CBS Lifestylist

Catherine was such a blessing for us! My husband and I did not have the first idea about planning our wedding and would have been lost without her. I heard about her through a friend of a friend (I actually think it is Samantha S. who posted below) after Catherine planned her wedding. She had nothing but wonderful things to say about Catherine and I feel so lucky I received such an excellent recommendation.
From the beginning Catherine was organized, poised, and enthusiastic. We relied on her for most of our vendors and she did not lead us astray. We adored everyone she suggested. She works with you and respects your budget. She pays attention to your concerns and needs. She is responsive when you have questions and helps you make important decisions.
She really goes ABOVE and BEYOND. With the hours that she put in (between the repeated meetings with the florist, driving up to us and our venue, helping me dress my family members and picking out a fantastic suit and complete outfit for my incredibly handsome husband, and all the behind the scenes planning and coordination with our vendors) you know that she is absolutely committed to making your wedding day be as perfect and special as possible.
She also helps to command the room and the group when your family and friends are taken over by the excitement of the day. She kept everyone on task and everything in order. She transformed our venue so that when I first saw it I was completely taken aback at how beautiful of a scene she had created.
Our parents could not stop raving about her and everyone who met her was impressed. The vendors who we worked with (those she recommended and those we had found independently) all raved about her! If you want someone reliable who not only carries out your dream but also enhances your dream, go with Catherine. She is shockingly affordable and worth way more than her asking price.

This weekend we had a pleasure photographing a wedding, which Catherine has planned. It was absolutely outstanding! Catherine’s people skills are the best when it comes to coordinating all the vendors and making sure everything runs smooth and as planned. Her style, creativity, taste, and knowledge help brides to make their dreams to become true.
Catherine is an amazing person that attracts all the wonderful people. Even if you don’t need to discuss a wedding planning, just meeting her will make your day brighter!
I highly recommend Catherine for anyone who wants to have a fabulous wedding! Red Trolley Studio approved!

She got 5 stars because Unilocal doesn’t do 6. Amazing planner, amazing person! I would get married again tomorrow lol

Catherine is a dreammaker when it comes to weddings. She made the whole process of planning a wedding a breeze and alievated any wedding stress. She was so helpful with recommending amazing vendors who were within my budget. Catherine is also very accessible by email, phone or even in person. No matter the time of the day, Catherine always responded to my questions right away. Catherine has amazing style and is very classy, which was also key when it came to creating the vision of my wedding. Our wedding day could not have gone any more perfect, Catherine took care of every single detail so I could enjoy my wedding and spend time with all of my guests.

Cbs planned my wedding and we couldn’t have asked for a better wedding planner. She made the process totally stress free. On the day of the wedding she was everywhere we needed her all at once. And she is a wonderful person too!!! Our saint and savior, cbs!

I absolutely cannot say enough amazing things about Catherine. She planned our May wedding at L’Auberge and it was absolutely perfect.
We asked for a full service planner and that is exactly what she provided. Catherine has connections to all of the greatest vendors and her taste is impeccable.
Catherine gave us the wedding of our dreams and we only wish we could do it again!

Catherine is one fabulous wedding coordinator. She has style and taste and best of all she has a beautiful heart that is SO helpful when planning for a wedding.
She helps you see past the stuff that doesn’t always matter and helps you to stay focused on the reason why you’re getting married to your best friend. She has a beautiful spirit and heart and we are so grateful to have had her share in our wedding day! We HIGHLY recommend her! PS — I am a wedding coordinator here in San Diego and I chose her out of all the others to be my day of because I know the calmness she brings to any situation, as well as laughter and inspiration.
Thank you Catherine!
Love,
Tracy & Nathan Pavelka

Catherine was the party planner of our daughter’s Bat Mitzvah and we all agreed — the best thing we ever did — was hire Catherine, for the following reasons:
1. Catherine is connected to everyone in the city and therefore was able to hire the best vendors for the best price.
2. Catherine connects with her clients. She recommended the right vendors for our daughter’s personality. Catherine’s ability to not only connect with our 13 year old daughter but to make our daughter’s vision into a reality was amazing.
3. Catherine is extremely well organized and created a timeline, budget and agenda for the day of the event to ensure that all tasks were done in a systematic and calm fashion.
4. Catherine is calm. She helped us keep the party in perspective and knew when we should spend money and when we should cut back.
5 Catherine managed the day of the event, so we could enjoy the party and we had a blast.
My family is not one who enjoys planning parties, we would rather be at the beach or on vacation. We are pretty low-​keyed and did not want the Bat Mitzvah to get out of hand. Somehow, I don’t know how, Catherine made the party-​planning fun and not at all stressful.
Catherine is now planning our son’s Bar Mitzvah. It will be completely different then our daughter’s but exactly right for him and the venue is amazing.

