What does a wedding day-of coordinator actually do?

April 16, 2018 by Kathryn Lauren Harcott in Hosting, Life

I've been a freelance wedding day-of coordinator for almost 5 years now and, while some have heard of this title, I often get the question, "So what do you actually do? Are you a wedding planner?" And even though I'd dreamed of becoming Jennifer Lopez from the movie 'The Wedding Planner' and marrying Matthew McConaughey - the answer is no, I'm not a wedding planner (nor have I found my Matthew McConaughey).

A day-of coordinator is the person who ensures the vision of your wedding is executed - leaving you and your loved ones with no stress on your actual wedding day, which enables you to enjoy the months (or years) you spent planning it! Most commonly, as a day of coordinator, I will work with couples a few months in advance of their wedding to outline a detailed timeline of the day itself, understand the wedding theme and the vibe you're going for and establish myself as the point of contact for the venue and vendors on the actual day.

A DOC is more than decor set up and take down: it's the person that will shoulder the stresses of the day as well as deal with any uncontrollable surprises that may come up. I pride myself on the mantra of "figure it out" and work to earn the trust of the couple to make sure they feel confident with handing me that power and responsibility. We all know that regardless of all the planning you can do, unforeseen things can happen and, even if you have the most helpful aunts in the world, the last thing you want them to be doing on your wedding day is a late night ice or booze run, clearing plates when the servers go MIA or dealing the catering team on the shortage of bacon at brunch.

I work with every couple to determine how I can be of most value on the day or leading up to it. I love bouncing ideas about flowers, decor, when the parents should give their toast or the general timeline for the day. I come equipped to my weddings with a full "emergency kit": think sewing supplies, tide to go, clothes pins, a glue gun and more often than not my parents, who act as my lovely assistants. I will be the first on site at the venue and can help with take down if you need. Every wedding is unique and special in its own way and that's how I cater my services.

I truly love weddings and I love actually giving a couple the ability to enjoy their day to the fullest and have the best memories of their day. I hope I've given you some more insight into what a day-of coordinator actually does but if you have any more questions please get in touch! You can also read more from the amazing couples I've worked with in the past here.

And to quote the movie 'The Wedding Planner': "Love can't always be perfect, love is just love". This quote also applies to weddings: rain may pour, the cake may melt or the power may go out, but at the end of the day you're married to your person and you got to do it in front of your favourite people (I know, I'm making myself roll my eyes).

Monday to Friday Meals That Won't Break The Bank

January 24, 2017 by Kathryn Lauren Harcott in Food, Life

The New Year, it comes along with so much optimism but it also comes along with that Christmas Visa bill and perhaps increased property taxes. Regardless of the reason, you may be looking to save a few pennies this time of year. I've found the biggest cost saver to be home cooking. Not only do you save money, you likely eat healthier and get into the habit of always having groceries in your house. Those days of opening an empty fridge and hoping the condiments make some sort of edible meal...

Preparation is the first step; it's inevitable and annoying. Really, I get it. Spending an hour at the grocery store is less than ideal way to spend the weekend but I've found that if you go in with a list you can be in and out way quicker than every other day pop in (which I used to do!). Living alone I usually didn't like to make huge meals and eat the same thing for 5 days but I've mastered ways to stretch my groceries and get creative.

Some tips I find helpful with meal planning:

Pinterest: Get creative with some dishes and try something new, chances are if you're excited to eat the dish, you'll be more motivated to stay on track. If there is an ingredient you like to cook with, search and go from there (example, ground turkey). If something has been pinned 30,000 times, you've likely got a winner. Next, look at the ingredient list. If you're starting off and don't have a stocked pantry, I wouldn't jump into Jaime Oliver's 40 ingredient curry right away... look at what you already have and what you need.
After The Recipes, Comes The List: All of the groceries you need to make for your recipes, make sure you're thinking for the whole week not just Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday you'll be out of groceries, hangry, and find yourself at the nearest Subway.
Shop in Season: I love fresh berries as much as the next person but I'm not going to be buying $10 worth of blueberries in the dead of winter. Winter means time for warms salads, soup, chili, roasted veggies, and etc. Squash is one of my favourite foods and I love to cook with them, you can try so many different flavours with fresh herbs.
Multi-use Ingredients: Chicken is an easy and great example. Buying chicken breasts and cooking them in a batch on a Sunday means you'll have them ready to go at a moments notice! Chicken Fajita Salad or a Curry is a quick and easy meal at the end of the day. Another favourite everyone knows about me is my love of tacos, I'll often do taco's on Tuesday and then a Zoodle (Zoodles = Zucchini Noodles, a spiralizer changed my life) Bolognese later in the week!
Variety Is Key: you can't eat the same thing everyday. Last time, I did a Whole 30, I think I ate eggs for breakfast for 18 days in a row... not good. Breakfast sets your tone for the day and is one of my favourite meals. I love to mix it up between more savoury and sweet and I'll alternate between overnight steel cut oats with fruit and a nut butter, chia seeds, or a new favourite is a baked egg in an avocado! This one is best to not make ahead - it takes 14 minutes in the oven, so pop it in before the shower and you'll be good to go.

