A Charmed Affair

est of recommendations from the venue owners at Gather Greene to work with Kate. From the moment we had our first call with her, it felt like we had known her for years. Kate is so friendly, enthusiastic, trustworthy, fun, and an all around talented professional. She doesn’t just plan weddings - she puts herself and team at the center of your universe, listens to what your vision is, and then absolutely SURPASSES your wildest dreams. For the year that we worked with Kate, she literally made us feel like we were the ONLY wedding she had - got a question? Boom, she answered. Have a problem? Shazam, fixed and then some. Have some idea but not really sure? LET HER WORK HER MAGIC I PROMISE YOU! Seriously, the things that come up and have to be thought through while planning a wedding…you simply can’t and shouldn’t try to solve it yourself because Kate truly is an EXPERT at this. She LOVES LOVE and will put her everything into making sure that your love is cherished and celebrated in a way that will leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all those who witness it. In the moments leading up to a wedding, it’s inevitable that something will go wrong - and when it does, you NEED Kate to take the reins, and solution with tenacity, grace, and sheer brilliance. Guests getting kicked out of their hotel? She finds a new one, even in an area that’s known to not have hotels or offer blocks of rooms. Coach buses experiencing suspicious levels of mechanical failure and need to cancel the week of? She’ll make sure your guests get transported there and that @$$es are in seats, all with extra time to spare before the start of the ceremony. Wedding week/day of - we were AMAZED at everything she and her team did for us - working around the clock to ensure our big day (and really the full weekend) was absolutely perfect. All of our guests commented on what a well organized machine the planning team was - from golf carting guests to staying in lockstep with all the vendors to ensure timely transitions, answering guests’ questions (no matter how insane or silly), to making sure that by the time we were there, we had NOTHING to do but just ENJOY and look around in awe. If this review sounds like a bunch of rambling, well…fair enough. We have been spending the last few weeks since getting married thinking about how much we owe it to Kate and team for all that they did for us to ensure that our wedding weekend was beyond magical…and despite all these words here, there truly aren’t enough to express our gratitude and amazement for this incredible team. Kate, we simply cannot thank you enough for everything! I’m so glad we chose you and your team, and we will never forget all that you did for us to make our dreams come true and then some. You are simply beyond the best!

il, answering all of our questions, making recommendations and coordinating all of our vendors and day of festivities. Our wedding was a destination wedding and we wanted to have a bunch of accessories and a lounge for our guests. Kate had a HUGE list of items that we could use and it made such a difference in planning. The final product of staging for our wedding was exactly what we had hoped for. One of our vendors did not show the day of our wedding (a vendor we had booked) and Kate and her team were amazing at coordinating a solution. She ensured that our guests were taken care of and timeline for the day was adjusted to accommodate.  We can’t imagine not having Kate there to manage all the details, so we could be present and love our wedding day as much as we did. If you are looking for a wedding planner in the upstate New York area look no further than Kate from A Charmed Affair

as a partial planner, and she went above and beyond to be a sounding board for us in the year plus leading up to our wedding. Kate knows Liberty Farms like the back of her hand, and so having her both as a thought partner in planning as well as there on the actual wedding weekend to make sure everything went completely flawlessly without us having to think about anything was amazing. We are so appreciative of her aesthetic vision, hyper-competence at all things logistics and run-of-show, and down to earth and honest attitude. She also has a huge inventory of props and touches for the day from seating card holders to a popcorn machine to lounge furniture and she basically has a catalogue that couples can select from and she'll bring over as much as she can hold in a trailer and just charges for the cost of the trailer. This is a HUGE perk and saves a ton on extras to buy/rent for the day - we had a gorgeous full lounge set up (which our older guests in particular really appreciated!), photo booth backdrops, a popcorn machine, candles, and so much more from her. We are so grateful to Kate for pulling off the most perfect wedding weekend!!

endor selections, unexpected COVID-related curveballs, and everything else in-between. She was always available to jump on a call, answer questions, etc. and gave us so much time and was so helpful in making us feel like everything was organized and ready. She and her team also stepped in big for us “day of” when issues arose (e.g., guest buses were late and not in correct location, ran out of tequila during reception, etc.) and helped save the day! They were also amazing with event design - put together the whole vision for our day and it looked fabulous!! We had also hired Charmed Affair to help with our Sunday brunch too and they honestly made it perfect, taking care of everything from parking help, to rentals, to bartending, and beyond. Can’t recommend them enough!

