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Meet Skye Young

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Native to Arizona, Skye has spent time with her family as a mid-Westerner and also in Mississippi, Virginia, and North Carolina.  She has come “home”, returning to Arizona recently with her husband and beloved pet, a Jack Russell Terrier. While interested in elementary education and business management Skye presently enjoys the “hands-on” approach and creativity with wedding and event planning at Kate & Company. Skye loves family, friends (well actually everybody), her faith, being creative and she embraces the adventures that life brings her way. She has been able to focus on her lifelong dream of becoming an Event Planner over the past few years and hopes to continue working toward her dream career. She hopes that with each of her events she is able to bring as much happiness to clients and guests as her passion brings to her. Skye is our newest Kate & Co. team member, when she isn’t busy with events she likes being active outdoors, anything crafty and being with the ones she loves.

What is your current favorite wedding trend?
There are so many to choose from, but I think that having unique food options is one of my current favorite wedding trends. Along with that being said I also love how people are going back to the tradition and formality of weddings. Kind of contradicts each other but hey, it works!

What is the biggest piece of advice you would give a couple planning their wedding?
Don’t sweat the small things that can go wrong, they can always be fixed. In the end you are marrying the love of your life.

What is your favorite part of weddings?
May sound cheesy, but my favorite part of the wedding is the reaction of the bride and groom (mostly groom) have when they first see each other on their wedding day. Whether it be a first look or just seeing each other as the bride walks down the aisle it never fails to be my favorite moment.

Favorite season for a wedding?
I would have to say Autumn. This is just because it is my favorite time of year in general. Spring is a close second for my favorite wedding season.

What made you want to work in the wedding industry?
I wanted to work in the wedding industry because I love people and making people happy. It is what brings joy to my life.  Also, because a wedding involves so many of the things in life I enjoy to do. From the food, to being creative, the photography and helping people with the happiest day of their life.

What is your favorite “wow factor” décor item? (i.e. lighting, florals, specialty linen, etc.)?
The bride’s dress.

What is your current favorite wedding color pallet?
How can you choose just one?! I think it depends on the day and the wedding and the location.

Do you prefer a first look or for the couple to see each other for the first time at the ceremony?
I prefer the couples to have their first look at the ceremony. Although, I think the first look before is cute and sweet, keeping with traditions and what I have always known, at the ceremony is my preference.

Favorite bride in history? (i.e. Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, etc.)
I do not think I have ever had a favorite, but Grace Kelly was STUNNING!

Favorite flower?
Favorite flower hands down in a sunflower. For a wedding I love sunflowers but I also love anything pastel with a lot of greenery! Especially peonies, baby breath (or lily of the valley for something a little more large).  And not a big fan of roses.

Favorite wedding movie? Favorite movie?
Favorite Movie – it is a tie between The Wedding Planner, The Proposal well how can you choose? They are all great. But those two are most definitely a top two. And as far as favorite movie it depends on the genre. I just love movies!

Favorite book?
Nicholas Sparks and Thriller Movies!

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Real-estate agent, Just because that is what my mom did and I wanted to do everything she did.

From the Fingertips of Kate: Get Exactly What You Want

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As a bride planning her wedding, there are so many things to do, visions to plan, vendors to secure. Once your vision is in place (and your budget), the vendors you secure are those that are going to make your day seamless.  Your DJ is going to make or break your reception.  Please deeply consider hiring a professional wedding DJ, as your wedding Emcee, this person will keep your celebration not only on track but also create the tone for your wonderful evening.  I have experienced brides having a friend or a friend of a friend who may be a part time DJ and secured for a discounted rate, and while the music is good, the Emceeing and taking the lead of the event has often fallen by the wayside.

I’ll share a few examples:

A high profile athlete wedding who was flying in a friend who was a DJ that he liked – didn’t know anything about a Grand Entrance, while the music was fine, this guy completely ignored the timeline with all the dances, speeches etc.  It was a party, but all the traditional things went flat, thus all the photo opportunities just didn’t pop like a bride dreams of.

Hungry guest….well how about no DJ/Emcee announcement following the Grand Entrance but this: “Table 1 is released, Table 2”.  No one knew what they were released for or where to go.

Your DJ is a key vendor for a smooth flowing successful ceremony and reception.  While you are paying for his/her services, don’t forget to provide a gratuity to them as well.  Ask your wedding planner about appropriate gratuities for specific vendors, while these are never expected, they are much appreciated.

Explore the Honeymoon Diet

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When it comes to the edible luxuries you will be enjoying on your honeymoon, each dining experience should be better than the next. Professional, culinary experts are what sets certain honeymoon all-inclusive dining options apart from all the rest.

Each Sandal’s all-inclusive resort has their own Culinary Concierge, who will easily blow you away. With special, one-on-one treatment for all dietary needs, this service is a step above to ensure a time you will always remember. All special requests are always handled with care, with the choice to even request new or different dishes, to suit your dietary restrictions or lifestyle. While there are multiple Caribbean and Jamaican options, Sandal’s prides themselves with hiring international chefs for each restaurant concept.

Thinking about cruising around the Caribbean or Mexico instead? The esteemed chefs who make up Carnival Cruise lines culinary team, are specially trained to accommodate every special dietary need. They know and understand the importance of getting your requests right. These services are included in the all-inclusive lifestyle of the Carnival Cruise fleet.

