bella&fern existed in Owner & Lead Planner, Katianna’s soul for over a decade. Through prior professional experience at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, planning, executing, and presenting at new student events that amassed well over five thousand attendees- she found a passion for events. From fundraisers to financial aid work study trainings, Katianna started her career handling a myriad of event planning responsibilities. When she started planning her own wedding alongside one of her mentors, Stacey Porter of Savvy Expressions, Katianna felt a golden puzzle piece slide into place. She had found her passion. Everything about planning a celebration of love was exciting- from selecting the right vendor partners to designing tablescapes…it was the most fun and challenging experience for Katianna. Inspired by her own wedding planner’s skills, Katianna began shadowing and interning for various wedding institutions while continuing her work at The University of Illinois. For years, Katianna would work on various weddings here and there while raising her young family.  After completing her own sister’s wedding as both a coordinator and co-matron of honor, Katianna decided it was time to take her skills full time. bella&fern was launched just before the pandemic…great timing right? Being who she is, Katianna used the downtime to network, study NE Indiana wedding vendors, and come up with a business model that would allow growth and change. Despite COVID restrictions, bella&fern grew in both business and associates over the last two years. Completing weddings ranging from 80 to 400 people with top budgets over a half a million dollars, bella&fern is consistently striving to curate guest experiences that meet the fairytale vision of their clients. Katianna recently received designation for International and Destination Travel event planning. As the bella&fern team continues to plan and execute events across the country- and globally- the hope is to have the honor of witnessing celebrations of love as often as possible!