Catherine Bachelier Smith has been my stylist for the past 3 years, and I can’t recommend her highly enough. She has an amazing sense of style and her look is always sophisticated, put-​together, and updated. I care about how I look, but I am a busy professional who does not want to spend hours poring over magazines and getting inspiration. When Catherine started doing my closet, I got to «borrow» some of her sense of style. She took me from a post-​pregnancy wardrobe slump to a place where I get constant compliments on my clothes. I no longer look at my closet full of clothes and think, «I’ve got nothing to wear!»
Catherine’s services are a bargain. When I first began consulting with her, I was worried she would tell me that I should go out and buy a whole new wardrobe. I was surprised that she didn’t send me shopping (in fact, she helped me get rid of some awful things that were cluttering my closet), but rather took what I already had and helped me create new combinations that I never would have considered. She also helped me figure out how to wear unique pieces that I had bought because I loved them in the store, but when I got home I didn’t know exactly how to wear them (so they were languishing in the back of the closet). She also helped me to figure out shopping «mistakes» I was making, like buying pieces that were too similar to each other (who needs 5 pairs of the same black pants?). After she was done, I felt like I had a whole new fabulous wardrobe without actually buying anything new. She left me with photos of about 40 different outfits, all combinations of my own clothes, to reference. The style was all my own and unique to me.
All in all, hiring Catherine is the best money you can spend on your wardrobe. For the price of a single piece of new clothing, you can get so much more style out of what you already have. She is a great teacher, and I have learned to shop smarter and to put my own combinations together from her. And working with her is a delight!

Catherine met and exceeded all of our expectations for our daughter’s recent bat mitzvah. After working with us on a budget, Catherine set up all the vendor meetings and recommended high quality people who actually performed. Catherine was cost conscious and kept the party at or below our budget. The «day of» service was exemplary, all we had to do was show up and enjoy the party. I would strongly recommend Catherine.

Writing a glowing review for my wedding coordinator is like writing a good speech at the wedding: keep it short, keep it honest, and keep it heart felt. So here I go…
Catherine was my wedding planner. I knew I wanted her the second my honey proposed. So, I called her, we agreed on a price and the fun began! She kept me on track, she lovingly listened to my wishes and my concerns and then she helped execute all the details required for such a party/​event. She offered great advice and all the while keeping my budget on track. She comforted me when I was nervous and was a leader with a smile. She helped me make the choices that not only led to a successful day, but a darn beautiful affair.
It’s now one month after the wedding and I can’t believe that (1) I’m married to my best friend and (2) we managed to have the greatest celebration ever!!!
I would like to recommend Catherine because she is smart, kind, and has great style. She’s awesome. xoxo