A honeymoon is going to be a dream of a lifetime. Making sure the meals suit desired dietary needs is always a challenging task. Customizable amenities and meals have always added the extra special touch to an already fantastic honeymoon experience. Enjoy a stress-free, pampering experience that allows relaxation and comfort beyond imagination! Perfect for a Meat-Eater, Vegetarian, Vegan or other special dietary needs, Sandal’s and Carnival always strive for exceptional service. Don’t be afraid to ask!

When you are ready to start planning your honeymoon, the knowledgeable team of Kate & Company awaits your call at 480-403-4611. Learn more about all the wonderful choices, and design a custom honeymoon that caters to all of your expectations and dietary desires! Au revoir!

– Allison, Wedding Consultant, April 25th, 2017

sandals

 

Carmen & Michael

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Carmen and Michael’s wedding in September 2015 was absolutely unforgettable. Not only were these two the SWEETEST people to work with, we loved how their personalities shined on their big day. This pink & orange, San Francisco, baseball themed weddings stole our heart! From their first-look dance surrounded by family and friends (he was blindfolded as they danced and she took off the blindfold when it was time to finally see her in her dress!) to their grand exit on a trolley this wedding was filled with fun, unique touches. We loved the baseball decor, selfie after they said ‘I Do!’, gelato for dessert, silhouettes of their pets on the cake, and fun, personal photo booth props. These two were smiling and so in love the entire planning process – we can’t look at these pictures without smiling too!

Location: SoHo63
Photography: I Do Photography
Florals: J. Barry Designs
DJ: Desert House Productions
Cake: Piece of Cake
Videography: Something New Media
Furniture Rental: Classic Party Rental
Photobooth: Snapbooth
Gelato: Frost Gelato
Catering: Atlasta Catering
Linen: Southwick Linens
Bar Services: Couple of Bartenders
Décor and Coordination: Kate & Company

Paper & Clocks Anniversary Party

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We were so honored to design a table for Warehouse 215’s Paper & Clocks Anniversary Party! This event was so much fun to attend and plan for! We wanted to breakdown our design and share all the fun details with you.

Our design was inspired by a steampunk Wizard of Oz. Gold, touches of emerald, the hour glass, and a nod to literature.

The center of our table featured an hourglass on top of an antique scale surrounded by paper flowers. The paper flowers were created by our personal planner, Desirae. Our place settings included a gold charger featuring a clock face or gear (created by our personal planner, Katie), a clear glass plate, a book menu card holder (created by Kate herself) and a custom designed menu by Desirae. The stunning gold flatware and glassware were provided by Tremaine Ranch and our chocolate brown lamour linen and ivory napkins were provided by Southwick Linens. The napkins featured various napkin rings including watches and glasses. While many of the pieces were handcrafted by our team or came from our own collections (hour glass, antique scale, watches, etc.), we also had some great vendor partners – A huge ‘Thank You’ to Tremaine Ranch and Southwick Linens!

We can’t wait for another great year at Warehouse 215!

From the Desk of Desirae: Honeymoon Planning

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As a couple, my fiancé and I decided we wanted to have a super relaxing honeymoon. Nothing sounded better than sitting on the beach, drink in hand, with my HUSBAND by my side! I will be completely honest – I did not plan our honeymoon. Here’s why –

We wanted all aspects of our honeymoon to be relaxing so when we went to book our all-inclusive honeymoon at Sandals Negril we went through Kate & Company. Kate is a complete destination guru! My fiancé and I narrowed down that we wanted to go to Jamaica and Kate gave us all of our options. From there we looked at pictures and all the information and decided which resort we wanted to go to, we told Kate where and when we wanted to go and it was booked!

Just wait – it gets better! Kate even booked our airfare! We didn’t need to find time to sit and find the best flight and figure out connections or what the best way to do this was – it was just done. And Sandals will pick us up from the airport!

Here is a breakdown of everything we did to plan our honeymoon:

  1. Decided on a resort company and a county
  2. Picked a resort based on Kate’s suggestions
  3. Gave the dates we wanted to go and preferred flight times
  4. Picked tours and activities
  5. Got our passports
  6. Now we just needed to pack!

It was seriously that easy. I won’t lie, we did spend a lot of time researching which resort we wanted to go to and spent time drooling over all the menu options – but that’s the fun stuff, right? Kate took care of all the details for us and made sure we are set to go.

Even if I wasn’t a Kate & Company planner, I would recommend honeymoon planning to every bride! This is a small thing, but it really does let you focus on the fun and takes a few things off your pre-wedding to-do list.

From the Desk of Desirae: Vendor Dream Team

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When planning a wedding, the first thing I always suggest is to pick your venue and dress, select the rest of your vendors and then work on the fun details! So once you have your dream venue, what next?

Many venues will have vendors you are required to use, and if so, great! If not, ask them about who they’ve worked with – a vendor that already knows the space could be a huge advantage!

As I plan, I’ve found myself in a different situation: my venue isn’t a typical wedding venue. This is good because I’m looking forward to designing and planning something really unique, but I also have very little to reference (i.e. preferred vendors, layouts, how weddings flow there). Plus, I decided to bring most of my vendors up from Phoenix to Flagstaff. While there are many good choices in Flagstaff, I had to go with my favorites from the valley!

The most important thing when selecting vendors is to make sure you have a good team and you get along with them. Remember, some of these people are going to be with you all day long! If you don’t think you could be best friends with your florist, or cake designer though, that’s okay! They will be dropping off and leaving for the most part on wedding day. However, your photographer, DJ, and videographer should be people you enjoy spending time with and whose personalities match yours and the feel of your wedding.

When you hire a vendor, you aren’t just hiring a DJ, photographer, videographer, caterer, etc. You are putting together a team – so think smart and go plan your dream team!