When I first met Kristin from Natural Elegance, I was so impressed by her ability to seamlessly resolve issues in a way that the couple didn’t even notice they were issues. She was SO on top of things. I knew I wanted to get to know her better! She was sweet enough to answer a few questions for me to feature on this post. I hope this helps you as you’re looking for a wedding planner for your big day!

What made you decide you wanted to become a wedding planner? 

Before I was a wedding planner I was an Accountant of all things!! Accounting was never truly my passion, and after working in the field for seven years, I knew it was time for a shift. I started to explore things I was truly passionate about and wanted a career that would get me out of bed each morning excited to start a new day! I took the time to really think about what skills I had and what I wanted to do with my life. Wedding and event planning had always been in the back of my mind as something I’d totally love. I naturally had a lot of the skills and it would finally allow me to let my creative juices flow. It was truly the perfect balance. When I officially decided to give it a go, I went all in, devoured all the education I could, started my own business, hit the ground running, and haven’t looked back since!

What is your guilty pleasure?

I am 100% addicted to Bravo. Real Housewives, Vanderpump Rules, Below Deck, Southern Charm…definitely a guilty pleasure!!

What is something you tell every couple who is planning their wedding? 

I try to remind every couple planning a wedding to remember what the day is truly about. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the layers and dynamics of planning, making it SO important to remember that they are doing it all to become each other’s forever person. 

Tell me about your process when planning an entire wedding for your couple? 

Every piece of the planning process is truly unique to each couple and how they envision their day. I guide each of my couples through each step and tailor each piece to what they are looking for and how their wedding day is going to look. For example, when we go through the process of choosing vendors, we talk about what the couples’ wants and “must-haves” are in each category, and I narrow down and select a few vendors in each category that I know will fit them and their wedding well. The process is in place, but it is truly custom fitted for each couple.  

Tell me about the different packages you offer to your couples! 

Wedding Management – Wedding management is what we offer in place of the more commonly used term, “day of coordination” This package is more robust and will help get you across that wedding day finish line with more confidence and guidance. Email communication opens up immediately after you book this package. That means you can turn to an experienced professional for all those little questions that come up along the way. We’ll meet three times in person, starting six months before your wedding date. During these meetings, we will walk through your venue, plan your ceremony, outline all your decor, and create a detailed timeline of your wedding. When your wedding day comes, we are there to run your rehearsal, manage vendors, assist with decor set up, ensure the timeline is followed, and take care of unforeseen issues. You will be assured knowing that all the details of your day are handled. 

Wedding Management + Design – Along with everything in the wedding management package, we help you build a cohesive design for your wedding day. We’ll ask you questions about how you want your wedding to look and feel, and get some personal details we can incorporate into your day. Based on that, we create a mood board that will solidify a color palette and overall vision of your day. Once you’re happy with the mood board, we create a detailed design plan that outlines everything decor-wise including ceremony decor, guest tables, floral, signage, etc. The design will be visually appealing and share pieces of your love story. After the design plan has been finalized, we break down all the items needed to turn that plan into reality (linens, candles, etc.), giving you a step by step guide to creating your dream wedding.  

Wedding Planning + Design – Wedding planning and design not only provides you with the templates and tools needed to plan your wedding but an experienced personal mentor to guide you through the process. As your wedding planner, we are dedicated to helping you build your wedding piece by piece, exactly the way you envision it. Once you book wedding planning and design, we meet at least every two months leading up to your big day. The rest of the process is helping with whatever you need when it comes to your wedding. We help organize information, design your wedding, meet, select, and communicate with your vendors, oversee your budget, create your timeline, and manage everything we’ve put together the day of. 

When should couples consider pulling in a wedding planner or coordinator during their planning process? 

Honestly, any point in the process is a good time and the right time! If you hire a planner from the very beginning, you will get the most benefit, guidance, and support we can offer. For full planning, a planner should really be your first piece of the puzzle! We can even help you find and secure your date and venue(s). But, we are truly able to step in wherever you’re at, gather everything you’ve done so far, and help you through the rest of the process. For wedding management (what I offer in place of “day of coordination”, the ideal time to hire us is at least six months out, but we can really step in anytime before the wedding to help on that side of things! 

What if a venue already has an event coordinator? Does the couple need to hire a day-of coordinator? 

YES!! I wrote a blog post all about that topic here! A venue coordinator’s main focus is making sure the venue is in tip top shape. A wedding planner will work in tandem with the venue staff to ensure your day goes smoothly.

What is your favorite aspect of a wedding day (either to plan or to experience) and why? 

Oh gosh, this is honestly the hardest question to answer!! There are so many amazing moments throughout the process. BUT, I have to choose a moment on the wedding day. There is just so much joy on that day and I wouldn’t trade the feeling of seeing my couples so happy for anything. I think if I had to pick just one moment, it would be right after the couple says they do and they come out from their ceremony.  Since I am usually the one opening/closing the doors as they exit, I get to be a fly on the wall for that first moment they realize they are married. There is just this energy of total happiness that surrounds them that I truly can’t put into words! 

What are some of your favorite wedding trends right now? 

I’m totally loving on the pampas grass trend right now!! I am such a sucker for beautiful neutral color palettes and pampas grass just adds such a whimsical textural element, without being overbearing or bold color-wise. 

Here’s where to find Natural Elegance:

Website – https://www.naturalelegancellc.com/

Email Address – kristin@naturalelegancellc.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/naturalelegancellc 

Instagram – www.instagram.com/naturalelegancellc/

Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/naturalelegancellc/