MADELEINE KOJAKIAN, FOUNDER OF MADDY K WEDDINGS & EVENTS ATELIER

The team at Maddy K Weddings & Events Atelier has helped coordinate countless events over the past ten years, from anniversary celebrations to bar/bat mitzvahs and baby showers. There’s really nothing they can’t whip up into a fabulous soiree at a moment’s notice!  But it’s their passion for weddings that shines through. Why weddings? Well, as Founder and Creative Director Madeleine Kojakian says “Weddings are one of the most memorable and incredible days in a couple’s life and we take the responsibility of organizing that day very seriously.”

For many, if not all brides and grooms, planning a wedding may seem like a daunting process. But when you have the experienced and extremely energetic Maddy K team at your side, well, things just seem to flow a little easier and a little prettier. Maddy K is literally your one-stop shop for all your event-planning needs right down to catering! Which is why we wanted to introduce Maddy K to you, if only to let you in on Canada’s best kept wedding secret…

{THE BRIDAL CIRCLE}:  WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER YOUR LOVE OF WEDDINGS? WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE WEDDING PLANNING AS A CAREER?

{MADDY K}:  I actually really just fell into the field! I was working for a venture capital firm and was in charge of the publications division, which included web magazines as well as print publications. When I started planning my wedding, I discovered the world of weddings, and approached my bosses with the idea of doing a special wedding publication. They liked the idea and decided to dedicate one issue for weddings and put me in charge of the project. And that’s how I got to discover the wedding world! I was already doing events for the magazine, but it was more fashion-related events, launch parties, fashion shows etc. When I saw an opportunity in the market for wedding planners, I decided to grasp it and that’s how Maddy K Weddings was created and I’ve never looked back!

WHAT SPECIFIC SERVICES DO YOU OFFER?

We offer planning, conceptualizing and coordinating for local weddings as well as destination weddings.  We do not offer day-of-coordination and that is because I am extremely careful with what I put my name on. If my team and I don’t have creative control over an event, then we don’t take it. A Maddy K Wedding has to be styled and designed by Maddy K and her team in collaboration with the bridal couple.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR PROP AND PHOTO STYLING SERVICES? AND HOW THEY PLAY INTO THE WEDDING PLANNING SERVICES YOU OFFER? OR ARE THEY TOTALLY DIFFERENT?

I started Prop and Photo Styling services about 5 years ago.  I find it much easier and very different than wedding planning because you are working with a controlled environment.  You also don’t have the limitations that you would otherwise have with a wedding allowing you to get as creative as you want.  It is linked with my event/wedding planning services because it showcases our creativity and it also allows us to bring a fashion element to our weddings. Usually brides see the shoots we’ve done and come to us with those exact photos saying that is exactly what they want ! So it allows our clients to better visualize what they want.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE IDEAL MADDY K BRIDE? WHAT IS SHE LIKE? HOW DOES SHE COME TO THE COLLABORATION?

The ideal Maddy K Bride has been a fan of Maddy K long before she got engaged. She either has heard of us through friends who have gotten married or through different media outlets. I’d like to consider our agency as a hidden gem, a little secret, if you will. Brides get so excited when they discover us.  They become part of an exclusive community as you’re either a Maddy K Bride or you’re not.

We usually get an excited call shortly after the bride has been proposed to, saying we are planning our wedding and we’d love to work with Maddy K. That’s when we get to meet the fiancé, the mothers as well as any other relative that is involved with the wedding planning. It is at this point we’ll have to show the family why the bride is so excited about hiring us to design the big day and all other social events leading up to it. And we’re more than happy to do it! We want everyone involved to be as excited as the bride is! We usually get hired to take care of everything, the engagement, the shower, rehearsal dinner, brunch, henna and anything else prior or post wedding.

ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO BRIDES PLANNING THEIR WEDDINGS OUTSIDE OF MONTREAL?

Absolutely. We do destination weddings and service clients all around the world! The fact that I speak four languages really allows us to be able to deal with different nationalities and cultures.  Of course it also helped that I spent most of my childhood in the Middle East in cities such as Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jordan. Being of Lebanese-Armenian decent also really attracts brides to us from all around the world!

WHAT’S THE BEST COMPLIMENT A CLIENT HAS EVER GIVEN YOU?

A client told me that one of her friends, a well-known socialite who travels the world and gets invited to all the top parties across the globe, called her after her son’s wedding and told her that it was one of the best parties and events she had ever been to! She was floored with the details that were put into the event as well as the beauty of the space. She insisted on finding out who the party planner was, because she wanted to call and congratulate me personally. Which, I’m happy to say, she did and I was humbled by the compliment she gave me and my team.

AFTER MANY SUCCESSFUL YEARS AS A WEDDING PLANNER, WHAT DO YOU STILL LOVE ABOUT WEDDINGS?

I love the romance of weddings! I have always been that “romantic at heart” girl that used to write fictitious love stories in high school (cheesy, I know) but that’s just what makes me happy. I have an avid imagination and love to see the world as a rosy, romantic place!

I know that marriage is not a fairy tale but I want the couple to at least have ONE DAY that is their FAIRY TALE: Their wedding day and I am their Fairy God Mother.

HANDS DOWN, WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT LOGISTICAL ELEMENT INVOLVED IN A WEDDING?

