What is important to you is important to me.
dancing to a song from your parents' wedding? DIY projects on the reception tables?
the perfect photographer to capture the day? cheeseburger sliders served at midnight?
a wonderful reading to make your guests laugh and cry?
anything else you can dream up - I make sure it happens.
I am an extra set of hands, a critical eye, a shoulder to cry on, & a cool head under pressure.
The job of a planner/coordinator/craft concierge is to "keep the train on the tracks" so that you can breathe easier, knowing that the day will go as you imagined.
I believe that everyone deserves
a big day, so I support Marriage Equality
& Freedom to Marry.
Hello. I'm Kari Adams, the founder (and lead planner, designer, crafter, coordinator, etc.) of The Handmade Event.
Since we will be working closely together if you choose The Handmade Event for your celebration, you may want to know more about me. Moms also find it reassuring. Getting to know each other and building a relationship is an important part of working with a planner/coordinator/crafter. Helping couples with their wedding day can be amazingly fun (nothing I love more than having a crafternoon working on wedding projects), but I also know that it is a responsibility to be a part of an important moment in someone's life and I take that to heart.
I decided to focus on Weddings because I believe that everyone deserves to have a meaningful and beautiful day - not just the couples who can afford Colin Cowie. I am also an admitted paper nerd and wedding blog addict so this focus was an obvious choice. I am a Southern girl who has been working on events in New York City for the past 8 years. These productions with guests from 6 to 2500 have included events for Bravo TV, New York Fashion Week, The Wedding Salon, the Tribeca Film Festival, and Martha Stewart's The Wedding Party. I have coordinated red carpet premieres and corporate dinners and know that your wedding can be like a combination of the two for your friends and family and the details are just as important.
I hold certifications from the Fashion Institute of Technology in Event Planning and Creative Enterprise Ownership. Though I love New York and work on weddings and events there about half the time, I have also built my business in my home state of North Carolina and in the Tennessee Valley. I have traveled by subway and by international airplane to coordinate events and would be happy to come to you!
I love black & white photos., have way too many pairs of shoes., and I have been a "maker" for years - stitching wedding accessories, making paper crafts for parties, and sewing for craft fairs. I keep current with wedding and event trends (my blog reader has over 400 subscriptions and I get through them all every day!) and I love finding ways to let the personalities of my clients shine through. I can't wait to find out your story, your tastes, your plans and I will become your cheerleader, advocate, and friend.
Where are you?
Will you do weddings elsewhere?
Do I Need a Wedding Planner?
Do I Need a Coordinator?
Are you going to tell me what to buy/who to use/what "makes a wedding"?
Do I need to spend a lot of money to need/use a wedding planner?
What does a planner/coordinator do?
Do you work on LGBTQ weddings?
Do you work on (interfaith, non-faith, bowling alley, Catholic, steampunk, Jewish, outdoor, whatever) weddings?
Do you do other events besides weddings?
Anything I missed?
Some Friendly Advice
Just get engaged? Congratulations!
Been planning for a while and got stuck? Don't worry.
Planning a wedding can be a bit overwhelming and sometimes couples don't know where to start. I am here to help with hourly consulting.
How realistic is my budget for what I want?
Do you have any advice to make that money go further?
What are some great ways to add a wow factor that my guests have never seen before?
I don't know where to start looking for a photographer/caterer/DJ.
We can't agree on what to do and want an outside opinion.
I have heard these questions (and more) and so I decided to offer hourly consulting for couples who are either just getting started or have been planning thier celebrations and have hit a road block. We can talk through any problems, I can make vendor suggestions, help you figure out where to get started, or where to go next. I won't ever get tired of hearing about your wedding!
$60/hr.
This can be applied to a full planning package if you decide you need more help
Each Celebration is one-of-a-kind.
Let's figure out a one-of-a-kind planning option for you. Perhaps you want to do everything yourself and just have help on the Wedding Day (see Coordination for that) or perhaps you don't want to make a single decision about your day, you just want to show up to a fairy tale. I can do that too.
The typical planning arrangement is somewhere in the middle. I become your partner in planning by being extremely organized about your time and money as well as creating the unique touches that people remember.
I provide honest advice and appropriate direction, am happy to recommend vendors *I take absolutely no kickbacks from vendors, and will only recommend those that I think will be a good fit with your event * and together we will create the day that you dreamed about.
