Hi Everyone…I’d like you to meet a couple of very special people – Katie and Matt Ostaszewski. They were blissfully wed at the lovely venue : The Milestone – Boerne, and we had the distinct pleasure to photograph their wedding. And, even more special and long-lasting, we developed a wonderful relationship during the process.
The wedding turned out beautifully, so I asked Katie if she wouldn’t mind sitting with me and letting me questions her a bit to try and figure out what she did that was so…right!! So here she is…in all of her post-wedding success, the lovely Miss Katie!
Derek : “Well Katie, I couldn’t be more excited to chat with you. We had a lot of fun together on your “Wedding Journey” and I think really highly of you guys. So thanks for taking the time to talk. Maybe we could start out by telling everyone how you and Matt initially met?”
Katie : “Matt & I met through mutual friends. They had been trying to set us up for some time, and finally surprised me by showing up at the restaurant I was working at with Matt. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight (well, for him it was :)), in fact we barely talked. But after a couple times of coming in and sitting in my section at the restaurant, we began talking and realized we had a lot in common. After a couple times of serving him at work, we arranged with our friends to hang out that evening at a karaoke bar, and that’s when I really started to talk to him.”
D : “Once the relationship progressed a bit, what was it about him that was so special? What made you fall in love?”
K : “His sensitivity, hands down. I went through a pretty rough period after only a few months of us dating, when my mom passed away. He was the best person throughout all of that. Considering he never really knew my mom (she had an illness that kept her from walking/talking/etc), I never expected him to step up the way he did. At the time he was in physical therapy school, so a lot of afternoons he spent with me and my family in my mom’s hospital room studying. He also made sure that we all ate, and even stepped up as a pall bearer in her funeral. If Matt hadn’t stepped up the way he did, I wouldn’t have blamed him, considering he hadn’t been in my life for very long. But he exceeded my expectations and was exactly what I needed during the hardest and darkest part of my life. When I came out on the other side of all that, I knew I was going to marry him.”
D : “He sounds pretty great. So, now that you’ve gotten to know him so much better…what is he like to be with now?”
K : “Matt is hilarious. He has taken my favorite things and made them a part of who he is too. For example, I’m a big Disney nerd, and after being around me for so long, I catch him singing Disney songs all the time. It absolutely cracks me up! He’s also very caring and will do anything for the people he loves.”D : “Well, I’m really happy you guys found each other. It seems like it’s a perfect fit! So, how did your Prince Charming propose?”
K : “He proposed in my brother’s backyard with flowers everywhere and music playing. He surprised me because I thought he was working that night, and I went over there expecting nothing, and all of a sudden I had everything. I knew the proposal was coming….. but I didn’t suspect it at all that day!”
D : “So, now you have the ring…what’s your approach to wedding planning? Are you overwhelmed…are you on top of things…what are you feeling here?”
K : “Well, let’s be real – I’m a girl. I’ve been planning my wedding my entire life. A lot of stuff I already knew long before I even started. But I started the process slow, and I had a checklist as well, and I feel like I stayed on top of everything really well up until like the last two weeks.”
D : “Did you have any help?”
K : “My maid of honor helped me the most, and also a couple of other close friends were more than willing to lend a hand. I also had a lot of help from Chavah, my coordinator.”D : “Nice to have good people in your life. So what were some of the challenges you faced?”
K : “People. Hands down. I’ve never had to babysit so many people (bridal party included) in my entire life. Everybody had an opinion, everybody had advice, and nobody liked each other. I finally got to the point where I had to tell a couple of bridesmaids that unless they were paying for a particular vendor, that they had no say in what the vendor provided. I also had a family member that did not attend because other family members had been invited (really? We’re all family. It’s a big room. Sit somewhere else). And the mother of my ring bearer, who asked me to babysit him the night before my wedding. Oh man, and the guest list was hard so hard, literally ranking people based on importance in your life! But goodness. I can plan all day, and I can make payments on anything, but get the people out of my hair. I was ready to scream towards the end.”
D : “Yeah, there’s never a shortage of opinions or drama around a wedding, right? So, how did you deal with this?”
K : “Lots of alcohol. Kidding. I’m very much an open book and I can’t keep stuff on my chest for long, and seeing as how I was already dealing with a lot of other nonsense, I would usually talk to that person right away. Most of the people understood where I was coming from and the reasons for my stress. I’m still dealing with my aunt who didn’t show up because of other family members though. Some people will never change/grow up.”D : “So, if you were to go back to the beginning…knowing what you know *NOW*…would you do anything different?”
