Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly White.
Kimberly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a wedding planner, I like to think that one of my most important responsibilities is simply celebrating others, and doing so with exuberance and intention. Hosting people and celebrating them is something I’ve always loved, probably going all the way back to tea parties I’d set up in my bedroom as a kid for my friends. So celebrating, honoring, and hosting others is sort of a part of my DNA, something I’ve always been drawn to and have found a lot of purpose in.
My education and background is actually in journalism. I think I was first drawn to wanting to be a reporter just to have an official excuse to be nosy and ask people questions. I learned to see story in everything around me, whether it be in relationships, places, recreation, music, even food. I love being out and about in my daily life, seeing something unique in the mundane, and thinking, “there’s a story there.”
And that’s what I love most about planning weddings. It’s getting a chance to participate in an incredible story – when two people decide to commit their lives to each other, and we celebrate what a big, exciting deal that commitment is.
I was introduced to the professional wedding world while planning my own wedding, at just 22 years old. My then fiancé and I were ridiculously in love, but we had no idea how to plan a wedding and quickly became overwhelmed and stressed. Thankfully, we had amazing friends and family members, found a gorgeous venue, and a community who really rallied, came alongside us and threw us the most memorable launch party. I couldn’t have been more blessed and blown away by the generosity of others in their wanting to support and celebrate my new husband and I.
And that’s when I realized that weddings are really special. That it’s such a privilege, something we shouldn’t take for granted in our culture, the ability to celebrate love, lean into something as sacred as marriage, and have a big fun party while we’re at it. So cool.
Building my company, Kim and Crew, has been such an amazing journey, and every time a new couple allows me to be a part of their crew, step into their story, and celebrate their commitment, that’s really exciting to me.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Building my company and growing within the San Diego wedding community has definitely been an exciting journey with twists and turns.
Wedding planning, as I see it, is made up of so many parts: design, logistics, negotiations, problem-solving, and producing. I play the role of decorator, mediator, psychologist, advocate, accountant, and friend. There are so many things that go into planning and executing a successful wedding – but I always remind myself, at the end of the day, if the couple is married and have smiles on their faces, that’s success.
I have to remind myself, and my couples, of that simple fact, that it’s about getting married, every time it rains unexpectedly, when the bartender hits traffic and is two hours late, and when the sage napkins turn out to be emerald green.
Things go wrong at weddings – it’s inevitable. Sometimes big obstacles occur, and sometimes little unexpected problems arise – no wedding is immune to a bump or two.
In fact, I don’t believe in perfect weddings.
I don’t think those exist and that’s not what I strive for, which is probably weird for a professional wedding planner to say. But what I want my company to focus on, and what I want to deliver to my clients, isn’t perfection, but genuine beauty, purposeful details, memorable moments and such a special day to launch a couple into marriage and the rest of their lives.
It’s been an incredible privilege, having families entrust me with their important celebrations, and I definitely feel the weight of that large responsibility. But ,wow, do I get a surge of energy and so much personal joy with every problem solved, each beautifully executed detail, and every time I can say, “Oh I have that random _____ (screwdriver, double stick tape, allergy pill, bobby pin, electrical chord) you can use”. I love meeting the needs of others and coming alongside them during such momentous days.
So no, wedding planning in general, and starting and growing my company has not been a smooth road – but it’s one I absolutely love and couldn’t be more thankful for.
Please tell us about Kim and Crew Events.
I offer a variety of services and always do my best to perfectly match my offerings with a client’s unique needs because no two weddings are alike.
Something I really strive for and believe sets my company apart from others is the storytelling aspect of event design and curating intention and purpose behind every detail. I’m incredibly passionate about sustainability and caring for the earth – and while I still have much to learn and many areas to grow in personally – I want to be an industry leader in equipping couples with tools and options to make their wedding days sustainable and less wasteful.
The average wedding produces 400 pounds of garbage and 63 tons of CO2. Weddings can be incredibly wasteful in so many ways, and I just don’t believe it should be that way. It pains me actually – to see couples investing so much money into these celebrations, but unknowingly vastly contributing to environmental threats.
But there’s hope! I love helping couples find alternatives, make simple changes, and hire vendor partners who are committed to doing social and environmental good. It’s actually not as hard as one might think – throwing a zero waste wedding – it just takes someone like me to put a little extra intention, effort, and strategy into the planning and production. It’s very exciting, seeing women choose gowns made from sustainable fabrics, having catering companies commit to rescuing and recycling foods that would otherwise end up in a landfill, watching stationary designers choose only recycled paper materials.
When we all join together, as a crew, we can revolutionize an industry, level up our celebrations, and make the world a healthier place.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Sometimes I wish I could go back and have my own wedding again, now that I’ve seen so many gorgeous and amazing celebrations! Excited for a vow renewal for hubby and I!
If I could start my business journey over again, I’d take bigger risks at the beginning, and not be as afraid to push boundaries and do something unexpected. I’d stop using Pinterest, definitely wouldn’t have read most bridal magazines, and instead would have delved more into heritage, history, tradition, and different cultures. This is something I’m doing now and wish I would have started earlier – pushed myself to design events that aren’t cookie cutter, but unique, out of the box, and really genuine to the people we’re celebrating.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kimandcrew.com
- Phone: 619-988-1168
- Instagram: @kimandcrewevents
Image Credit:
Jackie Batch Photography
Honey Photographs
Alyssa Brooke Photo
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