In our clients words…

“We never expected to find the type of planner that would reach out to us the day after our engagement asking if we wanted to see our dream wedding venue that same day, all while she was on the other side of the globe and had only exchanged a few emails with us beforehand. Our queen, Ms. Kate Ryan, was that planner. Literally from day ONE, she had our backs and made us feel so taken care of.

From our first Instagram DMs to us refusing to leave the venue the night of our wedding, I think we can say we enjoyed every second of planning for that year and a half. After just a few conversations with Kate at the beginning of the planning process, she immediately understood our vision, found vendors that were not only incredible at their art, but also genuinely incredible people, and she became such an amazing friend to us in the process.

While every aspect of our wedding weekend surpassed our wildest dreams, the people that make up the team at Gold Leaf Events were the card we didn’t see coming. We felt so much love by this group of thoughtful, warm, and talented women. Our wedding felt important to them on a personal level, and they made us feel like we had known them our whole lives. We, along with many of our guests, talked endlessly about how we all wanted to remain friends with them after the weekend was over. They are all truly such a light in an industry that we originally knew nothing about and were overwhelmed by.

If Kate ever brings up and idea or suggestion, just say YES! We promise you won’t regret it. You’ll look back on your weekend and realize not a single detail was missed, and that every single decision was intentional and carefully planned. We are forever her biggest fans, and are trying to come up with any reason to host another event just to work with Kate and her team again!!!”

“When I got engaged, all I kept hearing from people who were married was how stressful it is to plan a wedding. What those people didn’t know is I had a secret weapon and her name is Kate Ryan.

Not only was the wedding planning process not stressful, it was actually fun with her by my side. Never for a moment did I feel overwhelmed because I always knew every detail was being handled and any obstacle was being overcome. Kate has impeccable taste and when presented with two options our first question would always be “what do you like better?”, and whatever she chose is what we went with 100% of the time. And we are so grateful for that because we had the absolute wedding of our dreams (thanks to her).

Also, who ever thought your wedding planner could turn into your real life friend? Kate fit right into our family and became my sister and my mom’s third daughter. There was even a point in the wedding planning process where I jokingly asked her to walk me down the aisle. That’s Kate - she is your friend, your biggest advocate and your wedding warrior and I know this special relationship will last long after the wedding is over.

So remember, step one is the ring... and step two is Gold Leaf Events!”

“There are not enough words in the dictionary to describe how wonderful Kate and her team are to work with. She is incredibly hard working, talented, loyal, honest and cool as a cucumber. I am convinced this woman can handle anything that is thrown her way.

I think there are planners out there who will encourage couples to splurge on everything across the board for their own portfolios and that is not Kate. She is incredibly honest and helpful in working with you to achieve your perfect day, and talks through the pros and cons of removing certain elements to keep within your ideal budget.

Kate managed to flawlessly execute 5 days of wedding / family celebrations for us during a summer of Covid uncertainty. We loved working with Kate and her team so much that we asked her to help plan a very special 80th birthday for Cat’s Dad the following April.

A special recognition is also due for some of Kate’s team, her fabulous sister Claire, best friend Danielle and business partner Chelsea who we got to work with throughout our planning. All are incredibly professional and fun to be with.

If you are looking for someone to help you plan a wedding or any sort of special event, Kate Ryan is your person. ”

“When my daughter got engaged and decided she and her fiance wanted a mountain wedding we immediately starting searching for a wedding planner and Gold Leaf consistently came up as a strong contender. Although we interviewed other planners, it was the connection we felt with Kate and her great listening skills that finalized our decision. What a great decision it was. My daughter unfortunately had to postpone due to COVID but Kate handled the transition to the new date and ALL that went into that so smoothly and effortlessly it made the entire re-schedule less painful. Then all the details that go into planning a wedding- we felt so assured and guided by her expertise. I hope to work with her again if/when my other daughter gets married. She was so easy to talk to, a great confidant and just has excellent taste. All qualities which are so important. It was a dream day thanks to Kate and her team”

“We call her “Kate the Great!”
(And that is an understatement!!)

The wedding was supposed to be in May of 2020 but, due to the pandemic, it had to be postponed and rescheduled four times. It was a difficult situation which caused a lot of challenges and extra work for Kate, yet she managed it all with grace and a positive attitude. In the end, the events turned out even better than the original plans. It was a magnificent weekend filled with fun, joy, love and laughter!

