Wedding Planning and Coordination Reviews
“Steph, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you for your hard work not just yesterday, for the last 18 months, but especially yesterday!!
You made yesterday absolutely amazing and stress free for us! The best money I have ever spent. You absolutely killed it!! You are incredible at your job!! I honestly cannot thank you enough!!! Thank you so much xx”
Justice & Dylan
(The Milfords)
Professional Photographer: Paul Wilson Photography
“I met Kate very early on in the planning stages of our wedding. I later opted for the coordination and beverage service from Kate and her team, and I am so happy that I did. It was truly one of the best decisions of the whole wedding. Leading up to the day, Steph and Kate were so helpful and nothing was a problem. Steph went absolutely out of her way to make everything easy, answering emails, organizing pick ups of glassware and crockery, and ultimately helping out a very stressed bride. On the day, Kate and her team were professional, efficient and super friendly. Even though the team are at events and weddings all the time, they never lacked any effort and everyone brought their absolute A game all day. All of our guests commented on how wonderful they all were and a special mention to Emily behind the bar! There are no words to say how grateful we are that we had Collective Concepts with us on our wedding day. Thank you to the team and MASSIVE hugs and thank you’s to you all! ❤❤”
Danielle & Ash
Professional Photographer: Joseph O’Sullivan Photography
“We brought Steph and the team at Collective Concepts on quite late into the process as we realized more and more than maybe we had bitten off more than we could chew just over a month out from the Wedding.
Steph was the most stable rock we could have ever asked for. She went over our lists and assured us that everything would work out as we had planned as she took charge of liaising with suppliers, wrangled some of our more boisterous guests and really worked hard to deliver the vision we had been planning for over 2 years. Having her calming presence there on the day helped keep me from panicking when small bumps came up as whenever I had learned of them she had already planned and executed a solution.
We truly cannot thank you enough Steph, and cannot recommend anyone more than the great team at Collective Concepts.”
Zsenai & Matthew
Professional Photographer: Emma Brittenden Photography
“Steph and her team at Collective Concepts did a superb job at our wedding preparing and serving drinks for our special day. Their communication was excellent and they even picked up our drinks for the chiller trailer the day before which I thought was great and one less thing to worry about on the day. Their quote for what we were after was also cheaper than a competitors quote. Very happy with the service and would highly recommend. Steph and your team, thank you for contributing to me and my partners special day!”
Jeremy & Joanna
Professional Photographer: George & Jane Photography
“The best decision I made for my wedding was my groom, but the second best was engaging with Kate and Collective Concepts for coordination. From their downloadable resources to every step on the day, they had us taken care of and with a smile. I got to be relaxed, calm and present with my guests all day because all the details and logistics were being thought about by others. Our whanau noticed how well things flowed, and even when the plan had to change I always felt like my feelings were the priority. Kate and Steph went above and beyond to deliver us a day we’ll never forget. Coordination is not a splurge – it’s an essential that’d I’d recommend to anyone who wants to ENJOY their day. Thank you team!”
Zoe & Luke
Professional Photographer: Claudia Pyke Photography
“Kate helped us with some planning sessions leading up to our wedding and provided on the day coordination for us. There is no way we could have managed to pull together the logistics of a marquee wedding without Kate’s help. I felt much more confident knowing Kate was all over the smaller details and logistics. Kate was very prompt in her communication at all times and always had ideas to solve any problems and recommendations for vendors. On the day we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves knowing that Kate would be able to sort any issues that cropped up ( eg when we realised on the day there was no drinkable water at the venue- Kate quickly arranged some to be delivered!). We would definitely recommend Kate’s planning and coordination services.”
Karin & Nic
Professional Photographer: Sarah Clements Photography
“5 star amazing team for our wedding we hired bar manager and bar staff, they went above and beyond for the wedding party and guests even cleaned up decor at the end of the night, served our cake and helped jump start one of our guests couldn’t of asked for a better crew very friendly and professional highly recommend and definitely worth it”
Louise & Dave
Professional Photographer: Brad Crocker Photography
“When our wedding caterer asked us whether we wanted a seated meal or walk and fork at our wedding in October, we had no idea. Enter Kate and Steph from Collective Concepts to take charge of everything. And I mean everything.
We were trying to keep costs down so were initially reluctant to pay for a wedding planner but we now rate it as the best money we’ve ever spent. Not only did they save us money on every little thing they sourced from suppliers, they also saved us months of anguish and indecision.
We had the option of getting as involved as we wanted to, but they were also willing to make all the big decisions for us, and every one they made was a winner. The wedding was at my auntie and uncle’s house in Christchurch and we live in Wellington so we really relied on them.
A few days before the wedding I honestly started to think it must be an online scam and that they don’t actually exist because there was literally no stress involved in the lead-up. And on the day, everything was picture perfect.
