Listen to the Podcast About Kenzie Coordinates
Podcast Summary
In an engaging conversation with Andrew Dethloff, MacKenzie Barthold, the brains behind the brand Kenzie Coordinates, shares insights into her work in the wedding industry and her other ventures. MacKenzie, a staple in the Dallas Fort Worth area, has predominantly marked her footprint in and around the Denton venues working primarily with wedding coordination and full planning.
She expresses how she cherishes collaborating with family-owned businesses, mirroring her own business ethos. Her preferred venue, the French Farmhouse, has been the backdrop to multiple weddings she’s coordinated, including successful events with Felix and Fingers, hinting at her love for localized events.
Highlighting her knack for merging her passions, MacKenzie speaks on her unique combo of owning a direct beef to consumer cattle company named Barthold Bovines. She jovially shares how her husband’s job as a law enforcement officer managing security at many venues led them down this path when they realized they could offer a standout service at weddings – their Beer Burro service. This innovative touch allows guests to get served ice-cold beer by their friendly donkey, Nugget.
She portrays her farm life and animal-love vividly, mentioning the herd of Scottish Highlands, donkeys, a pony, sheep, goats, and chickens in her care. MacKenzie’s narrative stands as a testament to her ability to outshine Texan roles with her productive life since transplanting from Nashville, Tennessee, while successfully running Kenzie Coordinates.
Learn more about Kenzie Coordinates
This interview was provided by Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos
Podcast Transcript
Andrew (00:24)
Alrighty, so we got MacKenzie Barthold here from Kenzie Coordinates. How’s it going MacKenzie? Is it Kenzie or MacKenzie? Which one do you which one do you prefer?
MacKenzie (00:30)
Great. So
I answer to quite a bit. So MacKenzie is what, like my husband will call me, but everybody in the wedding industry calls MacKenzie. Yeah.
Andrew (00:38)
Okay.
I figured cause Kenzie coordinates, you know, it could be kind of a, but a awesome. Well, we got Kenzie Kenzie from Kenzie Coordinates, uh, as well as Barthold Bovines, which we’ll talk more about here in a second. Um, which is a really interesting twist to this whole story, but, uh, she’s a wedding planner, uh, and event planner out of the Dallas Fort Worth area. And we’re here to kind of talk about what you guys have going on over there.
MacKenzie (00:41)
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, absolutely.
Andrew (00:59)
Um, yeah, so happy to have you here. We tried to connect a few times and the world was trying to prevent it, but we overcame even today with the technical issues. Um, but awesome. give us kind of a snapshot or an overview of kind of what you guys have going on. Um, you know, the areas that you work in, what you specialize in that kind of stuff.
MacKenzie (01:17)
Yeah, absolutely. So I am actually located north of Denton, just kind of our home base. And so I will say predominantly most of my weddings that I either do day of month of coordinating or do full planning for are in those Denton venues and north. So I will say the venue I’m at the most is actually the French Farmhouse. One wedding, of course, I’ve done with Felix and fingers there, which was amazing. So.
Really love to stay local, really love to also work with family owned and operated businesses since both of our businesses are also family owned and operated. So I will say we love and use that, that have that special family owned and operated touch as well. But offer everything from coordinating all the way to full planning. And then I don’t, do you want me to go ahead and give an overview of Barthold Bovines as well?
Andrew (02:03)
Yeah, sure. So this is a unique kind of combo here where you guys also own a direct direct beef to consumer cattle company, which also from what I understand and correct me if I’m wrong doubles as a Beer Burro service at weddings and events.
MacKenzie (02:05)
Okay. Yeah.
Yeah, so my husband actually manages security for two venues in the area as well. He’s a law enforcement officer, so he would come home and be like, this was a really cool vendor at a wedding this evening. We live on the family farm. And so we just had these cows and donkeys and I was like, well, we can do that. Nugget, our donkey is a great people donkey. So.
just kind of started looking into it. And also I’m an animal lover from the get-go. And if I can spend an hour working with my donkey or cow that I love and also talk to people about her and serve them an ice cold beer, why not? So it just kind of really was born out of two passions kind of colliding and being like, we can definitely do that. But yes, a larger holistic overview of Barthold Bovine says, my husband married me the city slicker from Nashville, Tennessee.
moved to the farm and of course was like, we now have all these acres and we used to run just black or red Angus or Brangus. And so it took a couple of years for me to convince the family that we needed some fluffy cows added to the mix. So I did my research on Highlands and so now we have a herd of Scottish Highlands. And then I was like, but I think your mom and I really also want some donkeys. So now five donkeys, a pony, some sheep.
goats and chickens later and we’ve got the whole kit and caboodle over here. Yeah.
