Vendor Interview
Katie Ryan Events
About
To be fully transparent, I’m a straight-shooter (you can thank my Mom for that!) I’m not into “sales” at all. My superpower is creating, planning, and executing events. As cheesy as it sounds, there is nothing more satisfying to me than knowing that I brought a couples’ wedding dreams to life, and seeing the expressions of joy and awe on their faces.
I strive to eliminate any anxiety or worries my couples may have, as I walk with them through creating the most important day of their lives. I offer my undivided attention and provide unwavering support for my couples (and their families) that I am lucky enough to work with all while planning with passion, love, and care. I pride myself on building close relationships that extend far past the completion of the event which, I must say, is the best part of my job and what fuels my heart.
Details
Packages
Private Property, Weekend Celebration, Custom Planning, Virtual & Day of Coordination PackageVirtual Planning
If you are organized, have plenty of free time, and know exactly what you want your wedding day to be, but would love to have an expert in your corner as a sounding board to eliminate expensive mistakes, educate you regarding tips & tricks of the trade saving you serious (and I do mean serious) coin during your planning journey while keeping you on track, this is a perfect fit.Day Of Coordination (DOC)
Don’t let the “Day Of Coordination” title fool you, this is a two-month process! KRE will thoroughly look though every detail to catch or address any foreseeable issues, research and provide solutions on your behalf, gather missing event pieces, create timelines, connect with vendors, and execute the wedding day from start to finish allowing you, your family, and friends to fully enjoy the celebration without worry or stress.Luxury Wedding Celebration & Private Estate Events
Together, we plan the wedding of your dreams from start to finish. KRE will work with you to thoughtfully plan, custom design and flawlessly execute every aspect of your wedding weekend celebration.Reviews
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Interview Transcript
Hi, my name's Katie McLaughlin and I own Katie Ryan Events. I've been in the event industry for about 20 years. 10 of those years in event operations and 10 in planning, which makes me a little bit different as a planner just because of my background of operations and logistics and planning. That all together is super important.
I'm constantly on the move. My assistants make jokes that they need rollerblades because they can't keep up with me. I have about 2,000 events under my belt. I stopped counting at 1,500, but I'm up there.
Definitely should consider hiring a wedding planner as soon as you get engaged. A lot of couples come to me having already booked their venue without a lot of knowledge of the venue that I could provide to them, certain ways to save on costs before signing contracts.
I would definitely say do your research. You know, social media is fake. You can pay to have spotlights on certain websites to make it look like you've had a lot of experience. It's just super important to have experience on-site and know what to do in high-stress situations where it doesn't affect the guests or the couple getting married. I had a groom pass out right when the bride was about ready to walk. Those quick-thinking thoughts only come with having done events over and over again.
I always like to start talking with my couples before the booking process of the vendors and review an estimated budget sheet. So as you move forward, you start off with these proposals that could be a sticker shock, but they're not real numbers. We're just really booking the vendors, getting them secured for you for your date, your favorite ones. And then as the design kind of comes together and as we make more choices, we start to hone in on the important items.
There's a lot of work that goes into private property homes, walking through somebody's property, seeing the layout before a caterer or a tenting company comes, see the layout of the land and what will work best in the locations from what your guests first experience from walking on site to all the way to the end of the evening.
I think you have to find the value in a planner. I always use an example - bands are typically in this area between nine and can go all the way up to thirty-five thousand dollars. You sign a contract, you don't hear from them until a month out, and then they come and play for your wedding for four hours. A planner is with you from start of contract the completion of event. Sometimes that's two years long. So that's a lot of work that goes into planning a wedding.
I look forward to you reaching out and hopefully we make a good connection and I can be your planner.