Before I get into it I need to say that I work in a creative field and my (now) wife Nicole works in the wedding industry in La Jolla doing hair and make up. She has literally been involved in hundreds of weddings. This is a long-​winded way of saying that we had very high standards when it came to our own wedding in terms of tone, style, look, etc.
We picked Catherine and the C.B.S. team because beyond being the most popular in San Diego, their professionalism, experience and creativity were second to none! In a very short time Catherine got our vision, helped us improve it, and started us on the way to what would be literally the night of our lives.
We had many meetings during the planning process. She always helped us enjoy the process and keep on track. She recommended and coordinated amazing vendors, all who fit the bill perfectly. The feeling that Catherine was there and had our back helped us stay calm so we could focus on having fun and being creative.
Nicole and I had a somewhat different vision for our wedding. We wanted it not to be just another wedding but rather to be a wedding that expressed who we are as individuals and as a couple. We wanted to break some rules, have some fun, be warm, be spiritual, be stylish, be silly, and take a lot of chances. Catherine encouraged us all the way and was absolutely instrumental in capturing our ideas, adding her own, and bringing to life an event that we feel, and many said, was out of this world!
The weekend of the wedding plenty of friends and family wanted to help, but Catherine stressed we all needed to enjoy the time. She allowed us all to be so in the moment we actually would forget what was next on the schedule. Our friends and family said we looked so peaceful, happy, connected and in love. We were allowed to feel this way because we had Catherine and her amazing team. We knew everything would be perfect. We could enjoy each other and our guests and Catherine and C.B.S. took care of the rest.
To be honest, I never really «got» what a wedding planner would add, but now I cannot stress enough just how important it is to have a great one like Catherine. Aside from helping us craft our dream wedding weekend, her team’s flawless execution meant Nicole and I didn’t need to worry about the gazillions of details. She took care of it all so we could enjoy every second. And we did!
Honestly, I personally expected to have fun at my wedding but I didn’t really think it would be literally life changing. We’ve all been to weddings and we know what’s to expect. The ceremony, first dance, cake cutting, dancing, etc. I thought that would be mine. It would hit all the marks and be memorable.
What we got with Catherine’s help was LITERALLY the happiest weekend of our lives. We keep saying we’ve NEVER been that happy ever. It was the time of our lives and we know C.B.S. has so much to do with that. We still can’t come down from cloud 9!
In closing. If you don’t get it already. We love Catherine and the C.B.S. team. Start to finish, top to bottom they were wonderful and we give them the highest marks. If you are planning a wedding and think you might need a planner. Guess what? You do! Get Catherine and the C.B.S. team now. Trust us!

I unfortunately I had a very different experience than the two other reviewers:(I wish that I could say I received the same fabulous care and attention that these newlyweds had, but mine was quite the opposite.
Rather than go on about my experience with Catherine, I think it would be better for you to see it for yourself. This was kinda of the last straw that I felt worthy of getting my feelings out — read on!
This is my last correspondence with my unresponsive coordinator:
FROM: Sabrina Schulman
Apr 18 (11 days ago)
TO CATHERINE:
Hey Catherine,
Why didn’t you let us know about Flutter Magazine
Thanks!
fFROM: Sabrina Schulman
4:56 PM (2 hours ago)
TO CATHERINE:
Hey Catherine,
Again, you did not respond to one of my emails. I find this to be rude an unprofessional. This as you remember was something I had to talk to Nahid about one before because I felt as though you could have cared less about my wedding and treated me as if I was just another insignificant wedding. You missed details, forgot things, and it really showed not only to my family, but other people that were involved in the planning process. It was an unorganized mess.
I contacted Flutter to let them know how very little you had to do with the planning and design of my wedding, even though you were sure to put yourself as the one who «inspired us with a tropical affair on the bluffs.» I made sure to give them the contact information for those who acutally made my vision come to life: Isari, Pow Wow, and L’Auberge (Krissie). I made it abundantly clear and was even told that you failed to respond to them when they asked to for a little «blurb» about the style and aesthetic. It is a real shame… Reputations are everything these days and I will be sure to spread the word to everyone I know from La Jolla and the San Diego area to not use Catherine Bachelier Smith when they are planning their special day. I sure know a lot of people that are getting married these days…
FROM: Catherine Bachelier Smith
6:02 PM (1 hour ago)
TO SABRINA:
Sabrina,
You seem to really need to get my thoughts across to you, so now I’m giving you my full attention.
You are very confrontational. You seem to really get off on being negative. So as to not support this bad habit of yours, here are my very (positive) sincere thoughts:
First, I’m so sorry. You deserve an apology.
Second, I had very little to do with this publication except to send them the exact vendor list that I sent you many times. I didn’t «doctor it up» at all. I didn’t make myself any more or less important. …Simply clicked a button on my end. Braedon asked me to send it along, so I happily helped him. Not that I wouldn’t have helped you: of course I would’ve, but you never asked.
Third, you probably don’t remember this vendor list because you never, ever, not once have given ME the common courtesy to shoot back a short «thanks, I got it» email during the whole planning process. Your implication of my rudeness is only matched by yours.
Quote:
«The things that bother you most about others are the very things you need to change in yourself».
I find your insecurities (feeling like your wedding was insignificant to me) very interesting. Why do you think you’re unimportant? Who told you this? Did you hear this at work? Home? You were and continue to be important to me. …in spite of your opinions of me. If we look at your behavior during this entire process I think you will see that you were extremely inattentive and even slower to get back to me. You were only active when you started to feel nervous about your lack of attention to details. This is a very common behavior of people (brides) who lag on finishing up details on their end – they blame others. How long did it take you to get me even the smallest information? Many many weeks. I am able to pull it all together, but only if you are participating in the collaboration.
Your curt emails to Flutter or elsewhere are a good release for you. I’m glad that you got it off your mind. I’m not too worried about it because it’s all about karma. I worked VERY hard on your wedding despite your accusations.
Last, I decided not to fight fire with fire the last time you wrote me a negative email. I don’t think this is a nice way to be. I feel so bad that you’re so unhappy – both with my treatment of you and generally speaking. I feel really bad that you seemingly have the need to grind this point. I guess what you need is to feel like you matter. Again, you matter. Period. You matter to me and I’m so sorry I fell short of your expectations.
I am going to try to learn from this experience. I did like working with you and I did love interacting with all your vendors, sister, mother and you! And I do think you matter.
Catherine Bachelier Smith
Wedding Coordinator & Wardrobe Stylist
760−889−3725-mobile

