smoothly, had no stress about details or meeting with vendors.The day of rehearsal Katy made sure everyone knew what to do, and how our wedding day would go.
The day of, I had no worries as Katy and her team set up our venue behind the scenes as our wedding party readied. She kept the day going without a hitch, if there was any, I never knew. Our day was more beautiful and perfect than I could have imagined. I would highly recommend VanBee & Co. for any event. -
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![Mackenzie]()
Mackenzie Sent on 11/07/2019Amazing!!!
Katy is amazing!! She is professional, thoughtful, and detail oriented. She knew all the right questions to ask, and did’t overlook a thing during planning. The day of the wedding, Katy & her staff made sure everything ran smoothly, and I never stressed a bit! My wedding was absolutely perfect thanks to Katy & VanBee Co! -
Caeli Sent on 09/30/2019
Amazing, Amazing, Amazing!
Planning a wedding from 5+ hours away can be very challenging, especially when the venue is a family home and doesn't have your typical wedding infrastructure in place. Katy and her team made the process SO MUCH EASIER! Katy is super organized, very detail-oriented and her passion absolutely shines through in all the work she does. She is very professional but has such a kind, friendly demeanor that she felt more like a friend than a wedding planner!
I have nothing but amazing things to say about Katy's team that was on site as well. Colette and Eileen made our vision come together so perfectly. Every single one of our guests raved about how no detail was missed and how absolutely perfect our wedding was, a few mentioning it was the best wedding they've ever been to! Colette and Eileen were very attentive throughout the night (Colette even saved my dress from a blunder with an appetizer going flying!) but not overbearing.
I cannot recommend this team enough. They were an absolute pleasure to work with and I can honestly say I will miss being in communication with them as I thoroughly enjoyed their company! -
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Glynis Sent on 09/27/2019
Katy and her team are AMAZING!!
Katy was fabulous to work with, from the earliest stages of finding a venue and booking DJs, she was there with advice at every step of the way. She kept me on my timeline, and helped take away stress with her experience working with vendors in the area.
Hands down the best part of working with Katy was actually having her there on the wedding day. She helped keep everything moving smoothly during the getting ready process, and made every finishing detail perfect- from flowers on the cake, to getting our champagne glasses filled at the head table. She went above and beyond, fluffing my dress before walking down the aisle, and helping to take our dog out (who participated in the ceremony!). And to top it off, when we woke up the morning after the wedding, Katy had neatly arranged our card box and guest book in the room, and had our welcome sign and flowers there to greet us as we walked out of our cabin the morning after the wedding. Beyond anything else, having her and her team there gave me peace of mind that made it so I didn't have to worry about a thing and was able to fully enjoy my wedding. I cannot recommend her enough!!! -
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![Daniel]()
Daniel Sent on 08/25/2019Could not have been a better experience
My Wife and I live in California but wanted to have our wedding the Saranac Lake region. Planning the wedding from across the country presented some challenges, so we hired VanBee & Co to help us. We were looking to mostly manage the planning process and vendors, but have VanBee & Co keep us on track and help with local coordination, especially day-of.
From the start, Katy listened intently for what we wanted and then helped us create a plan to get there. We started by meeting once a month to ensure we were making progress, and Katy was able to ask us questions to fill in a lot of details we didn't think about. Katy was also very well connected in the Saranac Lake region and personally knew many of the vendors we had selected. As the wedding got closer we started meeting more frequently. Katy also helped pick up some of the slack with some vendor coordination and brought on Colette and Eileen to handle day-of coordination.
The wedding day could have been more smooth. I found that I really had nothing to do or worry about except enjoy our beautiful wedding and celebration together. It was perfect.
I have several friends who did not engage a planner for their wedding, and they have all more or less regretted the decision. You should be able to fully engage in and enjoy your wedding day instead of having to worry about vendors, timelines, and small issues that may come up. I highly recommend VanBee & Co. - they are friendly, professional, effective, and really care about making your day special. -
![Melissa]()
Melissa Sent on 11/11/2018Stress free
Planning an outdoor wedding with a tent in the Adirondacks can be tricky - especially when living in Colorado while planning. Hiring Katy and her team was a no-brainer as we could never have accomplished it all to make our wedding so successful. They were just on point and organized throughout the entire year of wedding planning. She was able to make local contacts with ease and her recommendations were on point with our style and budget.