It was a small wedding but everyone raved about Steph’s planning and event management on the day. Many guests said it was one of the best weddings they’d ever been to; what they meant was that it was the best planned, organized and managed wedding they’d ever been to.
Thanks heaps Kate and Steph.”
Nathan & Kanika
Professional Photographer: Emily Hugo Photography
I couldn’t have done it without Kate & Steph being there during the planning to reassure me, bolster me up, and gently move me to the next step. On the day, Kate kindly reminded me of what’s next, removed me from unnecessary conversations and confiscated my phone – what a legend! I know that like ducks paddling madly under water, there was so much done behind the scenes, but all I saw was my amazing wedding day run like clockwork. Thank you so much Kate & team.”
Jemma & Glen
Professional Photographer: Rachael Brown Photography
“Absolutely loved the service Kate and the team provided. I couldn’t recommend Collective Concepts enough. The day brought it’s fair share of challenges with rain, and constant pivots and changes, but Kate and the team were more than happy to work with us and went over and beyond what we originally agreed on. This was one of the biggest days of my life, with so much planning involved, and Collective Concepts were a big part of what made the day a huge success. Thank you.”
Joe & Rachael
Professional Photographer: Susannah Blatchford Photography
“We engaged Collective Concepts as our on the day wedding coordinator and they really hit it out of the park! Right from the lead up to the wedding all communication with the team was so seamless and easy.
Samantha & Stu
Professional Photographer: Emily Hugo Photography
Everything just happened, the venues were checked, cake fixed, decor moved from one venue to the other our guests taken care of.
We also had the pleasure of Steph aiding Kate close to our wedding, what the power team they are! I can only imagine how much more wonderful they are now.
If you are planning your wedding you need Kate and her team.”
Elizabeth & Ryan
Professional Photographer: Pollard We Are
Cait & Dan
Professional Photographer: Paul Wilson
When we booked the on the day planning we assumed that it would be some phone calls and help on the day but it was so much more than that, Kate was constantly checking in with us in the lead up, dealing with any strange vendor requests and making sure the day was going to be perfect. We cannot tell you how awesome it is just to show up to your wedding and know it’s going to run to plan. We can’t imagine trying to organize people showing up and vendors calling you while you’re trying to get ready for your own wedding!
Kate was truly amazing, she ensured our wedding ran perfectly and even helped us reorganise everything with constant covid restrictions coming up – with this current unknown covid environment id recommend collective concepts should be compulsory for any wedding!! Kate helped us change and make things still great many times with changing covid restrictions/plans. (See what I mean about not just being there on the day!). Kate had a backup plan for everything and always had great vendors she could refer us to. I have had multiple messages from vendors giving their thanks for being such a great wedding (one quoting it was the best event he’d ever done and was grateful Kate organized food) and this is a true testament to Kate and the team.
We can honestly say our wedding wouldn’t have gone perfectly if it wasn’t for Kate and the team. Thank you so much for the best day of our lives.”
Jess & Sebastian
Professional Photographer: V E Photography
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Kate and her team at Collective Concepts in my capacity as a marriage celebrant. Kate is extremely experienced and knows exactly what to do to help you plan your dream ceremony! She is professional, personable and very capable. I highly recommend CC for your next event!”
Victoria Thomas Marriage Celebrant
“After cancelling our Bali wedding due to Covid-19, we saw Collective Concepts advertising their “All For Love Bespoke Wedding Packages”. We enquired straight away and began the planning process with Kate. From our first meeting, we knew that we were putting our wedding into the very best of hands. Kate made us feel at ease, had impeccable communication and listened to all of our wishes throughout. Kate ensured that we had an absolutely amazing wedding day and we were able to relax, knowing that she had everything under control. We highly recommend Kate and her team at Collective Concepts and we wish we could relive our wedding day all over again.”
Kate & Alex
Professional Photographer: Susannah Blatchford
“Would highly recommend Kate! We were very lucky to meet Kate as she was in charge of the venue management for Tipapa estate. We hadn’t thought about any help but once we’d met Kate it was a no brainer. We had a short turn around of only 6 months but having Kate’s support as our wedding coordinator made the process so much less stressful and she had some great connections and recommendations. She really came in to her own the week before the wedding with the whole Covid situation as well putting a spanner in the works. The day of the wedding she blew my mind, we literally didn’t have to think about a thing! And if I did Kate had already sorted it. We can’t really thank Kate enough for all her help to make our day the best yet and it truly was the best day of our lives! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Mike & Lexi
Professional Photographer: Susannah Blatchford
“I seriously can not recommend Kate and the team highly enough. From our first meeting, they made everything easy (including keeping my nine month old busy so Kate and I could properly chat!). Kate thought of everything in the lead up and made sure that we had all our bases covered, hand over was a dream and our wedding day was absolutely magical. Every aspect of the day was well looked after with Kate doing all the behind the scenes and organising with the other vendors. We always had a drink in our hand, food when we needed it and not a worry in the world which allowed us to just enjoy our day. Thank you so so much, can we do it all again?!”
