Kawinthi & Jeff

Please, tell us your engagement story!

When our area first went into lockdown during the early days of the pandemic, Jeff and I would drive for hours on end, mostly just to get out of the house, and see something different. One day, we decided to drive directly east until we couldn't anymore, and came upon this rocky sea wall in Nahant, MA. It was one of the most gorgeous coastlines we had ever seen - or maybe it just felt that way after the world shut down. In any case, we sat, talked, laughed, and watched the sun set - it became our go-to spot in those early-pandemic weeks. A few weeks later, I was playing tennis with my best friend, during our weekly tennis date, and when I came back home, there was a letter left on the counter - Jeff was asking me to meet him at "our new spot". I knew exactly where I was going. 

I drove to our little seawall, and found Jeff sitting there, with a mini bottle of champagne, and another letter in his hands. The last line of this letter read, "Will you marry me, and make me the luckiest man on the Earth?" When I turned around to face him, he was down on one knee, and I was speechless and overjoyed - a real-life storybook moment. I said "yes" before he could say another word. We cracked open the bottle of champagne, and Jeff also brought takeout from our favorite local restaurant. A few minutes after we poured our glasses, a police officer came by to tell us we were illegally parked, and needed to leave... classic. We left, and continued celebrating at home!

What made you choose your venue and theme? 

We always knew we wanted to get married at Jeff's alma mater - Saint Anselm College. The chapel at Saint A's is stunning, and we couldn't think of a better place to say "I do". After we secured our ceremony date, we chose the closest reception venue that would meet our guest count needs. We actually booked our reception venue site-unseen, but I had gone through enough photos to know it was our style. We wanted something beautiful without being overdone, and wanted to avoid barn-venues. In this particular area of Southern New Hampshire, we were left with just a few to choose from that met our capacity needs - and we couldn't have been happier with our decision! 

We'd love to know more about your experience working with SuitShop!

I had worked with SuitShop on a few styled shoots, and each time, we found SuitShop to be easy to work with and deliver great quality! We had a very large groomsmen party, coming from all over the country, so we needed a vendor that was easily accessible to everyone, fast, and reliable. My groom went online, created his party, selected the items we wanted, entered his groomsmen contact info, and then SuitShop automatically emailed everyone with the link to order. So incredibly easy, and fool-proof. SuitShop was our best decision - all of the groomsmen loved their suits, and they looked amazing! 

Tell us about your business and why it's so worth it to hire help for your wedding day. 

My planning business, Events by Kawinthi, began with a desire to bring people together, in a way that is intentionally designed, and completely reflective of the guests of honor. My goal is to tell a story through your wedding - let your guests feel everything that led up to this monumental day, in every corner of the room. A lot of my clients seek out planning help because they just don't have the time - most weddings will take over 300 dedicated hours of planning, and that doesn't always fit nicely into everyone's lives. Some clients come to me because they have a lot of different ideas, but they aren't so sure how to pull it all together into one cohesive event. My job is to take the time and weight of your wedding off of your shoulders, and work with you to create the wedding of your dreams, in seamless partnership. Let me bear the 300+ hours of planning, and the task of taking your ideas from Pinterest to an actual wedding design that is distinctly and uniquely reflective of you and your partner. In my unbiased view, hiring a wedding planner is always 100% worth it. 

Any advice for brides/grooms to be? 

Your wedding should be a day you enjoy, in pure bliss, and the process of planning that day should make you feel excited and joyful! If the thought of planning your wedding is giving you the heebee jeebees, it's okay to ask for help! At the end of the day, what matters most is that you are committing to forever with the love of your life - don't let the details bring you down. Delegate, break it into chunks, hire help - do what feels right, so that the joy and excitement of marrying your partner never fades.