I've never been taken care of so well as I was on my wedding week and day-of. The personal attention was positively overwhelming. Any issues were taken care of without us needing to worry. And when the unforseen insects decided to invade our outside reception and 'bug' our guests, the team ran to the store and bought citronella candles.
While I had very specific requests and ideas about how I envisioned my wedding, they never balked or blinked an eye. I had many of my own decorations for my wedding and she took what I had and ran with it. Katy came up with ideas that never would have crossed my mind and made every single tiny detail so special. And even items I hadn't thought of, they were on it - quickly, professionally and with grace. She found resources for my every need: sign makers, hair stylist, DJ and even babysitters! I never once had lack of confidence that my wedding would not go as planned with Katy and her team in charge. Not once did I feel stressed about the planning or decoration aspect of the wedding when the weekend finally arrived. I would definitely recommend Katy and her team to anyone looking to get married in the Saranac Lake area - They are the BEST!! -
![Corinne]()
Corinne Sent on 11/07/2018A perfect day due to VanBee!
We worked with Katy from VanBee & Co. for our wedding, and could not have had a better experience. Katy went above and beyond to make sure not just our wedding, but our engagement party, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and welcome party were absolutely perfect. Our wedding was truly so much more special than we ever could've dreamed, and that is largely due to the efforts of VanBee. It's easy to get stressed when planning such a big event, but my confidence in Katy always reassured me. From start to finish, I knew that no matter what, she would be there making sure we had the best day of our lives. You cannot go wrong using VanBee- they are extremely responsive, professional, and affordable. We highly recommend using them for your big day! -
![Michelle]()
Michelle Sent on 10/23/2018Best Decision Ever: Highly Recommend Katy and Her All-Star Team!!
My husband and I cannot recommend Katy and her team highly enough! Katy was integral to the planning process--making sure everything was done calmly, with plenty of time, and with very little stress, considering the enormity of the task at hand! She gave advice when we asked for it, and enthusiastically, warmly, and realistically supported the ideas we had. Every step of the way, I felt that our plans and ideas were being fully realized by her. She never let ANYTHING drop: she is highly organized and clearly passionate about her job. She is kind and wants to help make this the best day of your life. While highly organized--she is also very calm, which makes you feel that she's in control in a completely NON-stressful way.
I am also organized, but with Katy, I felt that I didn't have to be constantly worrying about all the things I didn't know I didn't know! Her expertise and guidance constantly reassured me that everything would be fine and that nothing would be forgotten.
We also had Katy the day of our wedding, as our on-site wedding coordinator. While I highly recommend Katy as your wedding planner AND on-site coordinator, I know that sometimes people only opt-in for the day-of on-site coordinator. If this is you: DO IT!! I can't recommend it highly enough. That way: you can sit back and relax and dreamily float through your big day with literally no stress, focusing on enjoying your family and friends and new partner, and let Katy handle all the details and timing and everything in between. She was also the one to work with all of our vendors: again, a total game-changer for us. Our wedding would have (literally) been completely different without Katy and her team. We can't thank her enough!!! -
Mackenzie Sent on 10/18/2018
Superhero Katy
Katy was incredibly helpful! She was kind and flexible. She listened to my preferences and paved a way for them to happen. On my wedding day, she was a superhero. I didn't have to worry about anything. It rained at our outdoor venue and Katy flew into action: arranging the items in the tent to look beautiful and accommodate the ceremony, she explained to the wedding party what would change, she made sure everything was perfectly put together. Nothing went amiss. I was able to enjoy my day. -
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![Ryan]()
Ryan Sent on 10/17/2018Essential for Planning in the Adirondacks
Not a single complaint here. VanBee & Co is 100% worth every penny. Katy has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to wedding planning and you can't go wrong with her team's level of service, commitment, and dedication to making your wedding as painless as possible. We could not have done it without you guys! -
![Corey]()
Corey Sent on 10/16/2018100% Worth Every Penny!
Katy and crew were so on the ball! There are things, like spraying for bugs, that I would never have thought of on my own. She was flexible as far as being there as little of as much as we needed her. Every person I have seen after the wedding tells me it was the best they've been to and had so much fun. I know that this is all because we hired VanBee. Great ideas, zero stress, flexible, detail oriented and just super cool to work with. -
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Kelly Sent on 11/14/2017I Loved working with Katie and her team! She made our wedding fun, relaxed, beautiful with amazing food and service. Would recommend her to anyone.
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