Gabe & Leon
Professional Photographer: Sarah Clements Photography
“Okay… prepare for a rave review! Look no further – Kate and the team are the best in the business!
From our first meeting Kate made me feel calm and under control. She has a wealth of knowledge gained through a long career in events and hospitality. Her manner though is something that can’t be ‘learnt’. Kate is incredibly genuine, authentic, down to earth, calm and warm. She genuinely invests emotionally in your big day and will go above and beyond to ensure you don’t have to think of a single thing on your wedding day. Nothing is a problem and her chilled energy helps to calm the nerves. I seriously shudder to think how stressful our wedding day would’ve been without Kate and her crew! Everyone LOVED her and she did everything, including pinning the button hole on for my husband! Kate, thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Tejada & Tim
Professional Photographer: Melissa Grace Photography
“To Collective Concepts and the incredibly amazing, one and only Kate Blundell… I never thought I would need a wedding planner, considering myself one of the most organised people I know, but life got busy and friends suggested that we couldn’t do our day without Kate. We cannot express how happy we are with the decision to have Kate help us because Kate takes organisation to a whole new level. There is simply nothing Kate can’t do or make happen! She is comparable to the fairy godmother, working her magic in the background and making everything seamless. Kate, you are the best of the best. You do what you do so effortlessly and your attention to detail is outstanding. You have an incredible gift and the way you communicate and work with all the vendors made the whole process so much easier. Dan and I can’t thank you enough for making our dream day come to life and I will be forever grateful that we were able to pull off the epic surprise helicopter. Fancy a reunion party?”
Dan & Em
Professional Photographer: Sarah Clements Photography
“The decision to have a wedding day coordinator was one of the best decisions we made when planning our own day. We were so impressed with Kates knowledge and professionalism and could not recommend her enough. We felt like we could relax and enjoy our day knowing we had Kate there to make sure everything was to plan and anything that wasn’t we didn’t know about! She truly went above and beyond. Thanks Kate!”
Cass & Dan
Professional Photographer: Susannah Blatchford
“Kate took all the stress out of planning our wedding. She’s so organised, professional and personable that I trusted her advice straight away. I also had her help with planning my 40th the week before the wedding, something I would have been crazy to do on my own. I’d highly recommend Kate and her team to help with any event coordination and planning.”
Vanessa & Matthew
Professional Photographer: Krystle Photography
“Kate is my HERO! I cant rave about this woman enough! She truly pulled out all the stops for us. Our wedding day could not have gone any better. All the planning and organising and all the fine details Kate put into our wedding absolutely blew me away. Couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you!”
Dani & Ben
“Just wanted to pass on how impressed we were by your staff. My Dad in particular was highly impressed by how professional and organised they were and how well Jeff lead them. We both thought Jeff was great and nothing seemed to be a problem for him, and he offered and came back the next day to help with the pack up and that really impressed us, as it was well above and beyond what was needed. Over all your staff really made our day as stress free as it could be and we were so so thankful for that.”
Sumiko & James
“I seriously can not rave about Kate and Courtney enough! They made the whole process easy and really enjoyable and we had so many compliments on the day about how smoothly everything went and how lovely they were. It meant myself and my family could sit back and just enjoy the day, knowing someone else would take care of everything for us. That was priceless for me. Would recommend to anyone and everyone to have a coordinator on the day and especially Kate and Courtney, worth every penny! Thank you!!!!”
Louise & Richard
“It has been our pleasure working with Kate. You can feel her passion right off the bat and that she wants to help you have the wedding you wanted. Preparation for our wedding has been a breeze. Everything went as we wanted the preparation to be, smooth and easy. Neil and I constantly met with Kate to tell her what we wanted and she never failed to give us the perfect advice on how to make it happen. Finding the right vendors to help us in our wedding has been very easy because of her. Hiring Kate as an event coordinator is highly recommended”
Glaiza & Neil
“My wife Amanda and I approached Kate to assist us in planning our wedding day as honestly the prospect of planning such a huge and important (and expensive) event ourselves
without any help or guidance freaked us out.
Kate met with us regularly throughout the year to keep us on track and advised us on specifically what we needed to do and by when. She helped us cover all aspects of the day including tiny details that we would never even have thought of ourselves and would have missed completely (or rushed around at the last minute in white-knuckle panic to sort out). Kate was excellent at keeping us well organized and giving us peace of mind when anxieties started to set in. Kate had a backup plan (and a backup plan to that plan) if any problems should arise.
