COVID realities for The Plannery

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It’s been very quiet around here. At first we were dealing with our clients, trying to help folks postpone and handle the realities of COVID. Then, quite frankly, we as individuals had to deal with the realities of COVID and how that was going to change our lives. I won’t speak for our entire team, but I thought I’d do a quick update for you all - real and honest as we always are here! - to let you know what’s going on at The Plannery

It’s crazy as we near the year-with-COVID mark to look back and remember how quickly things changed. But the biggest issue on our end was that my daughters’ daycare shut down for quite a while, so within an instant, I was a stay-at-home Mom. And with no new weddings in sight, that quickly became my full time job. Then, as my oldest daughter’s first year of school came up this Fall, we knew I’d need to be around to help her with virtual kindergarten, and still be available to be with our youngest as well. And finally, after virtual kindergarten really didn’t work for us as a family - I’ve transitioned to something I never, ever imaged for myself: a stay at home homeschooling Mom.

What does that mean for the future of The Plannery? Honesty? I’m not sure. Rebecca and Tarra are still taking on clients and we’re definitely open for business for ALL types of clients from full planning to month-of. But my role has had to transition into one of business owner and operator, but not official wedding planner. It may be it stays that way for quite some time as the future of child care and schooling remains unclear for my girls. But I promise that I remain involved and committed to our clients and especially my awesome team.

So here’s to vaccines, future weddings, and embracing the insanity, life-changing stuff that gets thrown at you. Everyone I know has handled it so well and with such grace. But I’m sorry if any balls have been dropped and apologize for being so quiet as I focus on my kiddos. We’re here and have our fingers crossed for some awesome celebrations in 2021!!!!

Carol and Greg's Winter Woodend Sanctuary MD Wedding

Photo by Stephen Bobb Photography

Photo by Stephen Bobb Photography

This wedding was one of our favorites from last year. Though it was pre-COVID, I’m excited to share it now because it was a small, intimate winter wedding - something folks who are dealing with the new COVID restrictions may be considering this year - so hopefully this can give you some fun inspiration! Carol and Greg had a beautiful wedding at Woodend Sanctuary. Because it was winter, Woodend’s usual tent was down, so they had a short ceremony with some guests standing and some seated, in the main room, followed by cocktails and dinner indoors as well. Tarra had to get creative with the flow and floorplan, but it worked out well and everyone had a blast.

I adore that they embraced the holiday season with red pops of color (including the stunning bride’s lips!), and additional green and white accents. It was a meeting of two cultures, his (Southern) and hers (Korean) which they honored in various ways including culinary touches from Main Event. Enjoy these beautiful shots from Stephen Bobb Photography and embrace the chilly air heading our way. Congrats again to Carol and Greg!

Carol and Greg’s Vendors:

Coordinator: Tarra Morgan, The Plannery

Venue: Woodend Sanctuary

Photographer: Stephen Bobb

Caterer: Main Event Catering

Music: Double Entertainment, DJ Elon

Florist: Park Florist

Cake: Alexandria Pastry Shop

Hair/Make-up: Shanel Salon

Nick and Zach's DC Microwedding

Photo by VNess Photography

Photo by VNess Photography

Things have been pretty quiet around here due to COVID. But I’m happy to share a micro-wedding from Nick and Zach, one of our clients who were supposed to get married in August at the Carnegie Institution of Science. Never fear, they’ll be partying there next year to celebrate their marriage (and I’ll be coordinating!), but in the meantime, they got hitched THIS August to make it official. They did some photos with their photographer, VNess Photography, at Rock Creek Park , had an intimate ceremony with immediate family at the Kennedy Center, and ended the day with a delicious dinner at All Purpose Pizza by the Nats Stadium. Huge congrats to this wonderful couple! I’m so sorry we weren’t able to celebrate this August, but SO looking forward to helping you with your party in 2021!!

Our Favorite Dads

We did a shout-out to all the awesome Moms out there for mother’s day - so of course we wouldn’t forget our Dads for Father’s Day! We’ve had some beautiful moments between fathers and our couples, so enjoy some of our favorites, below!! Thanks to all you fab Fathers out there!

Photo by Love Life Images

Photo by Love Life Images

Photo by Chris Zarconi

Photo by Chris Zarconi

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Photo by Love Life Images

Photo by Love Life Images

Photo by Modern Frames Photography

Photo by Modern Frames Photography

Photo by Love Life Images

Photo by Love Life Images

Photo by Tell Chronicles

Photo by Tell Chronicles

Photo by Ayesha Ahmad Photography

Photo by Ayesha Ahmad Photography

Photo by Olivia Jacob

Photo by Olivia Jacob

Photo by Breanne Furlong

Photo by Breanne Furlong

Our Favorite Wedding Dogs

This is a straight-up “how the hell can I bring a little happiness to people’s lives” post. But you know what? Hopefully it will work!