Andrew (03:40)
Oh man.
Yeah, no kidding. So you, you, uh, transplanted to Texas and are pretty much out Texas seeing all the Texans in the area. You know, you, when you plan their wedding, but you have a panel company on top of it. Um, that’s so cool. I love that. Um, I bet you my girlfriend in the other room might, might’ve heard that she’s been pushing me to like get, a more, a larger piece of land and get goats and, chickens. It’s like, I hear about it every two to five days. So, um,
MacKenzie (03:50)
You can say that, yeah.
down, down.
well,
I’m a bad influence there, so, because I will encourage everybody. Yeah.
Andrew (04:09)
No, it sounds great. Yeah, no, it
sounds amazing. But that’s so cool. That’s what a unique combo. So you guys even your husband is in the industry. So you guys are you got every every hand in the industry and one way or another. Very cool.
MacKenzie (04:17)
No. Yep.
Yeah, between the two
of us, there’s over 500 weddings that we’ve seen. So yeah. Quite a bit.
Andrew (04:28)
Wow. That’s amazing. Yeah, that’s, that’s really cool to
kind of have a partner that’s in the industry like that. Um, that’s the same with my partner. She’s a doing piano player as well. So we have a, we tag team everything. Um, it’s pretty, pretty fun, but, uh, okay, cool. So speaking of sort of vendors and stuff that your husband said he had seen and, uh, the fact that you kind of offer a unique vendor service yourself. Um, What are some current trends that you’re kind of seeing in the wedding event industry that are maybe less traditional or more fun or in unique?
MacKenzie (04:38)
great, yeah.
Andrew (04:56)
Can you speak to that a little bit?
MacKenzie (04:58)
Yeah, absolutely. I will say just holistically from an event, people are wanting their weddings to be more experiential and memorable. So large scale seating charts. we’re, seeing less and less couples steer away from just like, I’m sure we’ve all seen it, a mirror with like the pieces with the waxed stamp paper. Now it’s those more, more impactful, larger scale seating charts. So whether it’s the bookcase or, you know, something like
but vases, but something that really actually adds to the decor of your event versus, you know, something simple like a mirror. On the same experiential note, I will say we have seen a major uptake in just bookings for our Beer Burro this year going into 2026, especially the, and 2025, and even the back half of 2024 just saw a massive uptake.
From venues all over DFW, so I will say, and one thing people really like it from our experience with the Beer Burro, so we also offer a mini cow as an option for your Beer Burro, so you can have a donkey or a cow. For guests who are getting married in Texas, but know they have a ton of guests coming from out of state, the cow is a major selling point because it’s quintessential Texan.
So that’s what we see a lot of people wanting to ground their roots in their wedding from an experiential aspect. So whether that be the cow as a Beer Burro or craft cocktails named after, you know, places they grew up or loved in Texas. That’s a lot of what we’re seeing. From a ceremony perspective, live music, you know, typically it’s a lot of DJ. I will say live music now is becoming way more.
of something I see my couples ask for. So whether it be string quartet or piano, that is, or even unique pairings. like cello, violin and piano, just so that they have a nice mix. And I personally love that trend. Again, being from Nashville, music always has my heart. So really, really loving that trend as we morph in, but also just from a table and decor setting, unique things.
Andrew (06:57)
Sure.
MacKenzie (07:06)
being incorporated into decor, which I’m sure we’ve all seen on Instagram or TikTok, like fruit or full loaves of sourdough, the fun lamps, unique florals that you don’t typically see. So I will say couples are definitely moving toward the more experiential and memorable, unique one of a kind things versus, okay, everybody does bud vases and candles. They’re kind of switching it up and trying to make it uniquely theirs.
Andrew (07:32)
Yeah,
obviously a lot of the weddings that we see are people are looking for experiential because they’re already looking for alternative entertainment like dueling pianos. But yeah, I’d agree with you. think the I think it’s the age demographic that shifting of people that are getting married and there’s a just a big step away from traditional sort of your classic copy paste, know, wedding timeline and vibe and atmosphere. Which experience is a good word. That’s one of the things I always ask people what experience are you trying to give your guests? I mean, what do you want them to take away from it? So very cool.
So on the flip side of that, What about some things that you think couples should never do? Whether those are new trends, old trends, of cringe-worthy anecdotal stories you’ve seen, things that you try to gently guide people away from, or maybe some things that you weren’t able to guide them away from and it didn’t turn out so well.