being amazing at what she does). Kate is an absolute ROCKSTAR who we will forever be indebted to. Her team was AMAZING. When I say our day was a dream come true, it's in all honesty due to all of the efforts of her team making our dreams a reality. Do you want your wedding planner to go above and beyond? Have a "let's do it" attitude? Kate is WILLING, HARDWORKING and PROACTIVE. She made the day a seamless process for us. THANK YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!

ery level. She is super, super organized, a fabulous communicator and she manoevered around complicated COVID issues above and beyond. Kate handled all the vendors with a firm but friendly hand and thanks to her our event was truly flawless. We had a wedding of 160 people including a church and a venue with three different spaces on two floors. She and her team coordinated it all perfectly. She was also available pre-wedding as much as we needed her. We can't say enough about Kate and her team at Charmed Affair

work she does. She is down to earth and makes the day run so smooth !

sts are still raving about how they had such an amazing time! Most importantly Kate is a magical, beautiful human being who made me feel like everything was already going to be perfect. She was a pleasure to work with and has so much patience! I really don't ever want an event without her. I cannot say enough good things about A Charmed Affair- Kate and her team are phenomenal!

rson party due to CoVid, and she rolled with every change and worked to help make ourideas even better! On the day of the wedding, they were there ready to go and helped make it go smoothly with us not having to worry about anything. We truthfully couldn't have enjoyed our day if it wasnt for her.

ime that not a single person will forget, a setting to make even nature weep…look no further. Kate and her team were absolutely unbelievable. From the day I emailed inquiring to the “big day” and even now, Kate and her entire team have been nothing but spectacularly amazing. Kate was my go-to throughout my entire planning process…we’re talking like almost two entire years worth of planning. School and jobs and life always seem to get in the way of things, so we had some time to figure out the nitty gritty…and she was there through all of it. The stress, the questions, the details, the more stress, obtaining information, solidifying details, helping ease the nerves…you name it. She was attentive to details, responsive to every single annoying (and sometimes what I felt was insane) question, compassionate, kind, generous, and wholeheartedly involved in the entire wedding and then some. She provided me with list after list of referrals and helped me build the best damn team around, and man, DID IT SHOW! The wedding we had was one for the books. She made our dreams come true and then somehow topped them. Every vision, every color, every vibe, every request…she made it all happen. I am so beyond grateful to have met Kate and gotten the chance to work with A Charmed Affair. They are what real life fairytales are made of. Her team was on the scene when I arrived and I seriously felt like my own personal FBI team was escorting me – every one of her teammates was a pleasure to work with and get to talk to. Seth even transported my high maintenance Aussie back to our Air BnB so we could enjoy the rest of our night without worrying about her. We cannot thank him enough for that. Kate orchestrated the entire day and night with ease and without a hitch – even with little hiccups here and there, we didn’t even bat an eyelash because she was so on top of everything. Do yourself the biggest favor of your life and work with A Charmed Affair for your wedding – you will make one of the best decisions you could ever make in the entire planning process if you choose to work with Kate and her team. We love you to the moon and back – thank you for being our planner, our confidante, and for becoming our friend. Much love XOX – Rob & Ash.

e to take the reigns for us as we got closer to our wedding so we could relax and absorb everything. We hired Kate and A Charmed Affair as our month of coordination team. EVERYONE SHOULD DO THIS, if not hire her as your full time planner. When my husband and I unexpectedly lost our initial venue due to some legal issues the property was having 6 months before our wedding, Kate swooped in and sent us a list of all venues that still had our date available as well as venues with dates close to our date within basically a day. In less than a week, we were visiting our new venue (which we loved so much we couldn't believe it!). Kate is so honest, responsive, sweet, and also tough when you need her to be (especially with any vendors who need a little push :) ). Honestly, amazing is not a good enough word to describe her. Kate also sent a team the day of who knew every detail of what we wanted and executed it perfectly; they were calm, organized, and it made us so relaxed the whole day. They also brought so many amazing decor items with them as well, and had a great eye of where to put them to enhance what we had already planned, so our wedding was full of these amazing surprise touches that we absolutely LOVED. Basically... GO. HIRE. KATE. NOW. She is an incredible professional and the best decision my husband and I made when planning our wedding (aside from marrying each other!).