Everything about the logistics is important, because I find everything is inter-linked! The rental company can’t deliver, if the venue or tent is not ready the caterer can’t set the tables if the rental company has not delivered, and the florist can’t do his or her magic if of course the tables are not set and ready for the flowers. Everything is intertwined and I would say set up schedule is EXTREMELY important, and making sure that all your suppliers respect the time frame allocated for them will ensure a successful wedding.

WEDDING PLANNERS ARE HARD WORKING! HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR ENERGY AND CREATIVITY TO STAY INSPIRED?

Every person I meet or get interviewed by asks me this question! It’s simple, you’re either a person with energy that has a positive outlook in life or you’re not! I think I’m just born that way. I am the type of person that gets inspired by the simplest things in life. It could be when I’m at the zoo with my kids, or when I’m grocery shopping, any little thing inspires me and then my imagination goes wild and I just find the perfect event to apply it to.

Although this is an amazing characteristic to have, it also is the worst because this means that my brain will never stop thinking. Even when I’m on vacation! I am actually on vacation now filling up this questionnaire, and I can list you ten things that have inspired me in the past hour: The colour of the blue water, a pattern on a bathing suit I just saw, and the list can go on and on… There’s just no rest for people like me!

WHAT DO YOU CAUTION YOUR CLIENTS ABOUT THE MOST? 

I warn my clients about making decisions too early during the planning process without understanding the whole picture first. Such as buying a dress two years or even a year in advance. I find styles change, and so does fashion, and when you have a year of wedding planning ahead of you, you will likely come across dresses you will love. The worst thing to do is regret a decision you’ve made. This can apply to linens, chairs, furniture, flowers, bands, invitations, etc. The important thing is to NOT RUSH.

I have a timeline that we follow, but sometimes the brides are eager to get things ticked off their list, so I just warn them and make sure they are 100% confident about their decisions.

AS A PROFESSIONAL EVENT PLANNER, HOW DO YOU ENTERTAIN AT HOME?

It’s extremely hard to entertain, because there are some huge expectations from friends and family.After all, they are invited to a Maddy K Event hosted by Maddy K! The pressure is even bigger when it’s time to plan my kids’ birthdays. I start small, but end up going all out! However, as of late, I have toned things down because I’m too busy planning for our clients that I hardly have time to entertain on weekends. The weekends that I do have free, I prefer to spend some quality time with my kids and husband!

WHAT IS YOUR CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT, MIRACLE-WORKING MUST-HAVE, SECRET WEAPON IN YOUR WEDDING DAY EMERGENCY KIT?

Double Sided Tape, the answer to all my problems!

WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE QUESTIONS A BRIDE AND GROOM SHOULD ASK WHEN INTERVIEWING WEDDING PLANNERS?

It’s funny you ask this question, because I just wrote an article recently about Top Questions to ask when interviewing a wedding planner. The article hasn’t been published yet, but I can tell you that these would be my top three questons:

1.) How many years have you been doing this professionally full time? Not for family, and not on the side – BUT FULL TIME!

2.) The photos on your website, are they real weddings that you’ve planned or are they styled shoots done for marketing purposes?

{This is an extremely important question to ask these days because I find that with the help of Pinterest, blogs and other social media sites, it is easy to create and promote a beautifully coordinated table, or room decor. However, it’s an entire other thing to plan a wedding where designing the look and the feel is only one part of the equation of a successful event!}

3.) Does the planner work alone or in a team? {It’s important to know how the planner staffs the event as well as what the planner’s back up plan is in case of sickness or faced with an emergency on the wedding day.}

ARE THERE ANY BRIDAL GOWN DESIGNERS THAT HAVE REALLY BLOWN YOU AWAY THIS YEAR?

I am a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of two Lebanese designers: Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad.

AFTER A WEEKEND ON YOUR FEET, WHAT WOULD WE MOST LIKELY FIND YOU DOING ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON?

Hanging out with my kids. Not much down time for me, but like any other mother, life      goes on regardless of the fact that you just finished a huge wedding the night before and you came home at the crack of dawn!

WHAT ARE THREE WEBSITES, BLOGS OR PUBLICATIONS YOU READ EVERY DAY?

I don’t visit wedding blogs or websites every day as I try not to be influenced by what others are doing and try to stay in my own little ‘Maddy K’ world.  I do however try to make time to feed my soul so I do my best to visit the site of Robyn Sharma – he inspires me and drives me.  I then of course read the local news and visit BBC and CNN to see what’s going on around the world outside of weddings.

IF NOT WORKING AS A WEDDING PLANNER, WHAT TYPE OF CAREER WOULD YOU PREFER?

Before getting into weddings I was in the marketing and advertising world. I must say, it is still my passion and know that somehow one day, I will find a way of marrying both careers together and making it one.

IF YOU COULD PRODUCE A WEDDING FOR ANYONE, ANYPLACE IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHERE WOULD IT HAPPEN?

I have never really thought about that.  For me, I love planning the weddings of my brides.. the brides that are so excited about the fact that they have Maddy K as their planner. That drives me and make me go the extra mile to ensure that they are never disappointed!

Now that I think about it actually, I would just love to go back in time and  have had the opportunity to plan my parents wedding. Of course, I wasn’t born then, but if I could do it, it would be in the mountains of Lebanon, with a gorgeous view, and it would be something that they both would never forget in their lives! {I know I wouldn’t forget.}

For more information on Maddy K and her event planning and design firm in Montreal, we invite you to visit her website and blog.