We thought that hiring a wedding planner would alleviate some of the stresses of planning a destination wedding. Unfortunately, that was not the case in this situation. We're getting married in December on Kiawah Island. I grew up going there, sometimes spending entire summers there, so I know the area like the back of my hand. However, considering that neither one of us had any wedding planning experience, I thought that we would greatly benefit from the help of a professional. We hired Katherine Miller events because I liked her portfolio, the proposal sounded great, and she seemed very detail-oriented. Boy, was I wrong. She presented us with a wedding checklist, which was something similar to what you would find on The Knot, but it was never really discussed. I let her know that I'm used to deadlines, yet I rarely knew what she was working on, if anything at all. As the client, I didn't feel that I should micromanage the process, but I can't just blindly trust that things are getting done. This led to me doing most everything on my own and occasionally providing her with updates. When you're spending 20% of your budget on a full service wedding planner, it makes sense to be disappointed about this. Communication was sparse and haphazard-- an example of this was when she let me know that she would check on a tasting date with the caterer the next day (6/29), and I didn't hear back from her until 7/13. When we addressed these issues, she acted defensive and inflexible. She never even picked up the phone to call us. I really do believe that she thought she was working hard, and maybe our definitions of working hard are just different. At the end of the day, I never felt that she took the time to get to know us. I'm not sure if it was the fact that we were "out of sight, out of mind," or if our budget was too small for her to concern herself with. (She said that she discounted the cost of her services to fit in our budget. That's not something that I would tell a client.) To recap: When the wedding planner is the most stressful part of wedding planning, it's time to cut ties. Even if that means only getting a refund of $500 and being out the remaining retainer of $1,500. read more

If there was the option to give more than five stars to Katherine Miller events, I absolutely would. My husband and I were planning a destination wedding and were having trouble keeping our hands around everything. We had a hard time conceptualizing everything we wanted to do and really needed help -- LOTS of help. When we found Katherine, everything changed. Our loose ideas about what we wanted on our wedding day were transformed into cohesive, beautiful concepts. She helped us with everything, from proofreading our invitations to keeping us on track with to-do lists. Whether it was flowers, linens or which table to remove from our floor plan, Katherine had a recommendation. She was flexible to be a part of our planning meetings anytime we came to Charleston and was more than happy to talk by phone at any hour of the day when we needed her. One of the most valuable things to me was that our wedding coordinator get to know both me and my husband so that our day was a reflection of us, specifically, and our relationship. Katherine made sure that everything (right down to our wine-cork-handle cheese knife favor!) perfectly reflected us as a couple. I found Katherine to be really helpful with making sure things kept moving. She kept us on task about when we needed to make final decisions on things, when our next payments were due to vendors, when we needed to confirm headcounts -- anything. If ever I felt stressed out, I called her and we'd talk about whatever was concerning me. When my husband wasn't sure what he needed to do and when, she made sure he picked out his tuxes, vests and ties before they needed to be rushed. She was there no matter the emergency (like when our rehearsal dinner venue told us they'd double booked our date) or the need (like navigating through the floral requests of my mom and aunt). She's quick to respond on email or by phone. I never had any issues communicating with her about anything, even minor stuff like "Where can I get maps of the area for my guests?" (In fact, when I asked that, she shipped us 100 guide books on Charleston to include in our welcome bags!) During our wedding weekend, Katherine was at her best. No matter the challenge (like when rain caused a reception tent gutter to collapse during our cocktail hour or set-up being delayed a day because of high winds), she handled it flawlessly. When a bridesmaid called the morning of the wedding because her dress was the wrong shade of green, Katherine calmed her down and helped her find one in her size in the right shad. I was clueless about any hiccups during our wedding day -- I didn't even know rain was predicted! -- because Katherine made sure that I enjoyed and soaked up every second of the day. Looking back on our wedding, there is absolutely nothing we would change. We had a flawless wedding day that reflected us perfectly (and an enjoyable, fun time planning!) because of Katherine. I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone planning a wedding in the Charleston area. read more

