VA Weddings

By: Terry Kaye

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my blog!

I am Terry Kaye, owner of Terry Kaye Events based out of Warrenton, Virginia. I have been working on my new website and blog launch for a while now and am so excited that it is finally ready to share with all of you!

I thought it would be fun to introduce myself to you with a brief Q&A, so here it is:

Where am I from?

I grew up in Monroe, New York, a small commuter town outside of NYC. In New York, anything over the George Washington Bridge is considered “upstate” so that is what I usually say when asked about my hometown. My childhood home was a small bungalow converted into a modest three-bedroom house at the top of a dirt driveway lined with a handful of other small houses surrounded by trees and nestled in between two lakes. I loved growing up there. As children, we played outside, fished and swam in the cold country lakes, hiked in the woods and rode our bikes up and down that dirt road, lungs full of fresh air. I have two older siblings, a brother and sister, whom I adore. My brother still lives in the house that we all grew up in – the house I still consider home.

How did I end up in Virginia?

I met my husband in Buffalo, New York when we were in college. I was on scholarship for Track and Field and he was a a very handsome long jumper. We instantly connected during our time spent together on the track, but held off on dating until his senior year. After he graduated, he accepted a job in Reston, Virginia. I still had one more year of college but decided to spend the summer with him. During that visit, he proposed. After that, it was not easy to imagine moving back up to New York so I finished my degree at George Mason University and began planning our wedding.

What was your own wedding like?

My husband and I got married in upstate New York on a shoestring budget. We choose a mountaintop reception hall called the Eagle’s Nest; the views alone convinced us that it was the perfect location. I created an inspiration scrapbook (which I still have) to organize all of my ideas and creative inspirations. It was Pinterest of the 90’s. I wore the biggest dress I could find and went for a rustic feel with other elements. My bridesmaids wore dark brown sleek gowns and we all carried dried flower bouquets. The invitations and programs were handmade using natural floral paper tied together with raffia. We even had a chocolate ganache wedding cake adorned with leaves and branches. Thom and I will celebrate 17 years of marriage this fall – where does the time go???

Do you have any children?

I am the proud mama of three boys: Gavin (10), Lincoln (7) and Altas (2). They keep me busy but I would not change my wild, messy, crazy life for a second. They are my light and such an adorable crew.

Why do you like planning weddings?

I am a people person with a creative mind. I love turning visions into reality and my past experience as an event planner for a large hotel gave me the skills and knowledge to do just that on a more personal level. One of the gold keys to my planning success is choosing couples whom I feel comfortable with and vice versa. It always amazes me how my relationships grow and change from our first planning meeting to the big day. I joke that I will become your best friend for the next 12 months and many times it is true. I care about my clients and want their wedding day to exceed their expectations. My hope is that all of the couples whose weddings I am lucky enough to plan will look back 17 years from now and smile when they remember their special day, just as I do.