Celebrating Cape Cod
Cape Cod Life / September/October 2023 / People & Businesses
Writer: Allyson Plessner
Celebrating Cape Cod
Cape Cod Life / September/October 2023 / People & Businesses
Writer: Allyson Plessner
“Your Vision Is Our Brand”
With over 20 years of experience, Cape Cod Celebrations owner, Jamie Bohlin and her team of planners, have an unmatched passion for the wedding industry on Cape Cod and are pros at bringing unique visions to life.
“When I was little, my mom used to buy me the big, heavy bridal magazines—the ones with about 400 pages—for long plane rides to keep me busy,” reminisces Jamie Bohlin. It was that nostalgia and a knack for planning that led her to a serendipitous position as a catering manager at the Chatham Bars Inn. “I didn’t even have any event planning experience at the time,” explains Bohlin. But, two summers was all she needed to know she was enamored with the details and organization that go into wedding planning. From there, she was married to the industry (pun intended).
Now the owner and chief event planner at Cape Cod Celebrations, which she founded in 2007, Bohlin has assembled a knowledgeable team of planners who have a passion for both spectacular weddings and the scenic backdrop provided by Cape Cod. Her two senior planners include Stephanie Diaz Eldredge and Heather Rumul. “Stephanie is our master of marketing, she manages our brand voice and handles all of our social media,” says Bohlin. “Heather is my celebration coordinator. She manages all of our inquiries, our planner availability calendar, assigns couples to planners on our team and manages our internship program.” Both women, she shares, are integral to the business’ success as it continues to grow. “Owning a business on Cape Cod, especially one that takes full advantage of its surroundings, beauty, and history is really a dream,” shares Bohlin. “The wedding industry is such a fun, crazy environment to be in, but we all relish in the beautiful outcomes we create with our clients. We love seeing the vision come to life and the joy on our client’s faces when they experience their big day.”
Cape Cod Celebrations assists couples with everything from booking vendors and managing timelines to creating a vision for the overall design of the big day. “We love to build amazing relationships with our clients and it’s important to us to earn their trust and friendship,” says Bohlin. And, Cape Cod Celebrations handles more than just weddings! Bohlin and her team offer their services for events like nonprofit fundraisers, birthday parties, and even proposals. “It’s so fun to help someone find a unique way to propose to their partner!” adds Bohlin.
With over 20 years of experience, she and her team all have deep connections to the Cape and a vast array of close relationships with local vendors; Cape Cod Celebrations works as the main point of contact for all of the vendors on the day of an event, making sure the details are perfect and that everything goes off without a hitch. “We’ve worked with so many amazing vendors over the years,” enthuses Bohlin. “We always love working with an all-star team, and many of them know each other which always makes the day run more smoothly.”
Bohlin explains that her business offers everything from day-of coordination to full-service planning. “A lot of times couples will start by asking for help finding a venue and booking the right vendors, so we’ll jump right in identifying the perfect partners to match the couple’s budget, style, and personality.” Wedding planning can be both demanding and time-consuming, so Cape Cod Celebrations makes it their mission to take the stress out of the equation. “The plan is to only do this once,” says Bohlin. “Couples put so many hours into just one day of their lives, so we want to help make that day as relaxed and stress-free as possible.”
Like so many things on the Cape, the wedding industry can be very seasonal, but the Cape Cod Celebrations team works year-round to plan with their couples and to huddle as team to review best practices and find ways to better the business. “We find that so many clients have similar questions when it comes to wedding and event planning,” says Bohlin. With that in mind, the Cape Cod Celebrations team pulled their knowledge together to create an online FAQ for clients who are curious about things like preferred vendors, what to do when it comes to gratuities, what their timeline should look like, and more! It’s our “online goodie bag,” jokes Bohlin. The Cape Cod Celebrations website features other great resources as well, including a blog highlighting everything from gorgeous wedding days to inspirational cocktail recipes (think DIY mini margaritas).
“Our goal is that our clients wake up the next day having enjoyed the best day of their lives,” says Bohlin. “We love hearing that they had an amazing, stress-free day.” When reflecting on the things she likes best about her job, Bohlin is also quick to show her detail-oriented side. “I love booking vendors, picking out décor, and creating a timeline,” she notes. “On the day of a wedding, I love revealing the reception space to the couple before the guests enter. Their reaction when they see all of their hard work come together is the best!”
Bohlin’s number one piece of advice for brides and grooms-to-be? “Hire a planner,” she laughs. “But in all seriousness, it’s important to make sure you can really enjoy the planning process and then be able to sit back and enjoy your day when it comes.” What does it take to create a stress-free wedding day? To some it may sound like an impossible task, but Bohlin has a few tried and true tips. She advises couples not to compare their wedding to others, to trust in their own unique visions, and to start planning early!
“Cape Cod is a special place for so many people,” reflects Bohlin. “I always ask inquiring couples why they chose Cape Cod for their wedding day, and their reasons always make my heart so full. We’re lucky to live and work in a place that means so much to so many.” And for Bohlin, of course it’s not just about living and working but also celebrating in a place she loves—and what better place for a celebration than Cape Cod?
See more from Cape Cod Celebrations at capecodcelebrations.com or on Instagram at @CapeCodCelebrations.
Allyson Plessner is a freelance writer for Cape Cod Life Publications.