Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Doss.
Kelly, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always wanted to be an event planner since I was young. However, I grew up in Sebring which is a very small town in Florida and the likeliness of being successful there as an event planner was very small. So, I continued the healthcare path in college and went into Pharmacy. I loved my hometown, but I always found myself wanting more. I wanted to get out of there and see what this world really had to offer.
So, one day I packed everything up and left all my friends and family behind. I moved to Miami where I met my husband and 5 years later we got married. I had continued the healthcare path during my first five years here because that’s all that I really knew but after planning our wedding and loving every single part about it, I finally decided to take another chance and started my company. Since I had no experience in planning besides my own wedding, I decided to do three weddings for free. I wanted to use those weddings to gain experience and learn as much as I possibly could. I asked my coworkers and friends and instantly found my three brides. From there it was all referrals, social media and being on the Knot that resulted in booking close to ten weddings in my first year. My company is just barely over a year old now and business is picking up more and more each day. I still work full-time at the hospital but hopefully, I’ll be able to take my business to the next level and go full time with it soon.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Overall, it’s been a pretty smooth road. The main obstacles were how to start up a business and all the legal pieces that go with it, building a website and networking. Luckily, I have a strong role model that I look up to in Olga Padron from Scribbled Moments Photography. We met when she photographed my wedding. I was really inspired by her business, growth and true love for what she does. She has helped me a lot with getting started and just being there to help me with whatever I need. I was also lucky to be invited to join a Facebook group of wedding vendors who are all so sweet, kind and willing to help always! I have to say that so far, I feel that my journey has been great and I’m very lucky.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My company specializes in planning weddings, but we can also plan birthday parties, retirement parties, baby or bridal showers or any event that you want to have planned. I currently offer three different packages to my clients. Wedding management which includes up to six weeks of working with my clients on finalizing all details with their vendors and coordinating their entire wedding day. Partial planning which I normally describe to my clients as full planning without the venue search and then, of course, I offer full planning.
I am most proud of my relationships with my clients and giving them unlimited meetings, hours and whatever they need from me. My clients know that they can call, text or email me at any time of the day and I will get back to them within a few hours at the very latest. I know that some planners only allow a certain number of hours within their packages for meetings and vendor/site visits, but I wanted to eliminate that barrier for my clients. I will always work each event as if it is my own personal event while trying to create a stress-free planning experience as much as I possibly can. I want my clients to feel how much I truly care about them and their special day and I want them to have the most incredible wedding day as I was lucky enough to have.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was always super crafty. My Dad and I used to spend a lot of time doing arts and crafts including fun classes at Lowe’s on the weekends. I loved learning how to do anything and everything from building stuff including computers to learning about cars. I knew how to change my own oil by the time I was 16 years old and I used to go around trying to install CD writable drives on my family members’ computers. I would say that I was a little shy at times when it came to school and friends but with my family, it was always about having fun. I spent many summers going on family vacations and at theme parks which are my favorite memories.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kellydossevents.com
- Phone: 954-268-9792
- Email: kellydossevents@outlook.com
- Instagram: @kellydossevents
- Facebook: @kellydossevents
- Twitter: @kellydossevents
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/kelly-doss-events-aventura-fl-1008874
Image Credit:
Scribbled Moments Photography
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