http://www.valleyandoakevents.com/

Valley & Oak Events, Grand Rapids, MI (2025)

09/24/2024

I will happily remember the 21st night of September. ✨

So lucky the best couples find me to be a part of their big day, it’s the best feeling in the world.

Venue:
Planning:
Photography:
Videography: Aaron Thomas (family)
Floral:
DJ:
Catering:
Bakers:
Rentals:

09/04/2024

Back to back weekends of so much beauty are reminding me WHY I love this industry & role. I get to witness and join in the celebrations of such lovely people, who are truly surrounded by the most fun and also caring friends & families.

This one hit a little different though, knowing this will be where I call home in a not so distant future… it all came full circle. I worked for years in clubs, hoping to create these moments and when I stepped away from clubs, was able to find the HOW to make them (hint: it’s by hiring great vendors) and now by stepping back into clubs, I’ll be able to bring those connections with me to keep making magic.

Just a lil moment of gratitude for all of it; the love, the beauty, the awesome vendor connections, the opportunities all around. ☺️

Planner:
Photography:
Videography:
Ceremony: Cathedral of Saint Andrew
Reception:
Floral: Band:
Rentals:
Bakery: &
Beauty:
Transportation:
Lodging:

08/27/2024

Whirlwind weekend in Northern MI to celebrate S + B in the most amazing summer setting there could ever be. The weather was *chef’s kiss*, just like we ordered. The sunset was bright and the breeze was smooth.

Perfect way to kick off the “busy part” of my season with the 8 weekends straight! Stay tuned, there will be more of this day as images are added to the gallery!

Planning:
Photographer:
Videographer: .visuals
Venue:
Floral:
DJ:
Catering & Bar:
Rentals:
Candles, Chargers, Signage:
Champagne Tower:
Bakers:
Hair:
Makeup:
Transportation:
After party:

08/16/2024

“Sometimes to move forward, you have to go back to your roots.“
I truly don’t know where I heard it but it’s been rattling in my head since.
Some folks know my roots for hospitality & events came from private clubs, golf clubs to be specific. My degree is specifically Special Events Planning and Club Management even. The history, traditions & relationships held within the walls and members of a Club are the foundation of my passion for the industry. It was my life for the first 8ish years post-college and when I started this business, it was always in the back of my mind to return; someday.
Someday has come sooner than expected.

I am honored & excited to announce starting in September, I will be joining the team of Cascade Hills Country Club as their Event Planner, filling a role previously held for 20+ years. As a fresh face to their membership & couples, I hope to continue my love of building relationships while breathing new life into their traditions.

As for Valley & Oak Events, things will run on track through the end of this season & through all contracts. No couple will miss me as their support person - I’d never leave ya hanging! All future inquires will be guided to some of my trusted industry pals, who are ready & waiting! I will be holding onto this business, not selling the brand or recruiting a new face. It may shift towards more of a ‘personal journal’ for events as a whole though. After working incredibly hard to build a foundation of trust and consistency synonymous with the name, I don’t think I’d be able to see it go all together.

Thank you for always supporting the glances inside my head & heart as shared here- I hope to keep the same voice throughout this next chapter. 💚

06/17/2024

One year ago.
Freshly a mom, I stood with my 19 day old at the ceremony spot and I felt a little out of place. The day was rolling smoothly, there were no emergencies & everyone was smiling. It came time to do some final detail checks to get the ceremony finalized. I was swaying in the aisle, soothing the beginning-to-fuss little body I was nervously toting about. These two families entrusted me to handle their day & I wanted nothing more than to make it perfect but here I was with the next generation strapped to me. The parents of the groom came over and his dad just couldn’t help himself any longer - he HAD to hold the lil guy. I said of course and it was a moment etched into my mind.
I think of it every time I catch myself swaying.
You see, his dad lit up like the spark of flame in the dead night. As he gushed and coo’d, mom & I both swaying despite our empty arms - it hit me: these are the moments.
The innate sense of joy a little one reveals.
The future that lies ahead, while remembering all the moments of the past.
The muscle memory of swaying in sync.
The little days of accomplishments; no meltdowns, slept thru the night, getting a puzzle together, tying shoes, swinging at the park, riding bikes.
The big days of accomplishments; 1st steps, 1st words, 1st date, 1st heartbreak, all graduations, and now a wedding.
These are what parents live for.

Here I was thinking I imposed on the day but really, I think I made it that much more joyful for the family to see the full circle of LIFE they’ve gotten to witness in their time with their child.
The joy of past & present all lumped into one.

I’ll remember their day for that moment alone. Happy anniversary M + R. Thank you for allowing me to see all the moments alongside you & your families.

