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About

On WeddingWire since 2013

Cathy’s Elegant Events, based in Catskill, New York, is an award-winning full-service wedding planning and design company dedicated to creating memorable weddings & events. All of our clients receive the same unparalleled service and incomparable attention to detail that makes us a leader in the industry. With an emphasis on listening and understanding each client’s needs, we develop exquisite concepts and bring them to fruition.

Through innovative ideas, creativity, and attention to detail, we ensure that each undertaking is seamlessly executed. Cathy is the founder and creative force of Cathy’s Elegant Events. With 12+ years of experience and a resourceful approach, she provides the utmost in service and industry expertise.

There are planners who are designers, and then there are planners who are masters of the plan.

We do not believe in ‘cookie-cutter’!

  • Woman-owned

Frequently asked questions

What is the starting price for day-of wedding coordination?

$9,000

What is the starting price for partial wedding planning?

$9,000

What is the starting price for full wedding planning?

$11,000

Do you offer an hourly rate?

No

What wedding events do you provide services for?

Ceremony
Reception
Rehearsal Dinner

What wedding planning services do you offer?

Day-of Coordination
Full Planning
Partial Planning

What weddings do you have experience planning?

Civil
Cultural
Destination
Double Weddings
Eco-Friendly
Military
Non-Religious
Religious

How many planners are on your team?

8
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Any other questions?

Reviews of Cathy's Elegant Events

We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
5.0 out of 5 rating
5.0 out of 5 rating
109 reviews
99% recommend it
  • Quality of service
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Review summary

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Multiple reviewers highly recommend Cathy for wedding planning services, praising her organization, expertise in the Hudson Valley vendor scene, and ability to execute complex visions flawlessly. Cathy's detailed approach, personalized touch, and adept problem-solving skills stood out to reviewers. They appreciated her constant availability, meticulous planning, and ability to handle unexpected challenges seamlessly. Cathy's professionalism, calm demeanor, and dedication to making each couple's special day stress-free and memorable were consistently highlighted in the reviews. Reviewers also valued Cathy's attention to detail, vendor management skills, and overall ability to bring their wedding visions to life, making her a top choice for wedding planning in the Hudson Valley or beyond.

Review summary

Powered by AI
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Multiple reviewers highly recommend Cathy for wedding planning services, praising her organization, expertise in the Hudson Valley vendor scene, and ability to execute complex visions flawlessly. Cathy's detailed approach, personalized touch, and adept problem-solving skills stood out to reviewers. They appreciated her constant availability, meticulous planning, and ability to handle unexpected challenges seamlessly. Cathy's professionalism, calm demeanor, and dedication to making each couple's special day stress-free and memorable were consistently highlighted in the reviews. Reviewers also valued Cathy's attention to detail, vendor management skills, and overall ability to bring their wedding visions to life, making her a top choice for wedding planning in the Hudson Valley or beyond.

Anne-Claire
Anne-Claire R. Sent on 10/22/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Cathy Ballone - not your average wedding planner

If you want a wedding planner who will actually roll up their sleeves and run the traps on all of the nitty gritty details of your wedding from start to finish, no matter how complicated things get during the planning or on the day of your event, and who will do it with grace and professionalism, you should hire Cathy. If you want to leave all of that up to chance, hire someone else, but I promise you will regret it. My husband and I were in no position to take on the complexity of our vision on a 9 month timeline and Cathy was honest with us at every turn about what it would take to get things done. On the day of my wedding when a forecasted squall threatened the evacuation of our tent, Cathy calmly came to find me during hair and makeup, helped me appreciate the options, and then personally moved heaven and earth to make an alternative cocktail hour plan happen as the storm passed.

Cathy is a hard-working, honest, experienced planner. She knows every vendor in the Hudson Valley. She chases people down and will not rest until there's an answer (e.g. given a very bad peach harvest this year, how will I source 250 peaches to achieve my client's vision?) When you’re writing check after check for your wedding and the thought crosses your mind — “can I even trust this person?” Um, yes, I would trust Cathy with most anything. She is not the wedding planner you see on TV or that your friends lament “didn’t even do anything”. Oh, no. Cathy will keep you on track week by week, organized in GoogleDrive, and even on top of things she’s not contractually responsible for (e.g. have you selected accessories yet? How is honeymoon planning going?), and then, when cocktail hour is going swimmingly and the first rain drops start to fall, she will just APPEAR with an umbrella over your head like she is ACTUALLY MARY POPPINS. She excels at the knowledge work, the hard work (turns out this can be a very physical job!) and is very service-oriented with families and guests.

