Every wedding vendor team is created a little differently. In this series we explore how and why each couple selected the right wedding vendor team for their wedding day.
Kirby, who has an events background, had previously worked for florist and event designer Maxine Owens of Max Owens Designs, so she definitely knew that she wanted her to do the flowers whenever she got married. During that time, Kirby also worked with wedding planner and designer Wendy Kay of Birds of a Feather Events. She and Wendy actually butted heads a few times professionally, but that’s the reason Kirby knew she wanted Wendy to be her wedding planner: Knowing that Wendy would go to bat for her clients and that her expectation level is always higher than her clients’ is exactly what Kirby wanted in a wedding planner.
“The best decision we made was hiring Wendy Kay to lead the entire creative and logistical process early on. Since I have a background in production and live events, I was really nervous that I would not be able to shut off that part of my brain, and be a bride and soak up the experience. Not only did Wendy and her team deliver a truly spectacular wedding, she was able to give me the priceless experience of being a bride. I will always be grateful to her for that gift.” —Kirby, bride
Kirby also had early thoughts of who she wanted to photograph the day, destination fine art wedding photographer Jose Villa. She was set on working with the best of the best and based on his reputation and accolades—as well as his expansive portfolio—Jose was her number one pick.
The Olana was secured as the venue after Jose’s availability was confirmed and a date was officially set. Located in Hickory Creek, Texas, it also provided catering for the elegant soirée, which began with an indoor ceremony before heading to a garden-inspired tent on the lawn for the reception.
While booking Jose and the venue, Wendy had also reached out to a handful of additional vendors to check their availability. Because she often works with a regular, set creative team of favorites, she worked swiftly to get a lot of the team confirmed as quickly as possible. This handful of talented, Texas-based creative partners included Peyton Anne Frank Films as wedding videographer, Southern Fried Paper handling stationery, Cakes by Shannon Star creating a towering wedding cake masterpiece, and Natalia Issa heading up the glam team.
“I pride myself on my creative team and how we all work together to produce events. I align myself with people who don’t see the weddings we do as just another date on the calendar, and sticking with the same team helps keep our events up to the standard that we set.” —Wendy Kay, planner/designer
With the catering provided in-house, Wendy’s next move was reserving a tent for the outdoor dinner. She tapped Whim Hospitality to create the foundation for the outdoor reception.
“It was really important to Kirby to have an outdoor component and to not be in a ballroom all night. The venue was new and had not yet tented their front lawn for an event, but after thorough discussions, they were on board with making that happen. We designed the space to complement the venue itself, which is very European in style. To balance it out we added modern touches and garden-inspired elements, like trellis work.” —Wendy Kay, planner/designer
The last core vendor before Wendy kicked off the design process was the live band. Adam had found Royal Dukes Band online and liked their vibe, so Wendy locked them in.
Once the look of the wedding started to take shape, Kirby began her wedding dress search. Bringing on board bridal stylist Carrie L. Goldberg of CLG Creative helped her not only get the dress of her dreams, but also get it rushed so that it was ready in time for her walk down the aisle. Wendy then took a nod from the Vera Wang wedding gown’s gold lace and tulle to amp up the presence of metallic details in the day’s design via specialty rental items.
To round out the design of the celebration, Wendy tapped a bevy of rental companies from both near and far: La Tavola Fine Linen, Bella Acento, Top Tier Event Rentals, Party! Dallas, Perch Event Décor, and POSH Couture Rentals. Additionally, Party Tables provided some pieces as well as draping for the reception tent, which was further softened with lighting by Beyond.
