we love what we do.
stress, worries, frustration—Knot a second thought.
We have a passion for having fun and making others happy. Given these two things, it's no wonder we all chose weddings as our 'job.' Weddings are one of the happiest days of our lives, full of joy and tradition and meaningful moments when two families come together. Your happiness truly is our passion and reason for doing what we do. We are here for you—literally.
Distance is nothing.
Planning from out of state? We've helped brides from all across the country. From as far as California, booking everything sight-unseen, to be more specific. Communication is key and we can promise that you'll never feel alone in planning and bringing your dream to life. Although we are based in Eastern North Carolina, we are up for travel. If you want to plan a destination wedding somewhere else, we're all in.
experience is everything.
We've been coordinating events across the Carolina coast since 2010. Hundreds of events, of all shapes, sizes and styles. Our experience and knowledge grow with each passing day and we are proud to share that with you. Years of connections with vendors, every snafu and tangle you can think of has tried to wrinkle our best laid plans, and every weather condition the Carolina skies have to offer has been thrown our way. When it comes to seamlessly bringing events together, we've been called "perfection-making super ninjas." Nothing better than that!
Zena started her journey over a decade ago, planning events for the Islander Hotel and all Bluewater Vacation Rental Houses here on the Crystal Coast, gaining immeasurable hands-on experience. After a few years, and after the birth of her second baby, she decided to make a change and start her own Event Planning Company. Still managing events for Bluewater, but also branching out to other venues in the area. Zena was able to grow KAST into what it is today! She has a passion for having fun, making people laugh and is known for keeping calm in tough situations. Her team has planned, coordinated and executed over 500 events to date, of all types and sizes. At any given time there are five or six talented planners, coordinators and designers on staff and ready to help make any event just a little more....enjoyable. In her spare (haha) time, she enjoys relaxing at home with her kids, watching junk tv and traveling.
zena underwood
Founder + Certified Event Planner
our team of experts
Alyssa
Mark
Prop Design
+ Fabrication
Lead Coordinator
Alyssa joined the team over 8 years ago and quickly soared into the role of Lead Coordinator. She is detailed, organized, and accountable. Alyssa is a Montessori preschool teacher by day, Wedding Coordinator by weekend! She is a mom of two and when she isn't working, or if she isn't at Disney, you can catch her on the sidelines cheering on her girls at band competitions and sporting events. Alyssa is also a Travel Agent, if you need help planning that Honeymoon, she is your girl!
Mark has been working behind the scenes with the team for years before making the decision to join the team full time. His role is unique as he is Zena's husband and biggest supporter in her goal to grow her business. He is always there to reign in new ideas and bring them to life. He is a skilled craftsman and when he isn't working on our ever-growing wish list, you can find him enjoying a beer, hanging outside with the kids, or in the workshop.
Courtney
Courtney joined the team almost 4 years ago and came on board with prior Coordination experience. She is detail orientated, organized and always has a smile on her face. She is a mom to an adorable little boy and when she isn't working, she loves to travel and experience new places. She is pictured here with Shawna, another of our team members.
Lead Coordinator
real moments
desserts
gorgeous florals
Zena and her team are amazing! I was a Covid bride and had to reschedule AND change venues. She was a HUGE help with this very stressful situation. My wedding day was perfect because of her! Zena also did the florals for my big day - and they were perfect!!! I still look at pictures of my bouquet 3 years later because I was so obsessed with it. Zena is so creative and makes sure your flowers aren’t just a copy and paste from a Pinterest board - she really puts her personal touch on it while brining in your wishes. She just makes everything more elevated.
Basically, Zena is the best and if you’re thinking about getting a planner or a florist- she is your girl!
You’re not going to find anybody better!!
-Carly & Grady
"It was wonderful to have such a great person there to ensure we didn't need to worry about anything. We are so glad and pleased that we a had beautiful location and great vendors! Zena was a wonderful coordinator! I couldn't imagine the stress I would have felt if we hadn't had her there making sure our wedding turned out perfectly! Thank you so much!"
-Layla and Dustin
"We were thrilled when our daughter chose to be married on the windswept, sandy shores of Emerald Isle, NC because we live near the sugar-white shores of the Gulf of Mexico in southern Alabama and had never been to the Outer Banks. Planning a wedding for a destination that was 13 hours and hundreds of miles away was a daunting task but Zena was there for us every step of the way both before and during the wedding. She provided us with the names of all the vendors and set up appointments with them when we visited. They were all first class and thanks to Zena, we were able to give our daughter an elegant, magical beach wedding dreams are made of! I have a guardian angel and her name is Zena!"
- Robin, Mother of the Bride
Zena and her team were absolutely amazing!!!! She answered my absurd questions at all hours of the day and night and was so organized and on top of everything. She knew a vendor for every single item that I needed and held my hand through the entire process. She was so kind and turned out to be a friend through the process. We ended up having a tropical storm and a normal person would have freaked out but Zena helped me remain calm and come up with a seamless plan B. Despite the storm I still had the most memorable weekend of my life and I couldn’t have done it without Zena and her amazing team!!
-Jenny & Ferrell
"I think retaining your services for coordinating the wedding was the best decision we made. Even though it was a small wedding, there were many things that had to be handled prior to the actual ceremony. Your experience was certainly helpful thru all the organizing and planning. Thanks to your efforts , everything was perfect including the venue, catering, setup (inside and outside). Thanks again."
-John, Father of the Bride
Our wedding planning from start to finish with Zena and the KAST team exceeded our expectations. I knew from the day I got engaged that I wanted to work with Zena and her team. Even with an obstacle like having to change venues after 9 months of planning, she made the pivot easy and provided a variety of options and ideas and while being amazingly supportive!
We used KAST for both coordination and florals and I would use them again in a heartbeat! It was smooth sailing throughout the entire day of our wedding and our florals were absolutely dreamy. Do yourself a favor and hire Zena's team for a seamlessly beautiful, memorable wedding day!
-Olivia & Grant
"Zena is the absolute best! Her help was utterly invaluable at every step of the wedding planning process. We planned our NC wedding from NYC and could not have done it without her help! The day of the wedding she and her staff were like perfect-making super ninjas. They managed every detail to perfection. I can't recommend her strongly enough!"
- Jennifer and Robert
"I truly don't know what we would've done without Zena to help plan our wedding!! We were so overwhelmed with all of the choices and Zena did such an amazing job at helping us choose the best options for our budget! Our wedding was absolutely magical and I give Zena the credit for helping our day come together as smoothly as it did! You won't be disappointed in your choice to have Zena help plan your big day!"
- Fallin and Cory
We hired Zena to do the weekend of planning and the florals. Zena and her team did an amazing job. They made all the behind the scenes work seem effortless even with weather plans changing and last minute edits to make sure everything went off without an issue. KAST are true professionals and will make your visions a reality. They came highly recommended by friends and other vendors I am so glad we worked with them for our wedding. Additionally our florals were literally jaw dropping. We were is awe what Zena could make a reality. They were clearly a labor of love and it showed. You will not be disappointed with KAST for your planning needs or florals.
-Mel & Roh
We hired KAST to do the weekend of planning and the florals. Zena and her team did an amazing job. They made all the behind the scenes work seem effortless even with weather plans changing and last minute edits to make sure everything went off without an issue. KAST are true professionals and will make your visions a reality. They came highly recommended by friends and other vendors I am so glad we worked with them for our wedding. Additionally our florals were literally jaw dropping. We were is awe what Zena could make a reality. They were clearly a labor of love and it showed. You will not be disappointed with KAST for your planning needs or florals.
-Mel & Roh