MacKenzie (08:16)
Yeah, so I would say just thinking about how I view my role during a couple’s wedding is my role is to not just think about like, let’s say a DJ’s portion of it or just your officiates or just the catering or just the bar. My goal is to think about it holistically and how it’s going to impact your output.
So that’s where like some people don’t believe they need a coordinator or planner or we just need you to help us bring the vision together but then don’t need you there the day of which has been crazy. And I’m like, no, no, like here’s why is because your DJ is trying to have you do your first dance at this point so that they can get through all the dances and make it an easy transition to open the dance floor when in actuality you’re doing a plated meal which means people are busing. There’s a line at the bar.
You’re clinking and clacking. People are eating. People are talking. During your dances, you do want attention on you. So that’s where I do feel like it’s my job and my responsibility to educate couples on, we can absolutely do that, but here’s the X, Y, and Z behind why I’m gonna recommend we don’t do it and do it this way instead. What I will say,
A lot of things that impact timeline or just guess overall halo effect feeling of the evening is length of ceremony, which I know is crazy. But I’m sure you guys have also been when guests arrive and expect like a 30 maybe 45 minute ceremony and it’s an hour, like the hangry that comes out and then like that can turn an event so quick.
Andrew (09:43)
Yeah.
yeah.
MacKenzie (09:49)
But again, if we know ahead of time, like, hey, a ceremony is going to be an hour, because there are some, you know, some religious events that are truly an hour or even longer. That’s great. I’m going to recommend, okay, as people arrive, let’s maybe do a past app or something like that so that we can tide that, that hangry halo that as we know as vendors can be a very, very real thing. Um, yeah. Yes.
Andrew (10:12)
Yeah, especially if it’s outside, if it’s a ceremony that’s outside in the wrong months, the energy and
the mood you can feel sort of starting to shift in a way. So totally weird.
MacKenzie (10:21)
Yeah, yes.
Absolutely. But in terms of things to do or don’t do, a lot of times, and what I have experienced would be when to do a first look, when not to do a first look, because all of that also impacts sunset timing that people don’t always think about, or like if you have super, super large families that we need to get photos of, but you haven’t thought about doing the other things upfront before ceremony, that can also impact then.
Andrew (10:36)
Hmm. Sure.
Absolutely.
MacKenzie (10:51)
Because if we run too far behind while it is your day and I’m going to make sure you get any photo you want and we check off those boxes, your guest count is going to start leaving at 9 p.m. with an 11 p.m. send off because they’re over it by the time they’ve eaten. So that’s always my guidance. And I will say I’ve been very, very lucky with my couples. A lot of them take that and we execute on that. So those are few and far between if they ever happen.
Andrew (11:19)
Yeah, yeah, agree with that’s a similar kind of approach we have as we try to offer event coverage and guidance, not not full planning like you, but especially entertainment and sound wise from start to finish. Because people will often suggest they want to do a piano show to start when dinner starts. And we’re like, that’s a really, really bad idea. You cannot ask people to sing through airline when they’ve got like meatballs in their mouth or whatever it might be. You know, people looking over their shoulder. And so similar kind of thing, right? It’s like
MacKenzie (11:37)
Yeah. Yeah. And here’s why.
Andrew (11:48)
get what you’re you’re on paper this makes sense but in the actual experience of it to bring that word up again what people are gonna actual experiences it’s gonna be a little bit different so totally hear you on that one for sure okay so you obviously do the burro beer thing which I love I’ve only seen that a couple times in the first time I was like out there just loving on the donkeys and everything what is that venue up there have you ever done anything at a Bella Bella Cavalli event up there
MacKenzie (12:10)
not
it’s definitely on one of my wishlist venues for sure I do believe either they have their own donkeys or a lot of times so big city farms is another amazing beer burro company in the area and I know they’ve been out there so I’m always jealous looking at when they’re out there with their beautiful donkeys too yeah
Andrew (12:14)
Thank you.
Yeah, it’s really
hopefully you can get out there because they have a bunch of animals on site to including the horses from the Hunger Games like those horses that like pulled her with the flaming dress the whole scene, which are like magnificent. mean, it’s amazing. But yeah, big animal lover spot out there. But since you’re kind of in into and providing a unique service, I mean, what are some of the most fun ideas that you’ve seen kind of fun and unique stuff that you you mentioned, obviously, the Beer Burro is one of them. But I mean, I’ve seen some
MacKenzie (12:34)
Yes.