Kate truly is the person you want to be friends with long after the event is over because she is such a special person. She is genuinely kind and sincere and a pleasure to be around. And she’s also the person you want to work with because she is the most diligent, organized, responsive and hard-working person you’ve ever met.

Kate and her team at Gold Leaf Events are the best of the best!!!”

“Wow, we are speechless when it comes to Gold Leaf Events! One of the most important decisions you make for your wedding is who your wedding planner is going to be, and you will never regret having Kate with you. She turned our dream into a reality, minus the stress.

Kate not only has a tasteful eye for event planning, but also is a joy to work with. We originally hired Gold Leaf to help with our wedding in Aspen in fall of 2020, but due to COVID we ended up pushing back our large wedding to 2021 and decided to do a small ceremony in 2020. When we told Kate of our plan to change, and she contacted the vendors immediately. Even with such an abrupt change to our wedding, within a few hours we had a new date for 2021 and shortly after began planning for our new small wedding.

The Gold Leaf Event’s team is adaptable, knowledgeable, organized, and well-connected. Kate’s team is also so put together and highly professional.

Our wedding was a few weeks ago, and we are already having Kate withdrawals! Do yourself a favor and use Gold Leaf Events!”

“I think it says a lot when you want to be friends with your wedding planner outside of planning your wedding. And when all of your family and friends ask you how they can hang out with your planner. And when your mom says, “I hope we know Kate forever.”

You will make a lot of decisions planning your wedding, but hiring Kate and the Gold Leaf team was by far the best and most important decision we made. She made everything easy for us. Kate was detail-oriented, responsive, thoughtful and she has incredible taste. In thinking about what really makes her stand out – she always, always listened to what we wanted. Sometimes the ideas were off the wall, and she would tell us honestly if she didn’t think they would work well. But she never told us we couldn’t or shouldn’t do something because it had never been done that way before. She is a creative but rational thinker, and you will see that in the unique and beautiful wedding she will help you create.

Feeling stressed at certain points in the wedding planning process is inevitable, but those times were rare for us because we had Kate. She was organized, always thinking ahead and always thinking of details that never would have crossed our minds if we were on our journey alone. Best of all, we truthfully did not stress for a single second of the wedding weekend and neither did our families. We were able to be present, which is the greatest gift Kate and the Gold Leaf team gave to us. Save yourself from anxiety and decision fatigue – hire Kate. You will feel grateful every day to have Kate leading the way to a weekend beyond anything you could ever imagine.”

“We feel so lucky to have been able to work with Kate Ryan while planning our wedding. She was so knowledgeable, fully understood our vision, and gave incredible advice on vendors. This was especially helpful for us since we were planning a destination wedding from over 1,000 miles away! She went above and beyond, coordinating everything for us in the months leading up to the wedding. We felt like our wedding weekend was always top of mind. She was so organized and paid attention to every last detail. There is no way we would have had the wedding of our dreams without Kate, Chelsea, and the whole Gold Leaf team! ”

“Kate flawlessly planned and executed our destination wedding for nearly 300 guests. The weekend (of which included a 200+ person rehearsal dinner) went off truly without a hitch. As the bride I felt like I just moved seamlessly from one thing to the next, everything flowed perfectly, was so well organized, and absolutely gorgeous. You won’t find better taste, organization and execution to make your wedding truly the best, most memorable and special day/weekend.

In addition to doing the most incredible job the weekend of our wedding, she was incredible during the whole planning process as well. From our very first conversation she was incredibly easy to work with, so professional and truly did everything. My husband and I were working very busy full time jobs, and she made the whole planning process as low stress as possible. She was always responsive and on top of every to-do.

We really became friends with Kate in the process as well and have stayed in touch following our wedding. She is the best. We had truly exceptional, perfectly executed, flawlessly planned wedding thanks to Gold Leaf, and we are forever grateful!”

“We had the pleasure of working with Kate Ryan through the planning and celebration of our daughter’s wedding. Kate’s personal communication skills and attention to detail made this large and complex wedding work like clockwork. Two hundred and eighty people were transported, fed, and feted in the closest thing to perfection imaginable. The decor was fabulous, food delicious, all vendors cheerful and responsive, and I can’t say enough good things about every aspect of working with Kate. Five star Michelin in every way. So many people said it was the best wedding ever.”

“I wanted to thank you for all your help in pulling off the most perfect wedding! It was everything we never knew we wanted and I wish I could relive it over and over! It was a dream!!”