I was perhaps the happiest I have ever been on my wedding day and I know that having a trusted, experienced planner like Cathy (and her team!) — who genuinely cared about us, our families, and our friends — gave me the freedom to enjoy my day to the maximum. There is no greater gift to give yourself.
Christine and Jason
Christine A. Sent on 09/05/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Hire Cathy. She is the best!

Cathy is excellent. We felt a connection with her on our very first call, and we thoroughly enjoyed working with her throughout the entire 15 month-long process. She is organized, methodical, and was our partner and advocate every step of the way. Cathy brings expert knowledge and special thoughtfulness to planning. She knew the best vendors in the Hudson Valley to work with to execute our vision of a lush and vibrant summer wedding with our guests’ experience at the forefront.

She advised us through decisions large and small, listening to our ideas, spending countless hours working through the details with us, making expert recommendations. Cathy built and managed thoughtful, detailed timelines for the planning process and our wedding day. We came to rely on her as our trusted advisor, and felt assured that she cared as much about the finer details as we did. In the end, all our hard work together paid off. We had an absolute blast on our wedding day, and knowing Cathy was in charge played a key role in our enjoyment.

Moments before the ceremony began, Cathy discovered that Christine’s veil had been forgotten, and Cathy took off running to recover it. Another planner might have overlooked a detail like this, but Cathy took notice and immediate action to ensure our wedding went according to plan.

Heavy rain was on the forecast for our wedding day. Cathy diligently monitored the weather conditions during the weeks prior, and ensured our rain plan was in place the week of. The morning of the wedding, the weather appeared to have stabilized enough for us to proceed with our original ceremony plan. Nevertheless, Cathy remained prepared and had golf umbrellas at the ready for us.

We absolutely loved working with Cathy and would hire her again in a heartbeat. Along the way, vendors who had worked with Cathy in the past spoke highly of her work and genuinely seemed relieved (on all our behalves) that we had chosen her as our partner in bringing our dream wedding into reality. So are we!

We recommend Cathy’s planning services highly and without hesitation.
Sisi
Sisi P. Sent on 09/29/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Couldn't have done it without Cathy

We knew Cathy was the right fit for us as soon as we got off the first call. We needed somebody to bring structure, experience, honesty, and attention to detail for an 7 month planning process. Cathy gave off that first impression and delivered in spades.

To illustrate an example of Cathy's approach that worked well for us: Cathy set up a shared Google Drive, budget, timeline, and biweekly calls, where we only focused on the decisions / discussions that had to happen at that point in time and didn't needlessly worry about the rest. We were in a very busy season at work, and this allowed us to direct the limited mindshare that we had to the right things at the right time.

Furthermore, Cathy has experience working with the best vendors across the Hudson Valley. We trusted her to give us honest advice and a range of options that honoured our preferences and price points - particularly helpful for a couple based in Brooklyn and could not always visit vendors ourselves. She also knows the best sandwiches in town for when we did visit.

Finally, Cathy worked tirelessly behind the scenes during our actual wedding weekend to make it truly more than we could have hoped for, while we got to be carefree and present (seriously, we went jogging through the trails and had bagels the morning of!) She monitored the evolving rain situation all day, with backup plans in place. She translated every detail from our conversations to execution (including pulling off adapted Chinese / British tea ceremony, and making sure we both had change of clothing for the after party in case of rain or sweat). And she coordinated with our vendors and wedding party, so we didn't have to field any questions.

Thank you, Cathy! We strong recommend her planning services.
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Awards

109
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2023 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2022 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2019 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2018 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner

Deals

Team

Cathy Ballone
Cathy Ballone
Owner

Professional Network & Endorsements

13 Endorsements
Bo Shim Bo Shim Wedding Photographers

It's always a pleasure to work with Cathy and her team! They are professional and so easy to work with. She does a great job in coordinating and bringing your vision to life!

Adena Orchard & Vine Adena Orchard & Vine Barn & Farm Weddings

Cathy's Elegant Events thinks of everything. EVERYTHING. Cathy is one of the most organized and professional people in the wedding industry and is always happy to help make connections and introductions. Her follow through is unparalleled and she can make even the most complicated and daunting logistics seem like a piece of cake! We highly recommend Cathy's Elegant Events.

Bennett Miller Entertainment Bennett Miller Entertainment Wedding Bands

Cathy's Elegant Events does a such great job of coordinating and curating beautiful events! It's always a pleasure to work with Cathy and her team. Her knowledge, professionalism, and positive attitude make for a winning combination!

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