Yep.
Andrew (12:52)
Truly one or two unique experiences before. What are some that you’ve seen that you support or enjoy?
MacKenzie (12:58)
Yeah, so from just an experiential or additional vendor that’s maybe not at weddings all the time, so at least from the overall impact of your event. So I will say my daughter is two, but again, my husband and I are both in the industry and there’s already two vendors we know that will be a non-negotiable for Harlow in 20 years or 30 when she decides to get married. And that would be a dance floor.
Andrew (13:19)
Mm-hmm.
MacKenzie (13:23)
Just the impact it makes on the room and visually, also like people are excited and are attracted to it to come and party. truly like that little piece of decor truly sets an amazing vibe. And then also a coffee cart. coffee cart will be like one of our non-negotiable roles. Neither of us are truly coffee drinkers, but we always are at the coffee cart because they can usually make something special.
Andrew (13:31)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
MacKenzie (13:48)
My husband thinks that he goes and asks for an iced hot chocolate, which is basically just chocolate milk. So things like that. So in all ages, as you watch the people at your wedding interact with that vendor, all ages go to the coffee cart because there truly is, they can make something custom for everybody. Whereas another vendor may not be that way.
I will, like a dance floor specifically, or even your DJ. Grandma and grandpa aren’t going to be out on the dance floor necessarily, but they are gonna head up that coffee cart. So that’s why we really, really enjoy it. The other experiential thing that I have seen that I have loved is the audio guest book. Like wish it was a thing when I got married.
Andrew (14:31)
Yeah.
MacKenzie (14:32)
Cause then grandma and grandpa’s voice would have been on the phone and I could hear it and relive that, you know, same with other loved ones, things like that. those are really, really special moments that I love couples are doing. We’ve had bounce houses, we’ve had mechanical bulls, there’s been, you know, party dancers, you name it. Again, when there’s an endless budget, the possibilities are also endless. But I will say like a wedding with a lot of kids, a bounce house,
Andrew (14:55)
course.
MacKenzie (15:00)
can’t go wrong, it keeps them all in one spot. If you have the room at your venue, course. Mechanical Bowl, again, quintessential Texas, especially for, you if you have a rodeo wedding, well, that’s a no-brainer, you know, people who are in the rodeo. So just a lot of options and as a planner, love exploring those with couples.
Andrew (15:01)
Yeah.
Nice. Yeah, we’ve definitely seen some unique ones as well. mean, there was, and especially that budget. mean, we did one the other day. It was, there was silk dancers, there was fire jugglers, there was stilt walkers, there was party dancers. Um, there was something really unique. Oh, there was a candy bar, mobile candy bar is a van that pops open and it was just a candy bar. You know, it was, was, it was really cool, which I, that’s a big fun part of doing the event industry. You never know what you’re going to step into sometimes, you know, um, even being
MacKenzie (15:38)
Okay, yes.
Yes, the
extra dessert vendors are amazing. Like to me, like as a wedding vendor, I don’t ever eat wedding cake. There’s a few that when I know this baker brings a cake, I’m like, okay, I’ll try to snag a piece of that cake because it’s actually good. But for the most part, we’re around wedding cake so much, cutting it, like there’s not really the desire to get some cake. But if you have a donut,
Andrew (15:51)
Yeah
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
MacKenzie (16:13)
vendor that’s making fresh made custom donut holes, I’m for sure getting one of those. Cotton Candy, well absolutely try one of your custom flavors of cotton candy. The custom ice cream bar carts, Little Dippy is in this area, my gosh, to die for. So we’ve had Dippin’ Dots, yeah, custom Blue Bell flavors, you name it, I agree. The extra dessert vendors truly just are a hit.
Andrew (16:19)
Absolutely.
yeah, of course.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, always, especially with the kids to
MacKenzie (16:43)
Yeah.
Andrew (16:44)
So, yeah, unique vendors, super big hit. We’re often maybe not quite as unique as, showing up with live animals, but, we were, tend to be a little bit more of a unique entertainment side of things and totally support a dance floor because a dance floor makes our job so much easier. and not that it’s about making our job easier, but it makes the experience.
MacKenzie (16:54)
Yes.