K : “I would make the wedding much smaller, and much more intimate. It was absolutely the best day of my life, but there was so much to do all day that I really didn’t feel like I enjoyed a whole lot of it. Matt and I didn’t get to eat, and we spent most of the evening mingling instead of dancing and partying like we wanted to.”
D : “What about you and Matt? How did you guys stay connected about style, budget, vendors and all of the decisions that come with planning a wedding?”
K : “I had to do a lot of research on the average cost of vendors, in addition to what vendors I knew I wanted/needed. Luckily, I have a lot of personal relationships with people in wedding/church industries, so I was able to get a lot of stuff severely discounted, and I nixed other vendors that I didn’t feel were absolute necessities. The only things I really splurged on were venue and photography. Everything else was a huge bargain. And Matt was happy with that, of course 🙂 I had a lot of help from my Dad, but we tackled most of the wedding costs ourselves and I’m proud to say that we hit our budget almost exactly, since I did so much research early on.”D : “Nice – good for y’all! So tell us your recipe for success…in what order did you choose your vendors?”
K : “Oh gosh now you’re gonna make me think. I know venue came first, so that I could choose a date. I think coordinator was next, and then photography. Bartending came along with my venue choice, so I had that picked early on but I didn’t book them until the last 6 months or so. As far as other little things, I’ve known who the pastor was going to be since I was 13, my DJ is a friend of mine whose wedding I sang at (literally swapped services, it was awesome), the people that made my wedding cupcakes and Matt’s groom’s cake are also close friends, so all of those people were picked early on as well. My dress, as well as the wedding party attire was picked about 8 months out from the wedding, and then caterer was picked last.”
D : “Well you make it sound easy! How did you find these vendors??”
K : “The venue I found on Wedding Wire… M&M I found on….. probably Wedding Wire also, but I honestly can’t remember! Maybe you guys contacted me first? I’m blanking on that. Alcohol was through the venue, the caterer (Riverside Catering) was through a personal referral, and mostly everyone else I knew myself.”D : “Did any of your vendors stand out to you?? Any that you were particularly happy you chose??”
K : “I was really happy with my coordinator, Chavah. The rehearsal and day-of the wedding were seamless. If there were any issues, I knew nothing about them. I literally relaxed the whole day of my wedding, and I fully expected to go into the venue running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
The venue was absolutely magical as well (The Milestone – Boerne). Their staff was there for me every step of the way and had so much more to offer than any other site we had toured.
And of course I was thrilled with the photography team!!!!! 🙂 Moments & Milestones really went above and beyond, and I was sold the very first time I met with Derek. They built a relationship and it really showed through their art. I am so happy with the pictures from both my bridal portraits and the wedding itself. They’re timeless, and I am using M&M forever, for whatever photography needs I have. Just so you know. Derek, I’ll be calling you. :)”
D : “I’m sincerely flattered. And I’m glad everything went so smoothly! Any vendors you regretted choosing?”
K : “Absolutely not…no question about it. My vendors were incredible! Although there was one restaurant that I had reached out to for catering that left a really awful taste in my mouth. I don’t have the name of the place anymore, but they’re an SA restaurant who had catered a friend’s wedding, and when I called the man was so rude and abrupt with me that I just couldn’t take it. I was also dealing with Matt’s dad having heart surgery at the time, and I had to cut the call a little short because the doctor was giving us an update, and I asked him if I could call him right back (and I explained). That man was so insensitive to the situation and talked me right out of even considering that restaurant.”
D : “I wish that was an isolated event. It’s hard to find really good service! And as a bride, I know it’s hard to deal with so many businesses and their staff. Even as a coordinator myself, I am so surprised that I have to chase vendors down to get questions answered – and I’m offering them business!!
But this is why I am asking you these questions, since you had such a good experience with your vendors, I want future brides to know who you dealt with and what your processes were. We want MORE good experiences!! So, before we wrap up…do you have any advice for future brides out there planning their weddings?”
K : “Have the wedding you want. Don’t limit yourself or let other people make decisions for you. But remember what your end result is – it’s not about the beautiful day, it’s about celebrating the start of a beautiful life.”
Well there you have it. Thanks SOOOO much to Katie for taking the time out. I can’t tell you how much I sincerely appreciate you and Matt both. All of us at M&M wish you many, many years of joy together and we look forward to connecting for your future milestones!
And thanks to everyone who took the time to read through this. Hopefully you found a point of relatability with Katie and Matt. We know it’s not easy planning the perfect wedding…so, if there’s ever anything we can do for you, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our goal is always to make sure your event is a success. Happy Wedding Planning!
Cheers everyone…