We are Joy and Mary, the owners of Something Blue Catholic Wedding Celebrations! After working in different areas of event planning and management, we decided to finally form our own company, Something Blue, LLC in 2018. We selected the name, not only because of the charming rhyme about things a bride should not be without on her special day, but because blue is the color associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary. With her being the mother not only of our Lord, but of the Church, it seemed fitting to include a reference to her since a new domestic church begins with each wedding.
Meet the Planners
Hello, I'm Joy, which I've been told is a good name for a wedding coordinator!
However, unlike many event coordinators, I wasn't one to plan social gatherings in high school or college. In fact, if you had told me even 10 years ago this is what I'd be doing now, I would have been skeptical. My career background was in Allied Health, so weddings were not even on the radar. Yet God has a strange way of pulling you out of your comfort zone and putting you where you are needed. First it was working as the Vendor Coordinator for an annual Catholic educational and parenting conference, which involved curating publishers and vendors that best suited the event, arranging their lodging and meals, and designing a convention hall layout that worked well for the vendors, the attendees, and the venue site management. Not always as easy task, but an enjoyable one, nonetheless. As I was finalizing details for my 4th year at the convention, I was presented with the opportunity to be the wedding coordinator in my parish and I took it! After that first wedding, I was hooked, but it would take 49 more before I sat down with Mary and discussed the possibility of us going into business together as planners. Having already collaborated on several weddings and receptions together, we realized we shared a common vision to focus on reverent, beautiful liturgies and really great parties for couples getting married in local Catholic Churches.
However, unlike many event coordinators, I wasn't one to plan social gatherings in high school or college. In fact, if you had told me even 10 years ago this is what I'd be doing now, I would have been skeptical. My career background was in Allied Health, so weddings were not even on the radar. Yet God has a strange way of pulling you out of your comfort zone and putting you where you are needed. First it was working as the Vendor Coordinator for an annual Catholic educational and parenting conference, which involved curating publishers and vendors that best suited the event, arranging their lodging and meals, and designing a convention hall layout that worked well for the vendors, the attendees, and the venue site management. Not always as easy task, but an enjoyable one, nonetheless. As I was finalizing details for my 4th year at the convention, I was presented with the opportunity to be the wedding coordinator in my parish and I took it! After that first wedding, I was hooked, but it would take 49 more before I sat down with Mary and discussed the possibility of us going into business together as planners. Having already collaborated on several weddings and receptions together, we realized we shared a common vision to focus on reverent, beautiful liturgies and really great parties for couples getting married in local Catholic Churches.
- My favorite reading for weddings reminds us "Do not neglect hospitality, for through it, some have unknowingly entertained angels". This is also one of my favorite verses from Scripture.
- St Benedict & St Meinrad are my favorite saints. They were both big on hospitality. You can see by now I kind of have this thing about being hospitable.
- I believe good food, good music, and good company are the heart of both a small gathering and a grand celebration
- Speaking of food, German is my favorite.
- One day I'd like to walk a small portion of the Camino de Santiago.
- My husband and I are the parents of three young adult sons and we reside in Indianapolis.
Hi, I'm Mary, the other side of the Something Blue coin. I was born and raised on the southside of Indianapolis as part of a very vibrant, chaotic, and beautiful family of nine kids. I spent several years in restaurant management, where I learned the never-ending joys and woes of catering and customer service, before transitioning into weddings. I met my own husband in 2014, and we were married on a very cold and wet May day in 2016. We've since been blessed with two energetic little girls. We love to hike, geocache, and cook together. My passion for weddings stems from the beautiful example of marriage that I was fortunate enough to witness in my own parents and I strive to give that same gift to my own children.
- On our first date, my husband unknowingly took me on the very same date my parents took for their first date!
- My favorite Marian devotion is Our Lady Undoer of Knots. Here's hoping she can help straighten out the tangles in my life!
- One of my feet is a half size bigger than the other.
- I'm an avid reader, especially of implausible science fiction and fantasy.
- I firmly believe in keeping a healthy stash of sugar in my giant purse to buy the love of my nieces and nephew.
- I love being Catholic! From the beauty and peace of the Mass, to my wonderful church "framily," I'm proud to be part of the universal Church.