Andrew (17:01)
a lot larger and all it can be. Sometimes some of the things I’ve seen as well couples, the decisions they make, they’re almost putting a glass ceiling on their own experience a little bit by some of the things that they they combine or some of the timelines they insist on. So it’s a tricky thing to kind of guide somebody on such a big day because you want it to be there. There’s of course, but then again, somebody like you is there for a reason, right? You know, to bring your expertise and your knowledge and most people have seen a couple of weddings, maybe a handful, but
others, of course, in the industry have seen hundreds, right, or been a part of hundreds or thousands. So, very cool. so you originally were working at a venue and you went full time on your own. think you said in 2019, right?
MacKenzie (17:38)
Yes.
Andrew (17:38)
Cool. so how was that experience? mean, What did you have any advice that you might offer to somebody trying to get into the industry, whether that was working part time as an assistant planner at a venue or starting their own business or anything like that? Maybe some things that you wished that you had known at that time that you know now.
MacKenzie (17:53)
Yeah, and I will say I do think my experience was very unique in that at that point Daniel had already been working at venues for two to three solid years and he was seeing this all the time. And at that time I was working in marketing as well as social media for some really large companies in the DFW area. I’m also just inherently a type A person and so he would come home and say, hey, I think you could do this coordinating thing in your sleep. Yeah, I think you should try it. Well,
There’s always that nervousness or taking a risk on yourself, you know, because there is an investment there is I have to build a website. I have to start, you know, filing all this LLC paperwork and that can be daunting as someone who’s never executed a business like that before. So it was kind of also wanting to get experience under my belt before I fully launched. So I will say that is where I’m, it will be immensely grateful to both Whispering Oaks and French Farmhouse.
where the owners, I just started covering for venue staff when they needed extra coverage or, you know, Jessica let me shadow on a coordinating. She was there, but let me kind of take the reins. Truly it was more of like a mentorship at times. And I truly got to learn, but also have the safety net of like my husband can cut a wedding cake, you know, even though he’s the security officer, if all craziness happened and the caterer was like, no, I can’t do it.
Andrew (18:59)
Thank
MacKenzie (19:19)
I did have a really nice vendor safety net around me, which I know is a luxury not everybody has. So what I would recommend to someone trying to start coordinating or planning is get that experience from a venue perspective first or with another planner. I will always take someone who’s willing to shadow me. So I do get people that email me all the time and are like, hey, I’d love to come shadow you. Absolutely, come.
Like I’ll share to me, my motto is there’s always enough business to go around. I’m never going to gatekeep. Like I will, the right people will book me. The right people will book you. We’re meant to get what we have. And so I am always happy to share and learn from my experience, but also your experience. we can learn and grow together. I love picking the brains of other vendors. Like, Hey, how did you feel that went?
Andrew (19:57)
Certainly.
MacKenzie (20:14)
Was there something I could do better at? I love feedback. I will say some of the best feedback is from your DJ or your musicians because a lot of times from as a coordinator, I’m like, well, you guys know what you’re doing, check. However, if there’s ever that emergency moment or a pivot, it’s always those critical moments in the wedding where it’s usually you guys and the coordinator that need to be aligned.
Andrew (20:24)
Mm-hmm.
Absolutely, yeah.
MacKenzie (20:41)
Either the timeline is changing, the exit is changing, all of a sudden the cake is cutting, or grandma needs to leave but grandma needs to be here for a dance that now we all have to pivot. Just those little minutiae items that happen, that to me is where the learning truly happens. And you have to be quick on your feet. Everything else, while every wedding is unique, they’re all pretty the same. You all walk down the aisle, the bridesmaids walk in this way, the groomsmen walk in this way. Here’s where you stand.
Andrew (21:03)
Mm-hmm.
MacKenzie (21:10)
You kiss, you say I do, and while to me you’re officiant as your pilot during that moment. I am with you at the beginning, walking you down the aisle, and I’m here as soon as you get back. And then everything else again, we take sunset photos, we go to dinner, we dismiss tables. It’s all pretty boilerplate at the end of the day, even though we make it unique to you. But it is those minutiae moments where to me, that’s where the experience is gleaned.
Andrew (21:29)
you
MacKenzie (21:36)
And so I think as you experience more of those, you become more bulletproof.
Andrew (21:36)
Yeah.
Absolutely. Yeah. I remember the first wedding I ever did and it was a so nerve wracking and we, we, we understand especially how much a role the music plays and the timing of the music and the air and the energy and atmosphere. so thinking, being quick on your feet and thinking on your feet for sure. But I think the experience you mentioned from having those things not stress you out in the moment, be like, there’s a solution here. and that’s why I know me personally, but I’m sure everybody on our team stuff appreciates so much when a planner or coordinator.
is competent and on the ball, like calm and like keeping it together and playing it cool and figuring it out together. as opposed to like pouring gasoline on the fire, which can be a super stressful for everybody.
