Kateri Jude

elt disappointed by the service we received. Under the plan we selected, Kateri was not there the day of our wedding, and instead sent two associates to run the event. Neither one attended our site visit, which seemed slightly unusual, but I looked past it. On wedding day we felt let down in key moments -- there were issues with where guests congregated pre-ceremony and during the first dance. At the end of the the night the associates left a box full of cards and gifts in an unlocked car, which was not what we expected or desired (we left the after party to fetch it, close to midnight.) When I raised those points and others to Kateri, I received a list of reasons why me, my family and other vendors were to blame for any issues. This hurt — we saved up over more than a year to be able to afford Kateri’s planning services, even on a partial basis. In the end we felt like an afterthought. We were lucky to have other vendors who were attentive and accommodating. If I could go back and do it all over, the one change I would make would be hiring a different planner.

nized, and has a great eye for design. Her floral work was perfection too - and it was nice that she was able to do that bit instead of having an additional person/vendor in the mix.

d floral styling later. We wanted to have a backyard wedding and we knew we needed the right person to pull off our bilingual, Colombia-meets-Hudson-Valley, tropical-vibes-plus-fall-leaves celebration. Kateri was that person. She worked so hard from 8 am to 10:30 pm the day of our wedding to make everything look beautiful and go smoothly. She was so successful that nothing stressful, not a hint of drama, ever reached us! Not only that, Kateri manages to be warm, supportive, and caring while working hard. She has time for everyone. Here are just two examples: - Kateri made extra floral arrangements when my mom showed up with an heirloom vase. - Our nephew took a picture of Kateri with an instant camera and taped it in our guest book with "friend" written under it. I couldn't think of a better summary of how guests experienced her support! Kateri's vendor recommendations were spot-on and successful even during a year when seemingly everyone was overbooked... and we only started planning in May for an October wedding! Kateri found us a bilingual DJ (DJ Shino from Bonita Sound), and a pizza truck owner who was willing to make a special Colombian pie featuring guava (Itsa Pizza). She found us the most amazing bartender and server when we needed extra help for our DIY bar and dessert service. She recommended an illustrator (Maison Blanche) who drew a watercolor of our house for a digital invite in record time... like a week!.. and even added a program and signs last minute when we realized we wanted them. And the photographer (Anyelo Valencia from vark media) she recommended took such beautiful photos that my family had tears in their eyes looking at the sneak peeks. I am pretty certain we could not have pulled this off without her. We'd have been too uncertain about what we needed for a backyard wedding, too daunted by the seeming unavailability of most vendors, and too overwhelmed by logistics. In fact, after reflection, my husband and I wished we had hired her to do even more of the pre-wedding planning! We are recommending Kateri to any friends we know who are engaged, want to have a wedding ceremony and party, but don’t have the time or willingness to DIY everything.

ited to recommend Kateri because she is truly the best wedding planner ever. I come from a big family that has had lots of weddings of all shapes and sizes. We’ve experienced our fair share of great event planners, and Kateri is by far the best our family has ever worked with. We chose Kateri in particular because we wanted a very lush, greenery-filled wedding with earth-toned flowers, and Kateri delivered beyond our wildest dreams. She is a natural with floral arrangements and every detail was lovely. Her aesthetics — and her ability to curate immaculate vibes — are as impressive as her executive functioning skills; she managed multiple schedules flawlessly and seamlessly, kept track of our budget thoroughly, and was incredibly attentive to every detail. She made sure every single thing was taken care of. In just six months, she hired trustworthy and reliable vendors, and put together a beautiful event without ever compromising on our vision. Kateri made us a priority from day one and all that entails. She managed our budget and always maintained our desire that spending be intentional and always pertaining to the quality of the items/vendors, rather than spending for the sake of spending. She fundamentally understood our priorities from the get-go — of course, we ourselves went into this process not totally knowing our own needs and wants. Kateri also helped us refine those, without ever imposing her own vision on ours. She was an incredible guide for two young people who were very sure of certain things and very up in the air about others. She suggested the photographer who we were also obsessed with. She recommended a caterer who provided delicious food. She found amazing vendors, and she worked well with every vendor we found. She also brought in an incredible team of her own that met our every need. And above all she made sure we were always happy with the decisions being made. When we chose to adjust the size of the event to be more covid safe, her commitment and work ethic and fabulous attitude all stayed the same. She continued to take our needs just as seriously, and the wedding was absolutely beautiful. Kateri also has great energy, and her calm and collected demeanor meant everything to us on our special day. She clearly enjoys her job, and she is SO good at her job it’s kind of awe-inspiring. She is better at her job than anyone else we know is at theirs — regardless of field or industry. It’s clear that she was born to be a wedding planner.