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Katherine Miller Events did not fulfill our needs. I'm going to skip the summary of how our arrangements failed to meet our expectations--you're welcome to read Laura W's review for the details. I'll say only this: In a conversation a week ago, when asked about how wedding planning was going, my fiancee responded with the following sentence: "Since we terminated the contract with our wedding planner, I haven't felt any wedding stress at all." Those of you who know anything about planning a wedding will likely understand how that statement speaks volumes. read more

Hiring Katherine Miller Events was the best decision we made for our wedding. My husband grew up in Charleston, but I have only lived here a few years. When we got engaged and we decided to get married in Charleston, it only took a few days to become overwhelmed at the sheer amount of choices and costs in Charleston. After meeting with several other wedding planners, Katherine was by far my favorite; we clicked with her immediately. Although we weren't spending tons of money on our wedding, Katherine made us feel like we were her only couple. She was always very attentive and always had multiple suggestions for each vendor so that we could compare and make our choice. I also appreciated how she presented different plans at different price points. We chose the part-time planing package, and I believe that Katherine went above and beyond what we were paying her for. When I asked for help, I received it. Another thing I really appreciated about Katherine was her flexibility. My husband and I both have demanding jobs where we work long hours, and Katherine was always willing to meet at night or on the weekends to fulfill our needs. Katherine and I met monthly from the time we got engaged until about eight weeks before the wedding, and we emailed on a biweekly basis to keep on track of the very detailed to-do list she helped me keep. As the bride, I think it's hard sometimes to face the reality that all the other vendors are working on multiple other weddings, and answers might not always be immediate, but I can honestly say that working with Katherine calmed all my anxieties when I started to get stressed. If I had trouble reaching someone, she would tell me that she'd check into it, but remind me that it might take a few days to get back to me (which I believe is realistic in any business!). She always responded within an appropriate amount of time, if not immediately, and was always there with suggestions to change things or make things better. I could always count on her even for things I thought might be insignificant like matching the out-of-town bags to the receptions cups and tablecloths. Katherine was also very transparent with our budget. There were several times that she gently (but firmly) told us that something we wanted was out of our budget, but immediately suggested something comparable and just as beautiful. She was also able to secure wonderful discounts through the vendors that routinely worked with her, and surprised us on the day of the wedding with a complimentary upgrade on the chairs in our tent. She was also there when things felt like they were falling apart. Two weeks before our wedding, Katherine accompanied me to my wedding portraits, and my dress was altered incorrectly. She sprang into action without making a huge deal about it and upsetting me, and was sitting with my mom and me at the bridal boutique two days later to ensure the problem was fixed. She was also there when I had a meltdown about a month before the wedding when I discovered my sweet husband had "forgotten" to book a rehearsal dinner venue. She was also very good at corralling both my dad and father-in-law into making speeches at the wedding (a job in and of itself!). Our wedding could not have been more beautiful. When I walked into the tent before our ceremony, it literally brought me to tears. If there were problems on the day of the wedding, my husband and I and our families did not know about it at all. Everything was so seamless and the details were incredible. Our friends and family are still talking about the little touches that Katherine helped incorporate that really made our day so unique and personal to us. I wouldn't have changed a thing, and I have recommended Katherine to friends and strangers alike. She will go above and beyond your expectations to ensure that you have the most perfect day of your life! read more

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I have had the pleasure of working with Katherine Miller Events many times over the past few years. I have never known KME to be anything but exceptionally professional, prompt, and bursting with enthusiasm over their clients' events. As a vendor, we get to know wedding planners very well as far as how they work with the bride and groom and their respective vendors. For us, it is always a pleasure to work on a KME event because all aspects of the event are highly organized and every detail is considered. Not only that, but KME events truly are one-of-a-kind, classic, and sophisticated. Having worked with many KME brides, I have never met one who had anything but the highest praise for their wedding planning experience. You cannot go wrong with Katherine on your team! read more

The best choice we made during our wedding planning process was hiring Katherine Miller. We never had a doubt that our day would turn out beautifully once we asked her to be our wedding planner. Katherine is everything you would want in a wedding planner - very detail-oriented, organized, and creative. She responded quickly to all of our phone calls and emails and helped keep us on top of our "to do" list. She made the planning process fun and very low stress. Katherine combines fresh ideas with the ability to handle challenging situations (with vendors or family members!) very diplomatically. Our wedding weekend went very smoothly because Katherine was managing all the details for us. We feel that Katherine also truly took the time to get to know us and help make the day everything we could ever have wanted. When I look back on our wedding day I remember so many beautiful moments with our family and friends, and I don't remember worrying at all about any detail of our day. We cannot thank Katherine enough for all she did to help create such an amazing day for us! read more