a lot of planning to be done. Kate guided us through literally everything, from vendors and timeline to how much electricity to run to the field to how many garbage cans we would need! She even helped manage my mom when I told her my grand plan to grow my own flowers and hire a pizza truck for catering. My friends and family joked about how relaxed I was through the planning process and it was because I knew I had the best advice available. I came up with a few ideas that I ran by Kate and she executed every single one of them without breaking a sweat (Champagne wall - C'mon!!). It was a beautiful, breathtaking day with literally every detail accounted for. We've gotten multiple reports from guests that this was the "Best Wedding Ever" and that's a testament to Kate and team's hard work. It was a perfect day that felt very us, but better then we could have ever pulled off on our own. I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it now. Do yourself a favor, and put your day in Kate's hands!

appier. Once we choose The BARN at Liberty Farms, a bare venue, as the site of our wedding, we knew we were going to need a lot of help setting everything up. Kate was indispensable in almost every aspect of our planning which allowed us to create personal and bespoke vision for our special day. The staging she helped coordinate was spectacular and she executed our vision perfectly. Since we were coming from several hours south of the venue, it was exceedingly helpful to have someone who was familiar with the area, but we have no doubt Kate would excel no matter where your wedding is held. Kate was always available to answer any questions and give valuable feedback throughout the entire process as soon as we engaged her. For the amount of hands-on support and other services she provides, she was an absolute steal at her rate and epitomized great value and service. On the day of the wedding, we took immense comfort in Kate's presence and she definitely helped make sure everything ran smoothly so that we could focus on enjoying ourselves (and not freaking out). The A Charmed Affair staff coordinated seamlessly with our other vendors and the ceremony and reception were executed flawlessly. Engaging Kate gave us access to a wealth of additional accessories and inspiration for the style and decor of the interior of the venue. Kate is a warm and lovely person and we highly recommend her and the rest of the staff of A Charmed Affair. Hiring her is the best decision you will make - Kate we love you!!!

was amazing. Such a calming presence in a sometimes tense or stressful situation. The best!!!

ught of everything! Seriously love her and will really miss working with her.

k in her vibe but proactive in her approach, and was a great creative partner. For anyone in the Catskill/Hudson area, she has a tremendous amount of experience with multiple venues and vendors, and we always felt like we were in good hands. Thanks Kate!

humored, and detail-oriented that I didn't know was possible in a human. She proved her worth over and over again. When we had trouble with a caterer, she was immediately there with high-quality, budget-friendly suggestions. When I was unnecessarily anxious about decor, she helped us craft a strategy. When we told her we wanted a curtain of lights, she said, "Sounds like fun!" and made it happen. Her staff was really great, too...and she made the wedding day run completely seamlessly. My mom could not stop singing her praises! What I'm trying to tell you is that I really feel like hiring her was the best decision we made. She'd be a bargain at twice the price...and she's just such a lovely person.

s out. Kate made us feel like everything we wanted was possible, easy even. She was so so responsive, very affordable, and just so nice and friendly and easy to talk to and hard working. On the day of the wedding, she was a life saver, and her whole team was as nice as she is. I really can't say enough. You won't find a better wedding planner than Kate.

seamlessly - everything from set up, rain contingency plans and magically having the rain storms just sneak by us. It was great having Kate coordinate with all of the vendors and running the day for us. She had our back at all times but yet stayed under the radar. Her team, in particular Seth, also were awesome. Sides of the tent mysteriously were up when needed and then down once the weather cleared without anyone noticing. And the extra lights on the dance floor were great too! Thanks to Kate and team we were able to enjoy every moment of a truly magical day. We cannot thank them enough!!!

ay after we booked the venue in January. From the beginning she tells you she doesn't really believe in "day-of" coordination because there's really so much more to a wedding then showing up on the day of. You get a feel for Kate's contagious energy from the first conversation you have with her. She really stepped up to the plate for all aspects of our wedding between coordinating with ALL of our vendors, the venue, the caterer, etc. to literally setting up our rentals/tables/chairs on the day of our wedding. Some vendors can be tough to deal with or hard to get into contact with but Kate was always able to seamlessly deal with everyone. There was never a question too small for her to answer. Anything we asked her for help with was always done to perfection. Our wedding day really went flawlessly and that was owed in very large part to Kate (and her team). I cannot say enough good words about Kate and I hope that anyone looking for a competent, caring, organized, on-top-of-her-game coordinator in the Hudson Valley/Catskills area hires Kate Arel!