To give you some ideas, here's a list of my groceries for this past week. As some are more of the aesthetically pleasing dishes I made:

Babybel Cheese
Apples
Parsley
Bulk Nut Mix (I'm loving bulk sections!)
Sockeye Salmon Fillets
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Ground Beef
Coconut Milk
Peppers
Hummus

Yams
Eggs
Brussel Sprouts
Butternut Squash
Celery Sticks
Greek Yogurt
Spinach
Green Beans
Ground Turkey
Mango
Onions

You'll also note from my title of this blog that this is my ideal Monday to Friday. I'm not perfect and while it's ok to eat alone in life, it's important to go out, enjoy meals, socialize, and all that fun stuff! It just means that if I go out on the weekend and have a delicious meal (I tried Minami for the first time this weekend and it completely upped my sushi game), I enjoy it and I don't feel bad splurging because I've been conscious of my spending the whole week.

To give you guys some context, that grocery list cost me $72.31. I made 5 lunches, 5 dinners and satisfied my grazing cravings with at least 2 snacks a day - broken down that equals $3.62 per meal (and mini meal). I polled my colleagues and the cheapest lunch they could get near our office would be a minimum of $6. Almost double!!!

The hour prep and shopping is annoying but after it's done you're set up for success for the week which means more time to watch The Bachelor! Meal prepping is the gift of time saved having to cook and shop during the week and its the gift of more money in the bank. Need more motivation? The bento box craze is what all the kids are talking about and you'll definitely be the coolest one in the office with this upgraded lunch box from Takenaka.

I'm completely open to any other money saving tips so let me know what you do to save.

Happy Cooking!

Expiring Days of Summer

August 31, 2016 by Kathryn Lauren Harcott in Life

I was confused and alarmed this weekend when I was walking through my neighbourhood to hear crunching of leaves at my feet. How was this happening? I was just settling into summer weather and sleeping in front of my fan. This season always seems to take the longest to arrive and the quickest to leave. I'm hoping for a beautiful September to ease back into scarves and boots, but in the mean time I'm going to hit summer hard this week - I need material for my back to school report on "how did you spend your summer?" Check out what's on my to-do list:

The Vancouver Mural Festival happened on August 20th and over 35 pieces of street art have been added to the city! It's a wonderful addition to so many different communities and buildings; I'm so lucky that so many are in my 'hood' of Mount Pleasant. If you reside in Vancouver, what a perfect way to spend an afternoon by grabbing a coffee, taking a stroll and checking out the new and old murals the city has to offer (see the map of all the murals here). I personally really enjoyed the one pictured below, the giraffe clearly stole the show - and apparently I'm as tall as a dumpster.

Eating in season! Everyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I appreciate a big salad, I'm basically Elaine from Seinfeld, I just want all the things in one big bowl - is that too much to ask?

http://www.rantlifestyle.com/2014/02/17/greatest-seinfeld-food-moments/

THIS is why when summer rolls around I know that my usual salad staples are going to be completely dressed up with the fruits of the season! I love experimenting with new recipes (thanks, Pinterest), and can usually not go wrong with a leafy base plus a fruit, nut and type of cheese. This watermelon salad was the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Lastly, presentation is everything for convincing the skeptics that salads are anything but boring - so make it pretty and it'll be irresistible. Exhibit A and B below:

VAG (aka the Vancouver Art Gallery) is in the heart of downtown Vancouver, and I'm embarrassed to admit it took me far too long into my Vancouver life to visit this gallery. It's weird because whenever I visit a new place or city, museums and art galleries are always on the top of my list; I guess I just took for granted the VAG would always be there. Anyways! I went to a FUSE event this year and it was fantastic (go see Smashup before September 5th!) I loved the lay out and the architecture: it felt like there were hidden rooms and then all of sudden you're on a roof top and a dance party is going on. The Picasso exhibit currently on right now is on my to-do list for this week, followed by a beverage on their adorable patio.

Another Vancouver summer highlight is Playland at the PNE, home to the famous wooden roller coaster and deep fried ... everything? Mars bars I've heard are a particular highlight. I think it's high time I saw what this event is all about - I will report back!
Lastly I will be soaking up all the patio weather I can and trading in my usual vodka soda for a Paloma - I was even inspired to pop the Patron at home and make my own version.

I hope my to-do list has motivated you to give summer loving one more kick at the can and enjoy whatever your city has to offer! I know my to-do list will keep me busy, if anything it will be a distraction to the fact that I have no Drake in my life to buy me a billboard and express his years of love to me on national TV... ah well, can't win 'em all.