We’ve been having fun with round-ups lately and I realized we’ve thus far neglected to give a shout-out to our favorite Plannery pups!! So once again, here’s a feel-good blog post for you: enjoy these wagging tails and adorable doggies - hope it inspires you to somehow incorporate your own furry friend into your wedding day - or at least give them some extra cuddles today!

Photo by Debi Parker

Photo by Debi Parker

Photo by George Street Photo

Photo by George Street Photo

Photo by Darling Photography

Photo by Darling Photography

Photo by M&E Photography

Photo by M&E Photography

Photo by Modern Frames Photography

Photo by Modern Frames Photography

Stephanie and Brian's International Spy Museum DC Wedding

Photo by Bee Two Sweet

Photo by Bee Two Sweet

We’ve been excited about The International Spy Museum for a while now. And I’ve been dying to show you all this gorgeous wedding that Rebecca helped plan! It’s bittersweet to share since we don't know when we can again work at this fabulous venue, but as I’ve mentioned previously, my hope is that these looks back at weddings can bring some smiles to faces.

This was one of the first weddings held on this stunning venue’s rooftop and the day turned out perfectly.  After their ceremony at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle and photos around DC, the reception was held open-air and the sun set behind Stephanie and Brian’s families and friends as they gave wedding toasts.  They really embraced the spy-theme (Bond's Aston Martin was in the lobby, after all) and named their tables after James Bond movies, with the head table titled "Diamonds are Forever".  The cocktail hour in the Spy Museum lobby featured a boxwood covered bar and an escort card wall filled with custom calligraphy marble coasters.  And of course the flowers were spectacular and filled the reception space with color and texture. As their send-off, they took inspiration from Crazy Rich Asians and had firefly lights for our guests to wave as we departed.

Enjoy these beautiful photos from Bee Two Sweet!

Stephanie and Brian’s Vendors:

Planner: Rebecca O’Donnell, The Plannery

Ceremony Venue: Cathedral of St. Matthew The Apostle

Reception Venue: International Spy Museum

Photographer: Bee Two Sweet

Caterer: Main Event Catering

Florist: Amaryllis Designs

Hair: Hair by Giselle

Make-up: Shaune Hayes Makeup

DJ and Lighting: Dan Goldman Events

Cake: Sweet Crimes

Our Favorite Moms

This Sunday was Mother’s Day, so to honor all our awesome moms out there, we decided to look back at some of our favorite Mom moments from past Plannery weddings. To those Moms who help us get ready, walk us down the aisle, dance with us, cry with us, and are there to support us, huge love to you all you!!

Photo by Sarah Gormley

Photo by Sarah Gormley

Photo by Tell Chronicles

Photo by Tell Chronicles

Photo by Leo Druker

Photo by Leo Druker

Photo by Susan Hornyak

Photo by Susan Hornyak

Photo by Go Kate Shoot

Photo by Go Kate Shoot

Photo by Love Life Images

Photo by Love Life Images

Photo by Chris Ferenzi

Photo by Chris Ferenzi

Photo by Charles Archambault

Photo by Charles Archambault

Photo by Olivia Jacob

Photo by Olivia Jacob

Photo by Photo Lady Love

Photo by Photo Lady Love

Photo by Charles Archambault

Photo by Charles Archambault

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Lindsay and Jeff's The Assembly Room Baltimore Wedding

Photo by Peyton Rainey Byford

Photo by Peyton Rainey Byford

Where oh where do I begin with Lindsay and Jeff?! From their incredible taste, to their ooey gooey infectious love for one another, all the way to their bad ass, upbeat personalities, they are and will forever be favs of mine. As a month-of coordinator, you are not always looped into every step of the planning process.  Usually it is not until the day-of or post-wedding that I see things like the invitation suite. But with Lindsay and Jeff, just like one of their cherished guests, I too received the invitation to their wedding.  You should have seen the look on my face and felt the warmth in my heart when I opened the mailbox that day. WHAT SWEET CLIENTS I HAVE!! I will never forget their wedding date, it’s the best date in the world. My birthday, September 28th! I was exactly where I was supposed to be that day in 2019. 

Lindsay and Jeff are true city-goers, married on the perimeter of downtown Baltimore at The Assembly Room.   When you soak in The Assembly Room and what it has to offer, you are soaking in Lindsay and Jeff.  It has them written all over it!  This couple was very meticulous in all of their vendor selections, which makes me so happy and honored that they chose me to be part of the team too! Given their diligence, it was particularly hard when the venue manager and I noticed that one of their vendors was shaping up to be an ill fit just a few weeks before the big day.  It is not always easy, but totally part of my job as a coordinator to break this news to Lindsay and Jeff.  Naturally, this was tough news for them to hear and all of us had to work tirelessly and quickly to replace this vendor.   Over the years, I have dealt with tears at weddings in the past, but this time was different.  This time it was before the wedding and it was one of my clients and we all felt the hurt on that dreaded call.  But it made us stronger and better as a client-coordinator force!