Katherine Miller events was amazing - our wedding was a COMPLETE dream come true. I am from Charleston originally (but planned the wedding from out of town), and I've been in in several Charleston weddings over the last few years with various planners. Each wedding with another planner makes me so grateful we had Katherine on our team. She's polished, she's professional, she's fun, and she's GOOD. Our families and friends loved her. We will definitely be using her for future events, and I 100% recommend her to anyone getting married in Charleston. Katherine handled every detail with care and kept us on track during the entire planning process. She has fantastic relationships with Charleston vendors, and I always looked forward to our planning sessions. She is accessible and prompt, and we never had any communication issues over the 13+ months of planning. She even offered to help facilitate communication with "tricky" family members, bridesmaids, etc. so my husband and I could relax and enjoy the day. I know some of Katherine's other clients, and all of them have had similar experiences - no complaints. She's simply the best. Katherine clearly loves her work and is wonderful at crafting beautiful, detail-oriented days. She helped us hunt down a perfect antique mirror for our cake stand, create my dream invitations (custom-printed from my mom's calligraphy - such a special piece!), pick the perfect fabrics for our tables and pillows (I fell so in love with them that we arranged to keep the pillows for our living room!), find my eco-couture wedding dress... and everything went off without a hitch. I still peek at her portfolio and magazine features to see her more recent weddings, and I love how each one speaks to the couple's individuality and special relationship. She planned a unique event that fit our families and our love perfectly. We are still in touch with Katherine regularly, over a year later, and plan to use her again for the next family event. As far as our wedding itself, I am STILL getting e-mails and calls from newly engaged brides (some I don't even know!) who have stumbled across our photos online and want to know about our planner. Most importantly, Katherine kept us relaxed so we could focus on each other and the start of our marriage. We were able to remember every special moment. Huge thank you to KMEvents!!! read more

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Katherine was an enormous help in the planning of our wedding. We were planning the wedding from out of town, so to have Katherine in Charleston was very nice. She was always available to consult with us and to make contact with various wedding vendors. On our wedding day, Katherine was irreplaceable. Everytime one of us needed something, she was already a few steps ahead of us taking care of it. Katherine made sure everything was going smoothly, running on time, and that my husband and I were enjoying ourselves (whether that meant making sure we had a drink, taking a bathroom break or pulling us away from talkative relatives in order to get around to everyone!). We couldn't have asked for a better planner for our wedding. I never thought I would have needed a wedding planner, but I don't know how the day would have gone without Katherine! Thank you! read more

I would disagree with any scathing remarks regarding Katherine Miller events. I also was married on Kiawah Island last summer and had a fantastic experience with Katherine. My husband and I were planning a destination wedding, and Katherine made the challenges of planning from a distance remarkably simple, especially as my husband and I were both finishing grad school. For most major decisions, she presented me with 3 options to consider (caterer, photographer, floral design, bar, etc). That was so very helpful, as I have not have experience working with any of those companies in Charleston. Based on her recommendations, everything we chose was perfect for what we wanted and needed, and for that I am incredibly grateful. Katherine also worked very quickly to make our wedding happen...not only was I planning long distance, our engagement was also only 3.5 months. Katherine pulled everything together in ways I never could have on my own, and thoughts of things I never would have considered. She did all of it with grace and kindness, supporting my husband and I as we figured out what we wanted. She helped me scramble with last minute dress alterations, and made the wedding day is self completely stress-free. We were able to enjoy a beautiful weekend with friends and family, without having to worry about wedding details and stress. I was able to be a relaxed bride, which was delightful. Huge thanks to Katherine for all of her hard work, as well as her sweetness and supportive way of being. She cares for her clients and is a delight to work with! I heartily give my recommendation on her behalf. read more

As part of a wedding party, Katherine made my life so easy! After having the pleasure of being in several wedding parties, I can say that this was the smoothest event I've been involved with. I highly recommend Katherine Miller events to all of my future brides!!!! Love her. read more