“I had the most wonderful experience working with Gold Leaf planning my dream wedding in Aspen! Chelsea and Kate were both extremely professional, kind, thorough and thought of every beautiful detail to make our wedding so special. They are both very friendly and fun to work with. The day went off seamlessly thanks to their thoughtfulness and professionalism. I wish we could plan our magical wedding all over with them again!”

“Gold leaf planned our wedding in Aspen, CO in September of 2017. We really could not have asked for a better experience. We worked with the Gold Leaf team who were extremely responsive and diligent in their work. It was obvious that they really cared about us and wanted to deliver the best experience possible. As expected, it was the best day of our lives. Really no detail could have been improved, which is testament to the preparation and attentiveness of the Gold Leaf team. We cannot recommend them highly enough.”

“I look back on that day and I still am in shock and awe of how truly perfect it was. The wedding was even more than I could have ever envisioned, and I completely owe that to the girls at Gold Leaf. Every single suggestion and recommendation you made was perfect, and you remained so calm throughout all of it.”

“I have the wedding blues. I’m so happy/sad. Words can’t describe this weekend...It was just so beautiful. Not a beat was missed. The décor, food, wine, cocktails, band, weather, venue, flowers, dance party, just EVERYTHING was phenomenal. I’m SO happy we got a videographer - what great advice.

I’m not sure how it compares to other weddings you’ve been to, but it was by FAR the most fun and amazing one I’ve ever been to. Chelsea and Kate could not have made our weekend any more special. I can’t stop thinking about it!”

“Working with the lovely ladies of Gold Leaf Event and Design was a dream. Kate and Chelsea created a weekend that was everything we could have wanted and more. Their timeliness and professionalism was first class. The amount of creativity and resourcefulness gave us total ease throughout the whole planning process. The final product of their hardwork speaks for itself. Not only are my husband and I completely pleased and blown away with everything, our friends and family have not stopped raving about it!”

“I’ll start by saying that one of my favorite parts of wedding planning was the wedding itself - it was beautiful beyond my wildest dreams - but a close second was working the past six months with Kate.

I got engaged in January ‘14 and immediately began looking for a wedding planner in Aspen! Gold Leaf came highly recommended by several vendors, so I scheduled a meeting with Kate and Chelsea. We met at the Little Nell and I immediately fell in love with both of them. I felt as if I was describing my dream wedding to two of my very best friends.

My family and I expected a lot(as most brides do) for our wedding weekend (4 events total!), which included a country-themed Welcome BBQ in a barn and a tented wedding at the Roaring Fork Club. Kate exceeded our expectations tenfold. We couldn’t have been more impressed by her responsiveness, attitude and ability to not only keep up with our constant requests, but also her ability to execute above and beyond our every vision.
While I had a vision for each of the events, Kate took my ideas to another level. She pays attention to both the details and the overall ambiance of events, truly making it an extraordinary guest experience. One of my favorite memories was walking into each venue, and having to catch my breath because of how beautiful the presentation was-literally.

Our guests raved and continue to rave about how creative, well thought-out and beautifully designed our wedding weekend was. While I love taking the compliments, I owe them all to Kate.

After the wedding was over, I told her that I was going to miss seeing her daily emails(true story)…and I do! She is SO sweet, thoughtful and sensitive to a bride, which is something to consider when choosing a wedding planner. Ultimately, I gained a long-time friend, who I absolutely adore. I would recommend her to anyone who wants a perfect wedding, and sometimes more importantly, to those brides who want that perfect wedding planning process.”

“My husband and I are proud Texans who decided to have a destination wedding in the beautiful state of Colorado. We knew there was no way we’d be able to plan our perfect wedding by ourselves, considering we’d be planning everything from a different state! We began to ask around the Aspen area who the best planner in Colorado was, and every single person told us we’d be crazy not to use Gold Leaf Event Design and Production! Boy were they right! These girls were more than prepared before we even had our first conversation. Our situation was unique in that we did plan from afar, but Gold Leaf did an incredible job at communicating in every form - From texts, to phone calls, to Pinterest boards, to Instagram! During our engagement I was finishing up school at Texas A&M, beginning my Student Teaching, moving to a new town, graduating, and planning a wedding. In other words, I had A LOT going on. However, at no point during this time did I feel stressed from the wedding, and that’s because I was working with Gold Leaf Event. Their professionalism, responsiveness, and overall quality of service was more than incredible. Not to mention, they’re as sweet and as cute as can be! Thanks to these girls, our wedding weekend was absolutely perfect!”

