Authority
Agree who can approve, who should be consulted, and who receives updates.
03 / Family & private officesMaeve Kelly Atelier
Working through
a representative.
A representative can make the first introduction and remain the central point of contact. We establish who may approve, who should be informed and how decisions should move before planning begins, so the family receives clear recommendations without having to manage the process themselves.
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The family office should not have to become the wedding team’s privacy department.
LESS MANAGEMENT BURDEN / BETTER JUDGMENT
01The introduction
Begin through the right person.
An executive assistant, chief of staff, family-office professional, or adviser may begin the conversation. The first brief can describe the occasion, approximate timing, region, and planning need without identifying the principals.
We learn the office’s communication structure before setting our own. The goal is to fit into a trusted system, not create another one for the family to manage.
02The workflow
Decision-ready, not decision-heavy.
Useful planning communication makes the recommendation, its implications, the open question, and the authorized decision-maker clear. It does not ask a principal to review an entire search history.
Reporting
Keep options and working investment clear enough for an informed decision.
Contracts
Route legal and commercial questions to the appropriate counsel or authorized office contact.
Escalation
Set a direct path for time-sensitive issues and privacy questions before they arise.
03The relationship
An addition, not an interruption.
The family may already have household staff, an estate manager, a security adviser, a publicist, or an established event team. Roles should be mapped early so the planning work complements those relationships.
Maeve Kelly Atelier leads the wedding-planning scope agreed for the engagement. Specialist legal, protective, and technical decisions remain with the professionals appointed to make them.
04Beyond the wedding
Hospitality for the family itself.
Family offices also use the Atelier for the family’s own gatherings: an annual family supper, a story evening with the grandparents, or a giving project for the next generation.
The same representative-led workflow carries into a year of private hospitality, with household counts and roles shared before names are ever needed. See the firm and family programs to explore a starting point.
Annual family supper
A recurring table that gives generations a reason to return.
Story evening
A recorded or private conversation built around the grandparents’ memories.
Giving project
A practical, age-appropriate experience the next generation can help shape.
Explore the year
Build a program and hold dates at /wealth/build-your-year.
DIRECT ANSWERS
What people ask first.
What should a family office delegate to the wedding planner?
The planner can own the wedding brief, creative and operational recommendations, vendor coordination, decision calendar, production integration, guest-experience plan, and the communication required to keep those streams moving. The office retains the authority, controls, and specialist relationships it wishes to hold.
How are decisions presented to a principal?
The process is designed to be decision-ready. A useful update identifies the recommendation, implications, working investment, deadline, and authorized decision-maker without asking the principal to review every search or operational thread.
Can the atelier work with existing advisers and household teams?
Yes. Roles are mapped early across the principal, family office, counsel, estate or household team, security professionals, publicist, travel advisers, and other appointed specialists so the wedding team fits within the existing structure.