Catherine was a pure godsend for all of our wedding preparation and wedding planning. I cannot thank her enough! Her professionalism and the care she takes for all of her clients sets her above the rest. I had looked around at several wedding planners before choosing Catherine and can’t imagine having gone with anyone else.
To start, she was helpful throughout the entire wedding planning process and helped us along the way with anything and everything we had questions on. She was always open to answering all my silly questions and never made me feel like I was burdening her with all of the «small stuff» — etiquette, colors, shoes, you name it! She was excellent with style suggestions and helped to create the vision that I had a tough time articulating. She even came to the tux shop to help pick out my husband’s suit!
As for organization, she gave us a thorough timeline from the start that helped ease a lot of my stress. We always knew exactly when we should be working on details and at what point things needed to be finalized. She kept me in touch with a fanastic team of wedding vendors that she referred us to and made sure that all of the contracts and payments were in place as needed. Her vendors were amazing to work with and I would have been completely lost about deciding what linens we needed, how many lights were necessary, do we need to order chairs, etc, etc, etc without her.
I’ve saved the best part for last … the «day of». My entire venue could have been up in flames and I would have been none the wiser! Catherine has such an amazing confidence and calming demeanor that I never once would have even known if anything was going wrong that day because she took care of everything without ever letting me get hint of stress. It was wonderful! In the days leading up to the wedding, I was able to kick back and relax spending time with my friends and family — having put everything into Catherine’s hands at that point, I knew it would all be taken care of. On our wedding day, I never once had to concern myself with the setup and details. She handled it all so amazingly that the entire night went so smoothly. (And again, if anything did get messed up, I wouldn’t have even known! Isn’t that what your coordinator is there for??? To keep the stress away from you!)
I’ve spoken to several friends who have had a nightmare of a time working with other wedding planners. People who have hidden upcharges for working with their vendors so they can make a little money off of you. Nickeling and diming for every little thing that they help with if it’s not explicitely written into the contract. And ones who just seem to be MIA on the day-​of and not able to handle missteps. I would glady recommend CBS to anyone looking for a wedding coordinator who will ensure that your wedding day goes smoothly and is exactly what you had always dreamed of!

My wife and I hired Catherine as our coordinator after interviewing several different planners/​companies. Catherine’s professional approach and genuine attitude went a long way in both how she interacted with us and our families as well as relaying her established relationships with vendors. Since she’s been in the industry for years, she not only knows everyone, but has working relationships with them and passes on the discounts she receives to the couple.
Catherine’s attention to detail and the time she takes to get to know each couple’s needs makes for a personalized approach that allows you to not have to stress and worry about the finer points. In the end I couldn’t recommend her enough because of the sanity she helped us maintain while going through the extremely hectic process of planning a wedding.
Thank you Catherine, and please feel free to use me or my wife as a reference for future prospective couples inquiring about your services.