MacKenzie (22:18)
Well,
I also think a really great learning curve to as a wedding planner and coordinator is the truly amazing vendors. There’s a reason we all have recommended vendor lists. And like, as you learn, there’s nothing that is a better teacher than experiences, whether they’re good or bad. like, for example, in 2023, I had two wedding cakes.
getting car wrecks. You the family has like picked up the cake and we’re delivering it themselves. Well, Texas traffic is just amazing. And so they came in with a smashed cake and I have two dads that are like distraught thinking like there’s no way. Well, that’s where you kick in as the coordinator. You’re calling the florist, turn back around. I need all the leftover florals. You’re calling your catering company who should also be on the way and saying, hey, here’s the situation. You either need to stop or do you have everything you need?
Andrew (22:46)
no.
Mm-hmm.
no.
MacKenzie (23:13)
Again, I also have the luxury of having a husband who usually lives down the road or is coming later. So like, hey, if you need to go grab icing, go grab icing. And my brides still don’t even know their cakes came in in shambles the way they came in because by the time they went to go cut the cake or take the photos, everything was beautiful. So that’s one of my stories when everybody’s like, why should we pick you? I’m like, well, here’s.
Andrew (23:19)
That’s true.
Mm-hmm.
MacKenzie (23:39)
Two stories I can’t talk about or post about because my brides still don’t know. And that’s honestly the best, the best because I did my job.
Andrew (23:39)
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Absolutely. And yeah, we totally agree to the vendors that the network and the communication that builds because of being able to, I don’t want say delegate, but just basically trust the quality of whatever. Like I, this is one less thing that somebody like you has to directly worry about because you know, it’ll be taken care of whether that’s the cake or the, the, the music or the whatever it might be. Um, so yeah, very, very important. That’s why vendor recommendations are so powerful. Um,
ones that are are very grassroots and community and regionally based, feel especially. So totally agree with you there, but.
MacKenzie (24:18)
Yes.
But good musicians is one thing,
like good musicians. So that’s why I always get very nervous when everybody’s like, well I have a friend who plays piano or a friend who does violin. I’m like, what? Okay. Like if you want to walk in at a certain point of the song, like you guys are so great. You guys know, okay, well the doors aren’t opening. I need to vamp before I get to the big reveal part or something isn’t happening like it should. Let me waste, you know, like you can musically.
Andrew (24:32)
Yeah.
Yeah, that’s a.
Yeah.
MacKenzie (24:52)
be amazing with filler to order to get to that climactic point that the bride specifically wants to be in or when things are supposed to happen. The friend who took violin in high school is not our person. So it’s always that.
Andrew (24:58)
Thank
yeah. Trust me. I have that, I have
that conversation probably like once a week, once every two weeks. and it’s never, it can never be an outright no, right? Because it’s, it’s not, me. It’s not up, it’s up to you ultimately. but I have, I have crafted some very well put together phrases and information delivery tactics, to
MacKenzie (25:25)
Right, exactly, yeah.
Andrew (25:29)
to make that happen. Cause yeah, there’s always the uncle that wants to play the guitar or the, the groom’s men, whatever. So, it can happen, but it’s, it’s more like, I can’t hand over control of everything to this person, but we can shape around them. I mean, most of us came up playing and learning and piano, doing piano bars, which is people are coming up on stage and wanting to be part of it all the time. So we get that experience. Yeah. Fielding that and being able to kind of craft the energy so that it doesn’t get, you know, so totally hear you on that one.
MacKenzie (25:33)
Yes.
Lots of impromptu, yep. Yep.
Andrew (25:57)
But, okay, cool. mean, I want to ask what makes your, your planning service and everything unique, but I think a big part of that is the, is the Beer Burro a little bit. But I mean, is there anything else that you haven’t mentioned that you kind of try to bring to the table in a unique sort of way that might be different from, from other, other planners and sort of approaches.
MacKenzie (26:14)
Yeah, I am kind of a one man, or not kind of, am a one man band just in terms of planning and coordinating. So when you book me, you get me. You’re not getting one of five or one of 10. It is truly a one to one. I also have a 100 % open door policy with all of my brides. So like the second a contract is signed, you get full access, text, email, call. Now again, within reason for some of my
lower in packages but my full planning brides honestly, there’s been no one I have been working with that has taken advantage. Everyone has been amazing. I do also lead with what is most important to you is what will happen. So if it is what you want at your wedding day, that’s what’s going to be the most important thing for all your vendors that are working on your wedding day full stop. And it is my job to make sure that expectation is communicated and clear. So
Andrew (26:57)
Mm-hmm.