Wedding planning as a process can sometimes be hard and unkind, but in the end, it always seems to end up perfect and beautiful. Lindsay and Jeff had an AMAZING, AMAZING day. The evidence is in the photos by Peyton Rainey Photography and incredible video footage shot by Wild Light Films.  Enjoy - and congrats again to Lindsay and Jeff!

Coordinator: Tarra Morgan, The Plannery @theplannery @tar2ra
Venue: The Assembly Room @theassemblyroom
Photos: Peyton Rainey Byford @peytonrbyford
Caterer: Rouge Catering @rougecatering
Videographer: Wild Light Films @wildlightfilms
Hair/Make-up: Shine Tina @shine_tina
Lighting/Pipe & Drape: Baltimore Event Solutions @eventsolutionsbaltimore
Flowers: The Flower Basket @theflowerbasket_ltd
Lounge Furniture: Something Vintage @smthingvintage
Photobooth: Pixilated Photobooth @pixilated

Pivot

Photo by Breanne Furlong

Photo by Breanne Furlong

We’ve been pretty quiet over here, as I’ve tried to let things settle into this new non-normal. For a while I felt like posting about weddings just didn’t make sense - so much was unknown about the future of weddings and social gatherings, so much was unknown about our own little business, so much was unknown about the future in general.

But unfortunately, it looks like clarity won’t be making an appearance any time soon. So I wanted to pop on here to give some small updates from our end:

First, if you need anything from us - please reach out. Can we foresee the future? No, but we’re here as ears and as a resource to you as we all try to navigate the future of events. I know there are a lot of couples eloping and making new plans - and again, we’re here if you need us in any way!

The main news is that unfortunately I’m going to be stepping sideways (cue PIVOT meme from Friends) as we have to make some essential adjustments. I was planning on announcing in April that I’d be stepping sideways because I got a new gig helping with events at a local venue. That job fell through for obvious reasons. So now, I’m stepping sideways because I have to be a stay-at-home mom. I’ll continue to be the owner of this business - but I likely won’t be able to take on any future coordination or planning gigs. Our amazing team - Rebecca and Tarra - will continue to help coordinate and plan - so please know The Plannery will still be here, I’ll still be at the helm (and on social media), but won't have as many active clients as I have previously. We’re going to start easing back into more blogging again - I feel like it doesn’t make sense to not share happy content when we could all use some smiles. So expect some more weddings and other event-related content coming your way.

I’m as curious as everyone else what weddings will look like in the future. In some ways I’m intrigued by how this will change things - will it mean more intimate gatherings? Or will we be in a place where everyone can socialize again and folx will go ALL OUT?!! Probably a bit of both. Only time will tell…

But til then I wanted to wish you all well and send you lots of love!

Best, Katie

An Ode To Flower Children and Ring Bearers

Photo by Sarah Gormley

Photo by Sarah Gormley

My daughter was recently a ring bearer at a family member’s wedding (more on that later!) - and it got me thinking about flower children and ring bearers. We opted not to have any kids at our wedding, but many do - and goodness gracious are they adorable. Children bring fun, whimsy, tears, laughs, and the unexpected - much like marriage ;) So I thought we’d take a look back at some of our favorite Plannery kids. From bubbles to balloons, a literal parade of babies (to Prince Ali, from Aladdin, obviously) to jumps and winks, enjoy these kiddos and hope they brighten up your day as much as they brightened up ours!

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Photo by Bonnie Sen

Photo by Bonnie Sen

Photo by Tell Chronicles

Photo by Tell Chronicles

Photo by Hannah Hudson

Photo by Hannah Hudson

Photo by Sarah Gormley

Photo by Sarah Gormley

Photo by Go Kate Shoot

Photo by Go Kate Shoot

Photo by jess Latos Photography

Photo by jess Latos Photography

Photo by Charles Archambault

Photo by Charles Archambault

Photo by Amanda Gilley

Photo by Amanda Gilley

Photo by Shandi Wallace

Photo by Shandi Wallace

Photo by Photo Lady Love

Photo by Photo Lady Love

Photo by Amber Wilkie

Photo by Amber Wilkie

Photo by Susan Hornyak

Photo by Susan Hornyak

Photo by Sarah Gormley

Photo by Sarah Gormley

Photo by Ayesha Ahmad

Photo by Ayesha Ahmad

Photo by Mantas Kubilinskas

Photo by Mantas Kubilinskas

Photo by Sam Hurd

Photo by Sam Hurd

Photo by Justin McCallum

Photo by Justin McCallum

blue flower girl
Photo by Lily B Photography

Photo by Lily B Photography