“When it comes to party planning, I have no experience or talent in the area. I worked with Kate to plan this engagement party for my sister. I could not have been happier with the results! She came up with such outstanding ideas for the event from start to finish. She was able to put a creative touch on every aspect of the party, which really personalized it for my sister and her new fiancé. Everyone had such a great time at the event, I was so happy with Kate for making it so special!”

“Excellent taste and professionalism. The event went exactly as hoped for.”

“Working with Chelsea was absolutely fantastic! There are so many decisions that go into a wedding and she and Gold Leaf Event helped make all of these so manageable. Every single vendor that she recommended was incredible— the officiant was phenomenal, the rooms were beautifully decorated, the food was ridiculous delicious. The day itself went off without a hitch and everyone— including my father and some family members who only dance once every fifteen years— danced the night away.”

“Kate, Chelsea and Claire were absolutely the most amazing wedding planners that I could have ever hoped to find for our destination wedding in Aspen at the lovey Sky Hotel. They thought of every detail imaginable and made our day the most special of our lives. I cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience with each of them. They are a fabulous team, and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with them. Five Star all the way!!!!”

“Chelsea made my dream wedding a reality. I cannot say enough about her professionalism, experience, and punctuality. When planning a wedding it is easy to get caught up in the pretty ribbons or this dress vs. that dress but Chelsea helped me stick to a timeline and on the day of she took care of the rest. I would recommend her and Gold Leaf Events to anyone who asks. My experience was simply the best. Thank you for your hard work!”

“Chelsea, Kate, and the whole team at Gold Leaf are just exceptional!! They were so helpful in getting us set up with some incredible vendors and walking us through the entire process. Having someone in Aspen to give us tips and suggestions was so valuable. The day-of was flawless and someone was always on hand to help out with whatever we needed. The GLE ladies are all super sweet and were willing to meet with us as much as possible just to make me feel at ease about the day. I’m a major perfectionist and serial planner so a little reassurance was perfect for me.”

“Kate and Chelsea were such a pleasure to work with! They made our destination wedding in Aspen a complete success. Our guests have not stopped raving over how amazing this weekend was. If you’re looking for a professional, energetic, and capable team, definitely do yourself a favor and at least meet with them. We could never have imagined that our wedding would turn out the way it did. Thanks ladies!”

“I absolutely loved working with Kate on my wedding in Aspen. She went above and beyond to make sure it was an amazing event. And it truly turned out perfectly. She kept me on top of important dates and deadlines and made sure everything was organized. It was a complicated venue (at the top of Aspen Mountain – The Sundeck) and what could have been difficult for guests and us ended up being flawless. The best part is we didn’t lift a finger or stress about a single detail the whole event so we were actually able to enjoy it! Our families and friends still rave about it. When we learned that our DJ wasn’t quite what we had hoped for just two weeks before the event, Kate recommended a DJ who she knew well and got us a great deal. The new DJ turned out to be a huge hit and several friends have already asked us for his contact information! She knew what we wanted and he ended up being perfect for it. Kate was also just an absolute pleasure to work with. She is kind and caring and friendly and we really enjoyed her! She’s also hip and stylish and knows what works well together and has great recommendations and great taste.”

“Since this was a destination wedding with guests from various countries, it was a perfect suggestion to hold it in Palm Beach, Florida. There was easy access to airports and the transportation Kate provided made it unnecessary for our guests to rent cars. Kate’s suggestions for venues were spot on, as were the variety of activities all weekend. Everyone was made to feel welcome and like they were on a tropical island. From the casual meet and greet at Key Lime Restaurant to the black tie affair at the Ritz Carlton, we were treated to unforgettable experiences. The detail at the church, the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding reception were above and beyond our expectations. Our guests were entertained by flame twirlers while delighting in delicious hors d’oeurves and thirst quenching cocktails surrounded by the ocean, the pool and trellises of colorful flowers before being ushered into the most beautiful ballroom we had ever seen. We truly felt like we were in a palace. Kate’s suggestion for a band was also perfect. The dance floor was packed all night long. The end of the evening desserts and delicacies hit the spot too. Kate thought of absolutely everything. We were truly guests at our own wedding. She handled all of the details and we relied on her for all of the choices we made. The linens, tables, flowers, etc. all exceeded our expectations. Our guests are still talking about our special weekend. I can’t wait to see what she has in mind for my other daughters when they are getting married!”