Meet Kastina Morrison

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kastina Morrison.

Hi Kastina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Recently, I’ve been wrapping up my story into this: former theater kid turned event venue manager turned wedding planner. With that, what else do you need to know? I live and breathe productions, storytelling, design, and logistics.

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In many ways, it has been a smooth road—event planning has been part of my life in one way or another for as long as I can remember. My brain has clung to the ways in which I get to work creatively yet logistically all the time. It feels natural to me, and it always has, and if I’m ever asked if I’d find another job or do anything else, it’s an easy “nope, I found where I’m supposed to be.”

The challenge has always been exceeding expectations, and it’s important to me to exceed all our clients’ expectations. I do my best to hold boundaries and be realistic in the beginning so that as we get closer to their events, I can pull off an almost perfect event every time (if it’s within my control, of course).

I think that’s the biggest challenge anyone in the event industry can learn—how to control client expectations, be realistic, and say “no” only as a redirect to a different idea. The best event planners, the most seasoned, know how to do this. They aren’t actually “yes” people—they are creatives who know the form and function of multiple different ways a production can go and can guide wedding clients and event clients through realistic possibilities.

Thanks for sharing that. Maybe you can tell us a bit more about your business next.
Kastina & Co. specializes in wedding planning, but even more of our niche is “month-out” management, where I take all that they’ve come up with so far and take it to the finish line for them. I dive in, fix the holes, reroute issues, and finalize the plans in the final few weeks. We’ve also branched out into bar and bat mitzvahs lately, and we love the creativity of working on those.

What sets my skillset apart from others in a similar role is that I’ve come from venue management and understand what it truly takes to bring numerous crazy ideas to life.

For me, it’s not just about “the pretty” things—it’s about understanding weight restrictions on floors, rigging limits on trusses, food and beverage timing, and all the backstage things that need to function in order to truly make event magic happen. After 16+ years in the industry, I’m so grateful for all the lessons I have learned and what I can bring to the table for each client now.

What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The wedding and event industry is always growing and changing. In the Minnesota marketplace, we’ve seen a level of market saturation for wedding venues that we haven’t seen before.

Couples have almost three times as many wedding venue choices in the metro area as they did pre-pandemic. It will be interesting to see what venues can withstand that market saturation and which ones end up closing. I can’t stress enough to people to read their venue contracts!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kastinaandco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kastinaandco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kastinaandco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kastina-morrison-b04b5020/

Image Credits
Antonia Kay Photo, Dave Puente, Lauren Engfer, Kelly Morin, and Russell Heeter