#

06/05/2024

Once back in 2012, I was sent home from the country club I was working at because I asked WHY too much. The manager I worked alongside, my equal in title but who had 15+ years of experience on me - was frustrated because he thought it was me challenging his decisions in management. In reality it was me learning the full picture of how his brain worked to help enforce the actions.
This day came to mind as I listed to an audio book, on “Extreme Leadership” by a retired Navy Seal and it made me say ‘SEE!’ out loud while in my car alone. It confirmed that I was on the right track.
That my instinct was correct.
The statement in the book was along the lines of “if you don’t understand or believe in the decisions coming down from leadership, and if you’re not asking questions to best understand - you’re failing the whole team”.
When the word team was said over and over in the book, I of course relate it to a Vendor Team on a wedding day. Without the TEAM working together, with a single goal - it’s tough to have a successful day. Sure the overall goal is to be wed at the end of it, but it’s clearly more than just that.
Enter a great PLANNER. I ask ‘why’ in client meetings so many times, it’s probably annoying; but I need to know the full picture to help bring the day to life to the best of my ability AND to help instill the same goal with each vendor that even touches the day. To remind them that it’s not just a ‘job’, with a ‘get paid & get out’ goal. (Sadly, I’ve encounter some vendors with this mindset!)
Your wedding day should have an Extreme Leader, who can gather and guide the Team to the most beautiful & successful wedding day possible. Do not settle for a so-so leader who barely knows HOW, let alone WHY. I am unabashedly that kind of leader, it’s my default; I have the receipts to prove it - ask my old coworker.

05/11/2024

05/10/2024

Yesterday was so fun! 💚😍

04/26/2024

From the best man’s toast: “keep in mind that you’re not just marrying the version of you today in this moment, but who you’ll be a year from now;
5 years.
10.
20.
A lifetime of the versions you will become.”

A wedding is more than one day. It’s not the ‘most important day of your life’… it’s one of many, many versions of important days. Of course we want it to be perfect, but the perfection is in the imperfection of that exact version of the most special day.

Cheers A + C to this version & the many more to come!

03/26/2024

This past weekish there was a lot of ‘pain’ in my life:
- wisdom teeth came out
- met with accountant & had to review all the monies in the past year and what actions to take moving forward
- worked at an ultra luxury event with a secret headliner act, loads of creative displays and a gilded guest list

None of these things made me feel like a winner. Not physically, not emotionally, not professionally, not financially.

But ya know what, the PRODUCTIVE PAIN, that lingering strain like the few days after a tough gym class - that makes it feel like you really DID something with all your efforts (even if the activity was filled with many, many curse words directed at it)… that pain is starting to kick in and I couldn’t be more pleased about it. I wallowed yes, more than I should’ve but I am now seeing the light. The light of moving towards a better way to do things, towards bettering our family and this not so lil business here. This is not the million dollar place, but we’re inching that way. A cm at a time; but progress is progress.
Productive pain to move forward.

**Sorry this isn’t at all weddings related, but I’m a real person with real thoughts that need to be shared to release the weight in my head & heart.
And really, sorry I’m not at all sorry.

03/25/2024

Happy 1st anniversary to one of my most favorite couples ever!! So much has happened in just a short year - married, moved across country, so so so many laughs. I hope you both find the joy always and keep each other on your toes always.

Honored to have been a part of your day and your time here in GR. Cheers to many more years! 🥂🎉💚

02/08/2024

Hot take: planning your own wedding does not make you a wedding planner.
The same way doing my own taxes does not make me an accountant.
The same way changing your own brakes does not make you a mechanic.

It makes you capable. Is every couple capable of planning their own wedding - yes, majority of the time. Will they have a more enjoyable experience working with a skilled professional - yes, majority of the time.
I totally acknowledge that my role is a luxury to a lot of folks on a wedding day. But you know what’s going to last longer than the sting of the dollars… the memories you’re able to create and cherish on the day vs the stress that irks for years when looking back on the day.

02/01/2024

Over the last month, I’ve been seriously questioning my ‘WHY’ and what it is I am doing in this position.
Any wedding vendor knows this feeling as it’s the off season which leaves loads of time for self-reflection & questioning. It sometimes leads to good paths and sometimes hard paths.
However, I received the best description from the outside looking in that brought me back to the big WHY. Those words were:
“Kate, such a reflection of the incredible blend I have always seen in you, of traditional respect with your own unique and beautiful threads of glamour & sophistication. I have so much respect for the way you know and honor yourself. Thank you for sharing you with us this way.”

I didn’t expect it from this person, and honestly teared up reading it. They have known me from the beginning of this journey, 15ish years ago. They helped form and shape this version. I still hear their voice in my head in some situations. It was so needed and they had no idea the hand it will play in helping me hold onto the big picture of being here.

So, get used to seeing these words floating around here a lot. Defining the HOW & WHY of every interaction with clients, vendors, family, friends, etc.

12/30/2023

This season, I encountered a few select vendors that lead with compassion & kindness. Whose first reaction when hearing of a hardship or pain-point is to say ‘I’m so sorry you’re going through that’ instead of trying to minimize or deflect or relate with a similar experience or jumping right to possible solutions. And the thing is, they each whole-heartedly mean it. They hear your strife and want nothing but for you to know you’re heard & what you’re going through sucks.

For 2024, I want to bring that with me. To be my first reaction. To have each encounter led by compassion & understanding before taking a stand or relating or my natural first instinct to problem solve it (best & worst quality I have).

Each time I speak with these vendors, I walk away feeling so comforted and seen… and I want nothing more than to be that source for others as well. Baby steps to get there, but I hope by this time next year it’s second nature to show compassion first. (Despite my fix-it instinct).

Cheers to 2024!

Valley & Oak Events

09/24/2024

09/04/2024

08/27/2024

08/16/2024

06/17/2024

06/05/2024

05/11/2024

05/10/2024

04/26/2024

03/26/2024

03/25/2024

02/08/2024

02/01/2024

12/30/2023

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