How We Chose Our Wedding Planners: Lauren and Kristin of Bellafare

Tonight we have the fourth installment of my February 2013 ‘How I Got Married Twice’ series!  I started with How I Met My Husband, followed by How I Got Engaged,  How We Developed Our Wedding Concept, How We Chose Our Wedding Venue, and How We Sent Our Wedding Save The Date.  Tonight’s focus is on how we chose our Wedding Planners.

Five months before the big day we were grateful to learn that I would be able to go in for a hip surgery that I was in dire need of from a sports injury. Vikas and I had been interviewing a number of firms in an effort to find a full planning team that could transform all of our concepts and ideas into a seamless, fun day of celebration far before we knew I needed surgery.  Once we knew I’d be able to have the surgery, however, and that it would require three months of physical therapy, crutches, a cane, and finally being able to walk un-assisted again (which I was thankfully able to resume doing and to transition back into marathon training at the end of May/ early June), we knew we needed wedding help fast!  Having met with Lauren and Kristin of Bellafare earlier in the process, before getting sidetracked with surgeon interviews, (lol) we made plans to meet with them again and thankfully soon had their contract signed in hand, with a sigh of relief!

Lauren O’Shaughnessy and Kristin Doggett are the founding partners of Bellafare, a boutique event and wedding planning company based in New York City, that offers services from a la carte to full event planning.

I have to emphasize that we could not have been in better hands that with these two ladies, who understood exactly what we were looking for for our wedding day and how to glide us through the great many steps leading up to it. They went hand-in-hand with us through the process of hiring our stationer, lighting designer, chamber musicians, solo pianist, DJ, and cake designer, and coordinated everything with our photographer, hair and makeup artists, florist, cake designer, the St. Regis, and all the other amazing individuals who went into making our day a success.  Lauren and Kristin handled everything, down to each and every last detail on the day of.  One small example: when Vikas and I were running behind on our arrival at the hotel to get ready on the morning of, Lauren expeditiously got me up to the bridal suite, turned on the shower, looked me in the eye, and told me lightly yet very firmly to hurry up and get in.  The level of precision that Bellafare exhibited from our first meeting through to the transition from the wedding dinner and dancing to the afterparty was excellent- all done with the warmth and professionalism the duo are known for.

Clearly, as evidenced above in the glowing review by New York Magazine Weddings, we are not the only ones who share enthusiasm for these ladies.  Furthermore on the Bellafare website, the team explains, “We are committed to making your life easier by taking care of the complete organization, tough decision making, and orchestration pertaining to your event. We have developed strong business relationships with vendors and will negotiate and coordinate on your behalf to ensure that you are in the hands of the most talented, fair and hard working vendors in your area. With Bellafare, you will not only receive a level of service that exceeds your expectations but we will dedicate all of our energy towards making your event as flawless and memorable as possible.”

It’s true.  And in the posts going forward in this series you’ll see just how well Lauren and Kristin translated our concepts into the wedding we wanted, and more.

Thank you Lauren and Kristin!

 

 

 

 

Images / Bellafare /