Kathryn Kalabokes | Dream A Little Dream Events
Name: Kathryn Kalabokes
Location: San Francisco, California
Company: Dream A Little Dream Events
Years in Business: 5 years (just celebrated in July!)
What are your three favorite sources of wedding inspiration?
The wine country. Just driving up there gets me inspired. The colors, the vineyards, the food and I guess the wine doesn’t hurt. I also love going to flea markets, antique stores and local street festivals to find really cool vintage finds. Plus, good old Martha Stewart Weddings may seem obvious, but I really do find creative inspiration through those pages.
The wine country. Just driving up there gets me inspired. The colors, the vineyards, the food and I guess the wine doesn’t hurt. I also love going to flea markets, antique stores and local street festivals to find really cool vintage finds. Plus, good old Martha Stewart Weddings may seem obvious, but I really do find creative inspiration through those pages.
Why did you get started wedding planning?
I started my business to get away from doing corporate events, which I had done for years, and get into social event planning. I had done a few bridal showers and birthday parties when I was asked to do my first wedding. I was so incredibly nervous. I had helped on numerous weddings while interning in the past, but running your own had a whole new feel to it. It was thrilling! I have never looked back.
I started my business to get away from doing corporate events, which I had done for years, and get into social event planning. I had done a few bridal showers and birthday parties when I was asked to do my first wedding. I was so incredibly nervous. I had helped on numerous weddings while interning in the past, but running your own had a whole new feel to it. It was thrilling! I have never looked back.
What is one thing in your office that you could not live without, technology excluded?
A wooden cutout that was a flea market find that says “dream.” I look up at it often throughout my day to take a moment to breathe and remember what got me here, even when I’m having one of my most stressful days. It reminds me of my first tiny little office that you could barely walk through, and how all my hard work has taken me to where I am today.
A wooden cutout that was a flea market find that says “dream.” I look up at it often throughout my day to take a moment to breathe and remember what got me here, even when I’m having one of my most stressful days. It reminds me of my first tiny little office that you could barely walk through, and how all my hard work has taken me to where I am today.
If you could make one recommendation to a new planner, what would it be?
What I have seen is a lot of girls plan their own wedding, and then they go right into opening up their own business as a planner, without any training or business knowledge. A lot of money and time can avoid being wasted by taking a few months to shadow another planner in your area. Most are open to it, as I have had many come through my doors to ask my advice and work under me before taking the plunge of opening their own business. Once you decide that this is something you have the patience to do, then go for it! Do it the proper way though; get a business license, get insured, have a place of business operation, and please, above all else, don’t do this as a hobby. You will do your clients (and wedding planners as a whole) a huge disservice, and you will ultimately not reap the emotional rewards that this business offers.
What I have seen is a lot of girls plan their own wedding, and then they go right into opening up their own business as a planner, without any training or business knowledge. A lot of money and time can avoid being wasted by taking a few months to shadow another planner in your area. Most are open to it, as I have had many come through my doors to ask my advice and work under me before taking the plunge of opening their own business. Once you decide that this is something you have the patience to do, then go for it! Do it the proper way though; get a business license, get insured, have a place of business operation, and please, above all else, don’t do this as a hobby. You will do your clients (and wedding planners as a whole) a huge disservice, and you will ultimately not reap the emotional rewards that this business offers.
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