Pricing
Please note:
location, number of guests, budget, date etc. - I will create a
custom quote for you, including assistants if needed
Wedding Director:
You have ideas, you have time, you understand what you want and what it costs, you just need a partner to give advice and make sure that your day comes together. We will meet every month and have unlimited phone and email contact to make sure everything stays on track.
Prices begin at $2000
Wedding Producer:
I will be at every vendor appointment, help pick out every place card, plan every party, tie every ribbon, and keep track of the budget. Your wedding is my full time job, you can reach me 24/7, and you can have as much or as little input as you like. I will handle your mother.
Prices begin at $5000
Not at the planning stages yet, but are looking for some consulting? Please contact me for options.
You have planned the day. You know who you want to work with and how it should look. Now, you just want to make sure that it happens (and it won't stress out your friends and family)
Coordination is wrapping up those final details and making sure that on the day of that there is one point person who handles all the emergencies (and it isn't you!) Options include:
Wedding Stage Manager: also known as Day-of Coordination.
This should really be called Month-of Coordination! A month before your wedding, you will hand off the details to me. I will complete all the final vendor confirmations and create a timeline. This timeline includes where everyone is supposed to be and when, and how the progress of the day will unfold, in minute by minute detail. I will handle your wedding rehearsal (if you have one.) On the wedding day, I am the first to arrive and the last to leave. Some of my duties will include: in person meeting (and site walkthrough if possible) ceremony and reception set up and break down, event management, contact for all vendors, and a wedding day emergency kit.
Prices begin at $1000
Wedding Show Runner: For elopements or last minute emergencies.
You are coming to New York to get married in a week and need some help. You have booked every vendor, created a timeline, and are just ready to hand off the clipboard to your planner, but she has to go out of town and can't work your day. You are having nightmares about letting go to your friend/cousin/mom and have changed your mind and want professional help tomorrow. Emergencies happen, and maybe you need someone to stage manage your day at the last minute. Please call for asap assistances and If I am available, I would love to help!
Prices begin at $750
Need a combination of planning and coordination but not sure how much? Don't know how to get started? Contact me and we will figure it out.
The Handmade Event exclusive - projects for the crafty couple.
Love the look and meaning of handmade items created for your big day but need a little direction, an extra set of hands, or someone willing to make the perfect detail? Craft Concierge is for you. Options include:
Do It Yourself:
You tell me what you would like the feeling of your wedding to be, what you would like to create, and I will present you with an inspiration board including color choices and tear sheets, 3 DIY projects - including instructions, and recommendations for supplies.
$100
Do It Together:
After our initial discussion about theme and project scope, we get to work! I will provide the craft project, if needed. Otherwise, I will just be a critical eye who is enthusiastic about your projects and wants them to look great. This is also a great option if you would like me to teach a group of friends/wedding party how to do a craft project. I can do the instructions and once you all understand them, you can craft away together!
$35/hr. after complimentary consultation
Do It Myself:
Once you have an idea, with or without my help, and you want it completed but don't have the time/skills/space to make it yourself, I can make it for you. Including progress reports and photographs along the way, consider me your own personal Etsy, and you can put your mind at ease and just enjoy the gorgeous results.
Price based on project, after consultation.
"Wow, I can't believe how awesome that whole evening was - my friends keep emailing us
telling us that the attention to detail was amazing, everything went so smoothly, and I keep
emailing them back 'I had the best coordinator ever running that whole show!'
Thank you again so much!!"
- Wendy (bride)
"We just wanted to say how absolutely fantastic you were and how easy and stress-free
you made the night. From the thousand things we saw you handle to the thousand
other behind-the-scenes things that we never saw becasuse you're that good,
you were just fabulous. Thank you so much."
- Stephanie and Bruce (bride and groom)
"Thanks so much. You get my vote for Wedding Planner of the year!
You were on the mark all night long. Keep up the great work you do."
- Rev. Graf of The Minister Man (vendor)
"You did a phenomenal job, and I appreciate it. You made it great."
- Dan (groom)
"I simply cannot thank you enough for our absolutely gorgeous bouquets, boutinnieres
and hair accessories! I knew that I wanted something different for my wedding but your
creatiions were far more than anything I could have imagined. Thank you from the bottom
of my heart."
- Erin (bride)
"Thanks for all the ideas - they look absolutely great! This is exactly the kind of help I need
and was looking for. Thanks again"
- Michelle (bride re: Craft Concierge)
"Really professional and absolutely adorable!"
- Harriet (bride to be)
Let's get started!
Please contact me with any questions or to set up a consulation.
Kari Adams
(917) 251-1679
kari_thehandmadeevent.com