On the big day itself Kate was absolutely incredible. She worked tirelessly (with a bad cold) from early in the morning to late at night ensuring that everything went smoothly. Because of her industry experience she had existing relationships and rapport with everyone from vendors, photographers, videographers, to the venue itself. Nothing was a problem. We had the most amazing and memorable day that was everything we had hoped for and beyond and there is no way it would have worked that way without Kate’s incredible management and influence.
Kate is extremely professional, experienced and hard working and we cannot imagine how we would have survived let alone pulled off the day that we had.
If you want your big day to be stress free we cannot recommend her enough. Thank you Kate.”
Amanda & George
“Kirsty and I cannot express our gratitude enough to Kate. Throughout the whole process of planning our wedding, Kate was an amazing help. She helped us make clear and concise decisions with regards to what we really wanted on our special day. She supported us with hard decisions as well and honestly made the whole day so memorable. On the day of the wedding, having her there to tell us to take time out and to be the person that people could go to with issues meant that we were able to 100% focus on ourselves and enjoying the day. I honestly don’t think we could have had the wedding of our dreams without Kate. Highly recommend her and we are so blessed that she planned our wedding.”
Charlotte & Kirsty
“Kate is an absolute must to work with when planning your wedding. We had a 6 month engagement and not once were we stressed. Kate ensured that at every moment prior to our wedding everything was under control. Each month Kate would provide us with what needed to be organised within the month so we always knew where we were at. Kate also ensured that our Wedding Day ran smoothly. We truly had the best day of our lives and didn’t have to worry about a thing. When engaging Kate to work with you for your Wedding Day you are signing up with a true professional. We cannot speak more highly of Kate.”
Sarah & Aaron
“The decision to have a wedding coordinator on-the-day was, without a doubt, the best decision we made! We had put so much hard work and planning into organising our wedding, we both just wanted to relax and enjoy the day when it finally came. Having Kate close-by throughout the day, providing constant assurance that everything was going according to plan (whether it was or not!), meant we could do exactly that – enjoy our day. Also our guests were very grateful to have a “Go To Girl” with any last minute queries or plan changes without feeling the need to bother us on our special day. Realistically we knew there would always be an unforeseen ‘something’ that couldn’t have been planned for (and there was!), but knowing Kate was there to deal with it, should and when it happened, was an absolute godsend. Thank you Kate – I just wish I’d had you there for the post-wedding party at home the following day too!!”
Sally & John
“Brett and I absolutely loved having the Collective Concept team, Jason, and the one and only Kate herself, as part of our day and we could not have had such a perfect magical day without all your expertise and help, not only on the day, but in the 12 months or more leading up to it. We can honestly say that there is nothing that could’ve made our day any more amazing and spectacular than what is was. I love that you’re spreading your wings and focussing on weddings, it’s easy to see that’s where your passion lies and it shows in everything you did for Brett and I. We’ve just had the two most perfect weeks of our lives so far and you played such a huge part in that Kate, we are and will be forever grateful xx”
Anna & Brett
” Hi Kate, Craig and I wish to extend our deepest gratitude to you for the exceptional job you did in organising our wedding. From start to finish your organisation, professionalism and knowledge meant I could trust you to deliver an event that we, along with our family and friends, will never forget. Not even a cyclone could stand in your way! There are a few standout things I would like to mention:
- In our consultations leading up to the big day, you really listened to what I wanted and you were able to give great advise based on your knowledge of the hospitality industry – what to expect for the budget we were working with, how much food and alcohol would be required for the number of people etc.
- You were super organised. You would often keep me on schedule as I was busy with work but you knew when to step in and make sure I had done what was needed at the right time. You had full Run Sheets for me and others on the day which meant we all knew where we had to be, at what time and ensured the day flowed smoothly.
- The catering was first class and the staff you brought in were so professional, the service they delivered was far beyond any expectations I had. Our family and friends raved about how good the food was and the standard of wait staff.
- I wanted to be quite hands on with our wedding day as I knew what I wanted and of course, it has to be right! As any Bride will know, this requires a huge amount of planning and organising but at some stage you have to trust someone enough to let them take over so you can just enjoy your day and celebrate with your loved ones. You were that person and it allowed me to do that – thank you.
- You hadn’t met our parents before but after the wedding they could not stop singing your praises. You communicated with them so well and they felt so confident that you knew what you were doing and had things under control.
- The whole day was nearly destroyed by cyclone Wilma, followed by a car accident killing the power to the caterers! Without your calm demeanour,quick thinking and top notch organisation skills we wouldn’t have been able to pull the whole thing off. YOU LITERALLY SAVED THE DAY.
I cannot thank you enough for all you did for us. I can only recommend your services to anyone I know who is getting married”
Juliet & Craig
