That old yarn about the cobbler's children going barefoot rang true for event coordinator Cassandra Herschenfeld. She'd spent about six years planning weddings (including working with industry legend Mindy Weiss), but hadn't been married herself. "I was recently out of another relationship, and in a place where I was asking everyone to set me up," she says. Enter Ben Katz, the colleague of one of Cassandra's grooms. When they met on a blind date at a bar in Manhattan's West Village, "we talked and laughed for four hours!" she recalls. Ben, who works in finance, says, "she has this laugh that takes over a room."
A year and a half later, the couple were on vacation with his parents in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, when he surprised her with a proposal. "I didn't have time to get a manicure, so that's how you know I didn't know this was happening!" she says. Her parents, it turns out, were waiting in the next room. "My dad had been battling cancer for 15 years and just had a treatment, so I was shocked," she says (adding that he's since recovered). "It was the best trip ever."
After a year of planning, the couple wed under a century-old oak tree in front of 187 guests at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa on August 19, 2017. The weekend celebration felt like exactly what Ben had asked for: "an adult summer camp with a fantastic party in the middle." They incorporated many Jewish traditions and updated others—including circling each other, instead of the bride circling the groom.
Post-ceremony, guests assembled in a tiered herb garden for cocktails before heading to the reception area for dinner. A live band played, but Cassandra's father stole the show with a song he wrote for her, called "She Touches Rainbows." As guests headed to the after-party, individual slices of cheese pizza waited in boxes that read "I love you to pizzas"—a toast to their New York life and Ben's sustenance of choice. And no, Cassandra didn't hire a planner—she organized it all herself—but she did hand over the binder to former colleagues on Friday night. "I was having a panic attack! But I wanted to enjoy the weekend and be a bride."
Watch Cassandra and Ben's wedding film by Vidicam Productions.