MacKenzie (27:09)
I will say from my perspective, just the open door policy recommendations, also reviewing anything that you guys are thinking about. If you wanted me to help design a place card, the table seating chart, I will say one thing about me is I’m always wanting to give my brides the best experience possible.
Like my bride and groom has a really unique seating chart and we couldn’t really find something like it to rent. So my husband loves this, but one of his jobs right now between now and June is to build that seating chart. So yeah, on top of everything else we have going on, we will be building that seating chart for her. So truly my job is to make sure your vision comes to life and we are effortless in that end up.
Andrew (27:41)
wow.
Yeah, that’s, that’s the creative element. I think of the industry a little bit. It’s not just connecting point a to point B it’s being at point a seeing point F and then figuring out what BCD and E are going to be to get there. And a lot of times trusting that you or your, your people are in a lot of, a lot of times your vendors will come through and you’ll be able to make that happen. You so I hear you on that one for sure. very cool. Well, let’s talk kind of some logistics about, your business just for anybody that might be interested. so how
MacKenzie (27:58)
Exactly.
Absolutely.
Andrew (28:19)
How’s your current availability looking? How far do you guys book out? Are you booked out for the year, the rest of the year? How does that kind of look?
MacKenzie (28:26)
So I only take one wedding a weekend. So once one wedding books, I am fully booked. Now that doesn’t pertain necessarily to Beer Burro, but for me as a planning and coordinating person and business, on a given wedding day, I walk an average of 25,000 steps and sometimes 10 to 15 miles. So my body is completely useless than the day after.
Andrew (28:47)
Wow. Sure.
MacKenzie (28:51)
So a bride who gets 110 % of me on Saturday, that’s amazing. But to the bride who’s getting the tired, sore, and out of commission McKinsey on Sunday, it’s just not fair. So that’s why I now do the one wedding a weekend policy from a planning and coordinating perspective. From a Beer Burro perspective, we’re only there an hour and a half, maybe two hours. So sure, let’s book a Friday, Saturday, a Sunday. We are open. We are booking into 2026.
Andrew (28:58)
course.
MacKenzie (29:17)
I do have a few availabilities left for 2024, right? No, we’re in 2025. So in 2025 and then 2026, I have a couple bookings for spring, a couple through November, December, but for a large part, I have at least two weekends a month right now still open into 2026. But yes, so again, shoot me over at Inquiry and we can always chat. And then if I am not available, I have a really great network of
Andrew (29:37)
Perfect.
MacKenzie (29:48)
coordinators and planners that are like-minded. I will never refer a bride or a couple to a coordinator that I don’t believe is going to give you the same level of service. So, but if I’m not available, I can always pass you on to somebody else. Yep.
Andrew (29:58)
Certainly. Yeah.
Yeah. And that’s, that’s
in the spirit again, of what you mentioned sort of that network of community and vendors, and there’s more than enough business for everybody. and it’s about connecting and giving people experiences as opposed to, competing for things. So, love that that’s, that’s why we do things like this and talk to people like you, because we’re trying to strengthen that. so that that’s the predominant sort of, infrastructure for everybody, including brides and couples, but you know, people in the industry as well. fantastic. so how does pricing and payment work for you? Is there a deposit?
MacKenzie (30:08)
Exactly.
Andrew (30:28)
What’s the cancellation policy look like? How does that timeline typically kind of land?
MacKenzie (30:32)
Yeah, absolutely. for me, once we book and contract is signed, so 50 % is due when you sign contract in order to mark that date as booked. The remaining payment isn’t due until about 30 to 45 days prior to your wedding, whatever we align to in your contract. So again, 50 % up to just take that weekend completely off my books, then 50 % remaining closer to the wedding date. So that’s…
usually a really big question for brides because everybody wants money now now now when you’re booking for a wedding so yeah
Andrew (31:05)
Right.
Perfect. Well, we have all of your, if anybody does want to reach out, we’ve got all of your social media and your contact information will be posted and shared with us. But if you want to talk to Kenzie, she’s got Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. I’m sure you guys have a website. you know, like you mentioned, if anybody, if you guys do reach out to her, you will get her, you will get Kenzie. You’re not going to get an answering service or a kind of random spinning wheel of who am going to actually talk to.
