Bernadette Coveney Smith's Story

I’m so grateful for my wife Jen, son Patrick and the amazing couples that come into my life through 14 Stories. Being a great wedding planner is just as important to me as being a LGBT wedding advocate and educator.

I love really connecting with our couples and designing their wedding experiences.  We regularly plan over wine or cocktails, laugh a lot and stay in touch after the wedding is over.  I want this to be a fun experience for you, and if it’s fun for you, it’ll be fun for your guests.

I wrote a book Gay Wedding Confidential, built a gay wedding planning app, and am the expert blogger on TheKnot.com and also the Huffington Post. I’ve been featured on the Today Show, CNN, in The New York Times and more and I regularly speak about gay weddings around the country.  And recently, I launched a clothing line of suits and tuxedos for lesbian, trans and queer weddings.

When I’m not working, I love to travel, have long, leisurely amazing meals, and I absolutely love date nights!  I'm also very active with the Family Equality Council.  

But enough about me - tell me about you!

The Stories Of Our Team

JEN COVENEY-SMITH is my wife and the 14 Stories VP. Although Jen is not involved in the day to day operations of our firm, she is involved in all strategy and marketing. Jen also can be seen running around behind the scenes on your wedding day (we're a great team!) Jen has a great passion for ensuring our clients have the best possible customer service experience when working with us. Jen is obsessed with making things beautiful, whether it's our home (always full of candles and flowers and music is always playing); our son's nursery or the artfully arranged flowers at your wedding. My favorite thing about Jen is her huge, positive personality - she is a fabulous Leo - and is truly the kind of person who lights up a room.

RHEN ST. CHRISTOPHER is our New York Elopement Coordinator and Assistant Planner.  He spent his early days on Cape Cod enjoying the sun, sand and surf. Realizing that the beaches and lazy resort community only offered so much, he headed off to the big city of Los Angeles, pursuing the dream of being the next Vidal Sassoon. Rhen applied his skills as a stylist to women, men, and children of all ages and developed a passion for bringing out the beauty in everyone. Listening to his clients' stories inspired Rhen to travel the world in order to experience first hand some of the many beautiful things he had heard and dreamed about. After spending many years living in cities like Boston, Miami and L.A., Rhen found a home in New York City – where all the cultures he loves merge together. Rhen brings and excitement and a passion to everything he does and loves to spend his free time running in Central Park, exploring the wonders of New York City, or finding “hidden gems” in all 5 boroughs. On the laziest of days, he has an obsession with the Food Network and HGTV.

JANET BENZAN DUVAL is our Boston Elopement Coordinator.  She has been with us since 2009, starting as our go-to Justice of the Peace in Boston, officiating dozens of our clients' marriage ceremonies. We then asked her to take over all of the elopement coordination so she frequently is with couples through the often stressful process of obtaining the marriage license, coordinating flowers, cake and photographer and up until and including the marriage ceremony. Janet brings to us a strong customer service background, having been a longtime Delta Airlines employee. She is a native Bostonian and can tell you just about everything you could ever want to to know about this great city!

VICTORIA SMITH is our Events Assistant. Victoria, a English literature major at the Macaulay Honors program of Hunter College in Manhattan, has a great eye for aesthetics and is a quick thinker. You'll see her dashing around behind the scenes on your wedding day, by my side, making sure everything is super smooth.  Victoria has a bunch of weddings under her belt now and is a great asset to our team.