lley, if not the state of New York. The superhuman effort she puts forth to help ensure a smooth execution of all your wedding day hopes and dreams will leave you speechless. And her dedication to helping plan out every aspect of your big event is only outdone by her exhaustive knowledge of all the ins and outs of planning a wedding and working with all your various vendors. We can honestly say there is absolutely zero chance we would have been able to pull off our wedding weekend the way we did without Kate working behind the scenes, breaking her back month after month to make sure we walked away ecstatic. She is also an incredible problem solver who gets on top of any issues that might pop up without delay and solves them creatively in a way that is always friendly to your budget. Frankly, Kate and A Charmed Affair are at the pinnacle of the pyramid as far as Wedding Coordinators go. You would honestly be making an enormous mistake in hiring anyone else to help cultivate and execute your big day.

e day of, and I honestly did not want to work on my wedding day. My fiancé looked a bit confused and tried to politely say "I know you are very particular about things, and like to control how your vision is executed". I agreed, he definitely isn't wrong and I am not offended at all... I'm a control freak! Basically that's how great Kate (A Charmed Affair) is, she just get's it. After one (long) phone call, I felt at ease and calm. I knew I could count on her to get it done, but more importantly the way I wanted down to the smallest detail. She went above and beyond a day of coordinators services which I am extremely thankful for. One of the major reasons I chose Kate (aside from our great convo, her getting my vibe, sharing my same taste level, and overall just being awesome!) is becasue she also had a ton of additional props that we were able to use. It saved a lot of time in the end, and definitely came in handy day of. Her team is great too! I'm happy I got to spend some time with each of them, they all worked really hard to make my dreams a reality. We are so thankful for A Charmed Affair and would highly recommend them.

first met Kate, we were immediately impressed by how laid back but put together she was. Calm, cool, collected. She offered us a range of services, and we worked together on a scope that included near full service wedding planning as well as a big BBQ welcome party at my family's home. We're what you might call, "Ridiculous, Silly People." We were adding in a TON of quirk little details all over the rehearsal, ceremony and reception. Not only did Kate integrally help plan and execute all of our little love notes, she did so with a kind of passion that made her feel more like part of the bridal party than just a "vendor." Speaking of which, she deftly help source almost all the vendors. She always gave us several choices and those choices were difficult because of the across the board quality. She was so incredibly organized and prompt in her response time (kind of a huge sticking point my wife) -- even long before the final months. While we knew she was working on many other weddings this summer, we never felt like we weren't the only one. Kate knew our style better than we did. We had a "Rustic Upstate Farm Fancy Outside Dancefloor with Edison Bulb String Lights Barn Wedding." These days, it would be easy for an event like that to really just blur into any of the others that are click baited around wedding blogs. Not with Kate: she knew exactly how to help make our event unique, and memorable and truly one of the best days of our lives -- she and her team blew us away! Finally if I had to sum up Kate's performance while helping plan our wedding it would be, "Above and Beyond." She did for us SO many things that were outside of the original scope of work. She cared about our wedding just as much as we did and it showed. We are forever grateful and highly recommend her!

e time, Kate was working as the venue coordinator. When we were inquiring about day-of coordination, she let us know that she also worked in this capacity and it wasn't even a question of hiring her, because our experiences with her had already been so positive. If you are considering hiring a day-of wedding coordinator, DO IT - it is TRULY worth the money to not have to worry about anything on your big day. if you are able to book with Kate, then all the better because she is absolutely phenomenal! My fiance and I were planning our NY wedding remotely, from our home in DC. Kate was fabulous about responding to our inquiries and helping us realize the vision of our big day. Going into the planning process, I had some vague ideas about how I wanted the general feel to be and how I could make the big day fun for everyone. We were very DIY and we didn't have much extra time to research and coordinate services remotely. She helped us coordinate the vendors, plan out the timing and order of the ceremony and helped us to wrangle everyone to be where they needed to be on time. When I wanted to do a couple DIY projects but wasn't sure if the venue would look too busy, she made helpful suggestions and reassured me that everything would work out great - which it did. She helped to coordinate our weekend of events and even helped me in setting up equipment for a surprise for my fiance at the rehearsal dinner. I imagine that, in her job, she is on the receiving end of a lot of energy/nerves from brides & grooms and their wedding parties. Kate was the epitome of chill - her laid-back demeanor belies an awesomely organized and detail oriented person but makes you feel extremely at ease. If you can book with Kate, do it - you'll be extremely happy with your decision.

any questions and to help us with whatever we needed. She was never pushy or looked at us like we were crazy for some of our ideas. Our day would not have been possible if it wasn't for her!