MacKenzie (31:20)
Yes.
Andrew (31:32)
So you’re the main point of contact for the day for the for the whole process, which I think is it’s powerful You know, it’s a powerful thing for people to see Well anything else you want to add Kenzie before we kind of wrap this up I know that you mentioned if anybody does reach out after listening to this episode you’re offering an extra hour I think of your beer burro service for the for there Was an extra hour or an hour?
MacKenzie (31:51)
Yes,
so we’re able to add on, so right now, if you book partial or full planning with me as a result of listening to this amazing podcast, we will actually do an extra half hour of beer burro service. So that means you get an hour and a half of service that will take you cocktail hour and into dinner so that if there’s ever any guests that wanna come out and while dinner’s being served.
We’re more than happy to oblige and we stay that extra time also to make sure anybody gets their pictures and gets to love on any of our donkeys or cats. Yeah.
Andrew (32:24)
Yeah, you know, to that to that end, I think maybe could you give it in a nutshell of what the Beer Burro service is? Because I think that maybe not everybody would actually know what that is.
MacKenzie (32:30)
Yeah!
Absolutely, so burro is another name for donkey. So beer burro, so we put a cute little saddle on our donkeys or mini cows and we work with your bartending team to make sure they have iced down beer or water for us to place in the baskets of donkeys, of our donkeys. And we’re all TABC certified so that as your guests come and arrive at cocktail hour, you have an additional.
quote unquote bar option for guests. You know, helps with line backup during cocktail hour and it’s also a super fun conversational piece during your cocktail hour. So we can serve bottles or cans. I’ve also done ring pops for kids, bagged snacks for kids, bottled water, which is always great, especially during these summer months in Texas. It’s just an extra water option rather than having to go find a beverage dispenser or a cup.
Andrew (33:12)
Nice.
MacKenzie (33:25)
Those mini bottles of water are absolutely amazing. Or mini cans of Coke for kids. We’re actually doing a kids party here in a couple months and it will be snacks and juice boxes and the whole things. On the back of Nugget walking around the party. Yeah. Yeah.
Andrew (33:30)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Nugget. love it. Gotcha. So
basically it’s, it’s a mobile bar, more alcohol usually, but it doesn’t have to be, but it’s on an adorable donkey that you can also love on and pet on and or cow and, and give love to as well. which is a huge hit for sure.
MacKenzie (33:44)
Yes.
Yep. We also have Rusty
the Mini Pony too. In case there’s anybody that ever wanted a pony, we can put a little unicorn on him. So yes, we’ve got a couple options up around here.
Andrew (33:57)
Wow.
my gosh, this is amazing. This is
amazing. So do you guys have a website or a dedicated or separate website for that service as well? is that on your Kenzie Coordinates site?
MacKenzie (34:11)
So it is not, it is a separate website, so bartholdbovines.com So again, tried to keep everything consistent. So Barthold Bowvines, can find us on every social media channel possible. And then also our website where we do livestock sales, our animal appearances, but also our direct to consumer beef company as well.
Andrew (34:29)
Got you. and I’m guessing you could probably find a link to the Barthold Bovines on your Kenzie Coordinates website. I mean, is there something there? somebody was looking.
MacKenzie (34:38)
We absolutely can. People just email me all the time and actually ask, so we just link them up with that business that way too.
Andrew (34:43)
Gotcha. Very
perfect. Cool. Well, thanks so much for talking to me. Go you guys go check out Kenzie Coordinates. She’s super local to the DFW area, Texas area. You maybe not from Texas, but we’re going to give you your honorary Texas Sheriff’s badge. It’ll be in the mail in six to eight weeks. You’re officially in. You’re out. You’re out texting me. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, no, thanks so much for talking to us. You guys go check out Kenzie Coordinates stuff. They got all kinds of cool stuff going on, especially nugget and
MacKenzie (34:57)
Thank you. Perfect. Just like a driver’s license. Perfectly. Awesome.
Andrew (35:09)
Rusty, Rusty and Nugget, the Pony and the Donkey. But go check her out. Hendrix the Highland. Wow, I think naming the animals would be the most fun part of everything. I love that. But you guys go check her out. Thanks for talking to me Kenzie, I really appreciate it and hope we can work together again soon. yeah, love what you guys have going on.
MacKenzie (35:12)
Yep. And we have Hendrix the Highland. So, yep, Hendrix the Highland. Yep.
It is. It’s a perk.
Looking forward to it. Thanks, Andrew.
Andrew (35:31)
Yeah.
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