Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristana Zivic.
Hi Kristana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always loved hosting, designing, and had an eye for the little details. When I decided to pursue a career in the wedding industry I started trying to learn as much as I could about weddings as a whole. That means not just from the planner’s perspective, but other vendors as well. I worked at a hotel, assisted photographers, floral designers, and of course other established planners. It gave me so much respect for everyone’s contribution to making a wedding come to life and made me understand how important it is as a planner to create the ideal situation for your vendors to shine. When I worked for other companies I learned so many things I did want to do and didn’t want to do when I started my own business. Everyone is so different in what their ideal wedding looks like, what their ideal couple looks like, and how they will shape the experience for them. I started getting a real grasp on who I was going to be as a planner and how I was going to be different from the other amazing planners in the industry. I have always been someone that needs to know it ALL to jump in. I don’t want to wing it. I want to have all my ducks in a row before I commit to something. So prior to starting my business I not only wanted the hands on experience but I wanted to also learn as much as I could academically. I took multiple planning courses, attended seminars, and I also got my certificate from SDSU in Meetings & Events. The combination of the things I learned about events on paper while also experiencing them first hand is what made me feel like I was finally ready to start my own business and truly be a valuable resource for my future couples and vendors.
My first weddings on my own were in 2014 and I remember being so excited to finally put everything I learned into practice. My goal for my business was to be crazy detailed but to also make sure it always remained personal. I wanted my clients to know they could trust me with the planning, but also could feel comfortable sharing this incredibly intimate moment in their life with me. I want them to know we are working together but feel as though we are friends. My business has just grown and grown, but still I feel my favorite part of this journey is the amazing connections I make with my couples.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s definitely been some struggles here and there, which is to be expected when starting your own business. I feel that with every wedding, I learn something new. Every wedding under my belt makes me an even better planner than I was before it. But overall, myself and my business have grown incrementally year after year.
The biggest bump in the road (that was more like a mountain) was the pandemic. I know the pandemic impacted everyone so it is tough to feel as though our industry struggled the most, but it was brutal. In 2020 my first wedding of the year was supposed to be 3 weeks after the shutdown. That started a string of cancellations and postponements that would eventually wipe out my calendar for the entire year and half of 2021. It was hard because as the planner you are communicating with the vendors, moving dates multiple times, trying to discuss updates with your clients, managing things you never thought you would have to manage. The pretty wedding details were now on hold and I turned into more of a pandemic protocol liaison and plan changer for the time being. These new roles unfortunately were uncompensated, it was a default expectation of me and my role but it was free extra time I was putting out to everyone. Weddings weren’t happening, money wasn’t coming in, but I was certainly working hard! It was very emotional and I still had to be that rock for my couples while everything was so up in the air and unknown. I was constantly sitting in on city meetings getting updates trying to have any information at all to relay to my couples. Once the city came up with a plan for reopening, all different businesses were given a roadmap to reopen, but our industry was basically forgotten. It became okay to go to baseball games, work out, go to restaurants or bars, but weddings were not allowed to happen. Our industry felt like we were fighting for any light at the end of the tunnel so we could help ourselves and our clients through this. It was a very tough time and it really made me so grateful for these crazy busy seasons! When we were finally able to have weddings again, my year and half worth of postponements all fit into a 6 month period of time. I was also pregnant and it was an absolutely wild wedding season. I am thankful to have gotten through it and that my sweet, patient couples finally got to celebrate their love with their family and friends.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a wedding planner that specializes in a personal approach to planning. I have packages ranging from coordinating the last 8 weeks of your planning process, to full scope planning and design. I specialize in making my couples feel comfortable embracing whatever crazy ideas they have. I encourage couples to keep any traditions that feel authentic to them but do away with any that don’t. I am not here to be the wedding police or to change your ideas, I am here to give you guidance and tools to make sure your day is exactly as you imagined it to be. The couples that hire me tend to be the couples that care a lot about the guest experience and having an absolute blast with their family and friends. My ideal couple has goofy ideas, wants to have personal touches that feel like THEM, leans towards the non-traditional side of things, loves good food, and wants to dance the night away with their nearest and dearest.
When it comes to my business I would say that I am most proud of the growth I’ve made over the years that has led me to constantly be booking my ideal clients. I am proud to be loudly inclusive and to celebrate all beautiful couples and love stories. I am proud to still be friends with couples that worked with me 8 years ago and to often get referrals from past clients and vendors. I am proud that what started as an idea turned into my career and a business of my own. I am proud that I have been able to combine my love of details and events with my love of people and connections to create a space where these incredibly intimate, special times in these couples’ lives are being honored and respected the way they should. It’s not just a date on my calendar, it’s their ONE day, and I treat every couple as though they are the only wedding I am thinking about.
How do you define success?
Success is measured by the gratitude and joy from my couples. When they share with me how happy they are, how perfect everything is, how grateful they feel it really makes it all worth it. Wedding planning is hard, wedding days can be grueling, but seeing it all come together from nothing and watching your couple be carefree and beaming with joy is the ultimate success in my book.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kristanamarieevents.com
- Instagram: @kristanamarieevents
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristanamarieevents/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kristana-marie-events-san-diego
- Other: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/kristana-marie-events-san-diego/515c6a38cd7d242c.html
Image Credits
Kristina Moto Photo, Shane & Lauren Photography, Ruff Media, Clove & Kin, Next To Me Studios, Spotlight Studios
