Event-Planning is a Lifestyle

Event-Planning is a Lifestyle
Words by Lucy Graves
Photos by Dagnushka
Inspired by legendary fashion houses like Chanel and Hermès, Cassie LaMere is the queen of event-planning. She is constantly educating herself on fresh design concepts, inspiring new ideas for her work. 

“An event is a living breathing thing,” said LaMere. The sheer amount of detail that goes into every room, corner, and place setting does not go unnoticed. Incredibly personalized and beautiful, LaMere’s events transcends what is expected.

“I always joke, but it's true that I was born ready to entertain,” said LaMere. From a very young age, she would set the table for dinner and craft a menu, designing an experience for her family at home. “I just had this desire for everything to be a special occasion—to have that element of celebration, and for everything to just be a big deal,” said LaMere. The design process for her is intuitive, innate and within her own natural skillset. 

It’s more than a business, it’s a lifestyle. That’s why she started her own firm, Cassie LaMere Events, a dedicated event-planning business homing in on custom events, experiential and unparalleled. 

Her designs are deeply inspired from years of traveling and curating textiles, fashion, and architecture. 

“I'm always filing away ideas and concepts and inspiration. And I never really know where they're going to present themselves, but there ultimately ends up being an opportunity where it's the right fit,” said LaMere.

Even as small as a wall she took a photo of in the Cayman Islands, LaMere will never fail to pay attention to her surroundings and draw inspiration from the colorful life around her. It’s what makes her events as individual and unrepeatable as they are. 

“We are also constantly immersing ourselves in those experiences and studying those industries to bring our clients like the ultimate event experience,” said LaMere.

Her events can have hints of vintage procured items, textiles from a recent runway show, and well-thought-out patterns from different periods or moments in time. “I'm relentless in that pursuit until I know it's exactly how I want it,” said LaMere, who sometimes spends months in vintage stores searching for the perfect accent to complete a piece of the puzzle.

What sets Cassie LaMere events apart from others is their process from beginning to end. “We don't approach events from like a formulaic standpoint,” said LaMere. It’s very easy to fall in the pattern of what you think an event should look like, but LaMere takes a step back and asks thought-provoking questions about purpose, experience and intention. Her events are always centered around hospitality and making guests feel cared for, no matter the cost.

“We want to reduce any areas of confusion or stress or anxiety,” said LaMere. “We want to anticipate needs and allow people to really kind of just soak in and enjoy the experience and not be worried about why their water glass hasn't been refilled.”

LaMere thinks one common mistake is how an event will end at 10 p.m. when there is always more to do. “There's still an opportunity to further extend that experience and that emotion that people receive after, whether you send them home with something or you follow up a few days later,” said LaMere.

An example of the kind of hospitality they provide can be shown in their deep personalization of all parts of an event. “We had a guest at a multi-day event that we knew did yoga every morning. And so, there was an area that we set aside specifically for them to be able to do yoga every morning and had mats on site,” said LaMere. 

The thoughtfulness creates an incredible experience for any guest because everyone is carefully considered and tailored to. “A lot of the items that are present at an event have been created specifically for that client. So, there is an individuality and an exclusivity that is important that to us, and also to our client,” said LaMere.

Experience, inspiration, fashion, creativity and delivery all work together to create seamless, hand-picked events from Cassie LaMere and her team. She also writes a blog with tips and advice about event-planning from home. 

The extensive dedication and time LaMere brings to every project is the reason for her success and why her events are so appealing. Learn more on her website.