Katt Cothron was just 17 when she first heard the word cancer. I had the privilege of finding out how, since then, her faith and determination have kept her focused on what truly matters.
You have such an incredible story of perseverance and strength. Tell me about your journey with cancer and how it helped you hold tight to your convictions. I often tell people my life BEGAN when it should have been ending. I learned at a young age that life can be short; it can be hard and painful. Hard days will come, but by the absolute grace of God, good days will come, too. My dad told me many years ago, at the start of my health journey, that in the hardest times to remember "if Jesus could endure the pain of dying on the cross for our sins" then I could endure this pain. That single phrase has brought me through 20 years of working to stay alive.
I was a perfectly healthy normal 17-year-old senior in high school when I first started getting sick. What started out as a simple "swollen lymph node" in my neck turned into a cancer diagnosis. I had my first surgery to remove a softball size mass out of my neck in September of 2003 and over the last 20 years, I have had countless surgeries and other treatments all over my body. At this point in my life, I am battling the "aftermath" of cancer and treatments.
Some of your history in decorating is in the wedding industry. Can you elaborate on how your involvement came to be and in what capacity? I have worked in the wedding and event industry for nearly 20 years and still occasionally work weddings with a dear friend of mine, Emily Kennedy, who owns the Planning & Floral Design company Kennedy Occasions here in Middle TN. I started planning small church weddings with tiny budgets and worked up to working with some of the most talented planners & event vendors on million-dollar events! I have had the honor of meeting and working hand in hand with celebrity clients of all kinds, even a past Vice President! Nashville is such a unique mix of people and cultures, and the event industry is just booming. It's been an absolute privilege to be a part of it for so many years.
What made you decide you wanted to leave the wedding industry and start Celebrate We Will! How did you land on such a fun name? My husband and I spent quite a while trying to have children and we went through several devastating losses. The entire process of pregnancy and loss was extremely hard on my body. Once I was finally able to give birth to a healthy and perfect baby girl, my time became so much more precious, and events became harder... So, I slowly began working towards an idea that would still put my love of events (and celebrating) to good use. I liked the idea of still being able to help people design and curate beautiful event designs but not be involved in the set-up and working of the actual event. It all eventually led me to the selling of party decor products.
As far as our name...I hate cancer, however, it has helped shape me into the person I am today. It has taught me to try and celebrate life every day because even in the midst of all the bad, there is good. That is where the name Celebrate We Will comes from- the song lyric "Celebrate we will because life is short but sweet for certain" -by the Dave Matthews Band.
Tell me more about the business side of Celebrate We Will! Celebrate We Will is an online party decor boutique with a permanent store "home" inside Sisters WhimZy in Mt. Juliet! The idea behind CWW is to bring the highest quality party decor, including artisan handmade pieces & one-of-a-kind finds, together in one place. I work to curate the best products and designs into "Themed Collections'' that I then sell on our website. This way people can buy one piece of the collection they love, or the whole thing! I want to make the party design process easy on our customers! We offer shipping all over the US and free in-store pick-up at Sisters WhimZy!
What is your favorite event/holiday to decorate for? Oh man, all of them, haha! But probably fall/Halloween and Christmas. I love a fun (not so spooky) Halloween party! I think our Halloween lines are always so fun and my family has so much fun decorating with them. I love the whole Christmas season. It's so special and people just become so happy and excited to decorate! Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas morning brunch- I love the excitement and how just some festive paper plates, a fun napkin, and a festive coffee cup can just make it so much fun (and easier to clean up-wink wink)!!
For suggestions and ideas for your event, you can contact Katt on any of her social media (@celebratewewilltn). You can also contact her on and shop her website at celebratewewilltn.com.
"I often tell people my life BEGAN when it should have been ending."
"That is where the name Celebrate We Will comes from- the song lyric 'Celebrate we will because life is short but sweet for certain' - by the Dave Matthews Band."