We were lucky to catch up with Alexis Karis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alexis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers?

It was my very first wedding to coordinate, EVER! The wedding was coming up just weeks before and the bride wasn’t convinced her dad was going to give a toast (he feared public speaking). As the weeks turned into days, and days turned into hours, the bride still was not certain on what her dad was going to do. Finally, the day comes, and it’s flying by. We’re sticking to the timeline and everything is running ever so smoothly. We begin to wrap up dinner and I’m walking around gathering everyone who is giving a toast. Maid of Honor, check. Best Man, check. Dad… he’s not going for it. He tried using the excuse he hadn’t prepared anything, and then here comes his father-in-law (the bride’s grandfather), he walked over and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper from his jacket pocket. Granddad had prepared a backup speech for this exact scenario. Dad took the speech, said “okay”, and I walked away to gather the others.

I signal to the DJ that it’s time to roll into the toasts. He picks up the microphone, starts making his announcements, and I look over to ensure all 3 people are standing by the bride and groom. Of course, to my surprise – dad was not there. I immediately jump into action by instructing the DJ to roll straight into cake cutting if I’m not back with dad by the time the best man is done, and I took off running.

I’m now searching every inch of the venue, even the security guard joined the hunt. Eventually, dad is found outside in the back alley with his best friend… hiding. By that time the best man was done and the cutting of the cake had begun. So the dad ultimately escaped his toasting duties.

Now don’t worry – the bride wasn’t upset at all. She expected it and later on found it funny, but we of course didn’t tell her about it until the next day. :)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I started Brick and Ivy back in 2019 after I coordinated a friend’s wedding for her (the one mentioned above with the escape artist dad). We worked together doing procurement at a major fashion jewelry company (basically I negotiated with vendors and did project management, amongst other responsibilities). I was previously married and loved every part of the planning process. Most people found me insane for that… but hey, if the shoe fits! About 9 months later my friend who was getting married needed a day-of coordinator, she saw how I handled myself in the workplace and asked if I would be interested in being her day-of. As my face could not get any larger from smiling, I promptly accepted. Then I immediately began googling “how to be a wedding planner”.

Taking what I had experienced from my own wedding and applying what google was teaching me, I planned out their entire day. After the wedding ended and everyone went home, I sat in my car and reflected on the day. It was fast-paced, high intensity, and although there were a few hiccups I was able to react and handled them behind the scenes. During this moment of reflection, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the overwhelming feeling of pride consuming me. I was so proud of myself and honored that I got to be part of a couple’s incredibly special time in their lives and was in charge of ensuring that it was literally the best day ever. It was right then and there that I knew my career path.

A few months after, I came up with a name, gathered photos, began working on a website, and eventually launched Brick and Ivy in December 2019. Then of course we all know what happened shortly after in March 2020…

Now, not only was I getting the hang of how to be a small business owner but how to pivot and grasp navigating through a pandemic. It was a huge learning curve, but I always led with compassion and empathy. Even to this day, I still choose to operate my business with those same attributes.

Getting married is VERY exciting but it can also be an incredibly overwhelming time. The couple is getting pulled in multiple directions by family, friends and everything else in normal life (not including planning a whole wedding) and all they want is to be heard. I’m here for each one of my couples first and foremost. I let them shoot for the moon on everything they want, and help make their vision a retainable reality.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media can be an intimidating place! The internet is home to so many other businesses, especially in your niche. With that in mind, I always tell myself “fake it until you make it”. When I was first starting out, I was using everything I could (including my own wedding photos). I would ask friends if I could use their wedding photos and post them as “inspiration”. I also used Pinterest (make sure you tag the owner!) and a website called Unsplash.com for stock photos. Paying to boost photos on Instagram and Facebook is highly recommended! Hashtags are huge too. Make no mistake, hashtags are not my forte, I would use whatever I could come up with that was relatable, and hope it would stick.

Eventually, with time and posting consistently the leads started coming in, and couples were getting booked. As I continued to grow, I would begin removing the borrowed or stock photos and replace them with real weddings I’ve done. It’s such a great feeling to post about my couples and showcase their love.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source I’ve found for getting new clients is paying to be a listed vendor on The Knot and WeddingWire. Right now about 75% of my couple’s come from one of those two websites. The other 25% is either word of mouth or social media!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brickandivydallas.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brickandivy_dallas/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brickandivy.dallas

Image Credits
Scott Aleman Shannon Skloss Ashley Due Scott & Shelby Hickenlooper